by David Bird and Frank Miller (The Outhouse, November 17, 2015)
Stan Sakai's Rabbit Ronin Reaches A Milestone!
I am excited to see this comic make it to the important 150 issue mark. I am also a little embarrassed to admit that I have not read that far myself--yet! I have been reading the trades and hope to have them all in time.
For those of you who have yet to have the pleasure, Usagi Yojimbo is the story of a samurai who, after his master dies, is reduced to the status of a ronin. This was no point of honour in feudal Japan. Ronins weren't the cool, outlaw outsiders of popular film, but a violent pestilence and menace communities would rather be rid of. The yojimbo of the title means bodyguard and refers to Usagi's need to use his skills to earn a living, rather than serve a master. Usagi's character and warm nature, however, keep him above his reduced circumstances. Master or not, he is always a man of honour.
Issue 150 is a stand alone story, Death of a Tea Master. In it a visiting Spaniard, Rodriguez, is promised whatever he wants as a reward for winning a duel. What he wants is to witness a ritual suicide, a seppuku, and the man he wants to see kill himself is a friend of Usagi. Sakai gives the reader a story that, for all its swordplay, centers on the fine points of conduct expected among Japanese samurai. For all its simplicity--including presenting characters as anthropomorphized animals--Usagi Yojimbo has always had the introduction of Japanese culture and folklore at its heart, the artwork detailed and accurate. In this issue I was particularly interested in seeing Western versus Japanese swordplay in a realistic environment. Samurai swordsmanship is often presented in a near mythical light, but from what I've learned about the differences, a skilled Western swordsman would be a perplexing opponent.
Being a stand alone issue, it makes for a good introduction to the series. I suspect that's not an accident. If you've never tried it, try it now. Usagi Yojimbo is always a rewarding experience.
By John Wallace (The Big Comic Page, November 17, 2015)
What can I say about Usagi Yojimbo that hasn’t been said? Well… not much really, so I won’t.
If anyone out there is unaware of Miyamoto Usagi, here’s a quick recap. He is a Ronin, in Edo era, Japan, and he has adventures.
Oh, and he’s a rabbit.
Although I’m well aware of Usagi Yojimbo, the last time I read a book was in 1991, it wasn’t at a good drop-in point so I never read another one. So it was with some trepidation that I started reading this issue, after all it is the 150th book in the current series with over 30 years of history behind it.
I needn’t have worried. The story is a single standalone issue and is really easy to get into. One thing that stood out for me in 1991 and still did with this issue was that the characters, although they are anthropomorphic, the situations that they find themselves in are far from childlike. This issue deals with voyeuristic sadism and the manipulation of an honour code system. Not something I thought I would ever say in relation to a comic rabbit.
Stan Sakai is the creator, writer and artist of Usagi Yojimbo, and it’s obvious that he still enjoys his job. It’s also obvious that he knows his Japanese lore. It makes for a decent read. His art is cartoony, clear, simple and dynamic.
I am conflicted by this 150th issue. It works well as a standalone issue, but there wasn’t a lot of scope to get to know the hero. He makes tea and then does heroic stuff. The villain of this story had more oomph. If continuing issues follow a similar vein then Usagi Yojimbo would be like a comfortable pair of slippers. You put them on and then forget about them.
Whilst I enjoyed my first dip into the Rabbit Bodyguards (that’s the title of the book in English don’t cha know) world for the first time in 24 years, it didn’t quite do enough to blow me away.
Rating: 3/5.
By Asa Giannini (Comic Bastards, November 18, 2015)
Contrary to what’s indicated by the number on the cover, “Usagi Yojimbo: Death of a Tea Master” is not the 150th issue. As author (and illustrator and letter) Stan Sakai explains in the letter section, counting various mini-series, specials and other publishers, the samurai exploits of Myamoto Usagi have been going on for well over 200 issues. It’s easy to take such a long running book consistently written series for granted, but #150 makes a strong case for this being a mistake. While not a surprise for anyone who has read an issue before, the self-contained “Death of a Tea Master” story exemplifies all of the aspects that have made Usagi a masterpiece for over thirty years.
