Osamu Yamamoto is a Japanese manga artist, known in Japan as a mangaka, who was born on February 16, 1954, in the Isahaya area of Nagasaki Prefecture. His professional career began in earnest after he moved to Tokyo following his graduation in 1973. Before achieving success, he worked a variety of jobs and served as an assistant to fellow manga creator Tomoe Satoo. His first major serialized work, Bokutachi no Shissō, began publication in 1981 and continued until 1985, establishing him as a new voice in the industry.

Yamamoto is a prolific creator whose body of work spans several decades, covering diverse genres and topics. He is credited as the original creator for several series that have been adapted into other media. One notable example is the manga Donguri no Ie (The House of Acorns), which was serialized in eight volumes from 1993. This work was adapted into an anime film in 1997, with Yamamoto himself serving as both the original creator and the chief director on the project. Another earlier series, Haruka Naru Kōshien, a baseball story published from 1988 to 1990, was adapted into a live-action film in 1990.

A recurring element in Yamamoto's artistic identity is his focus on stories centered on people with disabilities, often portrayed with a strong emphasis on realism and detailed research. The 1991-1992 series L'Orchestre des doigts (Wagayubi no ōkesutora) is a significant example, telling the story of a school for the deaf in Osaka in 1914 and based on a real historical figure, Professor Takahashi Kiyoshi. His work Haruka Naru Kōshien also features a team of students with hearing disabilities. This interest in authentic, human-centered drama, rather than fantasy or science fiction, defines much of his work.

Beyond entertainment, Yamamoto has used the manga medium to explore contemporary social and political issues. His autobiographical series Kyō mo Ii Tenki includes a chapter titled Genpatsu Jiko-hen (Nuclear Accident Edition), which depicts the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster from the perspective of a village in Fukushima Prefecture. This work is noted for its critical tone towards the government while also providing nuanced detail about the agricultural impact of radiation. For this series, Yamamoto received a special award from the Japan Cartoonists Association in 2013. His other notable works include the long-running series Sobamon, about soba noodle making, and Tenjō no Gen.