Born February 15th, 1974 in Okayama Prefecture, Yoshimitsu Yamashita graduated from Kokugakuin University with a Major in History. Yamashita first started out in the Anime industry in 1997 working in Production Management at JCF. Amazingly, he has never been formally trained in art. His talent for drawing was first discovered through various doodles and sketches he would make on company paperwork.

Yamashita’s first project as an animator was Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo The Movie 2. He continued to work at JCF for several years, and then made the leap to becoming a freelance animator. Samurai Champloo was the first project he worked on freelance. Around 2006, Yamashita joined BeeTrain and started work as Character Designer and Animation Director on the TV show Ginyuu Mokushiroku Meine Liebe wieder. A short while later, the Animation Department at BeeTrain was spun off into new company, C-Station, and Yamashita moved with it. Today Yamashita retains a seat at C-Station, but regularly contracts out to work on various external projects.

Yamashita is the Chief Animation Director for Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon), a TV series directed by Shinichiro Watanabe with music by Yoko Kanno, and airing on Fuji TV’s popular noitaminA block.


Previously, he has served as Chief Animation Director on House of Five Leaves and Hyouge Mono, and Animation Director on episodes of Bleach, CANAAN, Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~, Samurai Champloo, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, and many more. Yamashita has also worked as a Key Animator on Monster, Michiko to Hatchin, XxxHOLiC the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream, and dozens more.

Read about his full list of works on Anime News Network.
Follow him on Twitter at @nocturamayama.
Friend him on Facebook at Yoshimitsu Yamashita.

AnimeFest is excited to welcome Mr. Yamashita to his first anime convention ever!