Screenwriter and playwright Sō Kuramoto has died at the age of 91. His foundation, Kuramoto Sō Kaiwai, announced that Kuramoto died from multiple organ failure on September 18, 2026.
A private funeral was held with close relatives. A memorial service is scheduled for November 3 at the Furano Theatre Factory in Hokkaido.
Born Kaoru Yamaya in Tokyo in 1935, Kuramoto joined Nippon Broadcasting System in 1959 after graduating from the University of Tokyo. He became an independent screenwriter in 1963 and adopted the professional name Sō Kuramoto.
For anime fans, one of his notable credits was Zero-sen Hayato, the 1964 television series based on Shigeru Sugiura’s manga. Kuramoto worked on the show’s scripts alongside Akira Kōno and Tomio Sagisu.
Kuramoto became particularly celebrated for his work in Japanese television drama. His credits included Zenryaku Ofukuro-sama, Sayonara Oryū-san, and Kita no Kuni kara, the latter becoming one of his most recognized works.
His career continued into his later years, with Kuramoto writing the screenplay for the 2024 film Umi no Chinmoku (The Silence of the Sea), a project that had reportedly remained in development for six decades.
