Shinzi Katoh  

Miscellaneous goods designer and picture book author. Born in Kumamoto Prefecture.

During his more than 50 years as a designer, he has produced over 15,000 different product designs, including miscellaneous goods, shoes, clothes, picture books, and jewelry, both domestically and internationally. He has also collaborated with many famous characters such as Disney, Pokemon, Ultra Monster, and Astro Boy. In 2010, the NPO Sorabea Foundation won the Minister of the Environment Award for creating "Sorabea," which features polar bear brothers who are at the mercy of changes in the global environment.To date, he has published over 25 picture books from Kodansha, Gakken, Iwasaki Shoten, Kokuyo, Publishing Works, etc., and several of them have been translated and published. Since 2014, he has been touring the exhibition "Shinzi Katoh World - Designers of the Dream World" to museums and other venues across the country. In 2016 and 2017, he also held his first overseas exhibition in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Harrods in London and colette in ParisIn addition to events in Hong Kong and Taiwan, ７-Eleven stores in Hong Kong and Taiwan have adopted the novelty items, and their activities are spreading all over the world.

  Noriko Kuwashima  

Born December 12th. Born in Iwate Prefecture. She belongs to Aoni Production.

Shortly after her debut, she was chosen to play the role of Yurika Misumaru, the heroine of the blockbuster anime "Mobile Battleship Nadesico." Since then, she has played many characters in popular works, such as Sango in "Inuyasha," Natal Basilur and Frey Alster in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED," Itsuki Meidoin: Cure Sunshine in "Heartcatch PreCure!", Yuki Mori in "Space Battleship Yamato 2199," and the mother of Tanjiro (the main character) in "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba." She is also active as a program narrator. Since 2001, she has continued to carry out "reading nights" in which Kenji Miyazawa's works are read aloud, and in recognition of these activities, in 2009 she was awarded the Ihatov Award at the 19th Kenji Miyazawa Award and Ihatov Award, sponsored by Hanamaki City. She also recited "Kenju Park Forest" at the 73rd National Tree Planting Festival Iwate 2023. Since 2010, she has been the Kibogo Iwate Cultural Ambassador in Iwate Prefecture.