Junji Itô

Junji Itô is a Japanese mangaka born on July 31, 1963 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. From an early age, he followed in his older sister's footsteps and began drawing. Among his inspirations were his older sister, but also Kazuo Umezu, a mangaka specializing in horror and a pioneer of the genre.

Junji Itô officially began his career in 1987, while working as a dentist. His first manga, Tomie, was published in Monthly Halloween, a magazine specializing in horror. It won a special mention for the Kazuo Umezu Prize.

In 1990, he decided to leave the medical field to immerse himself body and soul in the world of manga. The success of Tomié opened the doors to Big Comic Spirits, and in 1998 he began pre-publication of Uzumaki, released in France under the name Spirale, which marked a turning point in the author's career. A year later, he consolidated his position as a master of horror and an essential mangaka with Gyo.

Years later, Junji Itô continues to make us tremble with his works that play on our most absurd fears. The mangaka draws his inspiration from the graphic style of Kazuo Umezu, but also from the unspeakable horror of H.P. Lovecraft, to create timeless works that linger in readers' minds. His stories have been adapted to film or, more recently, in an anime released on Netflix entitled Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre.

Japan Expo is honored to have this great horror mangaka as our Manga Guest of Honor at Japan Expo 24th Impact!

Go and follow Junji Ito on X!