Archive for the History of Yuri Category


Rica Takashima × Akiko Morishima Talk Event Report

July 9th, 2026

Last month, folks in Japan had the chance to attend a historical discussion of Yuri in the 1990s and the birth of Yuri in America, with creators Akiko Morishima and Rica Takashima. Our Japan Correspondent Sasori is here with a report on the proceedings!

Signboard for lonliness books in Higashinakano, with a poster that read "Yuri Story" and features Rica and Miho from the cover of "Rica 'tte Kanji!> by Rica Takashima.

 

I’m headed to loneliness books in Higashi-Nakano, to meet two Yuri icons, Rica Takashima and Akiko Morishima.

Rica Takashima is best known for her series Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, one of the first English translated yuri manga. Her later sequel in 2025 being New York Love: Rica ‘tte Kanji!? I remember when I first read her works in the US anthology Yuri Monogatari!

Akiko Morishima is the creator of Hanjuku Joshi, Rakuen no Jouken (The Conditions of Paradise), Yurikuma Arashi, as well as many other yuri manga. She also did cover illustrations for Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten kara (Introduction to Yuri Studies: From Queer and Feminist Perspectives). She is now serializing Hitorimi Desu (Living Single) (KADOKAWA/CandleA), about the life of a single lesbian in her sixties.

(Sources from the description of the event)

Walking into the bookstore was like walking into a manga gallery, the entire wall was lined with Takashima-san’s works! Under her original manga pages, were magazine publications as well as By My Side and all the Yuri Monogatari anthologies. I’ve never seen all of them lined up before, it felt like a yuri time capsule. 

A wall with original art pages by Rica Takashima displayed in plastic sleeves.

Seeing close up manuscripts of the manga is always a treat because you can see all the typography glues in the speech bubbles and hand done screen tones. I also liked seeing the English translated manga surrounded by their respected JP publications.

Table with Japanese and English language Yuri art and books, and pins with art by Rica Takashima.

My only wish was that I had infinite money to buy more books! There was so much on sale.

A shelf with multiple editions of Rica 'tte Kanji!?, and Yuri Monogatari, By Your Side

Original art by Ric Takashima displyed on the wall.. Color images of Rica and Miho, as well as original pages of Rica 'tte Kanji!?

Lined next to the manuscripts were small shikishi and original prints, sifting through the prints in the binder was so satisfying.

Original pages of Rica 'tte Kanji!?

 

Close up on art and books for sale, original work by Rica Takashima and By Your Side.

A print image of Rica and Miho in the snow with a grocery bag.

 

The talk started at 20:00 ( 8:00) in the middle of the bookstore. There were a total of about 15-20 people, so a really comfortable turnout. Takashima sensei began by passing around a bowl of American candy, and she knew her stuff, there were Twizzlers and airheads in there! Both Takashima and Morishima sensei were very upbeat and could back and fourth really well about honestly any topic as well as their respected works .

Takashima sensei talked about what it was like living in New York and brought up the history of Yuri, often referencing By Your Side and even Fun Home. I also liked Morishima sensei’s response to some questions about gender equality, and she also talked about being a fan of Sailor Moon and Cutie Honey.

Other topics covered were the current lesbian fashion of the past and present (Butch military styles, overalls, and more feminine attire), the lesbian bar scene, and a shared love of mini skirts.

It was kind of like listening to two friends reminiscing about the past, which was very comforting.

A photo of a small, cute bookstore crammed with books, and a talk event space in the middle.

The talk went a little past it’s allotted time, but I was able to buy some cute stickers and a copy of Tokyo Love, that Takashima sensei signed with an adorable sketch of me, complete with heart eyes. I was hoping I could stay a bit longer to see if Morishima sensei had any books, as I am also a huge fan of hers, but sadly I had to catch the late train home.

A close-up up Toyo Love - Rica 'tte Kanji!? cover and two Rica/x Miho pins.

I’ll be sure to revisit the loneliness bookstore, not only for the awesome LGBTQ+ rep, but also because it’s rare to see so many English publications outside of Kinokuniya.

If you ever find yourself in Higashi-Nakano, be sure to take a peak, maybe you can buy some issues of Yuri Monogatari! 

 





Yoshiya Nobuko 130th Anniversary Exhibit at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature

June 28th, 2026

Poster of Yoshiya Nobuko exhibit at the Kanagawa Museum of Literature. Seated Yoshiya in a dressy blouse and fashionable short hair, looks at the camera with a slight smile. Today we have a special report! At my request, our Japanese Correspondent, Sasori took her and us to the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature for a special exhibit celebrating the 130th anniversary of Yoshiya Nobuko, a foundational writer for the Yuri genre.  Her book Yaneura no Nishojo established many of the most common tropes of Yuri. Yoshiya-sensei also built a house in Kamakura (in Kanagawa) with her partner, Monma Chiyo, where they lived their lives out.  That house is now a museum, which I visited.

