Written by Ryoko Yamagishi Demographic Shōjo Original run 1980 – 1984 | Published by Hakusensha Magazine LaLa | |
Genre Supernatural, Historical | ||
Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi (Japanese: 日出処の天子, "Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun") is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Ryoko Yamagishi. It tells a fictionalised account of Prince Shōtoku, a political figure of sixth-century Japan who spread Buddhism, and his unrequited love for Soga no Emishi, which is very unlike the traditionally known stories of these people. It was serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa from 1980 to 1984. The individual chapters were published in 11 tankōbon under the Hana to Yume Comics imprint, which were released between 1981 and 1984. Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi received the 1983 Kodansha Manga Award for the shōjo category.
Contents
Manga
Hakusensha released the manga's 11 tankōbon between 1981 and 1984. The manga was re-released into 8 tankōbon, which were released between March and October 1986 by Kadokawa Shoten. The manga was re-released into 7 bunkobons, all released on March 17, 1984.
Reception
Frederik Schodt described Yamagishi's portrayal of Prince Shōtoku as being "a scheming, cross-dressing homosexual with psychic powers". According to Schodt, Yamagishi's innovation was not in writing a manga with homosexual themes, but in taking Prince Shōtoku, a revered figure in Japan who until recently was featured on the 10,000 yen bank note, and portraying him as homosexual and cross-dressing. Schodt notes that the period is "ideal" for shōjo manga, as the relationships shown are highly complex, and the costumes are exotic. In a pivotal scene, a Shinto miko's ritual to bring rain in the middle of a drought fails, as Prince Shōtoku said it would.