Japan, 1587. Sen must find a husband to marry into her family's swordsmith business. She seeks a Christian husband, though Christianity is banned. Enter Nobuhiro. Third son of a high-level samurai, Nobuhiro fled his harsh father and apprenticed himself to a swordsmith. He yearns to prove his worth. They seem an ideal match. But for Sen, the choice is faith or family. For Nobuhiro, choosing a Christian ends any reconciliation with his family. Can love be forged from the impossible?

Rescued by an American whaler after a terrible shipwreck leaves him and his four companions castaways on a remote island in 1841, Manjiro learns new laws and customs as he becomes the first Japanese person to set foot in the United States.

Takeo has finally achieved his dream; he has left behind the darkness of his past and become a Samurai. But now, with the courage that comes from knowing you are worthy, he finally feels ready to confront his demons. Yet Imperial Japan is in turmoil; General Akuma, one of the Empire's most powerful men has turned his back on the Emperor, and is planning to betray him. The two men are linked by a dark secret; the 13th prophet. It is into this mysterious feud that Takeo will stray on his quest to find out who he really is and answer the questions that have followed him his whole life. Why was he left to grow up in a monastery? And where is the brother that abandoned him ten years earlier?

Traces the development of the samurai, both in the way they regarded themselves and their role in society.

Deep in the winter wilderness, Akiko and Kenji face a critical decision. Their village lies under siege by the ruthless Ren, and hope seems lost. Yet, guided by the wisdom of the forest and a chance encounter with the skilled hunter Yumi, a daring plan emerges. The abandoned mine, with its network of forgotten tunnels, presents a potential path to victory. But venturing into the darkness is fraught with peril. Will they find a hidden passage to outmaneuver Ren's forces, or will they be swallowed by the treacherous depths? Join Akiko and Kenji in their desperate struggle for survival as they navigate the unknown depths of the abandoned mine, forging an alliance with Yumi and seeking a chink in Ren's armor.

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Gail Tsukiyama's The Samurai's Garden uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for this extraordinary story. A 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight. Matsu is a samurai of the soul, a man devoted to doing good and finding beauty in a cruel and arbitrary world, and Stephen is a noble student, learning to appreciate Matsu's generous and nurturing way of life and to love Matsu's soulmate, gentle Sachi, a woman afflicted with leprosy.

When I was six months old, I dropped from the sky -- the lone survivor of a deadly Japanese plane crash. The newspapers named me Heaven. I was adopted by a wealthy family in Tokyo, pampered, and protected. For nineteen years, I thought I was lucky. I'm learning how wrong I was. A Sheltered Life Life is good back in Japan where I'm safe and papered as a princess though I miss the freedom I had in L.A. But now maybe I'll finally face my enemy. And I can learn the truth about who I really am and what I will become. I am Samurai Girl.