Junji Ito
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese horror manga artist best known for his series of short stories about Tomie, an immortal girl who drives her stricken admirers to madness, and Uzumaki
, a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals.
, Ito first began writing and drawing manga as a hobby while working as a dental technician
. In 1987, he submitted a short story to Gekkan Halloween that won an honorable mention in the Kazuo Umezu Prize (with Umezu himself as one of the judges).
In addition to Umezu, Ito has cited Hideshi Hino
, Shinichi Furuka, Yasutaka Tsutsui
, and H.P. Lovecraft as major influences on his work.
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, Tomie was adapted into a series of films
, beginning in 1999. Several other works of Ito's have subsequently been adapted for film and television:
Uzumaki
is a horror manga written and Illustrated by Junji Ito, and serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits.The story concerns the inhabitants of the small Japanese town of Kurôzu-cho as they become obsessed by the occurrences of natural and artificial spirals around them...
, a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals.
Biography
Inspired at a young age by his older sister's drawing and the work of influential horror manga artist Kazuo UmezuKazuo Umezu
, is an author of Japanese horror and other manga, as well as a musician and actor.He had his first book of manga published while still in high school and made manga his career immediately upon graduation...
, Ito first began writing and drawing manga as a hobby while working as a dental technician
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
. In 1987, he submitted a short story to Gekkan Halloween that won an honorable mention in the Kazuo Umezu Prize (with Umezu himself as one of the judges).
In addition to Umezu, Ito has cited Hideshi Hino
Hideshi Hino
Hideshi Hino is a Japanese manga artist who specializes in horror stories. His comics include Hell Baby, Hino Horrors, and Panorama of Hell...
, Shinichi Furuka, Yasutaka Tsutsui
Yasutaka Tsutsui
is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. Along with Shinichi Hoshi and Sakyo Komatsu, he is one of the most famous science fiction writers in Japan. His Yumenokizaka bunkiten won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari...
, and H.P. Lovecraft as major influences on his work.
Manga
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Adaptions
Following the success of the film RinguRing (film)
is a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kōji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ōtaka as members of a divorced family...
, Tomie was adapted into a series of films
Tomie (film series)
is a Japanese horror film series based on Junji Ito's manga series of the same name.- Casting :Tomie is played by a different actress in each film, and the role is as coveted by Japanese actresses as Emmanuelle is in France...
, beginning in 1999. Several other works of Ito's have subsequently been adapted for film and television:
- The Fearsome Melody - (戦慄の旋律 senritsu no senritsu), 1992
- Tomie - ( 富江 Tomie), 1998
- Tomie: Another Face - (?富江:アナザフェイス), 1999
- Tomie Replay - ( 富江:re-play Tomie: re-play), 2000
- UzumakiUzumaki (film)is a Japanese horror film directed by Higuchinsky. Uzumaki, released in 2000, is based on Junji Ito's episodic manga of the same name.The plot concerns a town infected with malevolent spirals...
- (うずまき Uzumaki), 2000 - Gravemarker Town (film) - (墓標の町 bohyou no machi), 2000
- The Face Burglar (film)- (顔泥棒 kao dorobou), 2000
- The Hanging Balloons - (首吊り気球 kubitsuri no kikyuu), 2000
- Long Dream - (長い夢 nagai yume), 2000
- Oshikiri - (押切 Oshikiri), 2000
- KakashiKakashi, is a manga by Junji Ito. In 2001, it was adapted into a live-action Japanese horror film directed by Norio Tsuruta.-Synopsis:Kaoru Yoshikawa's brother, Tsuyoshi has been missing for a week. She visits his apartment for clues and find an envelope containing bits of grain and a letter from Izumi...
- (案山子 Kakashi), 2001 - Lovesick Dead (also known as Love Ghost) - (死びとの恋わずらい shibito no koiwazurai), 2001
- Tomie: Rebirth - (富江:Rebirth Tomie: Rebirth), 2001
- Tomie: The Final Chapter - Forbidden Fruit - (富江 最終章 ?禁断の果実 Tomie: Saishuu-sh? - kindan no kajitsu), 2002
- Marronnier - (マロニエ Marronnier), 2002
- The Groaning Drain - (うめく排水管), 2004
- Tomie: Beginning 2005
- Tomie: Revenge 2005
- Tomie Vs. Tomie 2007
- Tomie: Unlimited 2011