Crows Part I

First Published: May 2002 by Dark Horse Comics

• Miyamoto Usagi
• Nakamura Koji
• Sensei Katsuichi
• Jotaro
• Shunji

Inside a dojo, two young students duel, watched by their peers and their teachers. Jotaro sits by Katsuichi sensei and the head of the dojo, Isao sensei, watching his sempai Shunji fight. Katsuichi teaches Jotaro mitori-geiko, the art of watching a fight. The concept is new to Jotaro and despite his enthusiasm, his inexperience shows. As does Shunji's; He loses the match. Leaving the students to their chores, Katsuichi and Isao retire for some tea.

As night falls, they talk of their students and reminisce about their childhood. This was the dojo where Katsuichi began his training with the sword. Katsuichi explains that he is on a journey to fulfull an obligation to a former student; to duel Nakamura Koji. Isao knows of Koji, he defeated him the year before, but not before Koji defeated all of his students and their wounds took months to heal. Their talk leads them into challenging one another to a match for old times sake. The two are obviously good friends, and Katsuichi says as much. When Katsuichi left the school, Isao stayed a friend even when the others turned against him. The head of the school never forgave him. Had he not left, he would have become head of the school in place of Isao. They laugh about their student days, sneaking out to geisha houses and the harsh punishments they received, however the mention of Katsuichi's old love, Kinuko brings him up short - old memories, long buried. Katsuichi and Isao begin their match, one old warror against another.

The following morning, both men look somewhat the worse for wear as Katsuichi and his students say their farewells. Many hours later, they pass a peasant pushing a cart, while the sky begins to fill with crows. Not long after, the peasant they passed reappears, chased by three mounted men and calling for help. The peasant is speared through the back as he reaches them. Katsuichi intervenes, breaking the nose of one of the attackers with his staff. They regroup, attack and two are cut down, leaving the third running for his life.

The peasant's wound is not mortal and Katsuichi begins to treat him as his students fetch the cart. The men attacked him on the way to market rather than on the way back, leading Katsuichi to believe they were scouts for a larger group. When Katsuichi orders the peasant onto the cart, Shunji and the peasant are as surprised as each other. It's not done for samurai to labour and toil, while a peasant rides leisurely, according to Shunji.

The peasant gets onto the cart, Shunji bears the brunt of his sensei's displeasure. Jotaro is good-hearted enough (or shrewd enough) not to question his sensei's judgement. They return the peasant to his village, where Katsuichi informs the village headman of a possible bandit attack. The headman begs for help and while Katsuichi refuses, the decision is taken out of his hands. The bandits have been sighted. Katsuichi and the headman rally the villagers. Jotaro is surprised to see a peasant wearing samurai armour and carrying a sword. There is a bigger surprise in store with the approach of the bandits. Someone altogether unexpected.

Last change: 19. May 2003

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Usagi Yojimbo, including all prominent characters featured in the stories and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Stan Sakai and Usagi Studios. Usagi Yojimbo is a registered trademark of Stan Sakai. Names, characters, places, and incidents featured in this publication either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, institutions, or locales, without satiric content, is coincidental.