Makoto Shinkai Family Tree: The Story Behind Your Name

Makoto Niitsu, known as Makoto Shinkai, born 9 February 1973 in Koumi, Nagano, Japan, is the Japanese anime director-writer of Voices of a Distant Star (2002), The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), 5 Centimeters per Second (2007), The Garden of Words (2013), Your Name (2016 — $358M worldwide, then highest-grossing anime film ever), Weathering with You (2019), Suzume (2022 — Berlin competition).

The Family's Roots: A Nagano Construction Family

Family runs a construction company (Niitsugumi).

His Parents

Father: ran family construction firm.

Mother: homemaker.

His Wife: Chieko Misaka

Chieko Misaka (also written Misaki Ipponmatsu) — Japanese voice actress. Married Makoto in 1999. Separated.

Their Daughter

Niitsu Chise, born 2001 — daughter; actress.

The Shinkai Family Tree at a Glance

Father: Niitsugumi construction firm owner.

Wife: Chieko Misaka (m. 1999) — voice actress.

Daughter: Niitsu Chise (b. 2001) — actress.

Makoto Shinkai:

  • Born 9 February 1973, Koumi, Nagano
  • Chuo University (Japanese Literature) 1996
  • Nihon Falcom (video-game company) graphic designer 1996-2001
  • Voices of a Distant Star (2002) — self-produced short
  • Your Name (2016): $358M — 2nd highest-grossing anime film all-time (behind Demon Slayer: Mugen Train)
  • Referred to as "the new Miyazaki"

What the Shinkai Family Story Teaches Us

A construction-family father. A voice-actress wife. An actress daughter. A career that came from a self-produced short and became "the new Miyazaki" of Japanese animation.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the Shinkai story carries the same lesson. Some careers start with a self-produced short on a Mac.

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