Hajime Yatate

Hajime Yatate (矢立 肇, Yatate Hajime) is a collective pen name used by the animation staff of Sunrise, Inc and Bandai Namco Pictures for crediting their creative contributions. The pseudonym has been used since 1978, beginning with Sunrise’s second original production, Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3.

Origin

The name ‘Hajime Yatate’ derives from Matsuo Bashō’s Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), specifically the phrase ‘yatate no hajime’ (矢立の初め), which refers to the first use of travelling writing implements. According to former Sunrise staff member Yoshie Kawahara, this reference was chosen to symbolise the beginning of a great journey, while also serving as a playful reference to the Japanese phrase ‘yatta ze, hajimete!’ (‘We did it, for the first time!’).

Usage

The pseudonym primarily serves copyright management purposes for Sunrise’s original productions. While it represents the collective creative input of Sunrise’s planning staff, during the early 1980s it was particularly associated with Eiji Yamaura, who was then the head of planning and later became company president in 1987.

Not all Sunrise original productions use the Yatate credit. For example, in the Gundam series, Yoshiyuki Tomino shares the original creator credit with Yatate, while Armored Trooper VOTOMS credits Ryosuke Takahashi as the original creator. Some modern productions like TIGER & BUNNY and Aikatsu! use ‘Original Work: Sunrise’ instead.

Since Bandai Namco Pictures’ establishment in 2015 as a spin-off handling family-oriented content, the credit ‘Original Work: BANDAI NAMCO Pictures’ has replaced ‘Original Work: Sunrise’ for their productions. However, the Battle Spirits series continues to use the Hajime Yatate credit.

Notable works

The Hajime Yatate credit appears on many significant Sunrise productions, including:

Gundam series

• Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
• Various subsequent Gundam series and productions

Other mecha series

• Aura Battler Dunbine (1983)
• The Vision of Escaflowne (1996)
• Code Geass (2006)

Non-mecha series

• Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (1988)
• Cowboy Bebop (1998)
• Love Live! franchise (2013-present)

Complete works

Gundam series

• Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985)
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ (1986)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988)
• Mobile Suit Gundam F91 (1991)
• Mobile Suit Victory Gundam (1993)
• Turn A Gundam (1999)

Mecha series

• Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3 (1978)
• Trider G7 (1980)
• Aura Battler Dunbine (1983)
• Heavy Metal L-Gaim (1984)
• Choriki Robo Galatt (1984)
• Mashin Hero Wataru (1988)
• The Vision of Escaflowne (1996)
• Infinite Ryvius (1999)
• Z-Mind (1999)
• The Big O (1999)
• Machine Robo Rescue (2003)
• Code Geass (2006)
• Sacred Seven (2011)

Non-mecha series

• Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (1988)
• Mama wa Shōgaku 4 Nensei (1992)
• Outlaw Star (1998)
• Cowboy Bebop (1998)
• Witch Hunter Robin (2002)
• My-HiME (2004)
• Idolmaster: Xenoglossia (2007)
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Space (2009)
• Love Live! School Idol Project (2013)
• Love Live! Sunshine!! (2016)
• Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club (2020)
• Love Live! Superstar!! (2021)

Collaborative works

In cooperation with Takara Tomy:

• The Brave Series (1990–1997)
  • Brave Exkaiser (1990)
  • The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird (1991)
  • The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn (1992)
  • The Brave Express Might Gaine (1993)
  • Brave Police J-Decker (1994)
  • The Brave of Gold Goldran (1995)
  • Brave Command Dagwon (1996)

This comprehensive list showcases the breadth of works credited to the Hajime Yatate collective pseudonym across different genres and decades, highlighting its significance in anime production history. All these works were produced by Sunrise (and later Bandai Namco Pictures), demonstrating the studio’s diverse output under the Yatate credit.

Legacy

The use of Hajime Yatate as a collective pseudonym established a precedent in the anime industry for crediting collaborative creative work. Similar collective pen names have been used by other studios, such as Saburō Yatsude and Izumi Todo at Toei.

The consistent use of the Yatate credit across decades of Sunrise productions has helped establish a recognisable brand identity for the studio’s original works, while acknowledging the collaborative nature of anime production.