Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience

Between 2012 and 2018, Sam Goto drew over 250 multi-paneled Seattle Tomodachi (“friend of Seattle”) comic strips for The North American Post. These comics chronicled the lives and stories of early Japanese settlers and their American-born offspring. Through his work, he captured elements of culture, nostalgia, and history, while infusing his characters — Shigeru Tomo and his alterego Samurai Shigeru — with the samurai values of courage, respect, and continuous improvement and compassion.

Design researcher Kelly Goto reflects on her father’s legacy as she brings his work back to life in this collection so that others can be inspired and informed by his witty and wise look at the world.