This interview has been edited and revised for clarity.
Vinland Saga manga artist Makoto Yukimura made his first appearance in Canada last September as a guest of honor at the Toronto International Authors Festival and the event “Pursuing Purpose: Charting Vinland with YUKIMURA Makoto”, hosted by The Japan Foundation, Toronto.
Yukimura participated in an engaging panel discussion with Miles Baker, executive director of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, to discuss Vinland Saga’s research methods and storyline to date, as well as the work of he about the previous series, Planetes. During the TIFA event, he was honored and surprised to learn that he was compared to seinen manga artists Kentarou Miura and Takehiko Inoue. Yukimura plans to meet Miura for the first time before he passes away and also heaps praise on Inoue.
At the “Pursuit of Purpose” event, he also mused about the secrets of his creative process, his artistic style and the philosophies incorporated in his stories.
Anime Trending spoke with Makoto Yukimura to learn more about how Vinland Saga was created, researching the history of manga, and how readers continue to inspire him.
First of all, Yukimura-sensei, thank you for coming to Toronto and speaking with Anime Trending today.
Yukimura-sensei: Me too, I feel very honored.
Let’s start from the beginning. I’m curious how the Vinland Saga manga was first introduced to your editors when you first published it.
It’s a bit complicated. When I first approached my editor to write the story about Vinland Saga, the story didn’t begin when [Thorfinn] was fighting the British in England. Instead, I’m planning on telling a story that begins with him being a slave. So the editor I talked to at Kodansha said, “Oh, that won’t sell! A story that begins with slavery? I thought this story was about Vikings and war, and you weren’t going to get into that, were you? How can I explain this to my editor-in-chief?” That was the first reaction I got from my editor.
Since coming up with this story, the part I really wanted to do was the main character is a slave, and from being a slave becomes someone who is exploring a new land. That’s the part of the story I really wanted to write.
However, when I got this initial reaction from my editor, I thought to myself, “Maybe he’s right.” This is about people called Vikings, and there was war and fight. Maybe if I combine these elements, we [Yukimura và biên tập viên] might make this story more interesting. So when we decided to do that, we really had to excite the editor-in-chief, to the point where we could convince him, “This will be a story that we can serialize. ”
Many mangakas who create historical novels often visit museums or national libraries or the country where they are doing research. Can you describe in detail the process of researching this series?
So I actually visited places that became the settings of my stories, such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway, France and England. Whenever I visit them, I try to use all my sensors like “Is this a warm place? Is it cold there? How does the wind feel? How cold is the water?” So those feelings, the feelings I experienced in these places, will give me the details to write stories about those places.
However, the only place I haven’t visited is Canada. When I really wanted to visit Canada, it was during the COVID-19 outbreak. All my plans had to be postponed. However, my story is anxious for me to come here to study. Over the past three years, while writing the story of Vinland, I was not very confident about what this place would be like.
Well, I really hope you enjoy your first visit here. You are also visiting PEI [Đảo Hoàng tử Edward] right?
Have!
プリンスエドワード島に来た! pic.twitter.com/z0oabcfPU6
— 幸村誠 (@makotoyukimura) September 25, 2023
For your research, did you consult historical sources such as The Saga of Erik the Red or the Saga of the Greenlanders? If not, what resources or research materials did you use?
Perhaps, I have read the Saga of Erik the Red, as well as the Saga of the Greenlanders. But it’s a huge amount of text and it takes a while to read. Since I didn’t have many resources, I started looking at other resources I could use.
The world of Vinland Saga is really complicated. Although focusing on the conquest of Europe and the early exploration of North America, the series also includes characters with Roman Imperial heritage, such as Askeladd, and characters who have visited distant lands such as Snake in Miklagard. What was it like taking on this huge historical scope and portraying it in your series?
That’s true because Viking activity was very exciting. That’s something I had to incorporate into my storytelling. The reason I chose to write about Vikings as the main motif of my story is because they were so violent. From the beginning, though, the Vikings were more active than I expected—they explored such far-flung lands, so I had to bring that different aspect into my own story. The fact that I wrote about this huge Viking world, I felt like I was guided by the Viking exploration itself.
From what I’ve read most recently, your series has also made a connection to Canada regarding the arrival of the Mi’kmaq Tribe during Thorfinn’s journey to Vinland in an area now known as called Prince Edward Island. What interesting things did you learn about Mi’kmaq culture and the lands they settled during your research?
