From 1992 to 1994 he drew the manga series Tensui (天水) for Afternoon magazine, which achieved a much higher circulation than Garo and similar underground publications.
"[4] His 2014 horror short story collection Juso ("Curse") was a Jury selected work at the 2015 Japan Media Arts Festival.
At the beginning of his career, he dedicated himself to the ero-guro style and created erotic-grotesque works like Akai Yoru (赤ヒ夜), about a samurai who rejects his thoughts of revenge and is driven to suicide by his wife, and Niku Yashiki (肉屋敷).
From the beginning of the 1980s, his manga were spiritually influenced by Buddhism and were located mainly in the Japan of the Edo and the Meiji periods and in a futuristic setting.
Manga artist Gengoroh Tagame cites Hanawa's depictions of extreme violence as an influence for his work.