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STORY NOTES One of the more unusual sights in feudal Japan was the komuso – the monks of emptiness – of the Fuke-shu, a sect of Zen Buddhism. The origins of the komuso are something of a mystery, though they can trace their start to wandering priests in China and Southeast Asia. The traditional dress of the komuso was a dark blue or black kimono, a kesa worn over the left shoulder and a tengai basket-hat that entirely covered the head. The tengai symbolized their detachment from life and was made of tightly woven reeds everywhere except in front of the eyes so that the wearer could see the world but not be seen by it. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1615-1868), they were given official protection by the government and in return they became spies and informers for the oppressive regime. In addition, it was easy for ronin and bandits to adopt the disguise of the komuso for their own purposes and the sect was soon looked upon with suspicion. The Fuke sect was dissolved during the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) but its traditions have been revived in recent years. The primary discipline of the komuso was the playing of the shakuhachi, an end-blown bamboo flute that came to Japan from China in the late 6th century. It is thought that its melancholy sounds echo the Japanese feelings of the fleetingness of life. Besides being a musical instrument, the shakuhachi could also be used as a club. True, the komuso did carry a sword, but it was kept in a cloth bag tied with the two cords symbolizing the principles of yin and yang, the duo forces of the universe. The drawing of the sword and its use were complicated by rituals that at times made the shakuhachi the preferred weapon. |
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
Greetings from Finland!
Usagi Yojim…eh, what? What's that? Now, don't be scared, I didn't mean that. What I meant was that Usagi is quite a new character in the "Finnish comicsworld". You see, everyone here knows Donald Duck, Batman, Superman, and Darkwing; such characters as Judge Dredd, Groo, Elfquest's elves and the Freak brothers are also known, though not as well. Usagi is almost a stranger…almost.
Why? It's a really well-drawn comic and its stories are enjoyable to read. Why?
Well, there are some reasons. First it is quite new in our markets. Second, it's not easy to buy. You can't buy it from every comic store. Third, when American comics get here, the price of them doubles…Fourth, most Finnish comics readers like to read comics in Finnish. I think reading in English is still quite "odd" or something (I'm not sure about this, English is taught in schools)… Fifth, it's not the only one in the markets. European, American and Finnish comics share the markets, and the publishers usually like to publish comics that are known well among everybody and which they can be sure that they will sell well. Money talks…
Oh well, time will tell. I hope that we could see Usagi one day in Finnish too.
About Usagi books, when I had read my first Usagi book, I liked it. So, I bought and read a next one, it was yummy. I realized that I had to have more of it and soon I had my third book – and the last. The few Usagi books I've seen, were sold out – panic was near. This was the reason, that made me think that, who is this Stan Sakai, anyway? What does he look like? How did Stan become Stan? And how did he start to draw Usagi-dude? And how to get answers to these questions? I've wrote this letter aware that, I would be an amazingly lucky girl, if I ever get answers to anything. It's not so sure that my letter will be published or if it is, it's not sure that I will get the very one comic where the answers are…but I would be a butthead not to try. So here it is. I hope that I didn't make much errors, my English isn't very good.
Wishing all good things to you…Have a nice spring.
Sanna Heittola
Nummela,
Finland
There were, actually, a couple of Finnish editions of Usagi Yojimbo. The stories translated were the very early ones such as "The Goblin of Adachigahara" (Trollet I Adachigahara) and "Lone Rabbit and Child" (Ensamkaninen och Barnet). Unfortunately, the publisher is no longer in business.
As for how Usagi got started, I first wanted to do a comic book series based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi, the 17th century samurai. But one day while sketching, I drew a rabbit with his ears tied up and Miyamoto Usagi was born!
As far as what I look like, check your back issues of Groo. I'm the character "Scribe". Also, my family and I make frequent cameo appearances in the current issues, the latest being in the inside front cover of number III.
Dear Stan,
I think in "Shi", Part 2 (UY #5) you may have reached new heights of cinematic storytelling. Now really, who'd believe I could say such a thing about a "cartoon" rabbit comic, without reading and experiencing it? The fight, particularly where Usagi seems to become "possessed", as well as the panel when lightning strikes and the art takes on an almost "Frank Miller-ish" look were really gripping. I may not find the words to write often, but – I love this book!
I'm not sure about the issue on color vs. black & white. I run into the same kind of inner conflict concerning reprints of Will Eisner's The Spirit. Newspaper coloring tended to be downright awful, so Eisner usually overworked the inks to compensate. The results were that the worked looked superb without color.
When some of the stories were colored in "full-process" color, it tended to actually obscure the detailed linework, and gave the whole package a completely different visual feel. Reprinting directly off original newspaper color looked even worse. Perhaps if Kitchen Sink were able to utilize a simple, mostly "flat" coloring style (coupled with subtle, controlled use of computer-generated graduated tones) as we have here on Usagi Yojimbo, putting color back into Eisner's work might be a viable option. I guess what that relates to your comic is (though I'm probably already being obvious) that I like what I see. So if it increases sales, stick with it.
Sincerely,
Henry R. Kujawa
Camden,
NJ
I've got a few signings scheduled this summer. I'll be making a presentation at the Little Tokyo Library in Los Angeles scheduled for June 11th. I'll also be doing a library appearance and a book store signing in Hawaii in July though details have not been worked out. And, of course, I'll be at the San Diego Comic Con in August (my 17th year), and I still go to Gary's Corner Bookstore in San Gabriel, CA usually on Thursdays to check out the week's funnybooks.
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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Any similarities between characters, names, persons, and/or institutions in this book and any living, dead, or fictional characters, names, persons, and/or institutions is not intended and if exists is purely coincidental.