Kazuo Umezu’s Tribute and His True Horror Manga

Pioneer of “horror comics

It was learned that Kazuo Umezu, a manga artist, passed away on October 28. The cause of death was stomach cancer. He was 88 years old. The funeral has already been held, and a farewell party will be held at a later date.

Umezu-san is known for coining the term “horror manga” in 1961 when he was 25 years old, with his works such as “Nekome no Shoujo” and “Hebi Onna” serialized in “Shukan Shoujo Friend” (Kodansha) in 1966, which became hits, and he was considered the leader of “horror manga”. His reputation was cemented with the serialization of “Drifting Classroom,” which began in 1972 in Weekly Shōnen Sunday (Shogakukan).

In 1976, he moved into gag manga with “Makoto-chan” (“Weekly Shōnen Sunday,” Shogakukan), which began serialization in 1976. The main character Makoto-chan’s line “Gwashi! and her pose became a social phenomenon.

This magazine FRIDAY saw Mr. Umezu in Harajuku, Tokyo, a town for young people, on October 7, 2011. At the time, Joel Zimmerman, the world famous DJ “Deadmouth” from Canada, who was visiting Japan, was opening a pop-up store. Umezu was invited as a guest and took pictures with people who purchased goods, and also demonstrated with Deadmouse using a “Gwashi” shaped object. Outside the store, he was surrounded by fans asking for autographs, and showed his energy by striking a Gwashi pose with them.

In recent years, he has planned collaboration products with young people’s brands, and in 2010, “Kazuo Umezu Grand Art Exhibition” was held at Roppongi Hills, and his popularity has expanded into the field of pop culture, so his sadness has spread not only to manga fans, but also to fashion people and many young people. The sadness has spread not only to manga fans, but also to people in the fashion industry and many young people.