Grew up in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Was an assistant to YOKOYAMA Masamichi. After debut he became one of the cartoonist who built the graphic novel boom through the 1960s and 1970s.

When he was at the height of his popularity, manga artist Baron Yoshimoto concluded all of his serializations and suddenly left for the United States. In 1985, following his return to Japan and concurrently with his work as a comic writer, he began to produce paintings, launching a new and innovative style.

Using the name Ryu Manji in his activity as a painter, he has shown works from the career he began from scratch, separate from manga. Each of these works has been highly praised.

KAMOGAWA Tsubame, TAKAJO Masahiko, MIYAJIMA Hibiki and SASANUMA Sugurushi were once his assistants.