Frederick Schodt is an author and translator with many books under his belt including The Osamu Tezuka Story (Stone Bridge Press, 2016), Manga, Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics (Kodansha, 2013) The Astro Boy Essays (Stone Bridge Press, 2007) and My Heart Sutra: The World in 260 Characters (Stone Bridge Press, 2020, read our review).
But today he is going to talk about his historical non-fiction books, both published by Stone Bridge Press (sponsor of the Books on Asia podcast). First, we’ll talk about Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe: How an American Acrobat Introduced Circus to Japan and Japan to the West (Stone Bridge Press, 2012) and Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan (Stone Bridge Press, 2013). Both books are accounts of American men who pioneered US-Japan relations.
In the first part of the show, Schodt talks about “Professor” Risley, an acrobat of the mid-nineteenth century who starts his own circus in the US, which he then takes to Japan. His trademark move involved juggling his two small sons with his feet. See an example of what is now known as the ‘Risley Act’ in this video we found on Youtube:
Risley later starts a Japanese circus which he takes touring around the world, and that’s when things start getting really interesting!
The other book we discuss is Schodt’s biography of native American Ranald (pronounced Raynald) MacDonald, who makes his way to Japan during the Edo period and ends up not just teaching English, but having a hand in negotiations with Commodore Perry and the opening of Japan.
Schodt’s favorite books on Japan are:
Giving up the Gun, by Noel Perrin (D.I. Godine, 1979)
The Chrysanthemum and the Bat/You Gotta Have Wa) by Robert Whiting (Dodd, Mead, 1977/Open Road Media, 2022)
Hojōki: Visions of a Torn World, by David Jenkins and Michael Hoffman (Stone Bridge Press, 1996)
About the Author
Frederik L. Schodt is a writer, translator, and conference interpreter based in the San Francisco Bay area. He has written widely on Japanese history, popular culture, and technology. His writings on manga, and his translations of them, helped trigger the current popularity of Japanese comics in the English-speaking world. He was awarded the Special Category of the Asahi Shimbun’s prestigious Osamu Tezuka Culture Award, and in 2009, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, for his work helping to promote Japan’s popular culture overseas.
You can find him at his Website, on Twitter(X) @fschodt and on Facebook
The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press. Check out their books on Japan at the publisher’s website. Amy Chavez, podcast host, is author of Amy’s Guide to Best Behavior in Japan (Stone Bridge Press, 2018) and The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island (Tuttle Publishing, 2022)
Don’t miss another author interview! Subscribe to the Books on Asia podcast.