is a Japanese horror mangaka best known for his series of short stories about Tomie, an immortal girl who drives her stricken admirers to madness, and Uzumaki, a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals.
Inspired at a young age by his older sister's drawing and the work of influential horror mangaka Kazuo Umezu, Ito first began writing and drawing manga as a hobby while working as a dental technician. In 1987, he submitted a short story to Gekkan Halloween that won an honorable mention in the Kazuo Umezu Prize (with Umezu himself as one of the judges).
In addition to Umezu, Ito has cited Hideshi Hino, Shinichi Furuka, Yasutaka Tsutsui, and H.P. Lovecraft as major influences on his work.
Following the success of the film Ringu, Tomie was adapted into a series of films, beginning in 1999. Several other works of Ito's have subsequently been adapted for film and television:
The Fearsome Melody - (????? senritsu no senritsu), 1992
Tomie - ( ?? Tomie), 1998
Another Face - (???:???????), 1999
Tomie Replay - ( ??:re-play Tomie: re-play), 2000
Uzumaki - (???? Uzumaki), 2000
Gravemarker Town - (???? bohyou no machi), 2000
The Face Burglar - (??? kao dorobou), 2000
The Hanging Balloons - (????? kubitsuri no kikyuu), 2000
Long Dream - (??? nagai yume), 2000
Oshikiri - (?? Oshikiri), 2000
Kakashi - (??? Kakashi), 2001
Lovesick Dead (also known as Love Ghost) - (????????? shibito no koiwazurai), 2001
Rebirth - (??:Rebirth Tomie: Rebirth), 2001
The Final Chapter - Forbidden Fruit - (????????????? Tomie: Saishuu-sh? - kindan no kajitsu), 2002