Grasscutter Chapter 2

First Published: November, 1997 by Dark Horse Comics

• Jei
• Keiko
• Murakami Gennosuke
• Inazuma
• Miyamoto Usagi
• Kotetsu
• FIXME char-ryoko
• Neko Ninja
• Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
• Kitanamono

Heike Gani

The Heike ganior Heike crab (Heikea Japonica) has, on its carapace (shell), the image of a scowling human face. According to legend, these crabs are the ghosts of the Heike warriors who died during the sea battle at Dan-no-Ura (DH UY #14).

These small crabs reach a maximum size of 1.2 inches (31 mm) across their backs. The rear two legs on each side are much smaller and claw-like for carrying objects. Their red coloration further reinforced their connection to the Heike clan whose banners were also red. There are actually two varieties of "face crabs" along Dan-no-Ura. I've drawn the smaller Heike gani, which are the spirits of the common warriors. The slightly larger, more ornate taisho gani (chieftain crab), or tatsugashira (dragon helmet), were animated by the ghosts of the clan leaders.

The shell-images are not merely decorative but serve a specific purpose. They are the external grooves of support ridges, called apodemes, inside the carapace that are the sites where muscles are attached. These grooves occur in almost all species of crabs. There are other varieties of "face crabs" - the Kuei Lien Hsieh (ghost crabs) of China and the paradorippe granulata, a northwestern Pacific species, to name two.

Research on the crabs came from: the periodical Terra, vol. 31, no. 4 (Los Angeles: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, September 1993), sent to me by Kay Nakamura; Kotto by Lafcadio Hearn (Rutland, VT/Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., 1971) contains a chapter and drawings of these unusual crustaceans; and Japan Day by Day 1877-1883 by Edward Morse (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1945) has drawings and a brief history of the crabs.

The police free Gen just before most of them are killed by an ambush set by the brigand-leader's men. Gen confronts Inazuma at a hot spring, but the brigands attack them both, hoping to collect Boss Bakuchi's bounty.

Badly injured, Inazuma escapes while Gen fells brigands, and is found by Jei and Keiko.

Though Lord Kotetsu speaks for Ryoko, she must convince reluctant Conspirators of her loyalty and power; after their departure, she contacts her agents to recover Grasscutter.

Sharp eyes and keen ears have observed the conspirators' meeting, but even a Neko Ninja proves no match for Ryoko's familiar Kitanamono.

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.