At age seventeen, Sakaguchi dropped out of school to work for Osamu Tezuka's animation studio, Mushi Production.
Serving as an assistant animator, he worked on the productions for Ambassador Atom, Kimba the White Lion, and Princess Knight.
[2] In 1969, he departed Tezuka's studio and began working independently, creating his own manga, including Version, the 1400-page Fleur de Pierre, and Ikkyū.
[3] Ikkyū (あっかんべェ一休; also known as Akanbe Ikkyū) is an imaginary biography of the titular 14th century monk, focusing on his struggles (including being the son of the Emperor of Japan) and his spiritual quest, leading him to become the wandering eccentric monk of legend.
[5] In 2023, Sakaguchi's Ishi no Hana won the Prix du Patrimoine, which honors works that left their mark on history, at the 50th Angoulême International Comics Festival.