Junji Ito: Master of the Macabre and Architect of Nightmares

Transmission 106: Interview with Junji Ito

• Architect of Psychological Fear: Ito’s horror is rooted in the “erosion of reality,” focusing on the brain and human body as the ultimate sources of terror.
• Precision Through Professionalism: His career as a dental technician directly influenced the surgical precision and “painstaking detail” of his terrifying artwork.
• Existential Fate: Unlike many horror protagonists, Ito’s characters are often controlled by a “negative fate,” rarely overcoming the supernatural forces they encounter.

Junji Ito’s immersion in the macabre began at an early age. Influenced by the works of Kazuo Umezu and Shinichi Koga, he found solace and inspiration in the eerie and the unsettling. Ito’s path took a significant turn in 1987 when he submitted a short story to a horror magazine. This story, which would later become the iconic ‘Tomie’, launched his career. He has carved a niche in the horror genre with his unsettling narratives and unique artwork. His stories, often rooted in psychological horror, explore the depths of human fear, addressing themes of paranoia and isolation. His tales cover human nature, anxieties, and obsessions in addition to horror.

Interview with Junji Ito in Japanese

Ito’s artwork is distinguished by its painstaking attention to detail and capacity to arouse fear that persists long after the last page is turned. Those who are trying to define terror frequently look to the instinctive and uncontrollable. It’s what resides in the shadows of the psyche. His intellect has a natural capacity to take hold of that fear, to give it shape, to force the audience to face it head-on. Here Ito excels. He shows audiences horror from the inside, making them feel and experience it directly. Fear, sometimes, it’s about the subtle erosion of reality—what happens when what we know begins to come apart. It is about the unknown, the unseen, and the unfathomable depths of the human mind. As people experience his works, they are forced to confront their own fears and the darkness that resides within them all.

Featured image: Junji Ito ©Tetsuya Higashikawa Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.

Can we examine the mind of a man whose work has left an indelible mark on the world of horror? What drives him to venture into such dark themes? Presumably, it stems from his personal experiences growing up in a home with an underground tunnel that led to a spider-carnivorous bathroom. Perhaps it stems from his experience working as a dental technician, where the need for accuracy in his job led to the intricate horror depicted in his artwork. Why does he continuously return to the dark corners of human existence? People might never fully understand. But one thing is for sure—through his work, all humans face darkest fears, those that remain long after the lights have gone out.
Uzumaki received nominations for an Eisner Award. For his manga adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Ito won his first Eisner Award in 2019 for “Best Adaptation from Another Medium.” For his works Remina and Venus in the Blind Spot, Ito won two further Eisner Awards in 2021: “Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia” and “Best Writer/Artist.” Ito received the Inkpot Award in 2023 at the annual San Diego Comic-Con. His artworks have been adapted into films, anime, and even video games, reaching a wide audience and cementing his status as a master of horror. Junji Ito’s stories remind us that horror is not just about monsters and ghosts.

Were you always attracted to the dark, horror, fear etc., since your childhood? Where did your interest in these themes originate?

The first manga I read as a child was a horror manga by Kazuo Umezu (楳図かずお). Since then, I’ve been drawn to horror manga. It wasn’t just manga; I’ve also been interested in scary stories and films from an early age. I believe the reason behind this interest was Kazuo Umezu’s influence, along with scary TV shows and my older sisters, who also liked these things.

You explore the unknown and the inexplicable in many of your stories. You make the distinction between horror and beauty hazy. In your storytelling, how do you strike a balance between these opposing elements? What steps do you take while creating a new horror concept? 

I don’t consciously think about balancing horror and beauty. The balance shifts depending on the story’s content, but I think I maintain it instinctively. When creating a new work, I always try to come up with something that hasn’t been done before, as far as I know. Once I feel that the approach is new, my motivation for creation increases. From that point, I build the story while making sure not to lose that fresh perspective.

His artwork is a terrifying blend of detailed detail and horrific images, demonstrating his mastery of the macabre.

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Your stories frequently explore human worries and anxieties and have a deep psychological quality. Where do you start with: a specific fear, a story, or imagery? To what extent does your work reflect your personal fears? Which characters or story points in your writing were inspired by any personal experiences or fears?

Many of my works reflect fears and anxieties I’ve experienced or heard about. Sometimes that fear is the starting point. Other times, I begin with something that feels strange or mysterious, or with a vague image that comes to mind, and then I incorporate my personal feelings of fear into it as I develop the story.

The certainty of their futures and existential dread are frequent struggles for your characters. What part do fate and free will play in your artworks, in your opinion?

My works tend to have a very negative nature, and in most cases, the characters fail to overcome their fears and meet their demise. I haven’t given much thought to fate and free will, but now that you mention it, I think my characters are probably controlled by fate.

Fear, it’s not just what humans see, it’s what can’t stop imagining

Your stories also show a lot of body horror. What about exploring the human body as a terrifying place appeals to you the most? How do you tackle the difficult task of putting the unthinkable into visual form?

Of all living creatures, I think the human body is the scariest. This is likely because it contains the brain, which is filled with complex thoughts and emotions.

Often, I come up with an image of a deformed human body, write it down in my idea notebook, and develop it into a story later. As long as I have a stock of ideas, that works fine, but if I try to create something entirely new from scratch, it becomes a difficult and time-consuming task.

