Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Hello,

My name is Owen Wong. I am 8 years old and studying at Fendalton School. I am doing a school project to interview someone like a sportsman, writer, and an artist, and I came across you. I am a fan of Usagi Yojimbo comics. I came across Usagi last year when I was searching for a book in the library and the samurai rabbit caught my attention. The first comic I read was Fathers and Sons. I am in Christchurch and have no contact with you, so I chose to email to you.

I have got some questions for the school project.

1. How many books have you done? Could you tell me the titles of all the books?

2. What type of pen that you use most?

3. How many awards have you got? Could you name them?

4. Which is your favourite book that you made? Why is it your favourite book?

5. How did you create Usagi?

6. Does Usagi use a special swords technique? If so, what is it?

7. What is the Wakizashi for?

I need to submit this school project in 2 weeks time.

Kind regards,

Owen Wong

Hi Owen,

I would be very happy to help you with your school project. Are you in Christchurch, New Zealand?

1. There must be a list of my books somewhere on this site. There are 23 published so far, counting Space Usagi. Here is a list from Steve Hubbell's thread about UY hardcovers. The hardcovers are just hardcover versions of the regular paperback, but there are very few of them. Maybe someone here knows if there is an official list.

http://usagiyojimbo.com/forum/viewtopic ... 07&start=0

Besides the story collections, there is also The Art of UY, which is contains artwork in various stages and medium, a look at how I create a story, and a couple of painted stories.

2. The pen I usually use for drawing is a Koh-i-noor Sketch Pen. Unfortunately, it was discontinued about 15 years ago. When it was, I drove to every art store in Los Angeles buying everything they had in stock. It is a good, flexible-tip pen that gives me a nice variation in line (from thin to thick in a single stroke) that I like. The pen nibs only lasts a couple of years, so I am starting to look for a replacement.

3. I am fortunate in that I have received a number of awards. Here are some of them:

Will Eisner Comics Industry Award (3)
American Library Association Award
Young Adult Library Services Award (4)
National Cartoonists Society Comic Book Division Award
Harvey Kurtzman Award
Inkpot Award
Haxtur Award (4)

There are a few more, but I think these are the more prestigious ones. Again, there must be a complete list somewhere that someone can link onto.

I have also been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, such as in:

Nationale Centre de la Bande Dessinee in France
Japan Tower in Belgium
Society of Illustrators in New York
Pacific Asia Museum in Los Angeles
Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco

4. My favorite book is UY Book 12: Grasscutter. That is my longest single story arc, and the one for which I did the most research. It opened with the creation of the Japanese archipelago by the gods, and followed the sword Grasscutter as it was found in the tail of an eight-headed dragon, then lost at sea during the Gempei Wars, Japan's Civil War. This story was given an Eisner Award, a Spanish Haxtur, and was used as a text book for Japanese history classes at the University of Portland in Oregon, USA.

5. I grew up reading comics, and watching samurai movies. When I wanted to write and draw my own comic, I chose to do a story inspired by a 17th century samurai named Miyamoto Musashi. It was going to be with human characters, but I was sketching one day and drew a rabbit with his ears tied in a "chon-ma-ge", a samurai top knot. I liked the design of the character, and named him Miyamoto Usagi (usagi means "rabbit" or "hare" in Japanese).

6. Usagi uses an unusual sword technique, though I have never elaborated on why it is unusual. It was taught to him by the hermit Katsuichi, who rejected the traditional styles to create his own. Musashi, himself, developed a unique style of fighting with two swords.

7. The wakizashi is the smaller sword, worn alongside the katana. Together they form the "daisho", meaning "big and small". The wakizashi was used as a secondary weapon (as by Musashi), and was often used to commit "seppuku" (ritualized suicide). A shorter blade called a "tanto" could also be used for seppuku.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

If you think it will help your grade to get something from the subject of your interview, PM me with your mailing address--it can be a parent's work address if you like, or a post office box if you have one--and I will mail you a poster or something.

I had to reply. I love this thread! How cool is that that an 8 year old can approach Mr. Sakai on these boards and get a full message back so quickly. And, it's on for a school project. Very cool.

