Photo/Illutration Kazuo Umezu in 2006 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Influential manga artist Kazuo Umezu, known as a pioneer in horror comics in a long career dating to the mid-1950s, died on Oct. 28. He was 88.

His famed manga include “The Drifting Classroom” and “Makoto-chan.” A private funeral was held with his close family members and friends in attendance. 

Umezu was born in Wakayama Prefecture and spent his childhood in Nara Prefecture. 

He made his debut in 1955 and prolifically wrote horror comics for paperback books intended for rental.

After focusing on magazines, he wrote “Snake Girl,” which is the final story of a trilogy named “Reptilia” in the weekly magazine Shojo Friend published in 1966. With the work, Umezu firmly established his reputation as a horror manga artist.

After creating “Orochi” in 1969, he started writing “The Drifting Classroom” in a weekly comic magazine in 1972.

In the story, children traveled into the ruined future world where they overcome many difficulties.

He received the publisher’s award “Shogakukan manga-sho” for “The Drifting Classroom” and other manga in 1975.

From 1976, he started writing a comedy manga “Makoto-chan” featuring a kindergartener for a weekly magazine.

The main character’s trademark pose with a sound like “Guashi” as well as his way of talking with adding “nanora” at the end of sentences became popular.

After that, he went on to write “My Name Is Shingo,” “God's Left Hand, Devil's Right Hand,” and “Fourteen,” among other manga.

After completing “Fourteen” in 1995, he suspended his work because of acute tendonitis he developed over the years.

However, Umezu resumed writing and published “Zoku-Shingo” in 2022 for the first time in 27 years and received the Special Award of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2023 for the work.

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