For those who are unfamiliar, “Usagi Yojimbo” follows the exploits of the titular 16th century samurai, who upon the death of his master, became a wandering ronin searching to earn peace and restitution through honorable actions. This journey gives Stan Sakai an excuse to explore a period accurate version of Japan that happens to be populated by talking animals and, in a signature quirky detail, miniature dinosaurs which make up most of the wildlife. While some stories deal with repeated characters and references to past events, most are unconnected, often operating as sparse, subtle meditations on the minutia of ancient Japanese culture.
Usagi-Yojimbo #150 “Death of a Tea Master” brings Sakai’s familiar style to a story about a tense interaction between Japan and the western world. As the issue opens, Rodriguez, a Spanish ambassador, bests a Japanese warrior in a sword fight. The local feudal lord Odo generously, but rashly promises Rodriguez a reward of his choosing, and the man requests to witness the honorable suicide of a local traveling teacher, the afore-mentioned “Tea Master” who happens to be giving a lesson to Usagi. Rodriguez’s actions are particularly heinous as he has no motivation beyond witnessing a violent curiosity from another culture no matter what it costs. Lord Odo on the other hand is forced, by the rules of honor Rodriguez continually abuses, to give into his demands.
Thrust into the middle of this conflict is Myamoto Usagi who, despite not being directly involved, reacts violently to the threat to an innocent and peaceful teacher. However, as is typical of the title, Usagi does not actually receive very much focus in the book or any character development. Sakai writes in the style of classic serials like Tintin or Conan the Barbarian where the main character serves a vehicle for the story and not often an emotional center. This is not in fact a problem though it gives the book an air of detachment. Usagi is after all bound by the rules of a ronin and has little say in his own actions even if these rules often put him in the role of a hero. And while this emotional detachment could be a deficit in a lesser book, in this case it only serves to add to the impression of a historical fiction.
Outside of this historical flavor, the most notable aspect of the comic is Sakai’s extremely stylized pen and ink art. With no color or even shades of grey, Sakai’s brushwork is strikingly clean and emotive recalling classic Japanese brush drawings and somehow also Disney cartoons. As it happens, this contrast between archaic simplicity and pulpy cartoon action is the quality that makes the whole comic work. While the story in “Death of a Tea Master” is entirely, unapologetically predictable, one can’t help but admire dialogue that reads almost like haiku and a story that unflinchingly shows the cruelties and wonders of another time period.
In a crowded field of fast-paced, colorful genre comics, “Usagi Yojimbo” becomes truly unique by being reserved and minimalistic. By this same token “Usagi ” is likely not a title for everyone. Beyond the themes and setting, there is very little real story to grasp onto and even less characterization. That said, for anyone willing to try something different or simply interested in increasing their comics literacy, “Death of a Tea Master” is a great place to start. Plus, there’s a full page of a talking rabbit samurai discussing the art of drinking tea, and I really can’t oversell that.
Score: 4/5
by Michael Edwards (Unwinnable, November 18th, 2015)
While landmark issues come and go in the world of comics it’s truly something special whenever Stan Sakai’s legendary series Usagi Yojimbo has one. The rabbit ronin has been appearing in comics since 1984, and in his own series since 1987. This is technically his 209th issue, since this series has also been published by Fantagraphics and Mirage. The dedication that Sakai has had in portraying the anthropomorphic adventure of Usagi’s Feudal Japan earns him and his series the legendary title, not to mention numerous Eisner awards among other honors. What’s really amazing is to see an independent creator with sole ownership of the characters found within the world of this series go as far with it as Sakai has. That and the fact that Sakai has always been consistent in his art and deceptively simple storytelling that is a treat for comic book readers of all ages. The peaceful meditation of the Tea Ceremony mentioned in this issue is a metaphor for how one generally feels walking through Usagi’s Japan and taking in the beauty of Sakai’s art and words. Until trouble brews, which in this issue comes in the form of a brash and sadistic Spanish swordsman and ambassador named Rodriguez.
