Did you know that there was a successful comic based right here in Seattle? Between 2012 and 2018, artist Sam Goto drew over 250 multi-paneled comic strips called Seattle Tomodachi (“friend of Seattle”) for The North American Post. Seattle Tomodachi chronicled the lives and stories of early Japanese settlers and their Japanese-American children and other descendants. From immigration, mass removal and incarceration, to the rebuilding of social connections, Goto sought to portray the memories and experiences of the Japanese community. Through his work, he captured elements of culture, nostalgia, and history, while infusing his characters with the samurai values of courage, respect, compassion, and improvement.

Goto’s daughter Kelly reflects on her late father’s legacy as she revives his work in the collection Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience. Kelly Goto blends her text with photos and memorabilia that help contextualize her father’s work and anchor its place in Seattle’s cultural history.