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USAGI YOJIMBO LETTERS COLUMN
Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
10956 S.E. Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222
E-MAIL: dianas@dhorse.com Web: http://www.darkhorse.com
UsagiYojimbo
Dojo: http://www.usagiyojimbo.com
IRC: Dalnet #USAGI
A big thank-you to the Asian student organizations at the College of William and Mary for inviting me to their FACES (Focus on Asian Cultures Emerging in Society) Conference. Sharon and I had a wonderful time in Virginia and enjoyed meeting many of you, including keynote speaker Phavann Chhuan and his wife, Natalie, of the Cambodian Network Council. We were impressed with your organization and, especially, your graciousness.
The Trilogy Tour III that had previously been announced has, unfortunately, been canceled. However, I will still be at Comic-Con International: San Diego, held August 12-15. If you're able to, come on down and say hi.
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STORY NOTES
The torii is the symbol and gate to a Shinto shrine. The sun is a symbol of Japan, and many early shrines were erected to Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The rooster is associated with the sun. Torii literally means "bird perch." A live rooster was placed on a perch as an offering. After time, the perch itself came to symbolize the shrine and represents the division between the everyday world and the spiritual one. Some shrines, such as the Inari Shrine at Fushimi, have so many torii that they form long tunnels. The torii of the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture is regarded as one of the "three great sights" of Japan. The Yoshiwara District was the licensed "pleasure quarters" of Edo. This was the only area where brothels were permitted in the city, so they could be controlled and regulated. The name originally meant "reed plain," but later the characters used in writing the name were changed, though the pronunciation remained intact, so that the name meant "lucky plain." The area was burnt down at least four times between 1617, the year it was founded, and 1643. As the city spread, Yoshiwara became embarrassingly close to the center, so it was moved to the eastern boundary where it stayed until its dissolution after WWII. |
I've been following Usagi since late '93. Once I discovered it, I couldn't get enough and collected all the back issues I could find (I'm still looking for Vol. 1 #s 12, 14, 20, Color Special #1, and Vol. 2 #3). I ate up the Space Usagi stories, too. Every time I pick up my subscription, the first book I look for is Usagi .
Cathy, owner of the comic Book Box in Petaluma, California, went on her annual pilgrimage to San Diego and swung by Stan's table. He graciously signed several finger puppet cards for her. I was so stoked when Cathy gave me one of those cards! By taking the time to do that for her, you have her an opportunity to share the con and make some customers very happy. Thank you.
Diana, thanks to Dark Horse for picking up Usagi! I don't know what the monthly numbers are, but you can be assured that Dark Horse's commitment to providing unique titles is really appreciated. Dark Horse has continued to pick up market share on my personal subscription list over the years.
Steve Dalton
steve-tracy@juno.com
Congratulations on an excellent start to an intriguing mystery with the "Hairpin Murders" part one. The keeper character is, of course, Inspector Ishida. Don't ask me why, but he reminds me of Columbo, with his stooped back and keen eye. Would there be any chance of seeing a version of Judge Ooka presiding over the case as well? Also, I especially liked the scuffle and Ishida's work with his jutte. I am probably wrong but would the sai (for the uninitiated, the forked weapon that Raphael, the Ninja Turtle, used) be used in a similar fashion?
Kenneth Chisholm
kchishol@execulink.com
I had planned to end "Usagi's Big City Adventures" with this issue, but I've had such a great response to the Inspector that we'll have another "Inspector Ishida mystery" next issue.
There are no plans for any Judge Ooka-type characters showing up soon. Besides being famous for his ingenious judgements, he is credited for organizing the Edo Fire Brigade.
I believe the sai is a jitte (or jutte), a pronged, parrying weapon.
[Beginning next issue, we will be printing correspondents' full addresses, to better facilitate communication between all Usagi fans. If you do not want your street address printed, please indicate that to us in your letter, and we'll simply list your city and state. As always, any letters arriving electronically will be printed with the sender's e-mail address, unless otherwise requested.]
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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. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.