"What is Historical Manga?" Original story by Kan Takahama

World-renowned manga artist draws what it means to draw Historical Manga in Manga.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

I work as a manga artist.

Recently, I’ve been drawing nothing but historical manga,

so I consider myself a historical manga artist.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

The best part about my job is definitely the research involved.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

In particular, the old materials I look at are extremely fascinating to me, and they teach me all kinds of things.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

For example, here’s an old photo taken by Felice Beato around the end of the Edo period.

The photo shows a temple in Nagasaki called Daionji, including four visitors as well as a monk and samurai at the top of the stairs.

According to the photo’s caption, the monk is Ninkai Sanyo, a 16th generation monk.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

There’s no information on the samurai, but the two of them look like they know each other. I wonder what they’re talking about.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

I couldn’t figure out anything else based on this photo.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

However, I ended up finding more information on Daionji from a most unexpected source.
It was actually a letter left behind by one of my ancestors.

[Dialogue]
"What’s this?"
"Who could have written this?"

For a while, he apparently worked as an interpreter in Nagasaki, where he lodged at Daionji.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

Daionji was a shuinchi (a daimyō-approved temple site) at which the spirit tablets of Tokugawa shoguns were enshrined. In other words, the temple had a connection to the shogunate.

Therefore, the temple also served as lodging for people working under the shogunate.

What this means is that—like my ancestor—the person in the photo might have worked as an interpreter for the magistrate's office.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

At any rate,

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

right around this time,

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

a certain character apparently got going.

He was a young interpreter of around 23 to 25 years of age who was working for the Nagasaki magistrate’s office.

Given how well tanned he was, maybe his position required him to work outside.

White hakamas were also popular at the time, so he must have been quite a stylish guy.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

Maybe he yearned for a beautiful town girl he met while going between Daionji and his workplace.

Maybe there were times when he fooled around with his buddies.

Or maybe he cried bitter tears of disappointment when work didn’t go how he hoped.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

I resurrect obscure people who are all but forgotten on paper and on the monitor, and I rediscover lost places.

[Dialogue:Left]
"Hey, want some tea?"

[Dialogue:Right]
"Much obliged."

These are my jobs as a historical manga artist.

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

But there will come a time when I’m a part of history myself.

Even the people who know me will die, and then a century or two will pass.

But—even after I fade away from history—maybe there’s a chance of someone finding me...

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

Thoughts on historical manga (2020) by Kan TakahamaOriginal source: © Kan Takahama

If some future historian (perhaps even a manga artist), rediscovers me, that would be interesting.

[Dialogue]
"Huh? Is this manga?"
"I wonder who drew this."

I wonder what I would look like if I were reproduced.

Written & Drawn by Kan Takahama
Kan Takahama was born in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture. Her works include Yellowbacks, Awabi, Nagi Watari - Oyobi Sono Hoka no Tanpen [Nagi Watari and Other Stories], 2 Espressos, Yotsuya-ku Hanazonochō, Ema wa Hoshi no Yume wo Miru [Emma Dreams of Stars], Chō no Michiyuki [Path of the Butterfly], SAD GiRL, Nyx's Lantern, and Aijin: Raman [L'Amant]. Nyx's Lantern won her an Excellence Award in the Manga Division of the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival in 2018 as well as a Grand Prize from the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize competition in 2020. She also received a 2004 Best of Short Stories award from the American magazine The Comics Journal for Yellowbacks in 2004. She is highly regarded overseas and in France in particular, and most of her works have been translated into French and gained popularity abroad as well. Her latest work, Ohgishima Saijiki, is currently being serialized in the magazine COMIC RAN and on Torch web (LEED Publishing).

Credits: Story

Edit: Natsuko Fukushima(BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.)
Supervisor: Hirohito Miyamoto(Meiji University)
Production: BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA CO., LTD.
Written in 2020

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions (listed below) who have supplied the content.
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