Ōgishima Saijiki

"Sorry—I know you must've been lonely. Don't worry. I won't keep you waiting long..." Maruyama, Nagasaki's pleasure district—where the music of shamisens mingles with the language of foreign lands. From artist Kan Takahama comes a tale of love and death: a beautiful courtesan, a man on his deathbed, and their secret past... (Source: comiXology) *Notes: Nominated to the 20th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.*

In 1878, as the wave of Western culture spreads through Japan, in Nagasaki, Miyo, a girl orphaned in the Satsuma Rebellion works at a curio shop called Vingt. The dresses, sewing machines, binoculars, boots, and other items acquired at the Paris Exhibition by the proprietor KOURA Momotoshi have aroused her curiosity. Miyo accumulates experience in her job while using clairvoyant ability which she has possessed since she was very young. The story vibrantly depicts a new age that visits a Nagasaki thriving with merchants and prostitutes, centering on Miyo's changes as she begins to experience feelings for Momotoshi akin to the awakening of love, and Momotoshi's past, which gradually comes to light. Based on a thorough investigation of the history, things are depicted along with the colorful historical background of the period, and interesting facts about antiques that appear in the work are included as mini-columns. In these ways, the author's knowledge is well utilized, enhancing the manga's feeling of reality. *Notes: \- Winner of the 21st Japan Media Arts Excellence Award (2018). \- Winner of the Grand Prize category of the 24th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (2020).*