
Kazuo Umezz
Biography
Kazuo Umezu or Kazuo Umezz (楳図 かずお, Umezu Kazuo, birth name 楳図一雄; born September 3, 1936) is a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. Starting his career in the 1950s, he is among the most famous artists of horror manga and has been vital for its development, considered the "god of horror manga". In 1960s shōjo manga like Reptilia, he broke the industry's conventions by combining the aesthetics of the commercial manga industry with gruesome visual imagery inspired by Japanese folktales, which created a boom of horror manga and influenced manga artists of following generations. He created successful manga series such as The Drifting Classroom, Makoto-chan and My Name Is Shingo, until he retired from drawing manga in the mid 1990s. He is also a public figure in Japan, known for wearing red-and-white-striped shirts and doing his signature "Gwash" hand gesture.
Acting (13 movies)

Gu Gu, the Cat
2008

Kaidan. Strange Stories of Japanese Ghosts
2023

Gozamareji
2003

Monster Heaven: Ghost Hero
1990

Monster Heaven
1986

Yaji & Kita: The Midnight Pilgrims
2005

Makoto-chan
1980

Hoodlum Soldier
1965

God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand
2006

Why Horror?
2014

Tokyo Zombie
2005

The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch
1968

The Drifting Classroom
1987
Directing (1 movie)
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Evil Heart | 1985 | Writer |
| Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: Present | 2005 | Writer |
| Mother | 2014 | Screenplay |