In this tale Rodriguez defeats a number of Lord Odo’s samurai, only to then demand that Odo’s tea master and sensei Nobu commit Hari-Kari (ritual suicide) so that he may witness it firsthand. Rodriguez essentially views the Japanese as savages that can be bossed around, and gets his way until one of Nobu’s enraged students challenges him to a duel. Hint: it’s that rabbit samurai on the cover.
One thing that Sakai is always successful with is his visual storytelling, and also his ability to tell perfect tales like this one in a single issue. While there is dialogue it’s not necessary sometimes due to the fluid movement, gestures and facial expressions of characters from panel to panel, one of the touchstones of this series that hearkens back to classic comic book storytelling. There’s an arc to this issue, the heinous Conquistador being given his comeuppance at the expense of Usagi most likely bringing shame to those around him. What’s amazing is how easy it is to jump on with this series, and how it excels in that rare ability of wrapping up a story in a single issue that so few comics manage to do these days. The subtext of the brutal nature of colonialism underscores the narrative of this issue, and combined with the rich art it invites rereading, like all the best comics do.
In many ways Usagi Yojimbo reminds me of a book of Japanese folk tales and legends that my parents had laying around the house I grew up in. It was from the time they lived in Okinawa while my dad was serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. I would stare at the pictures constantly, trying to understand what I could from the words but often relying on the images as my narrative companion. Elements of those images and the stories from long ago remain lodged in my memory, and sometimes those elements will rise again while watching Japanese cinema, viewing Japanese art, or even reading manga and Usagi Yojimbo. I’ve read many of the issues of Usagi Yojimbo and can instantly recall the many wonderful stories and story arcs from over the years that sometimes are pure Japanese history told with anthropomorphic characters, sometimes folktales featuring demons and ghosts, and sometimes homages to movies like Seven Samurai and Lone Wolf and Cub. Sometimes it’s hanging out with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or battling against the aliens of War of the Worlds like the recent series Senso!
No matter what, each issue they always feature the creations of Stan Sakai, a man who finds limitless inspiration in his creation from over thirty years ago. I will never stop following the rabbit ronin as he travels along the path of the samurai, as long as new material keeps coming out. It’s truly refreshing to see comic books being made that don’t hang on big gimmicks or any of the other insane hooks that publishers use to try to bring in readers these days. I go in and out of comics series, but once I entered the world of Usagi Yojimbo I’ve never been able to leave.
Thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing me with a preview so that this review can go up the day that this issue is released. If you haven’t already go out to the store and buy this standalone issue, do so because it’s the perfect jumping-on point!
By Aaron Long (Comicosity, November 18, 2015)
The masterful Stan Sakai hits a milestone this month as Usagi Yojimbo‘s 150th issue at Dark Horse Comics is released. After all this time with Dark Horse and Fantagraphics before them, Sakai manages to keep Usagi Yojimbo entertaining, enlightening and powerful.
This issue deals with some heavy topics, including the exploitation of the honour and customs of culture by a Western manipulator, and the act of seppuku. Sakai’s tone while discussing this ritual is grave and dark, as any discussion of the act requires. As with any issue of Usagi Yojimbo, through the story I found I learned things about feudal Japan and the traditions of the era, and the gravity of the topic at hand weighed heavily on this issue.
Sakai discusses this ritual with the greatest amount of respect and manages to keep this issue as young reader friendly as possible considering the topic at hand. This is a darker issue than some have been, with the Westerner in particular being a malicious and cruel person. Sakai writes and pencils the character well, making it obvious that he does not belong in this world. His arrogance bleeds from the page and his battle with Usagi Yojimbo is entertaining to read. He pushes our hero to places we don’t often see, which was interesting and befitting of a landmark issue like this.
