Hajime Sorayama

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Hajime Sorayama (空山基, Sorayama Hajime, 1947—) is a Japanese illustrator.

[edit] Biography

Hajime Sorayama was born in 1947 in Imabari. He received his basic education at Imabari Kita High School. In 1965 he was admitted to the Shikoku Gakuin University, where he began to study Greek- and English literature. In 1967, he transferred to Tokio's Chuo School where he began to study art.

Sorayama graduated in 1969 at the age of 22, and gained an appointment in an advertising agency. He became a freelance illustrator in 1971.

[edit] Notable works

Sorayama's first book Sexy Robot, published by Genko-sha in 1983, which made his robotic forms famous around the world. For the work, he used ideas from pin-up art, which in the book then appear as chrome-plated "female" robots in suggestive poses. A number of his other works similarly revolve around figures in suggestive poses, including highly realistic depictions in latex and leather.

Other published books include Hajime Sorajama, Sorayama Hyper Illustrations (1 & 2), The Gynoids, Naga and Torquere. A compendium was published as The Complete Works 1964-99.

He has appeared on numerous occasions on the cover of Airbrush Action magazine. The cover of Aerosmith's Just Push Play is based on a Sorayama design. In the Venture Bros. episode "Past Tense," a character named Mike Sorayama builds robots nearly identical to those depicted by Hajime. Sorayama is thanked in the episode's credits.

[edit] References