The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy, Chapter 1

First Published: November 1988 by Fantagraphics Books

• Ame Tomoe
• Lord Tamakuro
• Murakami Gennosuke
• Zato Ino
• Miyamoto Usagi
• Spot
• Lord Noriyuki

The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy

According to the oriental animal zodiac, 1988 is the year of the Dragon. The Dragon symbolizes brilliance, power, and boundless energy and is the most honored of the animal signs.

The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy was conceived in 1984 (this is the storm that Tomoe Ame referred to in "The Confession"). The story has gone through a lot of rewrites and the major villain was changed but, basically, it remained the same. Usagi #7 - 12 served as a prelude as new characters were introduced and old ones reintroduced. Gen, Tomoe Ame, and Lord Noriyuki, Shingen, Zato-Ino, and Spot the Wonder Lizard all join Usagi in this six-part tale.

I'd like to dedicate this story to my father who, himself, was born in the year of the Dragon.

What was it last year, you ask? The Rabbit, of course.

I'd like to extend a "Thank You" to Charlie and Loretta at the Other Realms at Ward Warehouse, Honolulu, Hawaii for the great time they showed us when Gary Kato, Dennis Fujitake, and I did a signing there this past summer.

- STAN SAKAI

The first installment of this 7 chapter epic starts when, during a heavy storm, Tomoe Ame is captured by Lord Tamakuro's guards.

During her capture, she has a flashback: Lord Noriyuki is troubled because he was reported of "activities" at Tamakuro fortress. Tomoe is sent to the fortress in order to pay her lord respect and to find out what is going on at the fortress.

A few days later she arrives and pays her respects to Tamakuro. That night, her men distract the gaurds from a suspicious building and Tomoe finds out that the building is full of Teppo [Matchlock Guns] and lead to make ammunition balls. She is then attacked by a ninja while the guards return to the building. She kills the ninja, escapes the building, and is able to call for her men and leave the fortress on a horse in order to warn Lord Noriyuki of the events (the flashback ends there, when she is captured by the guards).

Elsewhere, Gennosuke is on wanted fugitive Zato-Ino's trail; Zato-Ino is in a shelter protected from the storm when 3 men enter asking for hospitality. They soon attack Zato-Ino in order to collect the bounty, but he takes care of them quickly and leaves the shelter to find a new, quieter place to spend the night.

Meanwhile, Usagi is walking in the storm when horses pass by him. He recognizes Tomoe and decides to follow her captors to help her. Tomoe thinks about the urgency of warning Lord Noriyuki; Gen wants to find Zato-Ino fast to collect the bounty; and Zato-Ino is seeking a peaceful place to rest, with Spot at his side.

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.