There is an old folk tale I love that has been told to generations of Mi’kmaq people. It is the story of “Muwinskw”, which translates as “Little Bear” or “Little Girl”. It is the story of a boy lost in the forest. It turns out he was adopted by the mother bear and raised by the mother bear. The mother bear taught this boy many life skills, such as how to fish in the river. This boy, Muwinskw, can speak and communicate with bears. The boy was eventually found and accepted back into the Mi’kmaq community. He is the only person in the Mi’kmaq community who truly understands how bears feel.
In winter, bears hibernate with their cubs. In the cave, both the mother bear and her cub were sleeping, and there was steam coming out of this chimney. Mother bear told Muwinskw that even in human society, when there is a chimney and there is steam coming out of the chimney, it is a place where people live in harmony in that hut. The same goes for the bear. If there is steam coming out of the chimney, please do not disturb them.
I really appreciate the wonderful wisdom inherited in the story of living and coexisting with nature, without distinction between humans and animals. I really appreciated the heart of that story.
The saying “I have no enemies” has been widely spread among many Vinland Saga fans, who are taking these words to heart. As a creator, what impact do you see in someone applying their experience with Vinland Saga to their own conflicts in life?
I always reflect my true feelings in my stories, so the fact that people sympathize with my expression, I really appreciate it.
In fact, the statement “I have no enemies” is all I want to say through the story Vinland Saga, summarized in this one sentence. Every time I see someone change their profile name to something like “I have no enemies,” I feel really happy because I think this phrase reflects a stubborn attitude. I think in life, we encounter people we avoid and call enemies, and when we say “I have no enemies,” that is a stubborn attitude to hold on to. I hope we don’t ask too much of those who believe those words. That’s the only concern I have.
However, just by the fact that I believe “I have no enemies”, I think that covers all the wars we don’t need to fight either.
Vinland Saga is a story of growth and change. During the process of creating manga, in what ways have you grown or changed? And what impact did the final piece have on you as a creator?
First of all, it took me 18 years to write this story. When I started this story, I was 29 years old and now I’m 47. Just because I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a quieter person than when I first started. The story, as you know, is really rough and violent at first, and as the story progresses, it starts focusing on the main character, who has grown and matured. I’m really glad I had 18 years to make this development in the story. So I believe my age influenced the story, but I don’t think the story itself influenced me.
What an honor to have @makotoyukimura act as a guest at @festofauthors and explore the connection of #VinlandSaga to Canada. ???????? Special thanks to the fans who came and supported the event! https://t.co/JTqOUUjKe9 pic.twitter.com/fjsJ0V0Lw4
— Kodansha USA (@Kodansha Manga) September 25, 2023
According to my understanding, currently, the Vinland Saga manga is divided into four storylines: the war arc, the slavery arc, the eastern arc, the exploration arc, and the currently unnamed arc. Of the four signs, which one do you like to develop and work on, and which of them is your least favorite?
The most difficult story is the story of slavery. However, the most fun part to do is also the bondage part. That’s because it’s about a young man who has deep grudges and strong prejudices about this world. From there, he becomes a completely different person, and I think drawing his growth is the most inspiring part of this story. I love seeing the changes and transformations of a person, so I wanted to make sure that the changes Thorfinn went through were truly convincing in the story.
We’re getting to the last question, but this is a pretty open question. What should readers expect as the story of the Vinland Saga comes to an end?
That’s a difficult question.
I am surprised! The previous questions are more difficult.
I really don’t know what will happen at the end of this story! I believe that when the story comes to an end, everyone hopes for a happy ending, but that is the historical truth. That’s the really hard part for me right now.
According to history, the ending of Thorfinn’s story would be tragic. Something truly tragic is about to happen to the characters. “How can I keep this from being a total tragedy?” That’s what I’m doing right now. What should I do?
I mean, give the man a happy ending! It’s fiction!
Alright! I will try my best to move in that direction.
© Makoto Yukimura, Photo by William Moo
Translated by: Misaki Kido
Special thanks to Kodansha USA and The Japan Foundation, Toronto for helping arrange this interview.
You can follow more of Makoto Yukimura’s adventures on Twitter @makotoyukimura.
Vinland Saga is available at Kodansha USA in English and you can find more information about the series here.