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A History of Japan in Manga: Samurai, Shoguns and World War II Paperback – Illustrated, May 16, 2023

by Kanaya Shunichiro (Author), Zack Davisson (Translator)
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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The entire fascinating story of Japan told in one exciting manga-style volume!

A History of Japan in Manga tells the action-packed saga of Japan from its misty origins up to the present day. Epic battles, noble Samurai and duplicitous leaders are all portrayed in modern manga fashion! The lively stories in this book include:

  • The Dawn of Japan: The Birth of Buddhism and the transition from hunters—gatherers to agricultural societies of ancient times
  • The Genpei Wars: Davage battles between the Taira and Minamoto clans that led to the powerful warlord Minamoto no Yoritomo naming himself Japan's first Shogun
  • The Onin Wars: A decade-long struggle for domination of Japan in which thousands of Samurai fought and tragically lost their lives
  • The 47 Ronin: Loyal Samurai who vowed to avenge the death of their master, choosing honor over surrender and being forced to commit mass ritual suicide as a result
  • The Satsuma Rebellion: A dramatic last stand by Samurai loyal to the Shogun who revolted against the new Meiji government and its plans to finally modernize Japan
  • And many more!

Dozens of indelible portraits, manga stories, maps and info-sidebars bring the full sweep of Japanese history to life in one easy-to-read book!
Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tuttle Publishing
  4. Publication date
    May 16, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.9 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    4805316705
  7. ISBN-13
    978-4805316702
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

history of japan in manga
history japan manga

Dramatic retellings of important events in classic manga style, as well as biographical portraits of important figures, historical maps and informative explanations of significant events in the history of Japan.

Samurai, Shoguns, WWII and more

history of japan in manga

history of japan in manga

history of japan in manga

history of japan in manga

history of japan in manga

history of japan in manga

Editorial Reviews

Review

Hear an interview with author and translator Zack Davisson, about his two new translation titles with Tuttle Publishing: Strange Japanese Yokai and A History of Japan in Manga

"'Comics are a fantastic way to learn about history' promises the introduction to this hybrid comics/prose textbook, which packs a vast sweep of time into a single volume. […] The workmanlike art features well-researched costumes and cultural details…It's a friendly introduction to the subject matter…" --Publishers Weekly

"I enjoyed this one that my son and I are reading together. We have a trip planned to Japan for an entire month and so happy to be learning so much from this book! The illustrations are incredible." --Michelle Jocson (@nurse_bookie), Bookstagram

"Who knew that reading manga would make learning a whole lot easier? Not to mention that gorgeous art.…Reading this book has enriched my experience of Japan…so I recommend this to all Japanese culture enthusiasts, or for those who plan to travel to Japan anytime soon!! --Dominique Jardiolin (@chroniqled), Bookstagram

About the Author

Shunichiro Kanaya is a lecturer in the Department of Japanese History at Toshin High School in Musashino, Japan. He is the author of several books on Japanese history and has appeared as a history commentator on NTV, Fuji TV and TV Tokyo.

Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist. He is the author of books like Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan, Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, and Yokai Stories, and the translator of books like Soseki Natsume's I Am a Cat and Shigeru Mizuki's multiple Eisner Award-winning Showa: a History of Japan. In addition, his comic work includes Demon Days: X-Men from Marvel, Wayward from Image, and The Art of Star Wars Visions from Dark Horse. He has lectured on manga, folklore, and translation at numerous colleges and contributed to exhibitions at numerous museums. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki, dog Mochi, cat Shere Khan, and several ghosts.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tuttle Publishing; Illustrated edition (May 16, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 4805316705
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4805316702
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.29 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.9 x 0.9 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Zack Davisson

    Zack Davisson

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist. He is the author of Yurei: the Japanese Ghost, Yokai Stories, Narrow Road, Amabie: Past and Present, and Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan and translator of Shigeru Mizuki's multiple Eisner Award-winning Showa: a History of Japan, Tono Monogatari, and famous folklore comic Kitaro.

    In addition, his work includes Demon Days: X-Men from Marvel, Wayward from Image, and The Art of Star Wars Visions. He has translated globally renowned entertainment properties such as Go Nagai's Devilman and Cutie Honey, Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato and Captain Harlock, and Satoshi Kon's Opus.

