Mitsumasa Anno (安野 光雅, Anno Mitsumasa,  born 20 March 1926) is a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984 for his "lasting contribution to children's literature."


Anno was born in 1926 in Tsuwano, a small town in Shimane Prefecture, Japan and grew up there. As a student at a regional high school, he studied art, drawing, and the writings of Hermann Hesse.During World War II, Anno was drafted into the Japanese army.  After the war, Anno earned a degree from the Yamaguchi Teacher Training College in 1948.  He taught mathematics for ten years in an elementary school in Tokyo before beginning a career illustrating children's books.Anno lives in Japan with his wife, Midori.  They have two children, Masaichiro and Seiko.


Anno is best known for wordless picture books featuring small, detailed figures.  In the "Journey" books, a tiny character travels through a nation's landscape, densely populated with pictures referencing that country's art, literature, culture, and history.  Anno's illustrations are often in pen and ink and watercolor, and occasionally incorporate collage and woodcuts.  They are intricately detailed, showing a sense of humor as well as an interest in science, mathematics, and foreign cultures.  They frequently incorporate subtle jokes and references.  Anno's style has been compared to that of M. C. Escher.
Although he is best known for his children's books, his paintings have earned recognition in his native Japan. In Tsuwano the Mitsumasa Anno Museum houses a collection of his works.


The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Anno received the illustration award in 1984.
Chicago Tribune Honor Award (1970)
The Minister of Education's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists (1974)
Kate Greenaway Medal, commended runner-up (1974), Anno's Alphabet
Brooklyn Museum of Art Award (1975)
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Picture Book (1975), Anno's Alphabet
BG–HB Honor, Picture Book (1977), Anno's Counting Book
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Picture Book (1978), Anno's Journey
BIB Golden Apple Award (1979)
Graphic Award, Bologna Children's Book Fair (1980)
Person of Cultural Merit (2012)




Socrates and the Three Little Pigs by Tsuyoshi Mori (1986)
The Magic Pocket: Selected Poems by Michio Mado (1998)