Umezu, Kazuo

Kazuo Umezu (楳図かずお, 1936–2024) was a Japanese manga artist, musician, and public figure widely regarded as the founding father of horror manga. Born in Wakayama Prefecture and raised in the mountains of Nara, he debuted in 1955 while still in high school. Like many others in his generation, Umezu was inspired by Osamu Tezuka's 1947 work "Shin Takarajima" (新宝島) as a child, even though he would later criticize Tezuka's view of a bright future. Umezu would instead forge his own path, and set himself apart from Tezuka by going in the opposite direction: with stories that are often dark and horrific, though sometimes with comedic instances. After moving to Tokyo in 1962, he developed the visual language of "fear manga" (kyōfu manga) - a term he coined - combining grotesque imagery drawn from Japanese folklore with psychological dread. Throughout the 1960s, especially in shōjo magazines, he became known for his combination of gruesome imagery largely inspired by Japanese folktalkes with the manga industry at the time, becoming known as the Godfather of Horror Manga.

Junji Ito, Toru Yamazaki and Minetarō Mochizuki have cited him as an influence. His career spanned four decades and dozens of series, from the post-apocalyptic The Drifting Classroom to the comic Makoto-chan to the science-fiction epic Fourteen.Tendinitis forced his retirement from serialization in 1995. He received the Heritage Award at the 2018 Angoulême International Comics Festival.

1950s

1955
Mori no Kyoudai (森の兄妹) with Mizutani Takeko

1958
Haha Yobu Koe (母呼ぶこえ)

1959
Ningyō Shōjo (人形少女)
Maboroshi Shōjo (まぼろし少女)

1960s

1962
Romansu no Kusuri (ロマンスの薬)

1964
Yamabiko Shimai (山びこ姉妹)
Nemuri Shōjo (ねむり少女)
Hebi Obasan (へびおばさん)

1965
Mama ga Kowai (ママがこわい) | Published in English as "Scared of Mama"
Madara no Shōjo (まだらの少女) | Published in English as "The Spotted Girl"
Benigumo (紅グモ) (1965 - 1966)
Hangyojin (半魚人)

1966
Hibiware Ningen (ひびわれ人間)
Hebi Shōjo (へび少女) | Published in English as "Reptilia"
Urutoraman (ウルトラマン) (1966 - 1967)

1967
Nekome no Shōjo (ねこ目の少女)
Nekome Kozō (猫目小僧) | Published in English as "Cat-Eyed Boy" (1967 - 1969, 1976) 
Akanbo Shōjo (赤んぼ少女)
Shisha no Kōshin (死者の行進)

1968
SF Ishoku Tampenshū (SF異色短編集) (1968 - 1969)
Kage (映像)
Chō no Haka (蝶の墓)
Orochi (おろち) | Published in English as "Orochi" (1969 - 1970)

1970s

1970
Iara (イアラ)

1971
Kaijū Gyō (怪獣ギョー)
Agein (アゲイン) (1971 - 1972)

1972
Hyōryū Kyōshitsu (漂流教室)  | Published in English as "The Drifting Classroom" (1972 - 1974)

1974
Senrei (洗礼) (1974 - 1976)

1976
Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) (1976 - 1981)

1980s

1982
Watashi wa Shingo (わたしは真悟) | Published in English as "My Name is Shingo" 

1986
Kami no Hidarite Akuma no Migite (神の左手悪魔の右手) (1986 - 1988)

1988
Chō! Makoto-chan (超!まことちゃん) (1988 - 1989)

1990s

1990
Fōtīn (14歳) (1990 - 1995)