Junji Ito's Uncanny: The autobiography every fan must read

On October 15, 2024, Junji Ito's Uncanny was released worldwide, almost a year after its release in Japan (early 2023). Unlike the author's other works, which featured spine-chilling illustrations, this book had none of it, as it was the author's autobiography. Not only did the author reveal his life story, he also tried his best to unveil the thinking that goes behind creating his works.

The author unveiled every mystery behind creating masterclass works like Uzumaki, Tomie, The Long Dream, and so many others. However, if fans are expecting a straightforward answer to this question— that they might get a straightforward answer like 'this is how you do it'— they might be up for some reading, as Ito, unlike most manga artists, didn't go to art school.

He didn't specifically state anywhere in his latest book about how to create a horror masterpiece, which he also kept apologizing for. The book, however, had more than enough material in it to entertain the fans, as he revealed the inspirations and thinking behind every story he has created so far, some of which were unpublished.

Ito drew 70 manga series in 6 years of elementary school, he was equally interested in 'sci-fi' as 'horror,' the regeneration ability of a lizard inspired Tomie, his fear of sharks inspired Gyo, and so much more was revealed in Junji Ito's Uncanny. So, read along as we dwell in the mind of the legendary horror manga artist, who became one only because he loved manga.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in this article solely belong to the author.

Junji Ito's Uncanny: The author's life, inspirations, and how it impacted him on a personal level

Childhood and early education

'Gege no Kitaro', one of the beginning inspirations, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny (Image via Kodansha)

On a sunny day in 1963, Junji was born in a household where he had two elder sisters. A key detail about Ito's house was his complicated house, as it was a two-story duplex— which could be the inspiration behind his work Haunted Wood Mansion. Another creepy detail was the bathroom's location, which was in the basement.

As explained in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author encountered humongous spiders while going to the bathroom. So, the author was born in a house where there was no shortage of horror. However, the first thing that scared the author was the TV show Akuma-kun, based on a manga series by Shigeru Mizuki (Gegege no Kitaro).

'The Drifting Classroom' by Kazuo Umezu (Image via Shogakukan)

This might also be the time when the bud of a horror manga artist sprouted inside the author. Following this, the author's next encounter with horror was the manga series Mummy Teacher written by legendary horror manga artist Kazuo Umezu (The Drifting Classroom).

Kazuo's importance in Ito's world is already famous, as he might be the author whose works inspired Ito to become a horror manga artist. Sadly, Kazuo passed away in October 2024. Following this event in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author revealed the importance of Shinichi Koga (Eko Eko Azarak) in his life.

Shinichi Koga was an underrated horror manga artist whose White Snake Mansion manga was Ito's first read from the author. During Ito's childhood, most horror manga series were serialized in Weekly Shojo Magazine. Ito was introduced to horror through his sisters.

Surprisingly, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author was also interested in Kaiju movies since his childhood. One such movie, highlighted by Ito, was Eiji Tsuburaya's Ultra Q. This movie hit deep as Ito couldn't understand it but liked its concept.

'Bug Boy' by Hideshi Hino (Image via Dh Pub)

Ito drew 70 manga series during elementary school, some of which were previewed in Junji Ito's Uncanny, and was getting the hang of making manga. During this time, he developed a keen interest in flash fiction (a fiction story of a few paragraphs). His obsession with this manga ran so deep that he even took part in an official competition, the Kodansha Shinichi Hoshi flash fiction contest.

After losing three times in this contest, Ito abandoned this genre and stuck to horror. Another inspiration that opened a new world of horror for Ito was the works of Hideshi Hino (Bug Boy), published in Garo Magazine (discontinued in 2002). Hidoshi Hino might have told the author that writing was as important as the illustrations in a horror manga.

In middle school, the author had one of the creepiest experiences ever, an appendicitis surgery. As medical knowledge wasn't as advanced as today, he was given local anesthesia (keeping the patient conscious but numbing the area of surgery). So, Ito saw his insides getting worked upon right before his eyes. After this, Ito entered high school.