Stan Sakai’s artwork is consistent from start to finish and he is a gifted visual storyteller. At this point there probably isn’t much to say about Sakai’s work as a cartoonist, but the visuals are as strong as ever in issue #150. His characters have amazing personality and the tone and gravity with which he discusses seppuku is impressive. He’s a legend, to say the least, and this is just another feather in a long filled cap.
Usagi Yojimbo #150 is a powerful issue dealing with a heavy set of topics. This one shot is masterfully executed and Stan Sakai’s mastery continues. Bring me more Usagi Yojimbo, 150+ issues just isn’t enough.
The Verdict: 9.0/10
by Daniel Gehen (Infinite Comix, November 18, 2015)
Longevity in a comic series is a very rare occurrence in today’s landscape. No title at the Big Two has eclipsed issue #50, thanks to frequent line-wide relaunches. Looking beyond the corporate behemoths, Image’s The Walking Dead, Invincible, Spawn, and Savage Dragon are all long-running titles (Witchblade ends next month at issue #185), while the “Mignolaverse” at Dark Horse features a long-running continuity as the current flagship, B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, has eclipsed 130 issues. Judging from this, longevity in the modern comics industry stems from creator-owned projects, fueled by passion. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the latest series to celebrate a milestone issue is the creator owned Usagi Yojimbo #150 by Stan Sakai.
In a surprise to no one, Usagi Yojimbo #150 delivers a taut, done-in-one narrative that is both emotionally taxing and thrilling to readers. Under Sakai’s guiding hand, Miyamoto Usagi has developed into one of the most complex, yet accessible characters in publication to date. Even those without any prior experience with the rabbit ronin can pick up this installment without missing a beat. The issue’s narrative, in which Usagi must go toe-to-toe with a scheming Western explorer may lack the pomp and circumstance of milestone issues from other publishers. Instead, Sakai uses the occasion to do what he does best: craft a solid work of graphic fiction. Here’s to the next 150!
Score: 8/10
by Matt Carter (Project Nerd, November 18, 2015)
Stan Sakai is absolutely killing it with these one-and-done Usagi Yojimbo stories. This one is an apparent criticism of the entitlement of Western imperialism and its tendency to treat older civilizations as if they are backwards or lesser by subjugating their customs. There’s no subtlety to the plot, but the metaphor sells the sentiment of the story in which Usagi experiences a pyrrhic victory due a rash promise made to an arrogant Spanish fencer by an easily duped Samurai nobleman that costs a respected elder his life. The character acting is wonderfully executed—as usual—and Sakai has an inexplicable talent for page and panel design, knowing exactly when to draw lush background or when to drop the background altogether for a closeup.
Sakai’s work is unlike anything else being released to the mainstream right now, and it’s always shocking to me how much of what passes for all-ages action style comics artwork is informed by his work, despite how adult his subject matter is. The rage that Usagi feels at the news of his friend’s death can’t be described as anything but primal, and the difference between a calm, collected Usagi and a vengeful, enraged Usagi is a few well placed lines that would take any other artist entire panels to depict.
This one kept me on the edge of my seat and left me reeling at the end.
Grant Watson (The Angriest, November 19, 2015)
A European envoy is travelling through Japan. When he defeats one lord's champion in a duel, he offered anything he desires - but what he desires is to see a Japanese man commit hara kiri. It's the 150th issue of Usagi Yojimbo, although if we're being honest it's actually the 209th since the book renumbered a long time ago. It is, however, the first time Usagi has ever encountered a European - and it's a pretty dark and unpleasant encounter. I love how Sakai can vary the tone of his comic so effectively: sometimes Usagi Yojimbo is very sweet, whereas others times - like here - it can be a little confronting.
