Literary references to Usagi Yojimbo

[Rosandich]

Usagi's swordmanship training when he was very young seems to be based on a novella I read once called "The Ronin" unfortunately, i have lost my copy of the book, if I can get any information about it, author publisher etc. please let me know. -Matt

[Steve Hubbell]

Usagi's swordmanship training when he was very young seems to be based on a novella I read once called "The Ronin" unfortunately, i have lost my copy of the book, if I can get any information about it, author publisher etc. please let me know. -Matt

Could this be the one you are refering to?

Jennings, William, The Ronin. Tokyo, Tuttle, 1968. ISBN 0804805067

description on the page linked below...

http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/reguli/japhist.htm

Ronin: A Novel Based on a Zen Myth
William Dale Jennings
Paperback, August 2001

ISBN: 0804834148
Format: Paperback, 160pp
Pub. Date: August 2001 Publisher: Princeton University Press

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse ... 4148&itm=8

[Stan Sakai]

Usagi's swordmanship training when he was very young seems to be based on a novella I read once called "The Ronin" unfortunately, i have lost my copy of the book, if I can get any information about it, author publisher etc. please let me know. -Matt

Yes, I did read that book. Also much of it was from memories of the three part Sarutobi Sasuke movie from the '50's or 60's.

Incidentally, that book was also the inspiration for Alejandro Jodorowsky's movie Holy Mountain. Jodo, of course, wrote the introduction for UY Book 4: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy.

[Rosandich]

Thanks a bunch! That is the one! Not going to be easy to get in Japan but Ill do my best. -Matt Rosandich

[Andy]

This topic reminds me of an interview I saw on tv years ago. I saw that it was Steve Martin being interviewed by Bill Rose. I thought to myself, "Here's a wild and crazy guy, this should be funny." I was surprised that Steve Martin during this interview was very serious. He had just written a play and was discussing the nature of creativity. People ask him where he "gets" ideas and he said, "Creativity is like soup. You take a bunch of different ingredients, mix them together, let them stew and get something entirely new."

I guess this is like the old biblical concept that "there is nothing new under the sun".

It is interesting to read of the many different ingredients in the soup that became Usagi Yojimbo. I read a quote by John Byrne that "swiping is a great way to learn, but a terrible way to earn a living".

Stan, did you learn a lot in the early years by "swiping" poses, backgrounds or scenes, etc. from comics or movies?

[takematsu]

Yes, I did read that book. Also much of it was from memories of the three part Sarutobi Sasuke movie from the '50's or 60's.

Three-part movies reminds me-- the Canadian branch of Independent Film Television is running the first two parts of Miyamoto Musashi this weekend. One assumes they'll finish next week...