Veteran manga artist Jirô Taniguchi, celebrated for his work on “The Walking Man,” “The Summit of the Gods” and "The Times of Botchan" passed away on Saturday at age 69. News of his death was confirmed by his French publisher Casterman.

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Known for his fine line-art style, Taniguchi was born in 1947 in Tottori City, located in the west of the Japanese island of Honshū. He subsequently moved to Tokyo to pursue a career as a manga artist, first serving as an assistant to the more established creators, including Kazuo Kamimura, who introduced Taniguchi to Western comics.

The young artist then struck out on his own, publishing his first solo work, “A Desiccated Summer,” in 1970. His meticulous style and eye for detail, particularly prevalent in his manga series "The Walking Man," enabled him to convey the beauty contained in the little moments of everyday life, a skill that won his contemplative manga a following far outside of his native country.

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A number of his works were also adapted for the big screen, most prominently "A Distant Neighborhood," and "The Summit of the Gods." The former, which tells the story of a middle-aged salary man who's transported back in time and into the body of his younger self, served as the basis of the 2010 French-language film "Quartier Lointain."