Zack Davisson
Zack Davisson is an American writer, lecturer, and translator, especially known for translating the works of Shigeru Mizuki, Leiji Matsumoto, Go Nagai, Satoshi Kon, and Gou Tanabe. He is also well known for his works on Japanese folklore and ghosts.
In 2015, Davisson wrote his first book, Yurei: The Japanese Ghost. Davisson went on to translate the works of Shigeru Mizuki, a popular Japanese manga artist and historian, into English. Davisson has cited Japanese writer Lafcadio Hearn as an inspiration on his work.
Personal life
Davisson was born in Anaheim, California, but grew up in Spokane, Washington, where he attended University High School. He moved to Seattle where he attended Cornish College of the Arts. He moved to Japan on the JET Programme from 2001–2008 and did an MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Sheffield. He married his wife, Miyuki, in Osaka. He lives in Seattle, Washington.Career
Davisson started his career writing for Japanese magazines like Japanzine and Kansai Time-Out. His first professional translation was Mizuki's manga series Showa: A History of Japan. He ran a website, hyakumonogatari.com, where he published translated works on manga and Japanese horror legends. He has translated several manga series into English and has written for Smithsonian and The Comics Journal. He co-scripts Demon Days and Ultimate X-Men from Marvel comics with Peach Momoko.He has lectured on manga, folklore, and translation at colleges such as Duke University, Annapolis Naval Academy, University Ca' Foscari di Venezia, UCLA, and the University of Washington and contributed to exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery, the Museum of International Folkart, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.