So please give your attention to Sasori as we spend some time with Yoshiya-sensei’s life!

by Sasori, Okazu Staff Writer

It was time to take a trip to Kanagawa, Yokohama, to learn about origins of yuri and the “founder of the “S”(slang for sister/deep female friendship) relationship novel”, Yoshiya Nobuko. The exhibit. “Yoshiya Nobuko: The Origins of Sisterhood” was held from, 4/4-5/31, at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature, the museum specializes in historical works from Japanese authors. This exhibit was a focus on her life’s work in novels and her history from (1896-1973). I did know a bit about Yoshiya’s yuri influences, thanks to sister/Catholic school yuri themes from series Marimite, Strawberry Panic, as well as Dear Brother and her being a pioneer of shoujo manga.

Hand drawn art and words in a notebook, image and at by Sasori.No pictures were allowed in the exhibit, but I was enchanted by all the preserved books and novels from the 1920’s and 30’s. There were also newspaper and activism articles, my favorites being about female political movements. I tried to scribble out a few memorable ones in my notebook!

The close friendship of women longing for other women, being the theme of many covers, as well as flowers, really reminded me of how modern yuri came to be today.

I also enjoyed spotting parts of Yoshiya’s Hana Monogatari, flower stories, lined up together. Her novel “Yellow Rose”, is one of the few from that series translated into English, and something I plan on reading to broaden my historical yuri knowledge.

As for the museum goers, it was quite busy for a weekday, and many patrons were older and some seemed to be historical scholars.

After the exhibit, there was a display of many Japanese novels influenced by her writings.

Image of exhibit space, featuring many of the novels and story collections influenced by Yoshiya Nobuko's work.
The museum is very Japanese text heavy, it is a literature museum after all, but if you are up for the challenge, be sure to stroll through their rose garden and stop by the museum!

 

Erica here: Thank you Sasori! One of the reasons I was particularly interested in this exhibit was,  for the first time, a retrospective of Yoshiya-sensei’s work was acknowledging Monma Chiyo as her life partner. One of the items on display is a letter sent to Monma-san. 

If, as you read this, you are interested in the items on exhibit – a few of which are shown on the Museum page linked above  – you can purchase the exhibit catalog on Amazon JP. None of us love Amazon, but it was a lot easier than trying to get the museum a bank transfer (which is what they suggest… ^_^;)

Some of the items, like Yoshiya-sensei’s desk accouterments really make her feel like she just got up and took a walk, but will be back in a sec. If you’d like a glimpse into the life of the woman who is in large part responsible for so much of what we think of as “Yuri,” the catalog will be just that.

 





By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga on sale!

June 2nd, 2026

By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga is celebrating Pride Month, Yuri Day and a 4th birthday with 20% off the digital and print editions for the month of June Get your copy of this ground-breaking work on the history of the Yuri genre today!

This is our first-ever major discount for the book. I’m very thankful to my publisher for their help in making this happen. Discount is available until June 30th!

 

By Your Side is the complete Yuri resource I only ever dreamed could exist. Decades in the making, this glorious collection surveys, analyzes, and contextualizes Yuri with unparalleled detail and enthusiasm. Friedman graces readers with illuminating insights as they follow her through a century of the genre’s evolution and revolution. By sharing her extraordinary knowledge, she provides inquirers, scholars, and aficionados alike with a deeper appreciation and understanding of lesbian anime and manga while galvanizing them towards the next era of Yuri.

– Nicki Bauman, Yurimother

The first in-depth study of Yuri in English.

– James Welker, Professor of Cross-Cultural and Japanese Studies, Kanagawa University

 

DIGITAL Edition

Direct from my amazing publisher, Journey Press (worldwide)

Amazon Kindle (worldwide)

Google Play (worldwide)

Kobo (worldwide)

iTunes (worldwide)

 

PRINT EDITION

Ingram Direct link  (US and UK)

Amazon

Amazon Japan

 

 





Introducing Hajimete no Yuri Studies Queer/Feminist no Shiten kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア／フェミニストの視点から)

January 22nd, 2026

On a white background, three people sit on a curved cushion reading on various platforms, such as a book, a phone on a table, a magazine. One is an adult-looking woman with a short professional haircut in a button down shirt, slacks, and high heel. The second is non-binary person with a short boyish hair wearing a hoodie and pants, the third wears long hair, a low cut blouse and white skirt. A bouquet of lilies sits on the cushion.Did I say 2025 was a great year for Yuri? Well hold on to your hats, because 2026 is going to blow your hair back!

Our first announcement of 2026 is Hajimete no Yuri Studies: Queer/Feminist no Shiten Kara (はじめての百合スタディーズ: クィア/フェミニストの視点から) from Ohta Publishing. While there have been some mooks and an issue of Eureka, a literary magazine, this is the first serious book by a commercial publisher on Yuri as a genre in Japanese. In fact, one of the authors, Mizukami-san commented on X that the success of this book will likely set the tone for Yuri research publishing, so if it is successful, that would be huge.

