The Four Immigrants Manga
A Japanese Experience in San Francisco, 1904-1924
A stunning historical graphic novel depicting the lives of four Japanese immigrants living in San Francisco between 1904 and 1924.
A singular and significant achievement, a "documentary comic book" published in San Francisco in 1931, depicting the true adventures of four young Japanese men in America between 1904 and 1924. Written and illustrated by Henry Yoshitaka Kiyama (ヘンリー木山義喬)—who emigrated from Japan at the age of 19, this is a stunning historical source that depicts the immigrant experience in California in what is one of the earliest examples of the graphic novel.
Translated with copious notes and a foreword by Frederik L. Schodt, the translation works to preserve the multilingual character of the original, which included Japanese, Cantonese, and English text.
Details
PUBLISH DATE
6/1/99
PISBN
PRICE
9781880656334
$19.95
GENRE
Fiction
EISBN
PRICE
9781611729665
$9.95
DIMENSIONS
7 x 9"
HARDCOVER ISBN
PRICE
NA
NA
# OF PAGES
152
AUDIOBOOK ISBN
PRICE
NA
NA
Praise
"These poignant tales of four immigrants in turn-of-the-century San Francisco try for irony in depicting the protagonists' attempts to understand the convoluted whims of their American employers. But the humor hovers near slapstick, and the pie is always in the face of the Caucasians. The illustrations are direct and effective; we see how hard it is for Japanese immigrants to reach the top shelf of an American cupboard. The story is bookended by the dates 1904 and 1924, as in 1924 the immigration laws stiffened and some of the protagonists elected to return to Japan.
After 18 years of preparation, this book includes extensive notes historically pinpointing several of the cartoons and an introduction providing an overview of the author/illustrator. Though not quite the first "graphic novel" ever, as it is being touted, this book does have historical significance and belongs in libraries specializing in comics, cartoons, and graphic novels, as well as those focusing on California history, immigrant studies, and the Japanese American experience.
—Library Journal
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