Shuna’s Journey to the Land of the God-Folk
A review of Hayao Miyazaki’s underappreciated 1983 watercolour-illustrated storybook, Shuna's Journey
Overview
On June 15, 1983, exactly 2 years before the founding of Studio Ghibli, Tokuma Shoten Publishing released a single-volume paperback “emonogatari” (illustrated story) by Hayao Miyazaki called Shuna’s Journey. The 152 page publication featured stunning watercolour illustrations accented with captions used to portray dialogue and further the narrative. The English edition was licensed by First Second Books (who notably published American Born Chinese) and released on November 1, 2022.
Shuna’s Journey follows the titular character Shuna, the prince of a poor kingdom, who can no longer watch as his people work themselves to death harvesting the meager amounts of grain the grows in the desolate valley they call home. When a dying traveler gifts him dried seeds from a western Land of the God-Folk, Shuna sets out to find the “golden seeds” that will bring prosperity to his people.
Inspirations
Miyazaki is known for the Pan-European inspirations in his work. His fondness for European settings is evident in Porco Rosso (the Adriatic Sea), Kiki’s Delivery Service (the island of Gotland in Sweden), and Howl’s Moving Castle (the architecture of Alsace, France). He has also drawn on Asian sources of inspiration in fantasy works like Princess Mononoke (the Japanese Muromachi period and the Emishi people), Spirited Away (Japanese Shinto-Buddhist folklore), and My Neighbour Totoro (Japanese Shinto). His manga masterpiece Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind features a world of blended inspirations; notably Greek epics, Heian period Japanese tales, the Syvash wetlands of Ukraine, and the science-fantasy landscapes created by Moebius. One of his early comic strips, Sabaku no Tami (1969), features a fictionalized version of the central Asian Silk Road.
Shuna’s Journey was inspired by the Tibetan Plateau. The story draws a lot of inspiration from a Tibetan folktale called The Prince Who Became a Dog, a tale about an impoverished kingdom where the people survive on only meat and milk. Their benevolent prince embarks on a perilous journey west to save his people by stealing barley from a demonic serpent. During an encounter with the supernatural being, the prince is transformed into a dog and sent home. During his return journey, the love of a girl transforms the prince back into a human so that he can successfully sow barley seeds for his people.
Thoughts
I absolutely loved reading Shuna’s Journey. I was captivated by Miyazaki’s detailed watercolours, minimalistic use of text, and thoughtful approach to honouring the Tibetan source material while creating a unique fantasy world.
The character of Shuna interestingly shares many traits with Miyazaki’s later characters, notably Princess Nausicaä (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - 1982) and Prince Ashitaka (Princess Mononoke - 1997). Other similarities with Princess Mononoke include Shuna’s elk-like mount, Yakkul, which is visually similar to Ashitaka’s red elk mount Yakul and the traveler he meets bears an aesthetic and narrative resemblance to Jigo. While the similarities are striking, they don’t take away from any of Miyazaki’s other works and instead serve to reinforce his creative sensibilities. If anything, Shuna’s Journey reinforces my love of his other projects.
Despite the short length of the book, Shuna’s Journey is grand, melancholic, and leaves you full of hope when it all comes to an end. Whether or not you are a fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, Shuna’s Journey is a must-have.
9/10
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