From cemeteries filled the casket with zombified limbs and worm-infested corpses to the ghastly tales of femme fatales and their victims, the world of Gothic literature and horror knows no bounds. However, there is a modern artist who is considered by many to be the “Master of Macabre”.

Junji Ito, a Japanese mangaka artist and director for numerous animated films, has written hundreds of stories detailing grim realities and has amassed a humongous following of fans from all backgrounds.

Ito was born in Nakatsugawa, a Japanese halfway between Kyoto and Tokyo, on July 31, 1963. Ena Valley in Nakatsugawa is known for its beautiful cherry blossom trees in the fall months; an ironic upbringing for a writer of such tragedies. 

Ito began creating manga at an extremely young age, crafting stories as soon as four years old. He was said to have taken inspiration from magazines and short books he read at the time. 

Surprisingly enough, Ito then went on to become a dental technician in 1987, steering away from pursuing writing as a full-time career. Ito found difficulty in balancing the two professions and had to make a critical decision.

After three years of difficult decision-making, Ito finally chose to become a full-time manga writer and artist. He started with his first manga series, Tomie, for the Monthly Halloween, a shōjo magazine in 1987.

This series was a classic tale of femme fatale, with the lead succubus being Tomie Kawakami, a young woman who can make any man fall in love with her. Even though this was Ito’s first manga series, he was able to win the Kazuo Umezu Award.

In addition, the series was adapted into a television show in 1999, airing in Japan, and later being brought over to the West. This was only the beginning of Ito’s success.

To this day, Ito has continued writing terrifyingly disturbing manga and illustrating captivatingly creepy cryptids that dazzle the mind of anyone who reads or watches his productions.

“I am a horror maniac who prefers to stay at home,” Ito said.