Kazuo Oga

Birth place: Akita prefecture, Japan
He is an art director and background artist for many Studio Ghibli anime films. He also published two artbooks and directed an OVA.

After graduating from the Kakunodate Akita High School he joined a Design Senmon Gakkou, where he quite one year priot to graduation. Afterwards he joined the animation industry as a painter. He started working at Kobayashi Production, where he learned under president Kobayashi Kobayashi Shichirou. He left afterwards and joined Madhouse for a brief time, where he worked on Wicked City, before being scouted by Miyazaki Hayao, who was searching for a new art director for Studio Ghibli in 1987.

He became the art director for My Neighbor Totoro and was praised for his work by both, Miyazaki and Takahata, who attested him great talent and were especially impressed by the natural feel the greenery was endowed with.

(Source: AniDB)