‘Manga’s First Century’ by Andrea Horbinski review
Manga’s First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989 by Andrea Horbinski reveals the colourful companion to Japan’s turbulent 20th century.
Japan
The East India Company in Japan
Although the reception was not always warm, the English East India Company made several attempts to trade in Japan in the 17th century.
After Hiroshima: The US Occupation of Japan
Following Japan’s unconditional surrender in September 1945, the US aimed to rebuild the nation in its own image – with mixed results.
Kikunae Ikeda’s MSG Revolution
On 25 July 1908 chemistry professor Kikunae Ikeda gave name to an elusive new taste: umami.
The Otsu Incident
On 11 May 1891 the future Tsar Nicholas II narrowly escaped assassination on a trip to Japan.
An Uneasy Propaganda Alliance
The doomed film collaboration between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan resulted in two very different features serving the same fascist agenda: The Daughter of the Samurai and The New Earth.
The Firebombing of Tokyo
American air raids on Japan’s capital burned the city in March 1945, killing 80,000 people in one night alone. ‘Had to be done’, said the general who ordered it.
Japan, the West and the Treaty of Versailles
At the outset of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference Japan enjoyed a seat at the top table, but the vexed issue of racial equality set it and its notional Western allies on different paths.
Death of a Samurai Legend
Miyamoto Musashi was finally defeated on 13 June 1645, but it wasn’t a sword that laid the formidable samurai low.
William Adams: English Adviser to the Shogun
How did English navigator William Adams become one of the shogun’s most trusted advisers?