An Illustrated History of Japan: The Manga Version: From the Age of the Samurai to WWII and Beyond

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!

Shunichiro Kanaya is a history instructor at Toshin High School in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. A frequent commentator on TV and radio, he has held many public historical lectures throughout Japan.

Zack Davissonis an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist. He is the author of Yurei: The Japanese Ghost, Yokai Stories and Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan, as well as the translator of Go Nagai’s Devilman and Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro. He was nominated for the 2014 Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize for his translation of Showa: A History of Japan. He has lectured on translation, manga, and folklore at Duke University, UCLA, and University of Washington. He has been featured on NPR, BBC, and The New York Times, and has written for Metropolis, The Comics Journal, and Weird Tales Magazine.