Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park resort in Nagasaki, has announced the production of a new manga series titled Anchoring Dutchman, created through a collaboration with manga artist Kan Takahama. The project is aimed at bringing Dutch history and culture to life as entertainment.
The manga is the result of a partnership with Kan Takahama, known for weaving stories grounded in meticulous historical research and a rich imagination. Set in a future version of Huis Ten Bosch, the work is described as a sci-fi story where different eras and places intersect. The series is scheduled to launch in May 2026 on Leed Publishing's online platform, Torch Web.
Torch Web: https://to-ti.in/product/anchoring_dutchman
Story Synopsis
Nagasaki, 2036.
A museum curator at Huis Ten Bosch is visited by the ghost of a young man. He was caught up in the curse of the ship Kroonvogel, which sank 350 years ago, and has been drifting at sea ever since, unable to pass on. The only way to break the curse is to find "true love" during the brief period he is permitted ashore once every seven years. The curator has long kept herself from loving others due to past wounds and regrets, but as the two are thrown together across time and space, they slowly find themselves drawn to each other...
Comment from Artist Kan Takahama
"When I first heard about this project, I thought, 'This is going to be something remarkable.' There are theme parks around the world based on anime and movies, but a park itself giving birth to a manga is unprecedented. On top of that, they said I could use the park however I wanted... It's too interesting; I had to do it. I went ahead and got the president and staff involved — even bringing in a ghost — and the result is truly a project the likes of which has never been heard of. I hope you enjoy it!"
Comment from Huis Ten Bosch CEO Kotaro Takamura
"Our desire to convey the depth and appeal of Dutch history and culture — which is at the core of Huis Ten Bosch — led us to approach Kan Takahama with this project. Her creativity, which weaves stories rooted in historical fact with a rich imagination, is just what's needed to express the connection between Dutch history, culture, and Huis Ten Bosch in a new form. Through this work, we hope the appeal of the Netherlands and Huis Ten Bosch will stay with more people."
©Photo Pierre Hybre／Leed
About Kan Takahama
Born in Amakusa, Kumamoto. Graduated from the University of Tsukuba. In 2020, her work Nyx's Lantern (Nyukusu no Kakutou) won the "24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Grand Prize" and the "21st Agency for Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival, Manga Division Excellence Award." Her published works include Yellow Backs, Awabi, Nagiwatari, Two Espresso, Yotsuya-ku Hanazono-cho, the Nagasaki trilogy (Choucho no Michiyuki, Nyx's Lantern, Ougishima Saijiki), The Lover (original: Marguerite Duras), When Roses Bloom (original: Muriel Barbery), and others. Highly acclaimed abroad, particularly in France and Italy, many of her works have been translated into various languages, and she has been invited to international manga festivals including Angoulême and Lucca. She is currently serializing the historical romance Shishi to Botan — centered on the treasure of Amakusa Shiro — on Torch Web.
Manga Details
- Title: Anchoring Dutchman
- Artist: Kan Takahama
- Publisher: Leed Publishing (Leed-sha)
- Serialized on: Torch Web
- Serialization start: May 2026 (planned)
