Osamu

Osamu is a masculine Japanese given name. It is typically written in kanji, with the meaning depending on the characters used. Common forms include 治, meaning to govern or heal, and 志, meaning will or purpose, among others. The name is pronounced o-sa-mu and is usually rendered in romaji as Osamu.

Historically, Osamu was a popular given name in the early to mid-20th century. In modern Japan, it remains widely recognized but is less frequently given to newborns.

Notable people named Osamu include Osamu Tezuka, the influential manga artist often regarded as the Godfather of Manga who created works such as Astro Boy and Black Jack; Osamu Dazai, a major 20th-century novelist known for No Longer Human; and Osamu Shimomura, a chemist who shared the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and development of green fluorescent protein (GFP).

Outside Japan, the name is primarily encountered in contexts related to Japanese culture or individuals of Japanese ancestry.