Mari Yamazaki

First, she went to Italy to study art when she was 17. She was planning to study in UK, but a ceramics artist called Marco Tasco convinced her and her family to go to Italy instead. She attend the National Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, where she studied art history and oil painting. That was about when she started drawing manga seriously in order to support herself and her son. She debuted as a manga artist in 1997. She couldn’t make a living just from manga at her earlier career, and so taught Italian at a university, worked on TV as a reporter specializing in hot spring resorts. This eventually inspired her later big hit, Thermae Romae. She was awarded the 3rd Manga Taishō and the Short Story Award in the 2010 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes. An anime adaptation of the manga has been produced and aired and a live-action film adaptation was released in April 2012, with its sequel, Thermae Romae II, in April 2014. On 1 April 2026, Mari Yamazaki debuted as a VTuber named Minerva Cacumen Montis from ancient Rome, at the urging of the Hololive-affiliated VTuber Juufuutei Raden.

• Name — Mari Yamazaki ヤマザキ マリ • Born — 20 April 1967 • Birthplace — Tokyo, Japan • Nationality — Japanese • Area — Manga artist • Notable Works — Thermae Romae • Manga — Yes

• Yūmeijin (2001) • Kokoro ni Sasayaite (2003) • 2050-nen no Watashi Kara (2005) • Mōretsu! Italia Kazoku (2006) • (2007) • Rumi to Maya to Sono Shūhen (2008) • Thermae Romae (2008) • Italia Kazoku Fūrinkazan (2008) • Ryōko-san no Iu Koto ni wa Shinonomechō Rumi Maya Nikki (2009) • Sekai no Hate de mo Mangakaki (2009) • Chikyū Ren'ai (2010) • PIL (2010) • Arabia Neko no Gorumu (2010) • Bōen Nippon Kenbun Roku (2010) • Sweet Home Chicago (2012; 2013; 2014) • Giacomo Foscari (2011) • Tatte Iru Mono wa Haha (Ryōko) de mo Tsukae (2012) • Jobs (2013) • PLINIVS (2013) (in collaboration with Miki Tori) • Olympia Kyklos (2018) • Thermae Romae Redux (続テルマエ・ロマエ, Zoku Thermae Romae) (2024)

Mari Yamazaki is recorded with the occupation university teacher. Recorded with the occupation radio personality. Recorded as mangaka, illustrator, writer and painter.