Owen, I wish you the best of luck with your project. Enjoy the UY world, as we all do.

Stan - thanks for taking the time to interact with you fans, especially the young ones!

God bless...

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Book 01 – Ronin (1988)
The Goblin of Adachigahara
Lone Rabbit and Child
The Confession
Bounty Hunter
Horse Thief
Village of Fear
A Quiet Meal
Blind Swordspig
Homecoming
Bounty Hunter II

Book 02 – Samurai (1989)
Introduction – Mark Evanier
Samurai part 1
Samurai part 2
Samurai part 3
Samurai part 4
Samurai part 5
Samurai part 6
Samurai part 7
Samurai part 8
Samurai part 9
Kappa
Zylla
Silk Fair

Book 03 – The Wanderer’s Road (1989)
Introduction – Robert Asprin
The Tower
A Mother’s Love
Return of the Blind Swordspig
The Blade of the Gods
The Tea Cup
The Shogun’s Gift
Turtle Soup and Rabbit Stew

Book 04 – The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy (1990)
Introduction - Alejandro Jodorowsky
The Clouds Gather
The Winds Howl
Downpour
Thunder and Lightning
In the Heart of the Storm
Storm Clouds Part
Fate of the Blind Swordspig

Book 5 – Lone Goat and Kid (1992)
Introduction – Stan Lee
Frost and Fire
A Kite Story
Blood Wings
The Way of the Samurai
Lone Goat and Kid

Book 06 – Circles (1994)
Introduction – Jeff Smith
The Bridge
The Duel
Yurei
My Lord’s daughter
Circles

Book 07 – Gen’s Story (1996)
Introduction – Sergio Aragones
Kitsune
Gaki
Broken Ritual
The Tangled Skein
Gen
The Return of Kitsune
The Last Ino Story

DARK HORSE COMICS
Book 08 – Shades of Death (1997)
Introduction – William Stout
Shades of Green
Jizo
Shi
The Lizard’s Tale
Usagi’s Garden
Autumn
Battlefield

Book 09 - Daisho (1998)
Introduction - James Robinson
The Music of Heaven
The Gambler, the Widow, and the Ronin
Slavers
Daisho (part 1)
Mongrels
Daisho (part 2)
Runaways
The Nature of the Viper

Book 10 – The Brink of Life and Death (1998)
Introduction – Kurt Busiek
Origin Tale
Kaiso
A Meeting of Strangers
Black Soul
Noodles
Wrath of the Tangled Skein
The bonze’s Story
Bats, the Cat, and the Rabbit
Chrysanthemum Pass
Lightning Strikes Twice

Book 11 – Seasons (1999)
Introduction – Lynn Johnston
The Withered Field
A Promise in the Snow
The Conspiracy of Eight
Snakes and Blossoms
Return to Adachi Plain
The Crossing
Patience of the Spider
Lord of the Owls
The First Tenet
Obakaneko of the Geishu Clan
Green Persimmon

Book 12 – Grasscutter (1999)
Introduction – Will Eisner
prologue 1 - Izanagi and Izanami
prologue 2 - Susano-o
prologue 3 - Yamato-Dake
prologue 4 - Dan-No-Ura
chapter 1 - Jei
chapter 2 - Heike Gani
chapter 3 - Inazuma
chapter 4 - Noriyuki and Tomoe
chapter 5 - Ikeda
chapter 6 - Tomoe and Ikeda
chapter 7 - Usagi and Jei
chapter 8 - Sanshobo

Book 13 – Grey Shadows (2000)
Introduction – Max Allan Collins
My Father’s Swords
The Demon Flute
Momo-Usagi-Taro
The Hairpin Murders
The Courtesan
Tameshigiri

Book 14 – Demon Mask (2001)
Introduction – Paul Dini
The Inn on Moon Shadow Hill
A Life of Mush
Deserters
A Potter’s Tale
The Missive
Mystery of Demon Mask
Kumo
Reunion
Death and Taxes
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Tournament
Netsuke
The Leaping Ninja
Tsuru