(5/5)
by Kenny Coburn (ComiConverse, November 20, 2015)
Summary:
The milestone issue #150 of Usagi Yojimbo shows the Miyamoto Usagi meeting a western traveler for the first time. In a fantastic tale of loss and friendship, Stan Sakai creates another masterful example of short form storytelling.
More Details
Usagi Yojimbo hits another milestone with issue #150, after celebrating its 30th anniversary just last year. For the first time, Miyamoto Usagi, the wandering ronin, comes in contact with a European traveler. The traveler becomes obsessed with the idea of witnessing seppuku, ritual suicide, after defeating every samurai put before him. His first requested victim is Usagi’s friend, and tea master, Nobu. Will Usagi be able to defeat the traveler before his friend is forced to commit suicide or, will the traveler prove to skilled, even for him?
Synopsis:
A European traveler has come to study Japanese culture under the protection of the feudal Lord Odo. During his stay, he claims to be studying the samurai art of swordsmanship by challenging all of his warriors to duels. Each competitor, is quickly felled and the traveler becomes bored. He decides he needs to see a different part of Japanese culture and requests to see harakiri. His choice is a tea master named Nobu because, he refused to teach him the art of the tea ceremony.
During this time, Usagi Yojimbo is in the middle of the tea ceremony when Lord Odo’s men come and take away the tea master. Usagi is subdued and the soldiers take the tea master before Lord Odo. The lord orders him to commit suicide. He agrees but, only as a protest to what he perceives as an unreasonable request, only made to appease the traveler. After Nobu’s death, Usagi is let go and challenges the traveler for the honor of his friend and, to rid the lands of him.
Analysis:
Usagi Yojimbo is always at its best when it plays with larger ideals than what seems to be on the surface. In this case, this ideal is the culture clash between east and west trying to understand the other. The story does a phenomenal job of creating a sense of European superiority from the traveler. It is a apparent, he believes his ways are better. This can be seen in how little he values the life of the tea master and, how lowly he thinks of the samurai swordsmanship. It is not a one sided display though. The samurai warriors are also proud to a fault and willing to sacrifice themselves in order to prove they are better than the eastern traveler.
Beyond the larger ideas of cultural pride and superiority, rests a very emotional tale of a man losing his friend in a situation that is out of his control. It is heartbreaking watching Usagi try and fight to save his friend. There is a real sense of disappointment and dread as Usagi is trapped in waiting; unsure of what is happening to his companion. When he does come for revenge, it feels natural and powerful. Completing such a large scale of complex ideas and emotions in one issue shows how well of a grasp Stan Sakai has on short form story telling. Anyone looking for a place to start their journey into Usagi Yojimbo’s saga needs to look no further than issue #150.
The artwork is the same simple and clean style that the series has shown throughout its history. Action scenes are quick and impactful. Page layouts are simple yet effective in their display. There are some issues through, particularly early, where the backgrounds of pages seem empty and bland. This is not an issue throughout but does break the immersion at certain points. There is also the character models and expressions which are very hit or miss depending on personal preference. Facial expressions are often very over exaggerated but, for the type of world Usagi has created, it works.
After 150 issues, Usagi Yojimbo is as strong as ever and shows no signs of letting up in the future. There’s no better time to start the series than right now.
Rating: 5
by Greg McElhatton, (Comic Book Resources, November 20, 2015)
As "Usagi Yojimbo" hits its 150th regular issue at Dark Horse, Stan Sakai continues to steadily and consistently create strong, memorable comics. Here, his one-off story "Death of a Tea Master" does just that, serving as both an introduction to new readers and a satisfying experience for existing fans.
"Usagi Yojimbo" #150 shows us the dark side of a strict honor code at play. Usagi's code of honor is often presented to us as a good thing, pushing him to do what is right and just, but here we're shown how it can be used as a cruel and nasty weapon when Lord Odo's rash promise to a visitor from Spain threatens to kill Nobu the Tea Master. Of course, Usagi's travels have him tangled up in this promise from Odo to Rodriguez the ambassador, and -- in the end -- not all characters will be left standing.
