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is a comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 series created by Stan Sakai
Stan Sakai

is a sansei Japanese American, Eisner Award-winning comic book creator.Born in Kyoto, Japan, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii....
 in 1984.

Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
 Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 (early 17th century), with anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts....
 animals replacing humans, it features a rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
 ronin
Ronin

A was a samurai with no lord or master during the History_of_Japan#Feudal_Japan_.2812th_-_19th_century.29 of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the ruin or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
, Miyamoto Usagi
Miyamoto Usagi

Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, he is an anthropomorphic rabbit and a ronin now walking the musha shugyo, the warrior's journey....
, who is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
. Usagi wanders the land on a musha shugyo
Musha shugyo

is a samurai warrior's quest or pilgrimage. The concept is similar to Knight Errantry in feudal Europe. A warrior, called a shugyosha, would wander the land practicing and honing his skills without the protection of his family or school....
 (warrior's pilgrimage
Pilgrimage

File:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpgIn religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long quest or search of great moral significance....
) occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard
Bodyguard

A bodyguard is a type of security guard or government agent who protects a person?usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure?from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of Confidentiality, or other threats....
. Usagi Yojimbo is heavily influenced by Japanese cinema and has included references to the work of Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa

was a prominent Japanese people filmmaker, film producer, screenwriter and film editing. His first credited film as director, , was released in 1943, his last as director, , in 1993....
 (the title of the series is derived from Kurosawa's 1960 film Yojimbo
Yojimbo (film)

is a 1961 in film jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a ronin , portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords make their money from gambling....
) and to icons of popular Japanese cinema such as Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub

is a well-known gekiga or manga created by the writer Kazuo Koike and the artist Goseki Kojima. Its story led to the creation of six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and much more....
, Zatoichi
Zatoichi

is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist ....
, and Godzilla
Godzilla

is a kaiju from the Godzilla series of science fiction films. He was first seen in the 1954 in film film Godzilla and has appeared in 28 films to date, all of which were produced by Toho As one of the most iconic characters in film history, Godzilla has also appeared in numerous Godzilla , Godzilla video games, novels and Godzilla in popula...
.






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Encyclopedia


is a comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 series created by Stan Sakai
Stan Sakai

is a sansei Japanese American, Eisner Award-winning comic book creator.Born in Kyoto, Japan, Sakai grew up in Hawaii and studied fine arts at the University of Hawaii....
 in 1984.

Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period
Edo period

The , or , is a division of History of Japan running from 1603 to 1868. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu....
 Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 (early 17th century), with anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts....
 animals replacing humans, it features a rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
 ronin
Ronin

A was a samurai with no lord or master during the History_of_Japan#Feudal_Japan_.2812th_-_19th_century.29 of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the ruin or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
, Miyamoto Usagi
Miyamoto Usagi

Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, he is an anthropomorphic rabbit and a ronin now walking the musha shugyo, the warrior's journey....
, who is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
. Usagi wanders the land on a musha shugyo
Musha shugyo

is a samurai warrior's quest or pilgrimage. The concept is similar to Knight Errantry in feudal Europe. A warrior, called a shugyosha, would wander the land practicing and honing his skills without the protection of his family or school....
 (warrior's pilgrimage
Pilgrimage

File:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpgIn religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long quest or search of great moral significance....
) occasionally selling his services as a bodyguard
Bodyguard

A bodyguard is a type of security guard or government agent who protects a person?usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure?from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of Confidentiality, or other threats....
. Usagi Yojimbo is heavily influenced by Japanese cinema and has included references to the work of Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa

was a prominent Japanese people filmmaker, film producer, screenwriter and film editing. His first credited film as director, , was released in 1943, his last as director, , in 1993....
 (the title of the series is derived from Kurosawa's 1960 film Yojimbo
Yojimbo (film)

is a 1961 in film jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a ronin , portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords make their money from gambling....
) and to icons of popular Japanese cinema such as Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub

is a well-known gekiga or manga created by the writer Kazuo Koike and the artist Goseki Kojima. Its story led to the creation of six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and much more....
, Zatoichi
Zatoichi

is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist ....
, and Godzilla
Godzilla

is a kaiju from the Godzilla series of science fiction films. He was first seen in the 1954 in film film Godzilla and has appeared in 28 films to date, all of which were produced by Toho As one of the most iconic characters in film history, Godzilla has also appeared in numerous Godzilla , Godzilla video games, novels and Godzilla in popula...
. The series is also influenced somewhat by Groo the Wanderer
Groo the Wanderer

Groo the Wanderer is a fantasy/comedy comic book series written and drawn by Sergio Aragon?s, rewritten, coplotted and edited by Mark Evanier, lettered by Stan Sakai, and colored by Tom Luth....
 by Sergio Aragonés
Sergio Aragonés

Sergio Aragon?s Domenech is a cartoonist and writer best known for his contributions to Mad Magazine and creator of the comic book Groo the Wanderer....
 (Sakai is the letterer for that series), but the overall tone of Usagi Yojimbo is typically less comedic.

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
Japanese folklore

The folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yokai , yurei , Japanese dragon, and animals with supernatu...
, and sometimes include mythical creatures. The architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
, 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, sword
Sword

A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
s, and pottery
Pottery

Pottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries....
. 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." The series also follows the standard traditional Japanese naming convention for all featured characters: their family name
Family name

A family name or last name is a type of surname and part of a personal name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world....
s followed by their given name
Given name

A given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name ....
s. Usagi was named the thirty-first greatest comic book character by Empire Magazine.

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
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
. However when Sakai was idly doodling, he drew rabbit ears tied in a topknot
Topknot

Topknot may refer to:* A hairstyle or haircut, historically prevalent in East Asia:**Chonmage, a traditional Japanese haircut worn by men**Sangtu, a knot of hair that married men of Joseon Dynasty wore...
 on his proposed hero and was inspired by the distinctive image it gave him. Usagi was first conceived as a supporting character in The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy
The Adventures of Nilson Groundthumper and Hermy

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....
, a brief series that predates Usagi Yojimbo. 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.

Usagi first appeared in the anthology
Anthology

An anthology, literally a "garland" or "collection of flowers", is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. In genre fiction and especially science fiction, anthology is used to categorize collections of shorter works such as short story and short novels, usually collected into a single volume for publication....
 Albedo Anthropomorphics
Albedo Anthropomorphics

|image = Albedo 08.jpg|imagesize =|caption = Cover of Albedo Anthropomorphics featuring the magazine's feature character,...
, and later in the Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books

Fantagraphics Books is an United States publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint....
 anthropomorphic anthology
Anthology

An anthology, literally a "garland" or "collection of flowers", is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. In genre fiction and especially science fiction, anthology is used to categorize collections of shorter works such as short story and short novels, usually collected into a single volume for publication....
 Critters
Critters

Critters was a Furry fandom anthology comic book published by Fantagraphics Books from 1985 to 1990 under the editorship of Kim Thompson....
, 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
Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest independent United States comic book publishers, behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC 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
Radio Comix

Radio Comix is an Alternative comics comic book publishing company.Radio Comix was formed in late 1996, shortly after a change in publishing strategy at Antarctic Press....
, 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.

Because Usagi Yojimbo is a creator-owned
Creator ownership

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-publishing or by a corporate publisher....
 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
Oni Press

Oni Press is an USA independent comic book publisher based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1997 in comics by Bob Schreck and Joe Nozemack....
, Sky Dog Press, Wizard Press, and most recently in the benefit book Drawing the Line, the proceeds of which went to Princess Margaret Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital (Toronto)

Princess Margaret Hospital is located in downtown Toronto on University Avenue at College Street. It is part of the University Health Network....
 and The Hospital for Sick Children
Hospital for Sick Children

The Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids, is a world-renowned children's hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto, and it is home to the world's second largest hospital-based paediatric research facility....
, both in Toronto, for cancer research.

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
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four turtle mutants, who are trained by their sensei, Splinter , in the art of Ninjutsu....
 (the comic, both of the animated series, and the toy line
Toy

A toy is an object used in Play . Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-Domesticationated animals to play with toys....
), and the Turtles have appeared in Usagi Yojimbo as well. In his guest appearances, he is closest to Leonardo
Leonardo (TMNT)

Leonardo , a fictional character, is one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . He is distinguished by a blue bandanna and his weapons are two ninjaken , which are universally referred to as katana....
, both sharing the same ideals and code of ethics.

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
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 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. There was also an abortive project for a Space Usagi animated series before the failure of Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars
Bucky O'Hare

Bucky O'Hare is a character, created by comic writer Larry Hama between 1978 and 1979, who was the eponymous hero of a comic book series, as well as a number of spin-offs, including a TV series and various toys and games....
 discouraged further development. Space Usagi was one of the action figures produced under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.

Two editions of an Usagi role-playing game
Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a role-playing game system of rules and guidelines....
 have been made, a 1998 version from Gold Rush Games and a 2005 version
Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game

The Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game is an USA role-playing game based on Stan Sakai's Eisner-award winning comic-book series Usagi Yojimbo....
 from Sanguine Productions
Sanguine Productions

Sanguine Productions Ltd. is a role-playing game production house founded in 1997. Their games include Ironclaw, Jadeclaw, Albedo : Platinum Catalyst, and Usagi Yojimbo Role-Playing Game....
.

There was also a computer game called Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo
Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo

Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo is a computer game released for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC platforms in 1988, by the now-defunct label Telecomsoft#Firebird....
 released for the Commodore 64
Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer released by Commodore International in August, 1982, at a price of United States dollar595. Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore MAX Machine, the C64 features 64 kilobytes of Random-access memory with sound and graphics performance that were superior to IBM-compatible computers of tha...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum

The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. Referred to during development as the ZX81 Colour and ZX82, the machine was launched as the ZX Spectrum by Sinclair to highlight the machine's colour display, compared with the black-and-white of its predec...
 and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC

The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. "CPC" stands for 'Colour Personal Computer', although it was possible to purchase a CPC with a Green screen display as well as with the standard colour screen ....
 platforms in 1988, by the now defunct computer game label Firebird
Telecomsoft

Telecomsoft was the computer software division of British telecommunications company BT Group plc . It was the owner of the well-known Firebird and Rainbird labels, under which it sold video games at a variety of price-points....
.

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
Comics Buyer's Guide

Comics Buyer's Guide is the second longest-running periodical reporting on the comic book industry. Only the Dutch monthly Stripschrift, first published in February 1968, has been running longer....
 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.

Usagi Yojimbo has also won several Ursa Major Awards
Ursa Major Awards

The Ursa Major Awards or UMAs are an annual award for outstanding achievement in anthropomorphic arts, equivalent to the science fiction fandom's Hugo Awards....
, the major awards of the furry fandom
Furry fandom

File:Anthro vixen.jpgFurry fandom refers to the fandom for fictional Anthropomorphism animal characters with human personalities and characteristics....
. With the exception of 2006, it has won an award every year since the awards were founded. This makes Usagi Yojimbo the most successful publication in these awards. It won "Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book or Strip" in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, 2004 and 2005, it won "Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book." The book The Art of Usagi Yojimbo also won "Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work" in 2004.

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
Toshiro Mifune

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese people actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in films such as Rashomon , Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo ....
, an actor who starred in countless classic Samurai films. Gen
Murakami Gennosuke

Murakami Gennosuke is a prominent supporting character in the Usagi Yojimbo comic book. He's an anthropomorphic rhinoceros who makes a living as a rather disreputable bounty hunter....
, the rhino bounty hunter, was inspired by the characters made famous by Toshiro Mifune
Toshiro Mifune

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese people actor who appeared in almost 170 feature films. He is best known for his collaboration with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa in films such as Rashomon , Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, and Yojimbo ....
 in the samurai films Yojimbo
Yojimbo (film)

is a 1961 in film jidaigeki film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It tells the story of a ronin , portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords make their money from gambling....
 and Sanjuro
Sanjuro

is a 1962 black and white Cinema of Japan samurai film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune. It is a sequel to Kurosawa's previous film Yojimbo , with Mifune reprising his role as a wandering ronin....
. Zato-Ino
Zato-Ino

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....
, the Blind Swordspig, is a reference and tribute to the film character of Zatoichi
Zatoichi

is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist ....
. The story arc "Lone Goat and Kid" features an assassin who wanders with his son in a babycart, referring to the film
Film

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the film industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects....
/manga
Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
 series, Lone Wolf and Cub
Lone Wolf and Cub

is a well-known gekiga or manga created by the writer Kazuo Koike and the artist Goseki Kojima. Its story led to the creation of six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and much more....
. Most significantly, the main character's name, Miyamoto Usagi
Miyamoto Usagi

Miyamoto Usagi is the fictional titular character in the comic Usagi Yojimbo; inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, he is an anthropomorphic rabbit and a ronin now walking the musha shugyo, the warrior's journey....
, is a play on "Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
," Japan's most famous historical samurai and the author of The Book of Five Rings
The Book of Five Rings

is a text on kenjutsu and the martial arts in general, written by the samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi circa 1645. It is considered a classic treatise on military strategy, much like Sun Tzu's The Art of War and Chanakya's Arthashastra....
, and "Usagi
Usagi

Usagi may refer to:*Usagi, a Japanese term for rabbit*Hana Usagi, a manga series by Kentaro Kobayashi*Samurai Usagi, a manga series by Teppei Fukushima...
" the Japanese language
Japanese language

IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
 word for "rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
" (Also, the story notes for one volume cite Hiroshi Inagaki
Hiroshi Inagaki

Hiroshi Inagaki was a Japanese filmmaker most known for the Academy Awards-winning Samurai Trilogy, which he directed. Before becoming a director and screenwriter, Inagaki was a child actor....
's Samurai Trilogy
Samurai Trilogy

The Samurai Trilogy is a film trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and starring Toshiro Mifune as Miyamoto Musashi and Koji Tsuruta as Sasaki Kojiro....
, which features Miyamoto Musashi as a protagonist, as an influence). The storyline "The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy" includes elements reminiscent of the classic Akira Kurosawa films The Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress, particularly the way that Usagi collects various allies to raid an evil lord's fortress.

