Person: Okuyama Reiko

Okuyama Reiko was a Japanese animator. She is notable for being one of the first female Japanese animators.

Okuyama spent much of her early life confined to bed due to a series of illnesses. She developed her interest in drawing during this time. After the end of World War II she left her home town to attend university in Tokyo.

In 1957 Okuyama applied for a position with Toei Doga, mistakenly believing that they were publishers of children's books. Her drawing skills were enough for her to be hired as an in-betweener. Her first work was on the landmark feature-length anime Hakujaden (1958). She was promoted to second key animator on 1959's Shounen Sarutobi Sasuke, in spite of sexual discrimination on the part of the studio heads.

Okuyama continued her work as second key animator for 1960's Saiyuuki. Her primary role was to even out the stylistic differences between the work of Toei Doga's two top animators, Mori Yasuji and Daikuhara Akira.

Around 1960, Okuyama married fellow animator Kotabe Youichi; she gave birth to their first child shortly thereafter. Okuyama continued to work for Toei Doga until 1976, eventually rising to the position of head animator.

After briefly joining her husband at Nippon Animation, Okuyama went freelance, providing work for one last Toei film, 1979's Tatsu no Ko Tarou. She has gone on to illustrate several children's books, and has taught animation at the Tokyo Designer Academy. She participated in the animated project Fuyu no Hi in 2003.

Okuyama then continued to produce animation until she died in May, 2007.