DM: You recently were honored with the Cultural Ambassador Award from the Japanese American National Museum. By the way, congratulations on that – it’s certainly well deserved. How do you see your role as a cultural ambassador, for actually the past 27 years?Stan: You know, I’m just a cartoonist. I do the Usagi stories because mainly that’s what I do. That’s my job. And I like to write stories with some kind of cultural or historical background because I think that good research only enhances a story and lack of research kills even the best stories. And that’s why I do a lot of the research on my stories.
And I’m just gratified that Usagi is published in like twelve or thirteen languages, and it’s just incredible for me to even think about that.
DM: It’s great fun to get a sneak peak into all the tidbits on Japanese culture, particularly how you tied in the tea ceremony with Usagi’s relationship to Tomoe. What other traditional Japanese crafts did you have in mind to cover?
Stan: Right now I’m doing a story about shoyu-making, how they made soy sauce back in feudal Japan. Recently I did a story about Taiko drums. In the past, seaweed-farming, pottery-making, various festivals, and sword-making. And not every story has aspects of Japanese culture, but a lot of them do.
DM: What has it been like researching Japanese culture and history? How much research have you done up close and firsthand versus by book reference?
Stan: Both. Most of them are by book. For the tea ceremony I was privileged enough to participate in a couple tea ceremonies, but I also have about three books on chado, the Japanese tea ceremony. And much of it is research. However, in one of the tea ceremonies I participated in, I was second guest and the hosts were very accommodating and they allowed me to ask any questions I wanted and they explained everything in detail that was going on and I was very happy to experience that.
DM: Would you say that was one of your favorite crafts to learn about?
Stan: That, yeah, and Taiko drums. Because I personally enjoy watching Taiko drummers. And again, I was able to play a little Taiko from a teacher when I was in Seattle. And I picked up the sticks with my thumbs on top, curled around it, and they said, ‘No, you don’t hold it like that. You’ll break your fingers.’ You know, just little things like that.
DM: Do you have an intended audience in mind when you’re writing?
Stan: Yes, a very specific audience. I have an audience of one. I write and draw the stories that I would like to read. And it’s just gratifying to know that so many other people share the same take(?) that I do.
DM: Maybe many Japanese are not very aware of the kinds of traditions you cover. Have you had much feedback from Japanese readers on those aspects or on Usagi as a more American-style take on Japanese stories?
Stan: I hear more from Westerners saying that, ‘Because of your stories we’ve gotten interested in Japanese culture.’ Or a father says his kids have discovered Japanese culture and at first they might just have been interested in manga and anime. But it’s expanded their horizon into Japanese pop art or history.
DM: It’s not currently published in Japanese. Is there a specific reason for that or are there plans for it to be published in the future in Japanese?
Stan: There has never been a Western comic book that has made any type of significant dent in the Japanese manga market. They did have Spider-Man and Fantastic Four or X-Men, but these were stories were written and drawn especially for the Japanese market, and I don’t think they’re around anymore. Even the European books like Tintin, there’s never been any type of major impact on the manga market. I actually went to Japan for a cartoonist seminar. This was way back in the late 90s, and I was frankly surprised that they knew who I was. At that time and at this time too the Japanese manga market was slipping […] and they wanted Westerners take on the comic book market.
DM: Usagi himself certainly resonates with a lot of people, myself included. He’s brave and just, but also seems more down-to-earth than many comic book figures. What’s your take on his enduring popularity?
Stan: I have a solid core readership, especially with word-of-mouth spreads it around. I like to think it’s because of the quality of the story and the art. My wife says it might be the art that draws people into picking up the book, but it’s the stories that keep them coming back issue after issue.
DM: Actually one of my favorite short stories is “Contraband.” Actually, as a sobering historical tale, I found it to be a little bit different from most of Usagi’s adventures that take place in a sort of Buddhist or folk mythology, quasi-historical universe. How did the idea come to do that story?
Stan: Just reading about history, such as the Jesuits priests were welcome at one time and then the Tokugawa Shogunate had pretty much clamped down(?) on any type of foreign influences and any kind of contact with foreigners or foreign objects were considered contraband and punishable by death. And here we have a group of secret Christians and there were these secret Christians throughout Japan, and, I think, in the Shimabara Rebellion, in which the Christians were trapped within the castle and were pretty much all wiped out. Again it’s based upon history.
DM: Do you have any plans to do future stories with Usagi meeting Westerners? Perhaps he might be something of a cultural ambassador to them?
Stan: I do, but first of all I’m working on a story where he meets a Chinese herbalist. The foreigners at that time were relegated to certain areas such as Nagasaki so for regular Japanese citizens it was very rare for any of them to meet a foreigner at all. But I’ll have Usagi meeting a couple of foreigners, you know, Europeans. It’d be neat to contrast the differences between Europe and Japan at that time. It won’t be for a while yet.
DM: Have you been influenced much from fan feedback?
Stan: I don’t pay attention to fan feedback as far as ‘We like this character’ or ‘You should do more with him’, because I have Usagi’s stories pretty much planned out and I know where he’s going. I’ve changed a few times. And once in a while I’ll say I need some help with this story, some research, such as in one story, Grasscutter II: Journey to Atsuta Shrine, where I needed reference on what the shrine looks like and someone had said, ‘I went to the shrine just a couple of months ago and I have all of these photographs I can send to you.’ And I was able to use that. The fans have helped as far as research goes, but as far as stories go, I’m pretty much on my own. Even my editors at Dark Horse have no input as far as the story content.
DM: It’s really good that you have that kind of freedom to take control of your creation and not be subject to too much outside influence.
Stan: I’m really blessed because in the comic book industry it’s rare for someone who is not self-publishing to have that kind of control where I’m free to do whatever I want to, and the first time my editor, Diana Schultz, sees the story is when I send in the finished artwork.
DM: We’re looking forward to many more years of seeing Usagi’s adventures.
Stan: Thank you.
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