SFGATE.com has a nice article about some of the history of Ghost in the Shell in its various forms. Definitely an interesting read that seems to be fairly accurate.

Masamune Shirow, author of the original "GitS" manga, is one of the most popular -- and most enigmatic -- names in the manga industry; the creator of such best-selling series as "Appleseed" and "Dominion: Tank Police," he is famous for having a love of technology that borders on fetishism, and also for being so intensely private that he does not employ assistants (he letters and shades all of his artwork personally), refuses to be photographed or to appear in public and won't even reveal his real name: the one he goes by is a pseudonym some have suggested is inspired by the famous 13th-century swordsmith Masamune, or perhaps by the Kiku Masamune sake brewery, located in the artist's hometown of Kobe. (Typically, Shirow himself refuses to say.) [SFGATE.com]