High school and Dentistry school

Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi (Image via Shogakukan)

As some fans might already know, Ito's personality is that of someone who prefers to remain secluded. However, he received two manga-loving friends in high school, who not only loved horror but also introduced Ito to other genre series like Urusei Yatsura. Unfortunately, this was also when Ito had to choose whether to become a manga artist or not.

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, Ito chose to become a dental technician on the recommendation of his aunt, as he was too scared to pursue manga as a career. Where a dentist is a medical practitioner, a dental technician is someone who creates artificial teeth.

However, to Ito's surprise, while he was choosing a major subject, between arts and science, he had to take arts because the science class was full. Moreover, he could attend both classes.

'Akira' by Katsuhiro Otomo (Image via Tokyo Movie Shinsha)

During this time, Ito developed an interest in the works of Katsuhiro Otomo (the original creator of Akira). This might be when the word "body horror" became embedded in Ito's mind, and could be seen in most of his works. During one science class, Ito molded a perfectly shaped mold of teeth, and realized that he might have a talent for this field, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny.

Years passed and Ito entered Dentistry School at the age of 18. During this time, Ito's mind reverted to movies. He claimed to love the movies of Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon) and also stated, in Junji Ito's Uncanny, that at that time, anyone could watch two movies with a single ticket. This was also the time when manga became secondary for Ito, as he decided to pursue a different future.

Working life and the turning point

After graduating from Dentistry School, Ito had to choose to enter two workplaces. As the owner of one place was giving the author creepy vibes, he decided to join the other place where his salary was "decent," Ito was a dental technician, a person who made molds for teeth, and soon enough, the demand for molds kept getting low.

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, Ito's salary soon became commission-based and he couldn't enjoy manga like he used to in the past, as he was too focused on getting a bigger commission. So, on a destined day, while Ito was driving to his workplace, he decided to pursue a future as a manga artist and manga became his first choice again.

Ito started drawing on the weekends and even attended some art classes, because he wasn't a graduate of an art school. He eventually got good at drawing and this was when the Monthly Halloween Magazine started in 1986. Moreover, the first 'Umezu Prize' was also announced, and Ito was obsessed with letting his inspiration read his work.

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, Ito had six months to work. As Ito had the concept of a lizard's regeneration ability to grow its tail back, he diversified it, and this was the birth of one of his most influential manga series, Tomie. After putting his everything into this manga, Ito sent it to the Monthly Halloween Magazine in hopes of winning the first Umezu prize.

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, Ito got reabsorbed into his original work after this because he was still a dental technician. Months passed and Ito received a word from Monthly Halloween Magazine. Unfortunately, no winner was announced and Ito received an honorable mention, alongside some manuscript papers as a prize. However, this was the kickstart of his career as a manga artist.

Tomie was a hit and Ito was asked by the Monthly Halloween Magazine to write another manga. As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author wrote Biohouse. Not only was this work not that popular, but it was also one of the most controversial ones given how the manga's protagonist— a degenerate person— resembled the boss of Ito's workplace. Ito cleared all misunderstandings timely.

'Neck Specter' (Image via Monthly Halloween)

This was followed by the submission of Face Thief and Neck Spector, as Ito was also assigned his own editor from Monthly Halloween magazine. The name of Ito's first editor was Harada, and he had one of the biggest impacts on the author's career. as he advised Ito to stay away from drawing gore— which some fans might agree because his horror is not dependent on bloodbaths.

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author soon received a monthly section in the Monthly Halloween Magazine. However, during all this, Ito was still in two boats. During a trip home, Ito expressed his feelings about manga and showed his parent his paycheck as a dental technician.

