He then created Hikaru no Go with Yumi Hotta, which received the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1999 and the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2003. Karakurizōshi Ayatsuri Sakon, with author Sharakumaro, became his first work to be adapted into an anime. After this series, Obata began collaborating with other writers. Joining the Weekly Shōnen Jump staff, he mentored under Makoto Niwano before starting his first major series, writing and drawing Cyborg Jii-chan G in 1989. He originally became noticed in 1985 when he took a prize in the Tezuka Award for his one shot 500 Kōnen no Shinwa. As a child he re-read Shotaro Ishinomori's Cyborg 009 over and over. Takeshi Obata chose to be a manga artist because he always loved drawing.