    He lectured on manga, folklore, and translation at colleges such as Duke University, Annapolis Naval Academy, UCLA, and the University of Washington and contributed to exhibitions at the Henry Art Gallery, The Museum of International Folkart, Wereldmuseum Rotterdan, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki, dog Mochi, cat Shere Khan, and several ghosts.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Kanaya Shunichiro

    Kanaya Shunichiro

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
19 global ratings
Not compatible with Apps
1 Star
Not compatible with Apps
Do not get this if you are wanting to read on either the Comixology app or Kindle app. This manga does not work on either. I’m not sure if it would work on a laptop/computer interface. Picture is from the Kindle app on my iPad.
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Top reviews from the United States

Amanda
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Historical Overview
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
Okay, so this book has essentially gotten flak for being unreadable on the Kindle app. I have an actual Kindle, but image heavy books take up a lot of space. So I got a hardcopy edition.

The book is pretty ambitious. We're talking a brief overview of Japanese history, with manga pages, charts, and text. A LOT of text. Is it worth looking into? Depends on what you're interested in, and how familiar you are with the subject matter. It's a decent addition to your library, in my opinion. Shunichiro Kanaya, the author, does a pretty good job putting things together.

Main problem? Several typos. To be fair to translator Zac Davisson, there is, as previously mentioned, a lot of text here. So a lot of names get bungled, my favorite being the Date clan being referred to as the Data clan at one point.

Maybe Tuttle will release a revised edition at some point in the future. Until then, I recommend this with some caution.
5 people found this helpful
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brian hege
1.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Typos
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
After reading the book I wish I would have kept my money. The excessive number of typos is annoying.
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Craig Klampe
1.0 out of 5 stars Kindle version not so available
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I saw the one-star review by Sherlock Fan and figured it couldn't be right. Doesn't work on the Kindle app? But it says that it's "Available on these devices..." and there's Kindle for Mac and Kindle Cloud Reader. Well, when I tried to open it in my Kindle for Mac, it said I needed an update. But there's no update. When I open it in Kindle Cloud Reader, it says it can only be opened in the Kindle app. I did open it on my Fire Tablet. It doesn't work on my Kindle for iPad. It doesn't open on my Kindle Oasis. It does open on my Kindle for Android. Buyer beware.
One person found this helpful
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Sherlock Fan
1.0 out of 5 stars Not compatible with Apps
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Do not get this if you are wanting to read on either the Comixology app or Kindle app. This manga does not work on either. I’m not sure if it would work on a laptop/computer interface. Picture is from the Kindle app on my iPad.
Customer image
Sherlock Fan
1.0 out of 5 stars Not compatible with Apps
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2023
Do not get this if you are wanting to read on either the Comixology app or Kindle app. This manga does not work on either. I’m not sure if it would work on a laptop/computer interface. Picture is from the Kindle app on my iPad.
Images in this review
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Customer image
One person found this helpful
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Michelle Abelson-Hoek
1.0 out of 5 stars Does not work
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2023
I had to return this because it would not open on my Kindle app for iPad - very disappointed. Product should be recalled.
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Top reviews from other countries

9447914010301202202112022021030104197449
5.0 out of 5 stars Respectable overview of Japanese history
Reviewed in Japan on March 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Japanese history spans long periods of time, and I had suspected that it would not be possible to cover it in under 350 pages in manga form and I was right. The explanations pages are as many as the manga pages.
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Ian Suttle
1.0 out of 5 stars Can't open - clearly faulty product
Reviewed in Japan on May 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
Ditto the other reviews.

I preordered this book expecting a good laugh because Zecharia Davisson generally does an amusing job when translating historical and literary texts ("Taiwan" -> "institutional", "mountain-dwellers" -> "mountain-warriors", "Often comes over to Kushami's house" -> "Brings shochu over to drink", etc.), but thus far I haven't even been unable to open the book.

EDIT: Bought a paper copy from Maruzen. I can't change my star rating though, as typos like "Kobyoku" and "Kogyku" (both referring to Empress-regnant Kogyoku) appear on nearly every page with more than 100 words of text. Perhaps the worst "typo" is in a column title where the Jinshin War is referred to as the "Jinshu War" (人種 [jinshu] is the Japanese for "race"). Murasaki Shikibu is repeatedly referred to as "Shikibu" as though that were her name and not her dad's job. The text at one point refers to someone called "Narihira no Ariwara", and elsewhere confuses the Izu Peninsula with the Bōsō Peninsula. Because I returned both my Kindle copies of this book and the original, and don't know how to repurchase the latter under the circumstances (I want to use my store credit rather than buying with one click using my credit card...), I don't know how many of these errors can be attributed to the source text rather than Davisson and Tuttle's editorial team (do they have one?), but I cannot recommend this book as written to anyone who wants a recounting of Japanese history that is accurate in more than just the very broadest of outlines.
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