Kansas Samurai

Kansas Samurai, 2004
Roger Shimomura

“The move to Kansas 35 years ago underscored my ethnic and cultural difference from the local populace and soon inspired a new direction in my artwork. The images in Kansas Samurai are meant to metaphorically represent that sense of rejection that can be experienced by those who are not members of the majority culture.”

– Roger Shimomura –

Kansas Samurai was started in 2002 and finished in 2004, the year Shimomura retired from teaching at the University of Kansas. Incorporated in the background is the actual grain pattern of a woodblock, referencing the look of a Japanese woodcut. The line drawn figures from classical American cartoon culture all have their backs turned to the central samurai figure. The image is a reflection on the changes that evolved in Roger’s work after moving from Seattle to the Midwest in 1970.