Book 15 – Grasscutter II: Journey to Atsuta Shrine (2002)
Introduction - Greg Rucka
Prologue
chapter 1 - A Whisper of Wings
chapter 2 - Scent of the Pines
chapter 3 - The Hunger for Death
chapter 4 - Visions in the Shadows
chapter 5 - The Feel of Salt
chapter 6 - In the Realm of Senses

Book 16 – The Shrouded Moon (2003)
Introduction – Scott Shaw!
Showdown
Escape!
Three Seasons
The Shrouded Moon
Kitsune’s Tale

Book 17 – Duel at Kitanoji (2003)
Introduction – Jack Davis
Vendetta
The Return of the Lone Goat and Kid
Images from a Winter Day
Koji
Crows
Duel at Kitanoji
A Lesson in Courtesy
(concept sketches for cover art)

Book 18 – Travels with Jotaro (2004)
Introduction – Peter Laird
Out of the Shadows
Ghost Warriors
Komainu
Tamago
Usagi and the Tengu
Sumi-E

Book 19 – Fathers and Sons (2005)
Introduction – Matt Wagner
Fathers and Sons
Bells
Kill the Geishu Lord
Pride of the Samurai
Hokashi

Book 20: Glimpses of Death (2006)
Introduction - Frederick L. Schodt
Cooking Lesson
Contraband
After the Rat
Samurai for Hire
Dreams and Nightmares
Gen and the Dog
When Rabbits Fly
Into the Mist
Nocturnal
Vendetta's End
Usagi's Twentieth Anniversary

Book 21: The Mother of Mountains (2007)
Introduction - John Landis
The Treasure of the Mother of Mountains part 1 - 7

Book 22: Tomoe's Story (2008)
Introduction - Heidi MacDonald
Tomoe’s Story (revised version)
The Doors
Fox Fire
The Ghost in the Well part 1
The Ghost in the Well part 2
The Thief and the Lotus Scroll
Chanoyu

Space Usagi (1998)
Death and Honor
White Star Rising
Warrior
Under the Same Sky
Hare Today, Hare Tomorrow

The Art of Usagi Yojimbo (2004)
How I Create an Issue of Usagi Yojimbo (biographical story)
It Begins (biographical story)
Return to Adachigahara Plain (painted Usagi story)
The Guardian (painted Usagi story)
also contains previously published and unpublished art (convention drawings, posters, covers, etc) as well as a gallery of art by Stan's contemporaries such as Sergio Aragones, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Peter Laird, Frank Miller, Tim Sale, Jeff Smith, William Stout, Matt Wagner, and Andi Watson.


COMING IN JULY
Book 23: Bridge of Tears (2009)
Introduction - Brian K. Vaughan
Remnants of the Dead
Shizukiri
Boss Hamanaka’s Fortune part 1
Boss Hamanaka’s Fortune part 2
The Return of the Black Soul
Bridge of Tears
Fever Dream
The Killer
Mayumi - ?
Centennial Issue Celebrity Roast - ?


COMING IN NOVEMBER
Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai (2009)
an original painted graphic novel from Dark Horse

Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition (2009)
Two-volume hardcover in slipcase collecting Books 1 - 7 from Fantagraphics

I totally echo what Ghost9 said!

I also wanted to mention to Stan that I did a google search on that pen and there are many places still selling it though I don't know what specific size you use. If you love that pen and am not wanting to switch out to another I think you could order some online to keep your supply going. I noticed Amazon.com listed them.

tru2gzus wrote: I also wanted to mention to Stan that I did a google search on that pen and there are many places still selling it though I don't know what specific size you use. If you love that pen and am not wanting to switch out to another I think you could order some online to keep your supply going. I noticed Amazon.com listed them.

Unfortunately, these are not the pens I am looking for. They've taken the name and used it for a technical pen they sell. Tech pens have a very rigid line, that has no variation. They are used for technical drawings such as for architecture in which precision is needed.

Thank you for pointing it out to me, though.

Stan Sakai wrote:Unfortunately, these are not the pens I am looking for.

*imagines* Stan doing some sort of Jedi hand wave at this moment

Sorry, had to throw that it heh. But I have to echo Ghost's sentiments, and if something like this doesn't prove Stan is the nicest guy in comics, I don't know what does