Surprised by how low it was, Ito's parents allowed him to pursue manga and this was when the author became a bonafide manga artist. Fast forward to three years after his debut as a manga artist, Ito got married, had a family, and even changed his publication magazine (Monthly Halloween Magazine stopped in 1995). So, he joined Shogakukan's monthly Big Comic Spirits magazine.

Junji Ito's Uncanny: How to write and illustrate like the legendary horror manga artist

Story-telling

While the author did give some tidbits on how to write a perfect spine-chilling story, he kept apologizing for not knowing a simple answer on how to create a perfect horror story, as in Junji Ito's Uncanny.

While the reason behind this might be due to the author's self-consciousness as he didn't study or train to become a manga artist, it might be a sign of humbleness because Ito didn't want to limit the minds of viewers to the standards he had mentioned in Junji Ito's Uncanny.

As he received a section in a monthly serialized manga, he had to utilize every minute, and for this, he divided his work into three sections, giving each one proper time. His routine, as showcased in Junji Ito's Uncanny, is as follows:

First 10 days: story and script
Next 5 days: storyboards
Last 15 days: drawing and illustration

While he did receive help from his family members in drawing background art, which Ito titled the Ito Family Workshop, the author had to do everything else by himself as he had no assistants, unlike the usual manga authors.

'Fashion Model' (Image via Monthly Halloween)

Starting from the story, the author focused on 'brainstorming,' and how it helped create most stories. He even attached his brainstorming drafts to Junji Ito's Uncanny and showed that almost 90% of his manga series are done within the brainstorming session. As noted in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author recommended following the quote of Kazuo Umezu for creating horror:

"If something strange happens inside the house, its horror. If outside, it science fiction." (qtd. in Junji Ito's Uncanny)

The author also emphasized the fact that a 'theme' of a work shouldn't be used to create a story— for example, Uzumaki wasn't centered around the spiral theme— and that it should be more centered around the author's idea of discomfort— such as the creepy model from Fashion Model.

To generate an idea, an author should crush the assumptions and combine opposite ideas to create a perfect melody for horror, like in Gyo: combined 'sharks' with 'walking on land,' assuming that it was impossible in reality. Interestingly, Junji Ito's Uncanny also added that Ito restricted himself to telling one lie per every story— for example, in Hanging Blimp, used nylon as the material for the ballons which could easily burst.

Ito also stated that his favorite transition in horror was the transition from a human into a monster, emphasizing that monsters shouldn't be introduced from the get-go in a series. Lastly, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author said that the protagonists of a story should be the least priority in the horror genre, because they would ultimately die. Ito even titled protagonists as "just elements to a story and nothing else."

Lastly, Junji Ito didn't like writing long stories and preferred to work on one-shots, and the majority of his works are short stories. However, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author was interested in writing long horror and wanted to take some time out to read the works of Stephen King (The Shining) to learn how to write such extended works.

Illustrations

As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, before starting the illustration of a character, Ito emphasized deciding a few things: the name, gender, age, appearance, nature, and relationships of a character. This might help an author with limiting his imagination and not going overboard.

The author also stated that the human body is the perfect subject for horror, as the author's favorite transition in horror was the scene from Uzumaki where Shuichi's father reduced himself inside a tub, in the shape of a spiral. Paneling— showing an event with more panels, rather than fewer— was also a key factor in creating horror illustrations, as noted in Junji Ito's Uncanny.

Ito emphasized that a series should be more focused on the 'horror,' so if more pages are needed, an author should go with it, to make events less confusing. For creating horror scenes, Ito advised smashing two unlikely elements together, such as 'Model' and 'Scary' in The Fashion Model.

Lastly, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author added that horror shouldn't stray from reality beyond a limit because reality is what makes horror 'spine-chilling.' This was all the author mentioned regarding illustrations, because this was the part where he struggled the most.

This had a fun story behind it too, as explained in Junji Ito's Uncanny. During a Japanese TV program, where the author met Urasawa Naoki (author of 20th Century Boys), the latter criticized the former for his slow drawing. Funnily enough, Ito took this as a compliment. Urasawa Naoki also stated that Ito's drawings were extremely detailed.