It would have been easier for Sakai to turn this story into a moment where the only person who's hurt is the bad guy, with no real consequences for any of the good people that inhabit the world of "Usagi Yojimbo." Instead, though, Sakai gives us a situation that's not so simply resolved. Good people don't get away scot free in "Death of a Tea Master," and we are shown that -- in a world where one's word is all-important -- those who give it away too freely will end up seeing the awful consequences of those foolish promises. So much in "Usagi Yojimbo" #150 could have been averted if even one of many characters were willing to break their code of honor, but -- even as it's what propels Usagi to seek out Odo and Rodriguez -- it's also what stays the hand of many. We're getting a fully-realized set of values here.
Sakai's art is also strong as ever. When Usagi and Nobu hear Odo's men arrive, I love how quickly Usagi goes from a smiling figure to one that's wide-eyed and on guard. Even as Usagi's body language grows from hesitant to combative, Sakai brings a certain sense of calm in the form of Nobu, even when Nobu is pleading for Usagi's life. The fights in "Usagi Yojimbo" #150 are also good here; I love how Rodriguez's rapier whirls through the air, in a manner that feels chaotic and unpredictable compared to the powerful, forceful strokes from Usagi. It's a nice touch, contrasting the two in a way that's instantly clear to the reader. Add in beautiful buildings and interiors for the background, and you end up with an attractive-as-always comic.
Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo" is a genuine treasure, and this issue is no exception. In an ideal world, everyone would read "Usagi Yojimbo." This is as good a place as any to start making that happen. Check it out. You'll be pleased you did.
by staff (Omnicomics, November 20, 2015)
"Ah, your master taught you well, Usagi-san!"
Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most renowned ronin in all of comics. He's been around for quite a while and now Dark Horse is celebrating that legacy with Usagi Yojimbo #150. The issue is written and illustrated by Stan Sakai.
Usagi meets a European swordsman for the first time, a traveler who makes his mark by defeating Lord Odo’s best samurai! But when the stranger demands to witness a ritualized-suicide ceremony and chooses Tomoe’s old tea master as the victim, the rabbit ronin is caught between honorable tradition and compassion!
Clashing cultures always lead to characters who misunderstand one another and Sakai's experience with the Usagi Yojimbo character exemplifies this dynamic. His portrayal of Usagi maintains the familiar characteristics evident in a ronin and Usagi certainly exemplifies those characteristics. And the plot of the issue really gives Usagi's character a workout so to speak, pitting the more traditionally greedy motives of the west with the more humble motives of the east. It's an interesting plot device Sakai uses, but he uses it fantastically and to great effect. The reader really gets the sense of the gravity of the situation that Usagi is faced with in the issue.
The black and white approach for Usagi Yojimbo #150 continues to work in its favor. Sakai leans on it to emphasize a simplicity in both the character's appearance and his personality. The simple elegance of the samurai culture is maintained through the use of the simple panel structure and character designs. Usagi maintains the familiar appearance and mannerisms, all of which effectively personify a rabbit samurai. Sakai excellently handles his interactions with the other characters, placing them in situations that range from simple tea ceremonies to duels with high stakes on the line.
Usagi Yojimbo #150 is a great milestone for the character and the series. Usagi maintains his sense of honor in the face of even the most adverse circumstances and perseveres with his honor intact. Sakai's intimate understanding of the character works extraordinarily well for the pacing and presentation of the story. His artwork is simple yet elegant. Usagi Yojimbo #150 is a great way to celebrate the character's enduring reputation as a stoic yet combat-capable character in comics.
