Noriyoshi Ōrai

• Name — Noriyoshi Ohrai • Native Name — 生頼 範義 • Born — 17 November 1935 • Birthplace — Hyogo, Japan • Died — 27 October 2015 • Place of death — Miyazaki, Japan • Children — Taro Ohrai • Awards — Seiun Award • Occupation — Illustrator • Years Active — 1960–2015 • Era — * Shōwa era • Heisei era Noriyoshi Ohrai was a Japanese illustrator. He is most notable for illustrating the international poster for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and several Godzilla film posters during the Heisei era. Ohrai's prolific work includes the illustration of over 1,300 book and magazine covers, video game box art, movie posters and portraits.

Ohrai started his career as an illustrator after dropping out of a painting course at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1957. He first began to exhibit his paintings in Ginza in 1960 however he was unable to sell a single piece of artwork. In 1962, Ohrai joined a startup advertising company called the Tokyu Agency. Over the course of his career, Ohrai illustrated over 1,300 book covers alone, and was known for completing artwork commissions within 3 days. He was wide-reaching in his work, creating photorealistic military illustrations for historical magazines, sci-fi paintings for movies and novels, and portraits of historical figures such as U.S. Presidents and Japanese warriors. In 1980, Ohrai created multiple illustrations based on Star Wars for Tokuma Shoten's Definitive Edition Book on Space Sci-Fi Movies. This caught the eye of the film's creator George Lucas. At Lucas' request, Ohrai illustrated the international poster for The Empire Strikes Back, which was primarily featured for advertising the film in Japan and Australia. The poster was recognized globally and caused Ohrai to earn the Seiun Award at the Japanese Sci-Fi Convention in 1980. As a result, Ohrai was asked to commemorate the Japanese dub of Star Wars in 1982 by designing a poster for its theatrical debut. • Illustration — Ohrai's international poster for The Empire Strikes Back After his retirement in 2011, highlights of Ohrai's work were published in three collection books across 2014 and 2015, and exhibitions were displayed in his hometown of Miyazaki. In 2013, Ohrai was awarded the Miyazaki Prefecture Culture Prize for his contribution to art in Japan.

Noriyoshi Ohrai was born in Akashi, Japan on November 17, 1935. At age 19, he studied painting at Tokyo University of the Arts before dropping out in 1957. In 1973, he moved to Miyazaki. Ohrai had a private lifestyle and only shared himself through self-portraits, with no public photographs of him in circulation. In 2011, Ohrai had a stroke which prevented him from illustrating and forced him into retirement. On October 27, 2015, Ohrai died at the age of 79 from pneumonia. His son, Taro Ohrai, is an artist in Japan.

• Year — Title — Role — Ref • 1980 — The Empire Strikes Back — International poster • 1982 — Star Wars — Japanese dub theatrical release poster • 1982 — Future War 198X — Illustrations • 1982 — The Beastmaster — International poster • 1984 — Godzilla — Poster • 1985 — The Goonies — International poster • 1989 — Godzilla vs. Biollante — Poster • 1991 — Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah • 1992 — Godzilla vs. Mothra • 1993 — Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II • 1994 — Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla • 1995 — Godzilla vs. Destoroyah • 2000 — Godzilla vs. Megaguirus • 2004 — Godzilla: Final Wars • 2006 — Sinking of Japan — Poster

• Title — Author — Role — Ref • Wolf Guy series — Kazumasa Hirai — Cover art, illustrations • Zombie Hunter series • Genma Taisen series • Vampire Wars series — Kiyoshi Kasai — Cover art • Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan — Eiji Yoshikawa — English publication cover art • Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era • Lensman series — E. E. Smith — Cover art

• Year — Title — Publisher — Role — Ref • 1987 — Genghis Khan — Koei — Box art • 1988 — Ishin no Arashi • 1989 — Romance of the Three Kingdoms II • 1989 — P.T.O. • 1989 — Bandit Kings of Ancient China • 1990 — Uncharted Waters • 1990 — L'Empereur • 1991 — Gemfire • 1992 — Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf • 1992 — Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny • 1992 — Taikou Risshiden V • 1993 — P.T.O. II • 1993 — Uncharted Waters II • 1993 — Rise of the Phoenix • 1993 — Liberty or Death • 1994 — Genpei Kassen • 1994 — Progenitor • 1994 — Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire • 2001 — Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty — Konami — Premium package booklet • 2002 — Monster Traveler — Taito — Box art • 2004 — Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes — Konami — Premium package booklet • 2004 — Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater — Premium package booklet, poster • 2006 — Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops — Premium package interior box art