The Art of 'Usagi Yojimbo' at the Cartoon Art Museum

San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum will soon be paying tribute to one very special long-eared samurai; a creature whose fantastical if not mythical exploits have traversed many lands, in turn crossing many swords of many strangers (and on some occasions, friends as well). Usagi Miyamoto, a warrior on a pilgrimage occasionally drawn into conflicts of remarkable difficulty, is a rabbit of transparent character. The subject of a Cartoon Art Museum springtime exhibit, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo will surely draw comics artists and longtime fans of sequential graphic artistry alike

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"The Art of Stan Sakai: Celebrating 25 Years of Usagi Yojimbo" will begin its run at the Cartoon Art Museum starting late February 2009.

The story of a samurai rabbit, taking place in the beginning of Edo period Feudal Japan (17th Century), Usagi Yojimbo weaves a tapestry of interrelated narratives that dart in and out of classic Japanese mythology.

Sometimes integrating legends of persons of god-like with those of lesser status, while other times regaling readers with the intricacies of common jealousy, Usagi Yojimbo is a long, beautifully structured social experience, whose anthropomorphic characters enhance the existence of these myths, legends, and tales from afar.

Figuring out how Usagi himself fits into these towering story arcs Japanese folklore is sometimes a puzzle in and of itself until the comic manages to wind its way through marvelous visuals of period-specific architecture, clothing, pottery, and much more. Reasons for the durability and staunch intrepidness of the character Usagi, and of the comic Usagi Yojimbo, can perhaps be mentioned in the same breath. First appearing in comics by Stan Sakai in 1984, Usagi Yojimbo is a frenetic historical narrative that delights in tugging at cleverly positioned folkloric subplots like marionette strings.

The Cartoon Art Museum recently wrapped up an impressive exhibit centered on Henry Selick's stop-motion feature presentation Coraline [recent A.I. news: "The Art of 'Coraline' Exhibit in San Francisco"]. Starting February 27th, 2009 according to previously published notes, and continuing through Independence Day weekend, the museum will feature 60 original artwork items from Stan Sakai regarding his ongoing comic Usagi Yojimbo. The exhibit will reportedly sport artwork that covers all twenty-five years of the samurai rabbit's existence, from early pencil sketches to completed story pages, cover artwork, and even watercolor paintings.

Sakai, born in Kyoto, Japan but later moving to and later growing up in Hawaii, appears to have created an everlasting figure in the comics world, perhaps beloved by many even if they do not know why. A writer and artist, winner of most major comics industry awards, and certainly one deserving of a career-spanning retrospective such as this, Stan Sakai's strong references to Lone Wolf and Cub, Groo the Wanderer, and a host of Kurosawa films are most evident. There are 23 volumes of Sakai's works, collected; his most recent is Book 22: Tomoe's Story, which was published by Dark Horse Comics back in July 2008.

on The Cartoon Art Museum: The Cartoon Art Museum (www.CartoonArt.org) is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms. This institution houses 6,000 original pieces in its permanent collection.