The main part of this book is a conversation between three feminist Yuri otaku, Nakamura Kasumi, Kondoh Ginga, and Mizukami Aya on the history of Yuri, it’s relationship to lesbian lives, unique issues in Yuri and more. I am honored to have been able to contribute an essay on the history of Yuri in the USA and there is a second essay on the history of Yuri by Shinada Reika, a Yuri researcher from Tokyo University.

In 2023, I had the genuine pleasure of visiting Nakamura Kasumi-sensei’s class at Keio Unversity. After my presentation, we went to lunch with some of the students and had the most wonderful conversation about queer manga and Yuri and BL (in the very elite academic environment of the formal faculty dining room, not at all the kind of place one talks about such things, which we all kinda loved.) This book feels like the continuation of that conversation and frankly, I cannot wait to read the other parts of the book!

I must stress how amazing it is to have a book about Yuri in Japanese from such fantastic scholars and from a queer and feminist perspective. I know when I wrote my book, that was part of my motivation – to get a queer and feminist reading out there first, so it lays the groundwork for research that comes after it. To have such incredible people take up the mantle for Japanese scholarship and do the same thing is beyond thrilling.

Ohta Books has made the introduction by Mizukami Aya available to read in Japanese for free.

Last, but not at all least, the cover is by Morishima Akiko-sensei whose artwork for same-sex marriage and her own manga has long championed queer narratives. I almost cried when I saw that she has drawn the cover. It’s really perfect. ^_^

For the moment, for outside of Japan, Amazon JP is your best bet for purchase, but feel free to ask other outlets, like Kinokuniya USA to carry it. 

When I began Yuricon in 2000, our mission was to build a bridge between queer Yuri fans in Japan and the west. With  this book, that goal is achieved. This year, I’m going to have to create a new mission statement for real. ^_^

Thank you to Suga-san at Ohta books for being fantastic, and to Nakamura-sensei, Kondoh-sensei, and Mizukami-sensei for letting me part of this project! Go, run, pre-order the book and enjoy this on-going conversation about Yuri.

 
 

 

 





Celebrating 30 Years of Yuri Manga With Rica ‘tte Kanji!?

November 28th, 2025

Rica Takashima at het Labo Brooklyn, standing spreadeagled surrounded by art for her solo exhibit for the 30th anniversary of "Rica 'tte Kanji!?", the first Yuri manga published in English.On Monday I was able to attend a solo exhibit celebrating 30 years of Yuri manga by Rica Takashima, with her past (and future!) art telling the story of a young woman who makes her lesbian debut in Tokyo’s gay district, the people she meets, Miho, the woman she falls in love with, and the life they make together.

Through November 30, 2025, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday hours from 1-6 PM, you are invited to join Rica Takashima at het Labo Gallery in Brooklyn, for a celebration of the 30th anniversary of her manga Rica ‘tte Kani!?, which became the very first Yuri manga published in English! Please enjoy this video, edited by our own Okazu Staff (and writer and amazing person) Ashley to get  feel for what awaits you.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Erica Friedman (@okazuyuri)

 I visited het Labo and was blown away by the exhibit. Rica had many of her original storyboards, Anise and Phryne covers, some of the art she did for ALC’s Yuri Monogatari volumes (and the first 4 of our anthologies). Plus, there were some images for an upcoming New York Love~ Rica ‘tte Kanji!? story that Rica is working on….and yes, I am already eying it, hoping to get it published. It’s not even done! ^_^

Rica is running an analog manga workshop for anyone who stops by – learn how to use Copic markers and screentones. I got to use screentone for the very first time while I was there. That was fun. No drawing skills needed  – I certainly don’t have any. ^_^


I loved this, because a steady stream of younger artists would come in, work on something, we’d chat for a bit. We got to meet a guy thinking about submitting his work to Shonen Jump (of course we said to try!), a couple of great artists (hi, Anakin!) and a guest from Sweden who was going to tell his friends who love Yuri. ^_^

For those of you who haven’t followed me for 20 years, Rica and I met at a lesbian bar. ^_^  In 2002, I was running the very first Yuricon event – a Valentine’s Day showing of the Revolutionary Girl Utena – Adolescence of Utena movie at the late, lamented  Meow Mix. Rica and her friend came to the event. I introduced myself, Rica told me she drew Yuri manga!  Once I saw her work, I knew, suddenly, that I wanted to publish it. Rica and I have been working together since then and it’s been nothing short of a miraculous partnership. We almost always seem to agree on things. I often joke that we were separated at birth, we’re so similar.  

In 2003, I published Rica ‘tte Kanji!?, the first Yuri manga in English as the premier book from our ALC Publishing imprint. I can’t express to you how amazing it was to see those pages of Rica, and think that although I am telling you all about this, I was also an integral part of this history. It is a very strange feeling, looking at the signboards that talked about me and Rica meeting as part of a historical exhibit. ^_^ 

So, get yourself over to het Labo (Brooklyn), 139 N 4th Street 2nd floor Brooklyn NY 11249 this weekend, from 1-6 to celebrate the history of Yuri manga in America!