In a feudal, futuristic Japan, samurai battle to become the No. 1 and rule the world. But when his father, who holds the coveted position, is challenged and killed, the young Afro Samurai vows vengeance. Relentlessly pursued by murderous assassins, will he stay alive long enough to keep his promise? In the first two volumes, witness the beginnings of young Afro’s quest, his battles with an array of assassins and warlords, that climaxes in the epic confrontation with the powerful Empty Seven Clan and a showdown with an old enemy… Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Afro Samurai anime starring Samuel L. Jackson.

Change your perspective: get BIG Packed with action, romance and historical intrigue, Rurouni Kenshin is one of the most beloved and popular manga series worldwide. Set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration, it tells the saga of Himura Kenshin, once an assassin of ferocious power, now a humble rurouni, a wandering swordsman fighting to protect the honor of those in need. A Collection of Volumes 13 - 15! As Shishio Makoto's Juppongatana warriors descend on Aoi-Ya and the Kyoto-based Oniwabanshū, Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Saitō Hajime take the fight right to Shishio's front door: his mountain stronghold. Sano tests both his fists and his powerful "Mastery of Two Layers" against the immovable Yūkyūzan Anji, the very person who taught him that technique. Saitō matches blades with the homicidal "Blind Sword" Usui, while Kenshin and Shinomori Aoshi resume their match, which was put on hold back in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Misao and her compatriots desperately try to turn the tide against a slew of Juppongatana fighters. With Yahiko and Kaoru getting in on the action, things begin to look slightly less insurmountable…and then the giant Fuji appears. Facing strength and skill that can literally reduce buildings into piles of kindling, Kenshin's weary friends may lose all hope. Is there a swordsman alive who can stand up to Fuji's horrific might?

With the nascent threat of the Arcane Blades darkening their bright future, it's finally time to summon the best of the best! Marshalling Exobot Academy's strength, Captain Morgan soon realises only reuniting the Elite 8 can change their fate! Sent to recover the reclusive Roach, the fractious 4 of Rain, Austin, Matthew, and Pinoco encounter unwelcome eeriness! Between fear and in-fighting will our heroes overcome themselves and be the hope the world needs? Do they have what it takes to defeat the threat of the PHANTOM TERROR?

Collects Old Man Logan (2016) #31-35. Old Man Logan, the man who once was Wolverine, must face off against a foe like no other: the vicious ninjas of the Hand! Logan’s past comes back to haunt him when a former love drags him into battle with the deadly ninja clan, who have bolstered their forces like never before. And just when he thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Logan encounters the mysterious Scarlet Samurai! She’s willing to do anything to put an end to Logan once and for all — and she just might have the power. Does Old Man Logan have enough grit left in him to fight his way past ninja after ninja, discover the Samurai’s true identity and take down the Hand for good?

The castles of Japan are a product of the country's long history of civil warnd samurai rule from the Middle Ages to mid-19th century. They functionedoth as military fortresses as well as symbols of authority. Theyncorporated powerful mechanisms for warding off attackers, yet as symbolshey were possessed of immense beauty and grace.;This study is divided intoour parts: the first examines who built these castles and why, with anncisive look at Japanese history and the internecine fighting betweenamurai clans; the second part discusses the castle as a fortress - themportance of its location, its layout, stone walls and moats, towers, gates,hooting holes, and stone drops; the third part covers the beauty of theastle as a symbol, covering the intricate craftsmanship seen in structuraletail and the aesthetics of the samurai class itself; and the fourth partontains practical information on visiting castles and gleaning the most from first-hand view.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title Alternate attendance (sankin kotai) was one of the central institutions of Edo-period (1603-1868) Japan and one of the most unusual examples of a system of enforced elite mobility in world history. It required the daimyo to divide their time between their domains and the city of Edo, where they waited upon the Tokugawa shogun. Based on a prodigious amount of research in both published and archival primary sources, Tour of Duty renders alternate attendance as a lived experience, for not only the daimyo but also the samurai retainers who accompanied them. Beyond exploring the nature of travel to and from the capital as well as the period of enforced bachelorhood there, Constantine Vaporis elucidates-for the first time-the significance of alternate attendance as an engine of cultural, intellectual, material, and technological exchange. Vaporis argues against the view that cultural change simply emanated from the center (Edo) and reveals more complex patterns of cultural circulation and production taking place between the domains and Edo and among distant parts of Japan. What is generally known as "Edo culture" in fact incorporated elements from the localities. In some cases, Edo acted as a nexus for exchange; at other times, culture traveled from one area to another without passing through the capital. As a result, even those who did not directly participate in alternate attendance experienced a world much larger than their own. Vaporis begins by detailing the nature of the trip to and from the capital for one particular large-scale domain, Tosa, and its men and goes on to analyze the political and cultural meanings of the processions of the daimyo and their extensive entourages up and down the highways. These parade-like movements were replete with symbolic import for the nature of early modern governance. Later chapters are concerned with the physical and social environment experienced by the daimyo's retainers in Edo; they also address the question of who went to Edo and why, the network of physical spaces in which the domainal samurai lived, the issue of staffing, political power, and the daily lives and consumption habits of retainers. Finally, Vaporis examines retainers as carriers of culture, both in a literal and a figurative sense. In doing so, he reveals the significance of travel for retainers and their identity as consumers and producers of culture, thus proposing a multivalent model of cultural change.