Taniguchi, who was known for his elegant line drawings and intricately-constructed landscapes, died on 11
th Feb 2017.
His art earned him an international following and some of his work was made into a television series.
His death was announced by Casterman, his publisher in France, where his work was particularly well known.
Taniguchi was widely praised for the gentle manner in which he approached subjects that were often unique for Japan's manga consumers.
His works such as The Walking Man, The Summit of the Gods and The Magic Mountain, stood apart in a genre sometimes seen as rooted in extreme violence.
In The Walking Man, the protagonist of the story simply wanders around fascinated with aspects of everyday life.
Taniguchi explained, in an interview, why his art was painstakingly hand-drawn - "I do not use a computer because I do not know how, I don't have that skill," he said.
His detailed landscapes filled with cartoon characters drew comparisons in the West with European comic heroes such as Tintin.
Born in 1947 in the city of Tottori, Taniguchi had his first cartoon published in 1970.
Many years later his graphic art took off in France and in 2015 his work was featured at the annual Angouleme international comics festival.