by Jacob (Hush Comics, November 22, 2015)
After a break from this series myself, jumping onto a point where the story is new is always great and this one-shot story here is spectacular as always. Stan Sakai does great again as the writer and artist for Usagi Yojimbo and continues to make sure the comic book community knows him as a legend. This issue deals with a Westerner visiting with whom he supposedly is there to write a report about the Eastern culture and in doing so he pressures Lord Odo into making his Tea Master commit Harakiri where a samurai sacrifices themselves. This does not bode well for Usagi and he challenges the westerner to a duel, which never ends well for the person fighting him. This series is one of my all time favorites and one that continues to be enjoyable despite me veering away from it for unknown reasons. This issue thought is the perfect starting point for new and old fans alike. –
Score - B *
* (Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like)
by Richard Rosenbaum (Overthinking It, November 24, 2015)
Nobody Important Dies in This Issue [Reading List Week 14]
Want to start reading Usagi Yojimbo, the longest-running continuous narrative in history? This month's issue of this classic series is a great place start!
Just one comic review this week, but it’s a good one.
Usagi Yojimbo #150 is not the one hundred and fiftieth issue of Usagi Yojimbo. Actually it’s the 209th. As I mentioned in a previous Reading List, a couple of years ago Stan Sakai’s series about a rabbit ronin in an athropomorphic animals version of 17th Century Japan celebrated its thirtieth anniversary, surpassing Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark saga (about an anthropomorphic aardvark barbarian in a sort of Fifteenth Century-ish world populated mostly by humans) as perhaps the longest-running continuous narrative in human history. The book has gone through a number of different publishers, however, starting out at Fantagraphics, moving over to Mirage for a while, and eventually landing at Dark Horse, where it’s been for the past, well, 150 issues.
This is the kind of non-milestone milestone that most other creators would be all over. Special editions, holofoil covers, SOMEBODY IMPORTANT TOTALLY DIES IN THIS ISSUE kind of stuff (see, for instance, last week’s utterly unimpressive Uncanny X-Men #600). Stan Sakai is not that kind of creator. Everything we know about him shows him to be humble and honourable, interested more than anything else in telling a story and telling it as straightforwardly and unpretentiously as possible. That’s what he’s done for the past two hundred and eight issues, plus the occasional miniseries, and that’s what he’s done with this one as well. No variant covers. Nobody important dies in this issue. The issue number isn’t even any bigger than usual.
And yet there is something special about this issue as well. For the first time (I think – if I’m wrong, somebody please “Well, Actually” me), a Westerner swordsman comes to Usagi’s Japan. Rodriguez is a fox or something (it’s sometimes hard to tell exactly what animal these people are supposed to be), an ambassador on a mission from the king of (I assume) Portugal to learn as much about Japanese culture as possible. Unfortunately, Rodriguez is kind of a psycho. He’s an excellent swordsman, but in the European style of swordfighting using a rapier and incredibly swift, round strokes; the traditional Japanese samurai style – using a katana and focusing more on subtle movements that are often intended to take down an opponent with a single, powerful swing – has yet to formulate a counterstrategy for this foreign technique. Not only does Rodriguez cut through his samurai duelling opponents almost without breaking a sweat, the audiences are baffled into speechlessness at his fighting method. As his (doomed) first opponent in this issue observes, “It’s so fast! Like an alive thing!”
Duelling a willing opponent is one thing – this fight was set up for the benefit of Lord Odo, who promised Rodriguez any reward he wants if he won. But Rodriguez demands that, as victor in the battle, Lord Odo order the seppuku (ritual suicide) of the famous tea-master Nobu, who refused to perform the tea ceremony with Rodriguez, calling the foreigner uncouth. Lord Odo is reluctant to grant this wish – until, that is, Rodriguez threatens to report back to his king that Odo is a lord without honour. Terrified for his international reputation, Lord Odo sends his samurai to abduct Nobu – who happens to be participating in the tea ceremony with Usagi at that moment.
Now, there aren’t many surprises in this story. Maybe none, actually. It’s simple and even predictable. But no less enjoyable or touching for that. It’s kind of shocking to see a European in these pages at all, but perfectly realistic (as it were), with the shogunate not yet having expelled and banned all foreigners or outlawed Christianity – although that would be soon to come. Indeed, Rodriguez prominently wears a crucifix around his neck, just to make his alienness perfectly clear.
