interesting article I found on the internet...

[Steve Hubbell]

I don't know if this was ever published or if a link was ever made from the Dojo to the site this was on, but, after reading it, I thought it was interesting enough to copy here... all copyrights are the property of the author and I apologize for copying the article to post here without permission...Abayo - Steve

Stan Sakai: The Man, The Rabbit and the Aesthetics
or How a Bunny Can Be an APA role model.
By Shalon Kimi Nakashima
At first glance, neither Stan Sakai nor his award winning creation, Miyamoto Usagi, seem to have much to do with Asian Pacific American aesthetics. In fact, the only things that seems to be Asian Pacific American is Stan Sakai. However, a closer look at the art and story behind Usagi Yojimbo reveals that there is more to it than a bunny with a sword
The Man
On May 25, 1953, Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, Japan(Bustillo). His father was a Nisei or 2nd generation Japanese American who had grown up in Hawaii. His mother was a full-blooded Japanese woman, descended from a samurai family. Like a scene out of a feudal Japan story, his maternal grandfather had been against their marriage, because his father was a descendent of a peasant family and not good enough for his daughter(Comic Culture). Luckily, they married anyway and until Stan was 2, they lived in Japan.
After Stan turned 2, his father moved his family back to Hawaii. Here is where Stan grew up, immersed in American culture. He loved comic books and grew up idolizing such greats as Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Walt Kelly, Carl Barks and others(Bustillo). In the 10th grade, he took his first art class at Kaimuki High School. He would later go on to dedicate the 11th Usagi Yojimbo collection, "Seasons", to his teacher Lorraine Kawahara(Sakai FAQ, 23). From there he moved on to the University of Hawaii, where he majored in drawing and painting and received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts(Bustillo).
Drawing comic books is a very untraditional career choice for Asian Pacific Americans and Stan was urged often by his father to pursue something more stable(Rafu Shimpo). But Stan had his dreams and after living in Hawaii for 22 years, he left the islands for the mainland(Bustillo). In Los Angeles, he worked as a freelance commercial artist and taught calligraphy. In his spare time, he attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. It was thanks to his teaching job that he got his first break into the comic book business. It was there that he met Sergio Aragones, the creator of a comic called Groo The Wanderer. Though Stan had never lettered a comic book before, Sergio asked him to letter his then new comic. Sergio was also the one who reintroduced Stan to his Japanese heritage(Comic Buyer's Guide).
The first issue of Usagi Yojimbo came out in 1984(Comic Buyer's Guide). Since then there has been over 80 issues of Usagi Yojimbo, not including the appearances Usagi has made in issues of Albedo and Critters as well as the 15 trade paperback collections(UY Concordance). In addition to Usagi Yojimbo, Stan has also created the series Nilson Groundthumper and Space Usagi. He also has done lettering not only for Groo the Wanderer, but also The Legend of Kamui, and Spider-man Sunday newspaper strips(Bustillo). He has had a very prolific career and although he has been drawing Usagi for nearly 20 years, he shows no signs of stopping.
The Rabbit
When you first pick up a copy of Usagi Yojimbo, the first thing you notice is not the artistic or historic details, it is the character on the front. Miyamoto Usagi is not your normal main character. He is a sword wielding samurai rabbit, which inhibits none of the characteristics normally attributed to rabbits. But to dismiss him and his comic book simply because it is a “funny animal” comic, does Usagi Yojimbo a disservice. Tucked inside each issue is a historic lesson, teaching valuable aspects of culture and history under the guise of entertainment.
Usagi Yojimbo takes place in 17th century Japan. It is a time of peace after turbulent civil wars. The Tokugawa shogunate has taken control of the country and with no battles left to fight, large numbers of master less samurai, known as ronin, wander the country. Miyamoto Usagi is one of them. Though many ronin turn to a life of crime, Usagi stays true to his code of honor, the Bushido. To make a living, he hires himself out as a bodyguard, or yojimbo(Rafu Shimpo). Each issue follows Usagi around as he gets caught up in political intrigues, fantastical confrontations with mythical creatures and even a mystery or two. Some stories have a lighthearted tone, while others take on a decidedly sinister tone. Very few of the stories however, do not have violence in them in some form. Usagi lived in a very violent time and to take the violence out would take away some measure of its authenticity. But the violence is never gratuitous(Rafu Shimpo). In fact, in 1990, Usagi Yojimbo was awarded a Parents’ Choice Approval Award(Awards).
One of the most engaging aspects of Usagi Yojimbo is the sheer amount of research that goes into it. One story in particular, titled “A Kite Story”, exemplifies this. This story is written from the perspectives of 3 people who happen to be converging on the same spot at the same time. There stories each start from a different time, but later merge into one story as they begin to run into each other. The first part is told from a kite maker’s perspective. In his tale, he describes not only the steps involved in making a kite, but also the hardships involved(Sakai, UY Book #5, 27-33). By the end of the tale, the reader is left feeling not only that he or she could possibly make a kite, but also with a sense of respect for the artist and the work involved. But even in stories, which do not seem to have such a deeply researched plot, have a huge amount of details, each carefully researched. Often Japanese terms are used and defined in the stories. Many of the characters are also based on historical figures. Usagi was based on the 17th century samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Another character, Tomoe Ame was based upon Tomoe Gozen, a famous female warrior. Other characters such as the blind pig Zato-Ino and Gen were derived from characters in Japanese movies. Zato-Ino is a play off of Zato-Ichi, the blind swordsman and Gen was a nod to Toshiro Mifune’s character in Akira Kurosawa’s film, Yojimbo(The Comics Journal).
In a country where comic books are looked upon as something for children, Usagi Yojimbo stands as proof that they can be for adults too. In fact, I believe that Usagi Yojimbo is best enjoyed by parents and children, so that the lessons within that a child might not understand can be explained.
The Aesthetics
Aesthetics is an interesting word. Webster describes it as “the branch of philosophy dealing with taste and the study of beauty in nature and art”. It stands to reason then that Asian Pacific American aesthetics must be the study of beauty in Asian Pacific American art. Can a comic book then, which is hardly considered art by American standards, reflect Asian Pacific American aesthetics? Of course it can, or at least it can be considered Asian Pacific American art.
The word aesthetics is nowhere near as important as it sounds. In truth, the aesthetics of a work of art are important only to those who study it or those who enjoy being thought of as an intellectual as they discuss art over glasses of champagne. To most people, whether or not a painting falls into one aesthetic or not does not matter half as much as if they liked it. On top of that, trying to categorize aesthetics into a smaller category like Asian Pacific American aesthetics becomes highly complicated. In the end, what really matters is if the artist is satisfied with the end result. But humans are never satisfied unless things are catalogued. So if you do not judge a piece of art by its aesthetic value, then how do you judge it? In other words, what makes Usagi Yojimbo art and more importantly what makes it Asian Pacific American art?
Adults have long regarded comics as for children. Though there are many adults who no doubt read the comic page of the newspaper, these same adults will maintain that comic books are not for mature people. Those adults who read comics are often portrayed as freaks that dwell in a childish world. They are often loners who have not been able to let go of their childhood. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There are many comic books, Usagi Yojimbo among others that deal with very adult themes. While some are okay for children to read, a large portion contains messages that cannot be grasped by an immature mind. In addition, there is nothing that a painting or book has that a comic book does not. Usagi Yojimbo has a very engaging story line, with great detail being placed on authenticity. Some aspects of Usagi’s world are mythical, but the mainstay of the series is set in a real time period. The art of Usagi Yojimbo is also full of details, from the way the houses are drawn to the ornaments in the women’s hair. Other little details, like the drawings of skulls above dead people bring to the reader’s attention quickly, things that might otherwise require lengthy explanations. When you look past the surface of comic books it is easy to see their artistic value.
It is easy to see that Usagi Yojimbo is a Japanese story. The main character is Japanese and it takes place in Japan. But the factors that make Usagi Yojimbo an Asian Pacific American comic book are much more hidden. To begin with, the artist, Stan Sakai, is Japanese American. Not only that, he is a 3rd generation Japanese American or Sansei(Rafu Shimpo). He has lived all of his life, except for the 2 years after he was born, in Hawaii. His outlook on life is very Western. This has translated into his stories. As he points out in an interview, “[Usagi] pretty much treats all of the social classes the same, which a real samurai would not do. I think he reflects my own personality to a degree”. Another factor that makes it Asian Pacific American art is the fact that most of the plot lines have been heavily researched. Because Stan is not Japanese, all his information about customs, festivals and other such Japanese things have come strictly from books and films(The Comic Journal). In fact, since moving to Hawaii at the age of 2, he has only gone back once in 1998, 14 years after beginning Usagi Yojimbo(Rafu Shimpo). All of the information researched by him is reinterpreted before he uses any of it in a story. He also does not go into detail about certain subjects like class, which had a huge impact on life in 17th century Japan. The main reason for this is because he knows that the majority of his audience would not only not understand but also be adverse to the idea of such stringent class codes(The Comic Journal).
In creating Usagi Yojimbo, Stan Sakai was doing more than drawing a historical comic book. As a child, he had never learned much about his cultural background. It is not an uncommon phenomenon, especially amongst Japanese Americans born after World War II. With Usagi Yojimbo, he carefully balances the cultural aspects that he puts in. Not so much that they take away from the story, but enough to give it that authentic feel(Rafu Shimpo). Because of that, the story is accessible no matter where you live or what race you are. In fact, Usagi Yojimbo has been translated into several European languages(Silver Bullet Comic Books). Stan has even won 2 Haxtur awards for the Spanish editions of Usagi Yojimbo(Awards). Interestingly enough, Usagi Yojimbo has never been translated into Japanese(The Comic Journal). They do not know what they are missing.
The Works Cited
Bustillo, Todd. Usagi Yojimbo Dojo. 14 Dec. 2002. <http://stansakai.com>

Bustill, Todd. "Stan Sakai's Awards". Usagi Yojimbo Dojo. 14 Dec. 2002. <http://usagiyojimbo.com/awards.html>

"Questions About Stan Sakai Himself". Usagi Yojimbo Dojo. 14 Dec. 2002. <http://usagiyojimbo.com/faq/sakai.html>

Sakai, Stan. Comic Culture. Dec. 1994. 14 Dec. 2002. <http://usagiyojimbo.com/faq/sakai.html>

Sakai, Stan. Interview with Park Cooper. Silver Bullet Comics. Nov. 2000. 14 Dec. 2002.
<http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/f ... 094624.htm>

Sakai, Stan. Interview with Bruce Costa. Comic Buyer's Guide #1235. July 1997. 14 Dec. 2002.
<http://usagiyojimbo.com/cbgint.html>

Sakai, Stan. Interview with Brian Kaya. Rafu Shimpo. June 1998. 14 Dec. 2002.
<http://usagiyojimbo.com/rafu.html>

Sakai, Stan. Interview with Kim Thompson. The Comic Journal. Dec. 1996. 14 Dec. 2002.
<http://usagiyojimbo.com/sakaitcj.html>

Sakai, Stan. Usagi Yojimbo Book Five. Seattle: Fantagraphics Books Inc., 1992

Shalon Kimi Nakashima
Assignment #1
September 6, 2002 What is Asian Pacific American Art? Fred Houn and Arthur Sze illustrate the different sides in the battle to define what Asian Pacific American art is. On one side, you have artists who want to make art that serves the Asian Pacific American community and on the other side, you have artists who want to make art for artÂ’s sake. Both writers make good points but also have holes in their definition of Asian Pacific American art, leaving it difficult to decide which side is the right side.
Part 2
What I know about Asian Pacific American art and culture thus far is limited to my own Japanese American heritage. In fact, the main reason I took this class was to gain a broader understanding of what Asian Pacific American art and culture is. I have lived in Arizona for most of my life and while the Asian Pacific American community has grown quite a bit it still is fairly small compared to other ethnicities in the area. It is only through church and the Japanese American Citizen's League that I was able to keep in touch with the Japanese American community here, as well as have the opportunity to see Asian Pacific American artists, like the comedy troupe Cold Tofu. I am hoping that through this class I will be able to learn about more about Asian Pacific American art and culture as a whole. Works Cited Houn, Fred Wei-han. "Tradition and Change, Inheritance and Innovation, Not Imitation!" Revolutionary Asian American Art. 1986, 5-7.

[ziritrion]

Nice!

Perhaps you could post the link where you got that article from, so nobody would have to worry about copyright issues, and everybody would be able to get to the original article from the Dojo .

[Steve Hubbell]

Nice!

Perhaps you could post the link where you got that article from, so nobody would have to worry about copyright issues, and everybody would be able to get to the original article from the Dojo .

www.public.asu.edu/~dejesus/210entries/ stansakai/FinalFrame_files/intro.htm

Originally posted on the Arizona State University web-site, this article / term paper is no longer accessable there.

I still think it is a great paper...

[Maka]

Thanks for posting that Steve,

It was such a good read. The author wrote a lot of thoughts that resonated with my experiences/feelings reading UY.

But is it true that Stan had only been back to Hawaii before the year 2002? My mom is originally from the Big Island, and no matter how tight money was, she tried to get back as often as she could. Her sisters/brothers are the same way. In my limited experience, I thought all locals were that way.

Peace,

maka

[Colin Solan]

I thought it was interesting how the article said that few Asian/Pacific Americans were involved in comics at the time seeing how many comic creators today are Asian/Pacific Americans .

[Stan Sakai]

But is it true that Stan had only been back to Hawaii before the year 2002? My mom is originally from the Big Island, and no matter how tight money was, she tried to get back as often as she could. Her sisters/brothers are the same way. In my limited experience, I thought all locals were that way.

Peace,

maka

We go back almost every year, or, at least, every other year. My next trip back will be in December to visit family. We'll probably also take a trip to Maui.

We'll be back again in April as a guest of Kawaii Kon at the Ala Moana Hotel.

We can't go for too long without that local food. It's hard to get laulau up on the mainland.