Who Is Hayao Miyazaki Married To? Lesser-Known Facts About Studio Ghibli Creator's Wife, Akemi Ota

Hayao Miyazaki may be one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the world, but behind his timeless stories and breathtaking art stands a woman whose presence has remained unwavering for several decades. The founder of the iconic Studio Ghibli, often dubbed the ‘Godfather’ of Japanese animation, has spent much of his life immersed in fantastical worlds, yet behind the scenes, his wife, Akemi, has kept him grounded.

Miyazaki’s name has long been synonymous with some of his most iconic works, including Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, Grave of the Fireflies, and My Neighbour Totoro. However, little is known about his personal life, especially Ota, his wife of nearly 60 years.

With the legendary filmmaker’s classics making their return to the theatres during this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest, we present to you some lesser-known facts about Ota, the woman who stood beside him long before the animation studio came into the picture.

Akemi Ota’s journey in animation

Before she became Mrs. Miyazaki, Akemi Ota was an in-between artist at Toei Animation. This iconic studio created several of Japan’s greatest animations during the 1990s, including Dragon Ball Z and The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots. An acclaimed animator herself, Ota joined Toei Animation in 1958, where she was responsible for creating transitional frames between key poses. It’s an integral yet often-overlooked work that gives life and movement to animation.

Akemi Ota’s artistry played a foundational role in works that reshaped the way we see modern anime. Between 1958 and 1972, Ota worked on numerous productions, most notably including The Wonderful World of Puss ’n Boots and The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun, during which she worked in close collaboration with Miyazaki. After marrying Miyazaki and starting a family, Akemi made the difficult choice to take a step back from her thriving career. She walked away from the animation desk to raise their children, while her husband continued to rise in the industry.

A love story born at Toei Animation

Hayao Miyazaki joined Toei Animation in 1963, five years after Ota. However, it wasn’t until 1963 that they met, working side by side as young animators for the film, Prince of the Sun. While sharing creative ideals and bonding over a fierce work ethic, their friendship bloomed into a deeper connection. Their connection was instant, and within two years of dating, the pair married in October 1965.

Over the years, Miyazaki and Ota’s partnership thrived both personally and professionally, despite Japan’s booming yet demanding animation scene. The two collaborated to bring artistry and precision to projects that would later influence the one-of-a-kind founding style of Studio Ghibli in 1985.

In their six decades of marriage, Miyazaki and Ota welcomed two sons. Their first son, Goro, born in 1967, would go on to become a renowned director at Studio Ghibli. As a filmmaker and landscape architect, Goro has directed popular Studio Ghibli projects, such as Tales from Earthsea (2006), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011), and Earwig and the Witch (2020). Their second son, Keisuke, was born in 1969 and reportedly found his career in wood artistry. 

Hayao Miyazaki had to fight his own morals for the sake of his wife

Those familiar with the filmmaker’s principles must know that Hayao Miyazaki has always hated the ‘Americanization’ of Japan and was particularly opposed to driving an automobile. However, he once revealed he had to adapt the skill for the sake of Ota and his then-unborn kids. In a 1983 essay featured on the Hayao Miyazaki Image Board Collection, the filmmaker shared:

“I’m against Americanization, so obviously, I had no interest in riding an automobile… When my wife’s belly began to grow, the young me believed that as a husband, it was my duty to carry the same weight. So I decided that even though I did not know if it was a boy or a girl (since it hadn’t been born yet), in order to take my child to nursery school, I would go to driving school, a place that still gives me shivers to remember. All driving schools should burn to the ground!”

How does Miyazaki see himself as a husband and a father?

While Miyazaki’s artistic brilliance knew no bounds, his meteoric rise came with a cost. The Japanese filmmaker has openly admitted that his workaholic nature had distanced him from his family back then. It was his wife, Akemi, who held the reins of the house, raising their sons largely on her own, creating the stability the filmmaker needed to focus on his art.

Their elder son, Goro Miyazaki, has often spoken up about his chemistry with his father growing up and then working with him on Studio Ghibli. He once candidly said Hayao “gets zero marks as a father but full marks as a director.” Despite having a complicated relationship growing up, the father-son duo eventually reconciled, working together on From Up on Poppy Hill (2011).

In later years, Miyazaki has expressed deep regret for not being more present in his family. In 2023, when he received the Academy Award for his film The Boy and the Heron, he dedicated it to his grandchildren. 

How Akemi’s influence lingers in Hayao Miyazaki’s works

It has been decades since Hayao Miyazaki’s wife, Akemi Ota, retired from animation, but her presence silently lingers in the filmmaker’s works. She is there in every heartwarming depiction of mothers in Miyazaki’s works, and in every strong yet gentle female character. Ota is there in every quiet scene of domestic peace that defines his films.

Together, Hayao Miyazaki and Akemi Ota represent a partnership deep-rooted in creativity, mutual respect, understanding, sacrifice, and enduring love. Their nearly six-decade marriage stands as a strong testament to a kind of love story that can perhaps only be expressed through hand-drawn art.

Read Next: Hayao Miyazaki's Massive Net Worth, Why He Named His Studio 'Ghibli'? It Has A Deep Inner Meaning

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)