Biographical Note:
Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, Japan, grew up in Hawaii, and now lives in California with his children, Hannah and Matthew. He received a fine arts degree from the University of Hawaii and did further studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. His creation,
Usagi Yojimbo, is the story of a samurai rabbit living in a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals. It first appeared in Albedo Comics in 1984. Since then, Usagi has appeared on television as a guest of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and as toys, on clothing, in comic books, and in a series of trade paperback collections. In 1991, Stan created
Space Usagi, the adventures of a descendant of the original Usagi, dealing with the samurai in a futuristic setting. Stan is also an award-winning letterer for his work on Sergio Aragonés's
Groo: The Wanderer, the
Spider-Man Sunday newspaper strips, as well as for
Usagi Yojimbo. He is the recipient of a Parents' Choice Award, an Inkpot Award, multiple Eisner Awards, two Spanish Haxturs, an American Library Association Award, and a National Cartoonists' Society Division Award.
Usagi Yojimbo Book 12: Grasscutter was used as a textbook in Japanese history classes at the University of Portland.
Review Quotes:
"Sixteenth-century Japan is never so entertaining as in Stan Sakai's tales of Miyamoto Usagi."--NPR's Best Books of 2014
"Stan Sakai has successfully brought to American comics a collection of Japanese fables well told in the American style. Usagi Yojimbo is an enduring work. Bravo."--Will Eisner
"I think Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most original, innovative, well-executed comic books anywhere to be found. Stan's style of artwork, his crisp incisive writing, and his thoroughly professional pacing, all done in a relaxed and absorbed manner, have provided comics with something so rarely seen in this field--a new literary and artistic approach to illustrated storytelling."--Stan Lee
"Sakai is a total pro and a consummate craftsman."--
Rolling Stone
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