Junji Ito's Uncanny: Inspirations behind Uzumaki, Tomie, and every other story written by the famous horror manga artist

Tomie, the author's first and longest work, combined the concept of a lizard's ability to regenerate its tail and Ito's past encounter where one of his classmates died. While the concept was great, the author struggled with points that he never expected.

Firstly, the author couldn't think of a reason to kill Tomie in every chapter. So, he asked a coworker from the dental workshop, who denied Ito's idea about killing a girl. So, Ito ultimately made her so beautiful that she would eventually die in the pursuit of others achieving her. For her character design, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author took inspiration from old Japanese illustrators.

Uzumaki was the first long-form story Ito worked on, and probably the one with which he struggled the most, for various reasons. The sole inspiration behind this manga was how Ito found the spiral shape 'stupid.' Ironically, this inspiration quickly bit him back as he had no idea how to write anything about it. This was also the time when Ito changed magazines, so he received help from his new editor.

As Ito liked the concept of a spiral shape, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, he learned more about it by studying Jōmon pottery (ancient Japanese pottery centered around round-like shapes). Ultimately, as this problem was solved, Ito then struggled to kill Kirie Goshima— the protagonist— and ultimately killed her in the climax of Uzumaki.

Lastly, Gyo was inspired by Ito's phobia of sharks and oceans as the Ito imagined these creatures swarming on land. The initial title of this manga was supposed to be 'death-stench creeps,' but was changed to Gyo. As noted in Junji Ito's Gyo, this manga was also one of the few ones where Ito had already planned the climax before starting.

The inspirations behind some other long-form works were also revealed. Black Paradox, where a group of people devise a way to unalive themselves, was inspired by a space documentary the author watched, according to Junji Ito's Uncanny. Everything about the protagonist group was inspired by the legendary rock band Beatles, as Ito is a big fan of this band.

Dissolving Classroom, a story where a protagonist apologizes after melting others' brains, was inspired by Ito's habit of apologizing to others over trivial matters. Soichi, a story about a little boy obsessed with making others annoyed with his behavior, was inspired by Ito's happy childhood life, with a lot of added factors that led to the birth of Soichi, the series' protagonist.

Remina, where a mysterious planet tries to engulf Earth, was inspired by Devilman (Go Nagai). The brief concept behind this work was Ito trying to create a futuristic city to satisfy his urges. However, after the release of this story, Urasawa Naoki's Pluto was released and, as noted in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author was disappointed by his conception of a future city after looking at Naoki's work.

Deserter, the story of a family that hides an army deserter from the world, was thought of after Ito talked to a man who had survived the previous war. Junji Ito's Uncanny also revealed that Soichi was a human-yokai hybrid (with 'yokai' being a supernatural being).

The inspirations behind Ito's horror collections— the omnibus editions of Junji Ito's stories published in English— were also revealed.

Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories (Image via VIZ Media LLC)

Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories: The Hanging Blimp, where human-faced balloons chased humans, was inspired by a dream the author had, where a balloon chased him. Although the idea was great, Ito couldn't think of a way to make it a short story. While taking a bath one day, the story clicked in his mind and he rushed outside to note it.

Long Dream, where a man lived centuries inside his dream, was a short story that Ito started working on in middle school. The series was born after the author heard from his sisters that dreams could be eternal, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny. Honored Ancestors, the story where heads stack up on each other as a part of ancestry, was inspired by the First Nations People of Canada.

Greased, one of the eeriest works where a man gets obsessed with drinking oil, was inspired by Ito's experience at a Buddhist Temple. As stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the temples Ito stayed at were sticky and filthy, which led to him developing an entire story.

The true inspiration for the story of Fashion Model, the story of a scary fashion model, came from Ito's experience reading a fashion magazine and stumbling across an eerie-looking model. The character design of Fuchi— the scary fashion model in the short story— was inspired by 'Biemzo,' a character from a zombie play Ito watched in his childhood.

Moreover, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the model was supposed to look like a shark, given Ito's phobia of this marine creature. However, this idea was soon scrapped. Lastly, Shiver, where a girl breathes through holes in her body, instead of using her lungs, was inspired by Insect Spiracles— holes insects use to breathe as they do not have lungs, which the author read about in a book.

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection (Image via VIZ Media LLC)

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection: Earthbound, where people mysteriously freeze in a statue-like position, was Ito's concept of punishing people for their crimes. Funnily enough, after this short story was published, Ito learned of a similar work, titled Standing Woman, by Yasutaka Tsutsui. However, its story was entirely different, upon which Ito was relieved.

Roar, the story of a man who keeps reliving the memory of a flood in which his wife drowned, was a combination of romance and trauma by the author, inspired by the concept of 'floods.'

Lastly, Smashed, a story where people die after eating the forbidden honey, was thought of after the relationship between humans and mosquitoes. Mosquitoes, who create the forbidden honey, smash humans against a wall, just like how the latter smash the former if they try to suck blood.

Venus in the Blind Spot: Junji Ito Selected Stories (Image via VIZ Media LLC)

Venus in The Blind Spot: Junji Ito Selected Stories: Enigma of Amigara Fault, widely recognized as the author's best work set in a world where humans are attracted to holes of their shapes, was inspired by Hanging Blimp and Ito's work experience as a dental technician, where he shaped metals into a desired shape using a mold.

Billions Alone, telling the tale of a girl who is obsessed with sewing everyone in the modern age of the internet, also the conclusion short story to Remina, was the author's way of depicting the modern age, where people prefer to stay in contact through the internet, rather than in-person. Moreover, the ending— where the female protagonist sewed her parents together— was supposed to see her dying with her parents, but was scrapped.

'Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection (Image via VIZ Media LLC)

Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection: Neck Specter, a man is haunted by his friend's corpse whose neck kept extending, was inspired by the author's first work, Tomie, as stated in Junji Ito's Uncanny. Frankenstein, where a man learns to create life, was inspired by Mark Shelly's novel Frankenstein. As revealed in Junji Ito's Uncanny, the author tried his best to replicate the story.

Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection: The Strange Hikizuri Siblings, the story of a troublesome group of siblings, was strangely inspired by Ito's own household, as claimed in Junji Ito's Uncanny. However, despite the story showing disputes between siblings, Ito claimed that his siblings never had a major dispute.

The Beautiful Boy at the Crossroad, the story of a pretty boy whose fortunes made women commit su*cide, was inspired by the 'crossroad fortune-telling— more commonly referred to as the Tsuji-ura, where a person tells the fortune of someone through a box full of cards.

'Fragments of Horror' (Image via Asahi Shimbun Company)

Fragments of Horror: The Whispering Woman, the story of a confident girl who makes every decision with the help of a maid, was thought of, as claimed in Junji Ito's Uncanny, as a remedy for confident people by the author. Magami Nanakuse, the story of a girl who goes insane in pursuit of meeting her favorite author, was inspired by Tic Disorder— a medical condition where a person cannot control a particular involuntary movement.

Final thoughts: Is this book a beginner's guide to writing horror manga?

To the surprise of some fans, Junji Ito was just a manga reader just like the other people. However, his love for manga was different than the average manga consumer, and this led to him becoming a manga author. So this book could be a perfect guide for people if they wish to pursue manga as a career.

Moreover, Junji Ito's Uncanny might also be a good inspiration for manga authors, given how the author opened up about his entire life.

Lastly, as a collection piece, Junji Ito's Uncanny might be a book that people would ignore given how niche the author is in the manga industry. However, it would be one of the best ones for anyone who loves the author's work.