What do you think?
Rate this book
Mamiya's Maps: A Samurai Explores Sakhalin
Award winning team of Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima have ventured into new territory in this, their ninth book together, on the explorer Mamiya Rinzo (間宮 林蔵) who mapped Sakhalin Island in the early years of the 19th century.
"Mamiya’s Maps" is about exploration, culture clash, the making of maps and how they are related to politics. It’s also anthropological in its look at the Ainu and Nivkh people of Sakhalin island. The animals and the landscape of the island and its surrounding waters are beautifully illustrated, making this a visually appealing manga that explores a little known aspect of Japanese history and culture. The issues the book covers are still relevant now, since the ownership of the island has been in dispute since the end of World War 2, but also the treatment of the Ainu and other indigenous peoples of the area has been called into question.
"Mamiya’s Maps" is about exploration, culture clash, the making of maps and how they are related to politics. It’s also anthropological in its look at the Ainu and Nivkh people of Sakhalin island. The animals and the landscape of the island and its surrounding waters are beautifully illustrated, making this a visually appealing manga that explores a little known aspect of Japanese history and culture. The issues the book covers are still relevant now, since the ownership of the island has been in dispute since the end of World War 2, but also the treatment of the Ainu and other indigenous peoples of the area has been called into question.
112 pages, Paperback
Published December 14, 2022
About the author
Sean Michael Wilson
77 books86 followersSean Michael Wilson is a comic book writer from Scotland. He has had around 30 books published with a variety of US, UK and Japanese publishers, including: a comic book version of A Christmas Carol ('Best of 2008’, Sunday Times), AX:alternative manga ( 'Best ten books of 2010’, Publishers Weekly), Parecomic (with an introduction by Noam Chomsky, his first contribution to a book in graphic form). He is currently writing books for big Japanese publisher Kodansha, being the only British writer to do so. In fact, he is the only pro manga writer from Britain who lives in Japan. He is also the editor of the critically acclaimed collection 'AX:alternative manga' (Publishers Weekly's 'Best ten books of 2010' and nominated for a Harvey award).
Working with various Japanese artists he has written a unique line of Japanese history/martial arts/Samurai books, including The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Ninja, The 47 Ronin, and Cold Mountain (winner of China Comic and Animation Competition 2015 ‘Best Overseas Comic’ award). In 2016 his book 'The Faceless Ghost' was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017 he became the first British person to receive an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government. In 2019 his book 'The Many Not the Few' was launched by the Labour Party leader in an event in the Houses of Parliament. In 2020 he received the Scottish Samurai Award from an association promoting connections between Japan and Scotland.
He does comic books outside the normal superhero/fantasy brands, going into areas such as history, biography, drama, and social issues, often in collaboration with universities, charities and book publishers. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and writes articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.
Working with various Japanese artists he has written a unique line of Japanese history/martial arts/Samurai books, including The Book of Five Rings, Secrets of the Ninja, The 47 Ronin, and Cold Mountain (winner of China Comic and Animation Competition 2015 ‘Best Overseas Comic’ award). In 2016 his book 'The Faceless Ghost' was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017 he became the first British person to receive an International Manga Award from the Japanese Government. In 2019 his book 'The Many Not the Few' was launched by the Labour Party leader in an event in the Houses of Parliament. In 2020 he received the Scottish Samurai Award from an association promoting connections between Japan and Scotland.
He does comic books outside the normal superhero/fantasy brands, going into areas such as history, biography, drama, and social issues, often in collaboration with universities, charities and book publishers. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and writes articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 13, 2022
An interesting manga from the collaboration of a Japanese artist and a Scottish writer. It mixes lots of beautiful visuals of nature and animals of Sakhalin with historical and cultural aspects of the Ainu and Japanese. A good way to learn about a figure in Japanese history that it seems most people know nothing about. Oh, and very nice art!
December 9, 2023
I should start this review by saying that I'm intricately involved with this title given I'm it's publisher. Yet, it's important to be honest to oneself before anything else, so I hope I'm not too biased when I say that this is indeed a very good book and one I am very happy with.
How so? For one, it's easy to be distracted in the modern world by the transient. I think in this title, we managed to create a small measure of peace, despite the warfare and colonialism that are a part of the topics the book covers. In addition to that, we look into the flora and fauna of Sakhalin and the Far East, probably one of the most beautiful regions of the world. This setting acts as the background to highlighting Mamiya Rinzo's explorations which took place in the early 19th century.
While the theme of Mamiya Rinzo's voyages carries connotations of empire-building (and defense against empire-building, the second intricately connected to the first), the title also brings forth cultural links and the how of exploration. This slows down the pace and allows the reader to discover new traditions in Mr Wilson's view of how Mamiya might have done so two centuries ago.
The first chapter, which develops the story of the Ainu, is a bit different in this respect as it also shows how the Japanese conquest of Hokkaido took place. This part also goes further back in time than the rest of the book while the rest links Hokkaido and Sakhalin to the modern world. The other chapters focus in on the 19th century and allow the reader to get a better understanding of both Japan and China in this period through seeing a samurai sent out by the central government to not conquer or fight – indeed we demonstrate how little Mamiya Rinzo understood this world – but to map.
The mapping of the unknown is intricately linked with claiming possession and establishing power. Who got somewhere first really made a difference, but of course not every first had the same value: a merchant selling goods for indigenous peoples did generally not move the border, but an official of the central government could have through a single visit.
These topics were the rage of the 18th and 19th centuries and though they look mundane to us now, this importance is something I know I want to return to in the future. For now, step into this world with Mamiya Rinzo and see what he made of it!
This review was originally posted on my blog.
How so? For one, it's easy to be distracted in the modern world by the transient. I think in this title, we managed to create a small measure of peace, despite the warfare and colonialism that are a part of the topics the book covers. In addition to that, we look into the flora and fauna of Sakhalin and the Far East, probably one of the most beautiful regions of the world. This setting acts as the background to highlighting Mamiya Rinzo's explorations which took place in the early 19th century.
While the theme of Mamiya Rinzo's voyages carries connotations of empire-building (and defense against empire-building, the second intricately connected to the first), the title also brings forth cultural links and the how of exploration. This slows down the pace and allows the reader to discover new traditions in Mr Wilson's view of how Mamiya might have done so two centuries ago.
The first chapter, which develops the story of the Ainu, is a bit different in this respect as it also shows how the Japanese conquest of Hokkaido took place. This part also goes further back in time than the rest of the book while the rest links Hokkaido and Sakhalin to the modern world. The other chapters focus in on the 19th century and allow the reader to get a better understanding of both Japan and China in this period through seeing a samurai sent out by the central government to not conquer or fight – indeed we demonstrate how little Mamiya Rinzo understood this world – but to map.
The mapping of the unknown is intricately linked with claiming possession and establishing power. Who got somewhere first really made a difference, but of course not every first had the same value: a merchant selling goods for indigenous peoples did generally not move the border, but an official of the central government could have through a single visit.
These topics were the rage of the 18th and 19th centuries and though they look mundane to us now, this importance is something I know I want to return to in the future. For now, step into this world with Mamiya Rinzo and see what he made of it!
This review was originally posted on my blog.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews