With his carefully laid plans crashing around him, Seigen must face a familiar opponent. Arrogant Seigen, blinded by ambition, is ensnared by his desire to learn the Shooting Star Technique, but he soon finds himself backed into a very dangerous corner. Summoned by the sensei, Seigen is transfixed by the promise of instruction in the Shooting Star Technique.īetrayed and seething with anger, Kogan begins the systematic destruction of his former heir. Master Kogan becomes suspicious of his wife's conduct during his comatose hibernation and, with revenge on his mind, issues some very grave orders to his most trusted men. But now, Lady Iku has reason to question the man who has loved her for so long, the man who may hold the key to her deadly secret.Īs questions arise about Seigen's past, Gennosuke disappears from the dojo after being passed over as heir. This public scorn only increased her dependence on her husband, Master Kogan. Children mocked her and the masses fled at her approach. In the end, Kogan himself devises a devious challenge to clarify the situation.įor years, the tormented Lady Iku believed her body was cursed. Seigen and Gennosuke are the most likely candidates, but no one is sure which swordsman is best suited to give their demented leader what he desires. Locked in a decaying state, the master demands to know which of his samurai is worthy of the Kogan legacy. Once a year, Kogan awakes from his death-like slumber to oversee his dojo. The battle is the most difficult of his young life, and a dark secret waits for him at the journey's end. After disgracing Gennosuke on his own turf, Seigen must next face a superior foe to earn the right to meet the sensei. Years before the tournament, Gennosuke Fujiki was the stoic star pupil of the Kogan dojo, and Seigen Irako was a brash young samurai seeking fame and an audience with the dojo's master. The disfigured legends of the blade must summon the strength for one last battle, a final lesson in the artistry of violence where nothing is more beautiful than the kill. Now they must face off within a brutal samurai tournament arranged to satisfy the bloodlust of a cruel tyrant overlord. Two damaged warriors share a twisted and violent past. This public scorn only increased her dependence on her husband. When she was younger she was consistently taunted with a Children's Song and the masses fled at her approach. Voiced by: Emi Shinohara (Japanese), Wendy Powell (English) Voiced by: Hōko Kuwashima (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English) His technique "Nagare Boshi" (Shooting Star) is known and feared by many Samurai. He has a small deformity, a sixth finger on one of his hands. Cares nothing for his daughter, Mie, seeing her only as a tool to continue his line.
Mentally unbalanced most of the time, he regains his sanity most often in the period between fall and winter. The Grandmaster of the Kogan-Ryuu school.
Voiced by: Seizō Katō (Japanese), Jerry Russell (English) A hulk of a man, Ushimata uses an immensely large wooden sword (Seigen comments that appears to be a suburito) which he wields with ease. Voiced by: Yūsaku Yara (Japanese), R Bruce Elliott (English)Ī master of the Kogan-Ryuu school and Gennosuke's senior. Gonzaemon Ushimata ( 牛股 権左衛門 Ushimata Gonzaemon ?) Years before, he Joined the Kogan-Ryuu school afterwards and was eventually picked to become the successor over Gennosuke Fujiki, but he and Kogan had a falling out which resulted in his present-day blindness. In the present time, he is blind and has a deep cut in one of his feet. Michael Tatum (English)Īn ambitious man who seeks to raise his status. Fujiki is very loyal to Kogan (his master), and is said to be most likely to succeed as the school's master. In the present time in his duel with Seigen he has only one arm but it is noted that his back muscles could theoretically make up for lost strength. Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), John Burgmeier (English) Gennosuke Fujiki ( 藤木 源之助 Fujiki Gennosuke ?) The story revolves around the first match between the one-armed swordsman Fujiki Gennosuke and the blind samurai Irako Seigen and deals with the circumstances that led the two to participate in Tokugawa's tournament. The daimyo staged a tournament where the participants fought with real steel Japanese swords rather than bokken ("wooden sword"), against his vassals' strong objection. The story begins in 1629 Shizuoka during Tokugawa Tadanaga's rule.
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