Kishimoto

Kishimoto is a Japanese surname. It is written in kanji as 岸本 and read Kishimoto. The characters mean “shore” (岸) and “origin” or “root” (本), and the surname is generally understood to have geographic origins related to living by the shore. Like many Japanese surnames, its distribution varies by region and is found across Japan.

Notable people with the surname include Masashi Kishimoto (born 1974), a manga artist and writer best known for creating the Naruto series. Naruto was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1999 to 2014 and has been adapted into an extensive anime franchise, films, and other media, making Kishimoto a prominent figure in contemporary Japanese popular culture.

Beyond Masashi Kishimoto, individuals bearing the surname exist in various fields such as academia, business, and sports, though they may not have the same level of international recognition. The name Kishimoto remains in common use in Japan and among Japanese communities abroad.