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USAGI YOJIMBO LETTERS COLUMN
Send comments to: Usagi Yojimbo ~ Letters Column c/o Dark Horse Comics
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UsagiYojimbo
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STORY NOTES Crabs, or kani, are looked upon with both good and bad connotations in Japanese tradition. According to legend, crabs once appeared at a seaside village which had never seen such creatures before. The villagers thought they surely must be supernatural creatures. so they caught the crabs and hung them over their doorways to keep themselves from being harmed. That night, the evil spirit of the village descended upon them but, upon seeing the strange creatures, became afraid and left the area. Dried crab shells became a protection against evil. On the other hand, crabs were also looked upon with malice. Their sideways walking was compared to the twisted dealings of deceitful people. Western script was referred to as "crab writing" because it is written horizontally. The Buddhist tradition looked upon the crab's hibernation as a metaphor for the period of rest between one's reincarnation. A crab on a lotus flower or pod is a decidedly Buddhist symbol. Two remarkable Japanese crabs are the giant crab of Hokkaido, whose body width can measure fifty centimeters, and the tiny Heike-gani, with the faces of defeated warriors embossed on its shell. |
Dear Stan and Crew,
Thank you for giving myself and readers around the world the opportunity to immerse ourselves once a month in this fantastic world you have created.
It's always a breath of fresh air away from the spandex-clad industry. and I hope you continue to do what you do best... I just hope you can fit Lone Goat and Kid into a story soon. That would be great!
Well, until Usagi gives up the sword and begins to roam Japan carrying a basket and passing out colored eggs ... make mine Usagi!
Jose Campos
Los Angeles, CA
There is a Lone Goat story simmering in the back of my mind. Perhaps now would be a good time to develop it, as Dark Horse is currently publishing the excellent Lone wolf and Cub books. It will take a while, though, since I'm leading up to another story arc.
Hi.
Usagi was my first choice among new comics tonight. I know it's always gonna be a pleasure: a pleasure to see, a pleasure to read. And so it is, all of it: Usagi and Gen's street-front confrontation: the fate of the weaselly cop: the appearance of Shizukiri.
The double-spread cover is also a treat. Can't figure out why this cover graced this issue - and can't complain. It was very pleasurable to realize how many characters I could name and of those I couldn't, I nonetheless remember most of their stories. Thanks again and again for this terrific series - and congratulations on closing in on a totem-number (DH issue #50).
Matt Levin
Walking Man Comics
123 Elm St.
Hatfield, MA 01038
That double double-page spread was one of the few commissioned drawings I have accepted. It actually took a couple of years before I had the time to do it, but I liked the results. As you saw, it had nothing to do with the interior story, but I was anxious to use it. Besides, I would dread having to write a story involving all those characters.
[Plans are afoot to connect both wrap around covers - from issues 46 and 47 - into one long, horizontal poster, to be given away to fans at this year's conventions in San Diego and Chicago. - Diana]
Dear Stan.
Just wanted to send a note of thanks for Usagi Yojimbo and all the work and emotion you put into it. I starred collecting Usagi from its very first edition, and I think I have a few shorter pieces that preceded the Usagi Yojimbo comic. Many years ago, you made an appearance at the Pasadena Buddhist Church. I wanted to meet you but was sick, so my mother took my stack of about two dozen or more Usagi comics. You not only signed every single comic but also did a quick Usagi sketch in each one! I was overwhelmed that you had taken the time to do all that.
I stopped collecting comics years ago, but I still buy your soft and hardbound collections. I love to read them and look at each not only for the stories and art, but also for your insights into Japanese culture and folklore. Like many Americans of Japanese descent. I grew up learning about Japanese history and culture from lapanese folk tales and movies. My principal sources growing up were two illustrated books of Japanese folk stories and Akira Kurosawa's samurai movies. For me, your comics have been an additional source of entertainment and education equal to Kurosawa's movies. I do hope you continue writing and drawing Usagi Yojimbo, but I also hope that you continue to have fun creating the comic, because that definitely shows through in your work right now.
Thank you again ...
Aki
kiriyama@earthlink.net
That signing was for the Buddhist Obon Matsuri (festival for the Dead). I still do appearances at festivals in the Los Angeles area, usually sponsored by the mail-order booksellers, Heritage Source www.heritagesource.com.
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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 authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.