While Usagi Yojimbo draws most heavily upon samurai and chanbara films, it has also been influenced by Japanese films from other genres. For example, the three-part story "Sumi-E" (included in Vol. 18. Travels with Jotaro) features monsters resembling Godzilla
Godzilla

is a kaiju from the Godzilla series of science fiction films. He was first seen in the 1954 in film film Godzilla and has appeared in 28 films to date, all of which were produced by Toho As one of the most iconic characters in film history, Godzilla has also appeared in numerous Godzilla , Godzilla video games, novels and Godzilla in popula...
 (identified as "Zylla," who was first introduced in Vol. 2. Samurai), Gamera
Gamera

Gamera is a giant, flying turtle-like creature from a popular series of Kaiju eiga monster movies produced by Kadokawa Pictures in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of Toho Studios' Godzilla during the kaiju boom of the mid-to-late 1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in his own right....
, Ghidorah, Mothra
Mothra

is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga. Since her film d?but in the 1961 film Mothra , she has appeared in several Toho tokusatsu films....
, and Daimajin
Daimajin

File:Kaiyodo kurokabe02s3200.jpgThe Daimajin is a Kaiju from the Daimajin trilogy created by Kadokawa Pictures. All three movies in the trilogy ? Daimajin, Return of Daimajin , and Wrath of Daimajin ? were made in 1966, and were released a year apart....
.

Collections

Books 1-7 are published by Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books

Fantagraphics Books is an United States publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint....
; Book 8-up are published by Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest independent United States comic book publishers, behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC 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.
  • Book 1: The Ronin
    (Collects appearances in Albedo 2-4; The Doomsday Squad 3; Critters 1, 3, 6-7, 10-11, 14; and the Usagi Yojimbo Summer Special)
  • Book 2: Samurai
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 1-6)
  • Book 3: Wanderer's Road
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 7-12 and “Turtle Soup”)
  • Book 4: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 13-18)
  • Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 19-24)
  • Book 6: Circles
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 25-31, and story from Critters #50)
  • Book 7: Gen's Story
    (Collects Fantagraphics issues 32-38 and story from Critters #38)
  • Book 8: Shades of Death
    (Collects Mirage issues 1-6 and backup stories from 7-8)
  • Book 9: Daisho
    (Collects Mirage issues 7-12, 14)
  • Book 10: The Brink of Life and Death
    (Collects Mirage issues 13, 15-16 and Dark Horse issues 1-6)
  • Book 11: Seasons
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 7-12, and "Green Persimmon" from Diamond Previews)
  • Book 12: Grasscutter
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 13-22)
  • Book 13: Grey Shadows
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 23-30)
  • Book 14: Demon Mask
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 31-38, and stories from Dark Horse Presents 140 & Annual 1999; Wizard 97; Oni Double Feature 10; and Dark Horse Extra 20-23)
  • Book 15: Grasscutter II: Journey To Atsuta Shrine
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 39-45)
  • Book 16: The Shrouded Moon
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 46-52)
  • Book 17: Duel at Kitanoji
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 53-60)
  • Book 18: Travels with Jotaro
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 61-68)
  • Book 19: Fathers and Sons
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 69-75)
  • Book 20: Glimpses of Death
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 76-82)
  • Book 21: The Mother of Mountains
    (Collects Dark Horse issues 83-89)
  • Book 22: Tomoe's Story
    (Collects Dark Horse Issues 90-93 and Usagi Yojimbo Color Specials 1-3)
  • Book 23: Bridge of Tears
    (Set to be released on July 08, 2009)(Collects Dark Horse issues 94-102)
  • 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 3)
  • The Art of Usagi Yojimbo: 20th Anniversary Edition, published 2004.


See also

Usagi Yojimbo Characters
  • List of minor Usagi Yojimbo characters
    List of minor Usagi Yojimbo characters

    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....
  • Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo (Video Game)
    Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo

    Samurai Warrior: The Battles of Usagi Yojimbo is a computer game released for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC platforms in 1988, by the now-defunct label Telecomsoft#Firebird....


External links



Translations

  • (collection in progress)