While Usagi himself has always been the main focus of the book, Sakai also draws the world around the character as a fascinating place, with its own history, mythology, and politics. Usagi gets caught up in lots of things, but he’s still only part of a massive and complicated planet that we mostly only glimpse by following his life and adventures. It’s an iconic world, a world we’re pulled into, and it’s a major accomplishment that Sakai has pulled off, in any medium.
If you’re not reading Usagi Yojimbo by now, you’ve got a lot of catching up to do, but it’ll be worth it.
Where to Start: Almost anywhere, really. You can pretty much just pick up the book and start reading at practically any place. Time Investment: That said, 208 issues before this one – whew!
by Michael Hoskin (Section 244, November 29, 2015)
"I have heard of it, and need to see it."
Having reached its 150th issue at Dark Horse Comics, you may well wonder if the recently-released Usagi Yojimbo #150 is a landmark issue. How fortunate that I'm here to address your wonderment!
"Death of a Tea Master" is a self-contained story wherein a European man named Rodriguez (Spanish?) is visiting the court of Lord Odo, testing his prowess with the saber against the katana styles of Odo's men. As part of the report Rodriguez is compiling, he wishes to observe the act of hara-kiri and demands Lord Odo order his subordinate Nobu the tea master to perform the deed. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, the tea master had a friend: the rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi.
It wasn't that long ago that Stan Sakai celebrated 200 issues of Usagi Yojimbo (added up between thre publishers). Sakai's fidelity to his creation over the decades is matched only by the likes of Sim, Aragones or the Pinis. And yet, for all the many recurring characters and relationships within the book's cast, Sakai has always kept this series very easy to jump in on, with only a handful of particularly lengthy storyarcs. "Death of a Tea Master" features no previously-met characters - anyone can begin their exposure to Usagi Yojimbo with this issue and not be left out.
Sakai celebrated 200 Usagi Yojimbo comics with a tale featuring a determined sculptor crafting 200 Jizo statues. Issue #150 has nothing as obviously celebratory, yet it is a special event in a certain way; the character of Rodriguez is perhaps the first European character seen in this otherwise all-Japanese series. Although an animal-person like the rest of the cast, Rodriguez's manner of dress, wavy hair, saber and cross (a symbol seen only once previously in the series in a story which made the point of how deep underground Christianity was at the time in Japan), Rodriguez is the first time Sakai has brought in an outsider to Japanese culture to comment upon it.
In a sense, it's strange that it's taken Sakai this long - after all, Sakai has lived most of his life in the USA, not Japan (and precisely zero years in feudal Japan). As a Japanese man in the west he's qualified to look at Japan as either outsider or insider. Although Rodriguez may ultimately prove to be an usual blip in the Usagi Yojimbo experience - perhaps there will never be another European character - it feels good to think how little of the world Miyamoto Usagi inhabits has actually been glimpsed in the thousands of pages Sakai has devoted to it thus far. Clearly, there is much more for Sakai to draw upon for stories and he need not retire the series yet (unless he's exhausted, which doesn't seem to be the case).
And now that we have had a story where someone from the west comes to observe the east, we see in Rodriguez the worst of westerners. Rodriguez operates under the pretension of honor, plying Lord Odo to his bidding by questioning the lord's own honor; he's a hypccrite, but because Lord Odo is a true man of honor, he cannot call Rodriguez out. Rodriguez plays upon the idea of the west being more innately civilized than the east, calling them "heathen" to Lord Odo's face. Rodriguez treats the life of Nobu the tea master casually; for Rodriguez - and so many in the west of the real world - eastern lands are simply a sideshow where one is entertained by the oddities of humanity.
Usagi Yojimbo is being published by Dark Horse Comics nearly every month and is available digitally at Comixology.
