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The Spirit of Japan

The Spirit of Japan

Festivals, Rituals and Everyday Magic

From the creators of The Garden

written by Sean Michael Wilson
illustrated by Fumio Obata

978-1-912634-30-9 * £11.99 *

An introduction to everyday Japanese rituals and spiritual practices.

Japan is sometimes called a ‘non-religious’ country, but this cliché is simply not true! If we look closer, we find that spirits, demons and magic are woven into the fabric of Japanese folklore and their effigies still populate roadsides and rituals to this day.

Japan is alive with magical festivals, practices and rituals – from marking the liminal new year with the burning of last year’s possessions, to smiling at the return of spring in the cherry blossoms. Greeting new life, making offerings to the old and banishing demons with the hurl of a soybean are all examples of intriguing Japanese traditions.

Many of these cultural practices are seen as mundane or normal, but they each express something sublime and numinous. Japanese rituals perform a powerful role in helping people deal with nature, time, seasons, aging and death – bringing a bit of everyday magic into everyday lives.

The Spirit of Japan is an accessible introduction to Japanese spiritual practice, perfect for those who are curious about spirituality or Japanese culture and would like to know more.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: The Value of Magic in Everyday Lives 
New Year Rituals 
Out Demons! Setsubun (節分) Bean Throwing 
Obon (お盆) Ancestors 
Jizo (地蔵) Roadside Shrines 
Funeral and Death Rituals 
Omikuji (おみくじ) and Other Fortune Charms 
Hanami (花見) Spring Ritual 
Hanabi (花火) Fireworks 
Land Cleansing Ritual 
Rituals at Shrines and Temples 
Recent Foreign Festivals in Japan 
Iro Iro (Various Things) 

Sean Michael Wilson is a writer living in Scotland and Japan. His books are often on themes of history, biography and social issues. He has had more than twenty books published with a variety of US, UK, and Japanese publishers. His 2016 book The Faceless Ghost was nominated for an Eisner Award. In 2017, his book Secrets of the Ninja won an International Manga Award. (read more)

Fumio Obata is an illustrator and animator whose style and work are influenced by both Japanese and European aesthetics. He is latest graphic novel Just So Happens (Jonathan Cape, 2014) was critically acclaimed
and been published in eight languages. (read more)

Purchase The Spirit of Japan:

Happy publication day to The Garden!

The Garden is out now!

Find out where to buy a copy and read what reviewers are saying about the book…

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Adventures in DIY Gardening

Adventures in DIY gardening and salvaging plants with Sean Michael Wilson

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Sean Michael Wilson on The Garden

This is a special guest post by Sean Michael Wilson, author of our graphic novel The Garden. With illustrations by Fumio Obata, The Garden is a story of healing through mindfulness and gardening.

In this blog post, Sean shares some background on how the book came about, as well as how gardening and mindfulness have benefited his life.

The Garden is published 21 May. Pre-order from our webshop.

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The Garden pre-orders are open

Pre-orders are open now for The Garden by Sean Michael Wilson and Fumio Obata. This gorgeous graphic novel will publish on 21 May.

PRE-ORDER THE GARDEN HERE

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Announcing: The Garden

We’re thrilled to announce our first spring 2020 publication – and our first graphic novel! The Garden, publishing in May 2020, is a beautiful story of growth and healing through mindfulness and gardening.

From two of our all-time favourite comics creators, Sean Michael Wilson and Fumio Obata, The Garden is a beautiful, soulful work that you simply won’t want to miss!

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The Garden

The Garden

by Sean Michael Wilson & Fumio Obata

978-1-912634-16-3 * £12.99 * Published 21st May 2020

Distributed in North America by Union Square Publishing

The Garden is a beautiful story of healing and growth through mindfulness and gardening.

Joanna is a high-powered finance consultant who’s been signed off work after having a nervous breakdown. Seeking more than just something to pass the time, she travels to Kyoto, Japan, to immerse herself in the arts of zen gardening and meditation.

Returning home – and to the challenges of daily life – Joanna finds peace and a new sense of calm through nurturing her own garden – and her soul

‘I have happily forgotten what used to concern me before all this.
I am the strongest thing in the world.
I have an infinity of precious details to smile upon‘

REVIEWS FOR THE GARDEN:

“A worthy message of mindfulness and the benefits of taking time to stop and appreciate what’s around you rather than always pushing forwards.” – Big Comic Page

“an enjoyable, blissful escape” – Broken Frontier

“a passive look at self-awareness that is rare in this medium, presented beautifully in hard-back” – UK Anime Network

“Calm, contemplative and refreshing, The Garden is a seed of surprise just waiting for you to plant it.” – Now Read This

“The rat race consumes such a vast amount of our time, and it’s easy to get mentally lost in the pressure of work sometimes – to the detriment of the very thing that makes you ‘you’. Sean and Fumio capture this perfectly in [The Garden].” – Read it Daddy

“Wilson’s words and Obata’s illustrations compliment each other wonderfully and create such a beautiful read.” – Northern Plunder

“a beautiful read that offers a moment of calm” – A Cat, A Book, and A Cup of Tea

Purchase The Garden:

Sean Michael Wilson

Sean Michael Wilson is a graphic novel writer living in Scotland and Japan. His books are often on themes of history, biography and social issues. He has had more than twenty 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) and several manga versions of Japanese classics, such as The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure and The 47 Ronin. In 2016 his book The Faceless Ghost was nominated for the prestigious Eisner Book Awards. In 2017, his book Secrets of the Ninja won an International Manga Award from the Japanese government – he is the first British person to receive this award. He has worked with a variety of organisations in the process, such as British universities and museums, Norwegian’s People’s Aid, the British and American Humanist Associations, Corporate Watch, War on Want and the Arts Council. He often gives lectures and talks about comics in schools and colleges, and has written articles for such places as The Japan Times, The London Economic and The Herald Scotland.

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Check out Sean’s website

Buy Sean’s books!

Stay in touch with him via his blog, and on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

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Sean’s publications for Liminal 11:

The Spirit of JapanThe Garden