Famous for his acclaimed Ring series of novels, which includes the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize-winning work Spiral (1995), and for his Dark Water short story collection (1996), he is also notable for his Japan Fantasy Novel Award-winning work Paradise (1990) and for his Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel Edge (2008).
He published his first standalone novel in 1990 and launched his Ring trilogy the following year.
His 1995 short story collection Death and the Flower includes such titles as "Disposable Diapers and a Race Replica" and "Avidya."
A native of Hamamatsu, Japan, he later settled in Tokyo with his wife and two daughters.
The first novel in his Ring series was adapted into the 2002 Naomi Watts horror movie The Ring.
