Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi (Japanese: 日出処の天子, "Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun"[1]) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryoko Yamagishi. It tells a fictionalised account of Prince Shōtoku, a political figure of sixth-century Japan who spread Buddhism, and his unrequited love for Soga no Emishi,[1] which is very unlike the traditionally known stories of these people.[2] It was serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa from 1980 to 1984. The individual chapters were published in 11 tankōbon under the Hana to Yume Comicsimprint, which were released between 1981 and 1984.[3][4]Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi received the 1983 Kodansha Manga Award for the shōjo category.[5]
Hakusensha released the manga's 11 tankōbon between 1981 and 1984.[3][4] The manga was re-released into 8 tankōbon's, which were released between March and October 1986 by Kadokawa Shoten.[6][7] The manga was re-released into 7 bunkobons, all released on March 17, 1984.[8]
Frederik Schodt described Yamagishi's portrayal of Prince Shōtoku as being "a scheming, cross-dressing homosexual with psychic powers".[1] According to Schodt, Yamagishi's innovation was not in writing a manga with homosexual themes, but in taking Prince Shōtoku, a revered figure in Japan who until recently was featured on the 10,000 yen bank note,[9] and portraying him as homosexual and cross-dressing.[1] Schodt notes that the period is "ideal" for shōjo manga, as the relationships shown are highly complex, and the costumes are exotic.[1]
