Acclaimed postwar actor Hisaya Morishige, whose voice acting brought inspiration to Hayao Miyazaki, passed away due to natural causes on November 10th. He was 96.

Morishige provided all the male voices in Japan's first full-length color animation, Toei's 1958 film, Hakujaden (The White Snake Enchantress). He later voiced the boar god Okkotonushi in Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke (1997). Miyazaki stated in an interview that Hakujaden had directly inspired him to become an animator. Morishige also provided the voice for Professor Torino in Doraemon: Nobita's Winged Heroes.

Born to a wealthy Osaka family in 1913, Morishige attended Waseda University, where he studied theatre. He worked as an NHK announcer post-graduation and through World War II. In the 1950s, Morishige rose to fame as an actor. He began his career as a comedian before expanding into serious roles. Having a large presence across a variety of popular media, Morishige is recognized as one of Japan's most famous postwar performers. He was also well-known for his stage acting, frequently reprising roles hundreds of times - Tevye, in the Japanese version of Fiddler on the Roof, being his most famous.

In addition to his acting career, Morishige led the Japan Actors Union. He was awarded the Person of Cultural Merit honor in 1984 and the first Order of Culture in the field of popular arts in 1991.

We at Anime Dream offer our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Morishige-san.