Why does horror captivate us? “Fear is the fundamental emotion that gives rise to horror.” – Junji Ito

A lot of your stories leave the terror unresolved, leaving it unfinished. When is a story’s ending appropriate to leave readers with more questions than answers?

What I focus on is the fear of supernatural phenomena, so I’m not particularly interested in explaining or solving their mysteries. However, in my daily life, I do think scientifically about things rumored to be supernatural. In my horror stories, though, I usually don’t resolve the cause of the supernatural events. If the mystery of the supernatural event is explained and turns out to be disappointing, I think it’s better to leave it unresolved. But if I judge that tracking down the cause would make the story more interesting, I might take that route.

Throughout your career, how has your concept of horror evolved, and how do you think it will continue to do so? How does fear relate to your job and what psychological role does it play in human existence, in your opinion? In what ways does the horror genre contribute to larger discussions in culture?

I’m not sure if the concept of horror has evolved during my career. I always have the mindset of returning to the basics, which might be hindering any evolution. On the other hand, I always want to create something new.

I think horror stories give readers a sense of simulated fear and anxiety, helping them build a slight tolerance for real-life fears. As for contributing to cultural discussions, I’m not sure about that.

In his stories, he conveys emotion in its most direct form. Ito stares inwards. He addresses what we avoid: the ugly, the strange, and, most cruelly, the unavoidable deterioration of the human condition.

Many of your works have been adapted into media such as anime and films. To what extent are you involved in these adaptations, and what opportunities and challenges do you see in converting your artwork into other formats? 

For live-action films, I mainly supervise the script, while for anime, I oversee both the script and the design of the visuals. Sometimes, I also get involved in the selection of voice actors.

When you look back on your career, is there a specific story or piece of work that you will always cherish? Why? Is there a piece of art in the drawer that you have yet to discover? What depths of emotion, apart from terror or anxiety, do you hope to reach?

“Tomie” (富江) and “Uzumaki” (うずまき) are important to me, but there are also some short stories that I cherish. Specifically, “Hanging Balloons” (首吊り気球), “The Long Dream” (長い夢), and “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” (阿彌殻断層の怪) are significant. I feel that the inexplicable phenomena depicted in them are interesting.

There are some ideas that have been sitting in the drawer for a long time and haven’t been developed into stories yet, but not many great ideas remain.

Aside from fear and anxiety, I might want to explore the realm of nostalgia. I find motivation in things related to nostalgia, though I don’t know how it works for others.

“The endless tunnel in the shape of a person represents the unfathomable mystery of one’s existence” – Junji Ito

In your work, spirals, decay, and change are recurring themes. What appeals to these, and how do you envision using them developing further in your writing?

Collapse and transformation involve dynamic scenes, making them essential themes for horror stories.

I think I’ll continue to depict these themes in the future. Whether I can develop them further is something I won’t know until I try.

Notable titles include ‘Uzumaki,’ a series about a village plagued by spirals, and ‘Gyo,’ which features fish controlled by a strain of sentient bacteria

What aspects of Tomie’s character do you find most intriguing to explore? How has Tomie evolved as a character over the course of her various stories?

When I first drew the character of Tomie, I hadn’t planned on her having the ability to make men desire to kill her. But as I developed the series, I added that trait. Since her beauty is the cause of the abnormal emotions she provokes in those around her, the challenge lies in depicting her beauty as convincingly as possible.

How do you decide when a concept is too disturbing or intense for your readers? What’s a story idea you abandoned and why?

I was instructed by my editor when I first debuted to avoid including elements that might offend certain people, such as mental or physical illnesses. I still follow that advice today.

For example, I had a story about a girl with an abnormally long neck who was persecuted, but my editor told me to abandon it.

‘Tomie’ is a story about an immortal girl who drives her lovers insane, a topic that connects with the vulnerability of the human brain.

In “The Enigma of Amigara Fault,” what inspired the idea of human-shaped holes? What were you trying to convey about human nature?

I have an ongoing sense of mystery and fear when I think about my own existence—“What am I?”—and I’ve drawn many stories on the theme of doppelgängers. “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” follows that theme.

When I think of the word “self,” I picture my shadow on the ground on a sunny day. The shadow symbolizes another version of myself, and from that idea, I came up with the concept of a tunnel shaped like my own shadow. The endless tunnel in the shape of a person represents the unfathomable mystery of one’s existence.

Can you discuss any upcoming projects that explore new territories of horror for you?

I’m currently preparing a horror story based on an adaptation of “Moby Dick.” The details of the story aren’t fully developed yet, but I hope to introduce some new elements into it.

Junji Ito grew up with a keen sense of what disturbs us—the silence of tiny villages, isolation, the fragility of life itself—and began to build a space for himself in a domain beyond horror: the grotesque and odd.

Photo and images courtesy of Junji Ito

Dominique Musorrafiti

Ciao! My name is Dominique. I’m Italian and I’m proud to be a mix. My father was an Italian chemical engineer and high school teacher, with Greek and Polish heritage. My mother is Haitian, she was high school language teacher, with Dominican, Spanish, French, Portuguese, African and Native American heritage. Being a mix makes me appreciate to want to understand different cultures and lifestyles. I grew up in Italy, lived few years in Haiti, travel around main European capitals, lived many years in China, in Spain and UK. Traveling makes me feel that we can learn something from every situation in every part of the world.