Kazuo Umezu, Japan’s ‘God of horror manga,’ dead at 88

Kazuo Umezu, regarded as Japan’s “God of horror manga,” died on Oct. 28 in Tokyo at 88 years old.

He had been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer prior to his death, publisher Shogakukan Inc. announced on Tuesday. “Umezu wanted to spread his work throughout the world, to be read by all forever,” his art company, UMEZZ, said in a statement.

Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1936, Umezu launched his horror manga “Hebi Shojo” (“Reptilia”) and “Nekome Kozo” (“Cat Eyed Boy”) as a high school student in the 1960s. His most popular work, “Hyoryu Kyoshitsu” (“The Drifting Classroom”), as well as other past works, won him the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1975.

Known for his signature red-and-white-striped shirt, Umezu stopped drawing manga to focus on television work in 1995. He made his directorial debut in the 2014 Japanese horror film “Mother.” In addition to the 1975 award, he was also given the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2019, as well as a special prize from the Asahi Shimbun during the 27th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards in 2023.