Shigeru Mizuki was a master of Japanese horror manga, particularly renowned for his captivating stories centered around yōkai, or traditional Japanese spirits and monsters. His extensive fieldwork and membership in The Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology informed his deep understanding of folklore, which he brought to life with a unique artistic vision. Mizuki's narratives explore the intersection of the supernatural and the human condition, making his work a significant contribution to the genre. Beyond his celebrated yōkai tales, he also penned poignant World War II memoirs and biographical works, showcasing a diverse literary talent.
Set in Japan's mythical past, this work showcases the creativity of a renowned manga creator, presenting a unique collection of fantastical creatures and stories. The narrative intertwines rich cultural elements with imaginative artistry, offering readers a captivating glimpse into a world filled with legendary beings and enchanting adventures.
The very first Drawn and Quarterly Kitaro collection, now back in print with a lush new cover
"Shigeru Mizuki--Japan's grand master of Yokai comics--adapts one of the most important works of supernatural literature into comic book form. The cultural equivalent of Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, Tono Monogatari is a defining text of Japanese folklore and one of the country's most important works of literature. This graphic novel was created during the later stage of Mizuki's career, after he had retired from the daily grind of commercial comics to create personal, lasting works of art. Originally written in 1910 by folklorists and field researchers Kunio Yanagita and Kizen Sasaki, Tono Monogatari celebrates and archives legends from the Tono region. These stories were recorded as Japan's rapid modernization led to the disappearance of traditional culture. This adaptation mingles the original text with autobiography: Mizuki attempts to retrace Yanagita and Sasaki's path, but finds his old body is not quite up to the challenge of following in their footsteps. As Mizuki wanders through Tono he retells some of the most famous legends, manifesting a host of monsters, dragons, and foxes. In the finale, Mizuki meets Yanagita himself and the two sit down to discuss their works."-- Provided by publisher
The book that brought pre-eminent Manga-ka Shigeru Mizuki to the English- speaking world.
The final showdown for the legendary yokai! In the seventh volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s defining series, our beloved hero Kitaro stands accused of beating up his fellow yokai to protect the human populace. He is put on trial for crimes against yokai. Witnesses are called from both sides, but when Nezumi Otoko takes the stand, all bets are off. Will Nezumi Otoko be for Kitaro or against him? Only the biggest bribe will tell! The Trial of Kitaro features five bizarre and amusing adventures. In every story, Kitaro has his hands full. He faces off against Kasha, a vicious demon cat; tries to quell a magical cooking pot; battes a sea monster; and solves the mystery of a three-eyed bird. This volume features comics from the late 1960s, which was the golden age of GeGeGe no Kitaro. These stories appear in English for the first time in a kid-friendly edition, with translations by the Mizuki scholar and series translator Zack Davisson. The Trial of Kitaro also concludes Davisson’s “History of Kitaro” essay and offers another round of “Yokai Files,” which introduce the folklore of Japan’s monsters and supernatural beings. This final volume of Mizuki’s renowned Kitaro series is not to be missed!
Brit-pop meets Japanese folklore, as Shigeru Mizuki summons equal parts humour, spookiness, and sheer absurdity.
Kitaro takes on a giant Cyclops, Blackbeard, a sea captain who s trying to create hell on earth, and more!
Kitaro faces off against a swamp monster, a paper screen come to life, and an army of mythical raccoon dogs Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War features adventures of Shigeru Mizuki’s beloved yokai boy. In the epic title story, Kitaro battles the tanuki, a Japanese animal that features prominently in the country’s yokai legends. The furry beasts draw on the power of the blood moon to awaken the monstrous catfish that lives in the depths of the earth. The twisting of the catfish causes earthquakes that threaten to destroy all of Japan. With his yokai allies captured, Kitaro is the only one left who can take on the great tanuki and his army. Will he be up for the challenge? This volume contains two additional stories about traditional folklore monsters as seen through Mizuki’s whimsical and genre-defining lens. In “Mokumokuren,” Kitaro faces off against a paper screen come to life, while “The Obebenuma Yokai” introduces a grisly swamp creature. Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War showcases the golden age of the Gegege no Kitaro series from the 1960s—and has never before appeared in English. D+Q’s Kitaro series celebrates Mizuki’s expert blend of folklore, comedy, and horror, sharing the all-ages stories that made Kitaro one of Japan’s most beloved characters. This kid-friendly edition also features a “History of Kitaro” essay by the award-winning series translator and Mizuki scholar Zack Davisson.
Meet one of Japan's most popular characters of all time-Kitaro, the One-Eyed Monster Boy The Birth of Kitaro collects seven of Shigeru Mizuki's early, and beloved, Kitaro stories, making them available for the first time in English, in an all-new, kid-friendly format. These stories are from the golden era of the late 1960s, when Gegege no Kitaro truly hit its stride as an all-ages supernatural series. Mizuki's Kitaro stories are both timelessly relevant and undeniably influential, inspiring a decades-long boom in stories about yokai, Japanese ghosts, and monsters."Kitaro's Birthday" reveals the origin story of the yokai boy Kitaro and his tiny eyeball father, Medama Oyaji. "Neko Musume versus Nezumi Otoko" is the first of Mizuki's stories to feature the popular recurring character Neko Musume, a little girl who transforms into a cat when she gets angry or hungry. Other stories in The Birth of Kitaro draw heavily from Japanese folklore, with Kitaro taking on legendary Japanese yokai like the Nopperabo and Makura Gaeshi, and fighting the monstrous recurring villain Gyuki.With more than 150 pages of spooky and often funny comics about the titular yokai boy, The Birth of Kitaro is the perfect introduction to the award-winning author Mizuki's most popular series, seminal comics that have won the hearts of Japanese children and adults for more than half a century.
" Kitaro is a fun, eerie romp into Japan's supernatural world." - -School Library Journal, YALSA Great Graphic Novel for TeensThe second in a seven-volume series of the best of Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro comics, designed with a kid-friendly format and price point!Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon is the second volume in the adventures of Shigeru Mizuki's bizarre yokai boy Kitaro and his gaggle of otherworldly friends. These seven stories date from the golden age of Gegege no Kitaro , when Mizuki had perfected the balance of folklore, comedy, and horror that made Kitaro one of Japan's most beloved characters.In Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon , Kitaro and his father, Medama Oyaji, face off against one of their most powerful enemies--the self-styled Yokai Supreme Commander known as Nurarihyon. Over the course of this volume, Kitaro takes on the swamp-dwelling Sawa Kozo, the mysterious Diamond Yokai, and the sea giant called Umizato, and wages a double feature of battles against the bizarre Odoro Odoro. Finally, Kitaro journeys to hell itself in the infamous and surreal story "Hell Ride."In addition to more than 150 pages of Mizuki's all-ages monster fun, Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon includes bonus "Yokai Files" that introduce Japan's folklore monsters and a "History of Kitaro" essay by the translator Zack Davisson. If you found the world of yokai fascinating in The Birth of Kitaro , you will find even more to love in Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon !
