Usagi Yojimbo

Usagi Yojimbo book 11: Seasons
Author	Stan Sakai
Country	USA
Language	English
Genre(s)	Historical Action-adventure Fantasy
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics Thoughts and Images Fantagraphics Books Mirage Studios Radio Comix
Publication date	1984
Media type	Comic Book Graphic Novel

Usagi Yojimbo (兎用心棒, Usagi Yojimbo^? lit. "rabbit bodyguard") is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai. Download high resolution version (480x727, 100 KB)Usagi Yojimbo, book 11 (front cover), by Stan Sakai This image is a book cover. ... Stan Sakai (born 1953) is a third-generation American of Japanese descent. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the study of the past in human terms. ... Action-adventure games are video games that combine elements of the adventure game genre with various action elements. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint. ... Mirage Studios is an independent American comic book company founded in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. ... Radio Comix is an alternative comic book publishing company. ... This article is about the year. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... Bodyguards of Viktor Yushchenko (far left) after leaving Gdansk city hall. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Stan Sakai (born 1953) is a third-generation American of Japanese descent. ...

Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period Japan (early 17th century), with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, it features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, who wanders the land on a musha shugyo (warrior's pilgrimage) occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard. The character of Usagi has been inspired by the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi while the tone and inspirations of the stories are heavily influenced by Groo the Wanderer, Lone Wolf and Cub and the films of the acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... 7th millennium BC anthropomorphized rocks, with slits for eyes, found in modern-day Israel. ... For other uses, see Rabbit (disambiguation). ... Graves of the forty-seven Ronin at Sengaku-ji Ronin robbing a merchants house in Japan around 1860 (1) For other uses, see Ronin (disambiguation). ... Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, he is an anthropomorphic rabbit (Usagi is Japanese for rabbit) and a ronin now walking the musha shugyo, the warriors journey. ... Musha shugyo is a samurai warriors quest or pilgrimage. ... This article is about the religious or spiritual journey. ... Bodyguards of Viktor Yushchenko (far left) after leaving Gdansk city hall. ... A swordsman is one skilled in the use of swords. ... This is a Japanese name; the family name is Miyamoto Miyamoto Musashi ) (c. ... Groo redirects here. ... Serialized in Action Original run September 1970 – April 1976 No. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... Kurosawa redirects here. ...

The books consist of short stories, and occasionally novel-length stories, with underlying larger plotlines which culminate in long extended story lines. The stories include many references to Japanese history and Japanese folklore, and sometimes include mythical creatures. The architecture, clothes, weapons, and other objects are drawn with a faithfulness to the period's style. There are often stories whose purpose is to illustrate various elements of Japanese arts and crafts, such as the fashioning of kites, swords, and pottery. Those efforts have been successful enough for the series to be awarded a Parents' Choice Award in 1990 for its educational value through Stan's "skillful weaving of facts and legends into his work".^{[citation needed]}. The series also follows the standard traditional Japanese naming convention for all featured characters: their surname followed by their given name. History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Pre-History/The Origin of History Jomon Period Main... Japanese folklore is the folklore of Japan. ... Category: ... This article is about building architecture. ... Yokaichi Giant Kite Festival held on the fourth Sunday every May in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan Kite flying is the activity of flying tethered man-made objects in wind. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Unfired green ware pottery on a traditional drying rack at Conner Prairie living history museum. ... The Parents Choice Awards is an award by the non-profitThe Parents Choice Foundation, established in 1978 in Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland, USA. The award is for Identifying the best products for children of different ages, backgrounds, skills, and interests, the awards are given to products that meet and exceed standards... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... Look up Appendix:Most popular given names by country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Publishing history

Originally, Usagi and other characters in the series were going to be human in stories explicitly modeled after the life of Miyamoto Musashi. However when Sakai was idly doodling, he drew rabbit ears tied in a topknot on his proposed hero and was inspired by the distinctive image it gave him.^[1] Usagi was first conceived as a supporting character in The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy, a brief series that predates Usagi Yojimbo.^[2] Sakai quickly expanded on the idea and his story world quickly took on an anthropomorphized cartoonish nature which created a fantasy setting he decided suited his dramatic needs well with a unique look he thought could attract readers. This is a Japanese name; the family name is Miyamoto Miyamoto Musashi ) (c. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy is a brief funny animal comic series by Stan Sakai that predates his better-known comic book Usagi Yojimbo. ...

Usagi first appeared in the anthology Albedo Anthropomorphics, and later in the Fantagraphics Books anthropomorphic anthology Critters, before appearing in his own series. The Usagi Yojimbo series has been published by three different companies. The first publisher was Fantagraphics (volume one; 38 regular issues, plus one Summer Special and three Color Specials). The second was Mirage Comics (volume two; 16 issues). The third is Dark Horse Comics, at which Usagi Yojimbo is still being published (as volume three, over 100 issues), and who also released a fourth Color Special. A fourth publisher, Radio Comix, has published two issues of The Art of Usagi Yojimbo which contained a selection of unpublished drawings, convention sketches, and other miscellaneous Usagi Yojimbo artwork. The first issue also included an original Usagi Yojimbo short story. To confuse things, in 2004 Dark Horse Comics published a Twentieth Anniversary hardcover volume also entitled The Art of Usagi Yojimbo. An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. ... Albedo Anthropomorphics or its short name, Albedo, is the name of a furry comic book anthology which is credited with starting the furry comic book subgenre that featured sophisticated stories with funny animals primarily intended for an adult audience. ... Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint. ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ... Mirage Studios is a small independent comic book company formed in 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Radio Comix is an alternative comic book publishing company. ...

Because Usagi Yojimbo is a creator-owned comic and Stan Sakai has complete and sole ownership of the character, Miyamoto Usagi has been able to appear in occasional short stories published by companies other than the one currently publishing his series. Usagi has appeared in stories published by Cartoon Books, Oni Press, Sky Dog Press, Wizard Press, and most recently in the benefit book Drawing the Line, the proceeds of which went to Princess Margaret Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children, both in Toronto, for cancer research. Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. ... Oni Press (founded 1997) is an independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. ... Wizard Press is the publisher of two important magazines in fandom: InQuest Gamer and Wizard. ... Princess Margaret Hospital Princess Margaret Hospital is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on University Avenue at College Street. ... The Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids, is a world-renowned childrens hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

Stan Sakai has also been able to experiment with formats for Usagi Yojimbo, such as when he published the color story "Green Persimmon" originally as twelve separate 2-page chapters serialized in Diamond Comic Distributor's monthly catalog "Previews". He has also serialized two short stories in a comic strip format in the tabloid size promotional publication "Dark Horse Extra". With Usagi Yojimbo stories ranging in length from single page "gag" stories to multi-issue "epic" adventures, Stan Sakai has proven himself a master of sequential story-telling.

Usagi has also appeared several times in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the comic, both of the animated series, and the toy line), and the Turtles have appeared in Usagi Yojimbo as well. A fictional crossover occurs when otherwise separated fictional characters, stories, settings, universes, or media meet and interact with each other. ... TMNT redirects here. ... An animated series or cartoon series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... A teddy bear A toy is an object used in play. ...

In addition, Sakai created a limited spin off series called Space Usagi that featured characters similar to those in the original series, including a descendant of Miyamoto Usagi, but set in a futuristic setting that also emulated Feudal Japan in political and stylistic ways. Three mini-series of three issues each and two short stories featuring the characters were produced. Sakai has tentative plans to produce a fourth Space Usagi miniseries, but nothing has been announced yet. ^[3] There was also an abortive project for a Space Usagi animated series before the failure of Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars discouraged further development.^[4] Space Usagi was one of the action figures produced under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or as a new company formed from a university research group. ... Usagi Yojimbo book 11: Seasons Usagi Yojimbo (Japanese: 兎用心棒 rabbit bodyguard,) is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai. ... Bucky OHare and crew in the comic book (art by Michael Golden) Bucky OHare was created by comic writer Larry Hama in the late 1970s. ...

Two editions of an Usagi role-playing game have been made, a 1998 version from Gold Rush Games and a 2005 version from Sanguine Productions. This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... The Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game is an American role-playing game based on Stan Sakais Eisner-award winning comic-book series Usagi Yojimbo. ... Sanguine Productions is a production house founded in 1997 for producing role-playing games such as Ironclaw, Jadeclaw, and Albedo: Platinum Catalyst. ...

There was also a computer game called Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo released for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC platforms in 1988, by the now defunct computer game label Firebird. C-64 redirects here. ... The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ... The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ... Telecomsoft was the computer software division of British telecommunications company British Telecom. ...

Awards

The Grasscutter storyline from issues 13 through 22 of the Dark Horse published series was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1999. The trade paperback collection of this story was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for 2000. Comics Buyers Guide (CBG) is the longest-running periodical reporting on the comic book industry. ...

Film References

Several of the characters in Usagi's world are inspired by or make reference to samurai movies. Usagi's former lord is named Mifune, which is a nod to Toshiro Mifune, an actor who starred in countless classic Samurai films. Gen, the rhino bounty hunter, was inspired by the characters made famous by Toshiro Mifune in the samurai films Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Zato-Ino, the Blind Swordspig, is a reference and tribute to the film character of Zatoichi. The story arc "Lone Goat and Kid" features an assassin who wanders with his son in a babycart, referring to the film/manga series, Lone Wolf and Cub. Most significantly, the main character's name, Miyamoto Usagi, is a play on "Miyamoto Musashi", Japan's most famous historical samurai and the author of The Book of Five Rings ("Usagi" is the Japanese language word for "rabbit"). The storyline "The Dragon's Bellow Conspiracy" mixes elements of the classic Akira Kurosawa films "The Seven Samurai" and "The Hidden Fortress" with Usaji collecting various allies to raid an evil lord's fortress. Toshiro Mifune in the film Drunken Angel. ... Murakami Gennosuke is a prominent supporting character in the Usagi Yojimbo comic book. ... Toshiro Mifune in the film Drunken Angel. ... Jidaigeki (時代劇) is a genre of television in Japan. ... Yojimbo (Japanese: 用心棒, Yōjinbō) is a 1961 jidaigeki (period drama) film by Akira Kurosawa. ... Sanjuro is the English title for Tsubaki SanjÅ«rō ), a 1962 black and white Japanese samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune. ... Gen, Usagi, Fujiko and Zato-Ino, Usagi Yojimbo Volume 1, Issue 38 Zato-Ino, the Blind Swordspig is a character in the comic book Usagi Yojimbo, he is an anthropomorphic pig who was blind since birth, and is a skilled swordsman. ... Shintaro Katsu in Shintaro Katsus Zatoichi (1989) Takeshi Kitano in Zatoichi (2003) Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi) is a fictional character featured in one of Japans longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Serialized in Action Original run September 1970 – April 1976 No. ... Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, he is an anthropomorphic rabbit (Usagi is Japanese for rabbit) and a ronin now walking the musha shugyo, the warriors journey. ... This is a Japanese name; the family name is Miyamoto Miyamoto Musashi ) (c. ... Miyamoto Musashi in his prime, wielding two bokken. ... Usagi is Japanese for rabbit. ... Not to be confused with the Javanese language. ... For other uses, see Rabbit (disambiguation). ...

Collections

Volumes 1-7 are published by Fantagraphics Books; volumes 8-up are published by Dark Horse Comics. Hardcover versions of the Dark Horse collections often include exclusive extras; some of this material was included in the 2004 artbook, also published by Dark Horse. Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

• Space Usagi
  (Collects the Space Usagi 3-issue miniseries "Warrior", "Death & Honor", and "White Star Rising"; and stories from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 47 and Usagi Color Special 1)
  
• The Art of Usagi Yojimbo: 20th Anniversary Edition, published 2004.

See also

• Usagi Yojimbo Characters
• List of minor Usagi Yojimbo characters
• Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo (Video Game)

This List of minor Usagi Yojimbo characters features characters from the Usagi Yojimbo comic book who have appeared less frequently in the series than others warranting their own entries or have a less important presence or have relatively little information about them. ...

References

External links

• The official Usagi Yojimbo website
• Usagi Yojimbo at Dark Horse Comics
• Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game
• Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards