Sean Michael Wilson

A graphic novel version of the life of legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary samurai, is known throughout the world as a master swordsman, spiritual seeker, and author of the classic Book of Five Rings. Acclaimed manga creator Sean Michael Wilson has created both a vivid account of a fascinating period in feudal Japan and a portrait of a courageous, iconoclastic samurai who wrestled with philosophical and spiritual ideas that are as relevant today as they were in his time. For Musashi, the way of the martial arts was about mastery of the mind rather than simply technical prowess. Over 350 years after his death, Musashi still intrigues us--and his Book of Five Rings is essential reading for students of all martial arts and those interested in cultivating a strategic mind.

Award winning team of Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima present their 10th book together, on the adventure of Ranald MacDonald in 19th century Japan. In 1848, the half Scottish, half Native American MacDonald hatched a wild plan to sneak into Japan - something strictly forbidden at the time, sometimes even facing the punishment of execution. In this manga we see how he carried out his plan after leaving his home area in north west America, and the adventures he had while in captivity in Hokkaido and Nagasaki. MacDonald is credited by some as being the first native speaker to officially teach English in Japan. His students, while under the care of the Governor of Nagasaki, included those Japanese who would go on to act as interpreters for the treaties with various foreign governments in the 1850s and 60s. Therefore, the renegade MacDonald played an important role in the opening up of Japan after more than 250 years of isolation.

Award winning team of Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima have ventured into new territory in this, their ninth book together, on the explorer Mamiya Rinzo (間宮 林蔵) who mapped Sakhalin Island in the early years of the 19th century. "Mamiya's Maps" is about exploration, culture clash, the making of maps and how they are related to politics. It's also anthropological in its look at the Ainu and Nivkh people of Sakhalin island. The animals and the landscape of the island and its surrounding waters are beautifully illustrated, making this a visually appealing manga that explores a little known aspect of Japanese history and culture. The issues the book covers are still relevant now, since the ownership of the island has been in dispute since the end of World War 2, but also the treatment of the Ainu and other indigenous peoples of the area has been called into question.

Step into a story of life and love in Kyoto's 10th century royal court. Tale of Genji, the world's oldest known novel, tells the story of Prince Genji and his adventures in life, love, and power within the halls of the Chrysanthemum Royal Court. Handsome, romantic, and talented in the art of seduction, Prince Genji skillfully navigates the court and all its intrigues—always in search of love and often finding it. His story is the oldest and most famous tale of romance in the annals of Japanese literature and, as a representation of passion and romance, remains beyond compare. In this beautifully illustrated edition, Genji's story comes alive as readers experience:His birth in the royal court to Kiritsubo, who comes to represent Genji's ideal of female beauty and grace. His lifelong obsession with Fujitsubo, one of the emperor's lovers and mother to Genji's son Ryozen. His romantic life with Murasaki, Fujitsubo's beautiful niece and Genji's favored lover. Though wary of his motivations at first, she becomes the true love of Genji's life. Lady Murasaki Shikibu wrote this story some 500 years before Shakespeare put pen to paper. It is acknowledged to be the world's very first novel, and English-speaking readers can now experience the story in manga style for the first time. Superbly illustrated and retold, this visual take on Japan's most important classic offers an intimate look at the social mores and intrigues in the Heian-era court of medieval Japan, and Prince Genji's representation as the ideal male courtier.

2022 Skipping Stones Honor Awards Recipient | 2021 NCTAsia Freeman Award Honorable MentionThe true story of how one Japanese village suffered and survived the mercury poisoning of its waters. A powerful graphic novel/manga that tells the story of "Minamata disease," a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan. First identified in 1956, it became a hot topic in Japan in the 1970s and 80s, growing into an iconic struggle between people versus corporations and government agencies. This struggle is relevant today, not simply because many people are still living with the disease but also because, in this time of growing concern over the safety of our environment—viz. Flint, Michigan—Minamata gives us as a very moving example of such human-caused environmental disasters and what we can do about them. The event is also the subject of the 2020 Andrew Levitas directed Johnny Depp film, Minamata.

The Binding Cage is already open. And apparently has been open for quite some time. Now Pat and Falamor have to contend with the "Banished Gods', powerful entities originally locked away within the Cage at the close of a ancient conflict. But why were the Banished Gods necessary? What kind of threat would justify such a response? Pat and Falamor are afraid the answers to those questions might be far worse than they can imagine.

A graphic novel about healing through mindfulness and gardening by two highly acclaimed creators. I have happily forgotten what used to concern me before all this. I am the strongest thing in the world. I have an infinity of precious details to smile upon. Quiet and meditative, The Garden is a story told in manga about one woman's spiritual and emotional growth. Following a breakdown, Joanna takes medical leave from her job in a high-powered finance firm. Seeking something meaningful in her life, she travels to Japan to immerse herself in Zen gardening and meditation before returning home to nurture her own Japanese garden . . . and her soul. Two powerful and admired creators--award-winning writer Sean Michael Wilson and graphic-novel artist Fumio Obata--have created a powerful story of healing and recovery.

