Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou, vol. 1 by Akihito Sakaue is an incredibly unique manga in which they explore the importance of craftsmen in the Edo period, Japan. I wouldn’t normally jump straight to the artwork, but in this case I have to. The artwork in this manga is incredible. In its own right, a piece of art. The attention to detail, not only in execution but in the narration of the crafts, it is some of the best artwork I’ve seen in a manga – I’ve included some of the original Japanese spreads throughout this review.
Going back to the actual manga – it’s split into seven chapters. The first four chapters explores the Cooper, the Swordsmith, the Indigo Dyer, and the Tatami Weaver. Each have their own contained story of importance in their ‘neighbourhood’. The main characters are interesting and not over written or sensationalised. Many are female. The characters were well defined, their personalities and their personas vivid and compelling from the start. Not to mention, beautifully rendered.
The world building was minimal but also enough. You have the information you need to know, but ultimately these are little character studies in context of their work. Though, you do aptly feel the emotional turmoil each character goes through for their craft, for themselves. The writing I can only comment from a translation point of view. Most of this was what I refer to as invisible text. It is text that tells you what you need to know to follow the story but it doesn’t stand out for the wrong reasons, except for once, which is my only criticism, which is in the following quote which I would hope that the original author didn’t use, and I certainly can’t see it being a phrase men/women of the Edo period would have used:
The guys are going to chew me out if I can’t make good time going around repairing your mats.
This was in the chapter for the Tatami Weaver. These four episodes set up for a three chapter finale dedicated to the Plasterer. As expected, the story is more detailed, exploring multiple characters more in depth. Each of the characters the narrative focuses on are unique in their own ways. The boss of the plasterers is a woman who questions her ability to manage male plasterers, whilst at the same time having a high expectation of herself. The yakuza plasterer who beats up anyone who is less able than he is, and the wanderer who is kind, patient, extremely talented and provides direction for the boss and an apprentice.
Despite not being the action-packed manga that many internationally recognised manga’s are, this story is intriguing and beautifully put together, and worth the ownership. I was lucky enough to get a digital ARC (advanced reader copy) of the translated copy, thanks to Yen Press and Edelweiss Publishing. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to any avid manga reader, especially if they have an interest in Japanese history or culture.
A solid 4 stars from me.
