Satō's Samejima, Saigo no Jūgonichi sumo series ends on July 12

Publisher Akita Shoten 's official website revealed on Tuesday that manga creator Takahiro Satō passed away in the early morning on Tuesday. He was 41. A private funeral service will be held for members of Satō's family.

The final chapter of Satō's Samejima, Saigo no Jūgonichi (Samejima, The Last 15 Days; seen right) will be published in this year's 33rd issue of Akita Shoten 's Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine on July 12. After editors reach a decision about chapters that have yet to be published in compiled book volumes, they will announce details in the magazine and on the website.

Satō launched the Ippon! manga in Weekly Shōnen Champion in 2004, and it ended in 2006. Bachi Bachi , the first installment in Satō's sumo manga series, debuted in 2009. The series ended in 2012, and the Bachi Bachi BURST sequel launched that same year. The series ran until 2014, and the most recent work in the series, Samejima, Saigo no Jūgonichi , also launched in 2014. Akita Shoten released the series' 18th compiled book volume on June 8.