Matt, an ex-pat from Scotland in Hong Kong, meets Lee, a local Chinese girl. They fall in love but her family is resistant to this foreigner. Matt eventually brings Lee back to study in Scotland and meet his family and friends. They both find out how difficult family pressures and cultural differences can be, but can they be surmounted?

An old union rep, Joe, and his granddaughter, Arushi, spend a few pleasant days together going over the history of the labour movement. Over tea and sandwiches in his studio they consider the whole wide sweep and points of connection throughout history. Starting way back with the 14th-century Peasants' Revolt, taking in the Levellers and the Luddites, the expansion of the unions in the 19th century, the height of their power in the `70s, and the great conflicts and decline of the `80s. With a mix of serious research and family jokes Joe and Arushi go into the complicated history, the ideological battles, the class conflict, a consideration of what unions are for, and what the future of unions may be.

In the final volume of The Story of Lee, Lee and Matt continue their studies and their relationship in the UK. With growing confidence Lee asserts herself more and Matt finds that he needs to change to be more the way she likes, or challenge her ideas and risk upsetting their relationship. Meanwhile a Chinese student becomes a rival to Lee's attentions, and Matt finds himself in both financial and existential trouble. Against the backdrop of increasing societal turmoil back in Hong Kong, she has a big decision to make: go back home to help or pursue an independent life in the UK?

A contemporary graphic novel adaptation of a spiritual classic. This graphic-novel version of the Tao Te Ching--the poetic classic that is the philosophical and religious basis of Taoism--brings the teachings into a modern light in a completely fresh and unique way. Each of the 81 poem-passages of the Tao Te Ching is reinterpreted by award-winning graphic novel writer Sean Michael Wilson and brought to life by the artful illustrations of Hong Kong artist Cary Kwok, who sets the text in various contemporary scenes to bring out the modern relevance.

A gripping graphic novel describing the uprising of 1877, when the old style samurai were crushed in a bloody conflict with the imperial army that ended samurai power in Japan Award-winning comic book writer Sean Michael Wilson and acclaimed manga artist Akiko Shimojima team up to tell the riveting story that changed the face of modern Japan. Depicting thrilling scenes of battles, gunships, castle sieges, and the samurais' heroic last stand, this book portrays the bloody uprising of 1877, when Satsuma rebels, led by the infamous Saigo Takamori, fought enforced modernization by the Meiji Japanese government. Their crushing defeat by the imperial army ended their power once and for all and ushered in an era of modern technology and western military methods. Wilson's thrilling narrative and Shimojima's striking images convey both the drama of these events and the importance of the historical moment. Historically accurate and with an easy-to-read format, The Satsuma Rebellion is Volume 2 in the Illustrated Japanese History series that began with Black Ships.

Bringing together established academics and award-winning comic book writers and illustrators, Portraits of Violence illustrates the most compelling ideas and episodes in the critique of violence. Hannah Arendt, Franz Fanon, Jacques Derrida, Edward Said, Paolo Freire, Michel Foucault, Susan Sontag, Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, and Giorgio Agamben each have ten pages to tell their story in this innovative graphic title. Dr. Brad Evans is a political philosopher, critical theorist and author from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom. Sean Michael Wilson is an acclaimed comic book writer with more than a dozen books published with a variety of US, UK, and Japanese publishers.

Eerie traditional Japanese ghost stories retold in a graphic novel format. Over one hundred years ago, the writer Lafcadio Hearn gathered and translated into English a selection of traditional Japanese ghost/mystery stories. They were published as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things. In this new graphic novel, acclaimed manga creator Sean Michael Wilson retells six of these stories. All of them are very well known in Japan, where ghosts and demons are often called yokai, meaning "the mysterious and weird." Today these stories find expression mostly in movies and manga, but they remain rooted in the traditional ghost stories of the Edo era known as kaidan, which means "recited narrative of strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparitions." The book includes an afterword by William Scott Wilson, the esteemed translator and editor of Japanese texts and samurai philosophy, who puts the stories into historical context. A 2016 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens Recommendation

This historically grounded manga follows the ninja Nagata Saburo as he teaches his son, Hisaaki, the weapons, secret tactics, and values of the ninja. Based on the real-life writings of the famous ninja Hattori Hanzo, "Secrets of the Ninja" combines a familiar coming-of-age story with a historically accurate background of political intrigue and Sengoku-period Japanese culture. As Hisaaki grows from boy to man, Wilson skillfully interweaves real lessons, weapons, and skills used by ninja in feudal Japan, depicted with detail by artist Akiko Shimojima. All of the tactics Saburo teaches to his son are drawn from the Shinobi Hiden, the most famous of the "ninja scrolls" written by Hattori Hanzo, general to the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu and one of the most famous warriors in Japan. These scrolls provided practical instruction for professional ninja, but they also provide insightful theories of social relationships and human interaction, studying the nature of deception, falsehood, and self-protection. An extensive supplementary section written by Antony Cummins provides fascinating details on these scrolls and their practical lessons. Accessible, insightful, and exciting, "Secrets of the Ninja "is the perfect introduction to the world of samurai and shinobi warfare.