was a pioneering animator

Animator

An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...

 who helped develop the art of anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 in Japan. Studying the animation techniques of Sanae Yamamoto, Murata produced dozens of mostly educational

Educational film

An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...

 films at the Yokohama Cinema studio featuring such characters as Momotarō

Momotaro

is a popular hero from Japanese folklore. His name literally means Peach Tarō; as Tarō is a common Japanese boy's name, it is often translated as Peach Boy...

 and Norakuro

Norakuro

is a Japanese manga series created by Suihō Tagawa. The titular protagonist, Norakuro, or Norakuro-kun, is a black and white dog. The name Norakuro is an abbreviation of and ....

. Along with Noburō Ōfuji

Noburō Ōfuji

was a Japanese film director and animator. One of the most notable auteurs of anime of the first half of the 20th century , he worked primarily with cutout and silhouette animation...

, he was renowned as a master of cutout animation

Cutout animation

Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...

. Among his students were such animators as Yoshitarō Kataoka.

Selected filmography

• Dōbutsu Orinpikku taikai, 1928 [Animal Olympics]
• Tarō-san no kisha, 1929 [Taro's Train]
• Saru Masamune, 1930 [The Monkey Masamune]
• Oira no yakyū, 1930
• Sora no Momotarō, 1931
• Norakuro gochō, 1934

External links