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Book description

Here is the first historically accurate graphic-novel version of a legendary event in Japanese history. In the eighteenth century, forty-seven samurai avenged the death of their master in a plot involving over two years of secrecy. After succeeding in their mission, the masterless samurai all committed ritual suicide. The story, which is a national legend, remains a most potent example of Japan’s deeply rooted cultural imperatives of honor, persistence, loyalty, and sacrifice, and of bushido—the samurai code.

Sean Michael Wilson

Sean Michael Wilson

Author Bio

Sean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland, living in Japan. He has had many books published with a variety of US, UK, and Japanese publishers, such as The Book of Five Rings, and edited the critically acclaimed AX: alternative manga (Publishers Weekly’s “Best Books of 2010” in comics). In 2016, his book Lafcadio Hearn’s “The Faceless Ghost” and Other Macabre Tales from Japan was nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award. And in 2017, his book Secrets of the Ninja won an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government.

Akiko Shimojima, Illustrator

Author Bio

Akiko Shimojima is a manga illustrator based in Tokyo, Japan.

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Praise for the book

Jonathan Ross

BBC television presenter

“A masterful retelling of one of the greatest stories in Japanese culture. An engrossing, engaging, emotional, and unforgettable epic.”

BleedingCool.com

“A dignified telling of a dignified story. It's violent when it needs to be, precise and calm when it's called for, and never once loses focus. This is a tightly focused, perfectly pitched retelling of the story and a perfect entry point for anyone coming to the story for the first time. The Keanu Reeves version may have all the spectacle, but this version has all the heart.”

Library Journal

“Wilson uses exactly the right scenes to tell this famous story, creating a quick, engaging read.”

The Japan Times

“Despite being widely known in both Japan and abroad, the story of the assassination of a court official named Kira Yoshihisa by the 47 Ronin—and their subsequent suicide—has seldom been retold with accuracy since its occurrence in December 1702. . . . Readers interested in accurate Japanese history rather than Hollywood embellishment will enjoy this well-done retelling of the legendary event.”

School Library Journal

“Readers who prefer streamlined storytelling will be drawn to Sean Michael Wilson's The 47 Ronin . Spare and understated, the script sticks close to historical events and elegantly recounts the legend's central elements.”

Author: Sean Michael Wilson

The 47 Ronin: A Graphic Novel

Regular price $12.99 USD
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