Green Persimmon

First Published: July, 1997 by Dark Horse Comics

• Miyamoto Usagi
• Ame Tomoe
• Lord Noriyuki
• Lord Hikiji

Note: If you have the Color Special #4 and haven't read the last page, yet, you can try to figure the mystery of the persimmon out, yourself: All clues that you need are on page 8 and the back cover!

Note: If you own USAGI YOJIMBO Book Eleven: Seasons, then you can find the same hints on page 170 and 174!

The story starts with a wounded samurai riding down several people and almost killing a child which is saved at the last moment by Usagi.

After making sure the child is all right, Usagi examines the rider who couldn't hold on to his horse any longer and fell to the ground nearby. He finds the rider wears the Geishu mon. Dying, the man hands Usagi a pouch with the order to take this to Lord Noriyuki. Usagi opens the pouch and finds a green, ceramic persimmon of poor quality.

Before he can examine it closer, a group of ruffians demand that he hands it over. As usual, Usagi can't stay out of the affair and has to fight. Since the Geishu samurai was killed by arrows and there is no archer amongst the attackers, Usagi figures that there must others. Leaving the dead to be reported by other peasants, he walks away to get the porcelain to Lord Noriyuki as quickly as possible.

And he was right: More warriors watch him from the top of a hill at some distance.

Walking and admiring the spectacular coastline, he soon arrives at an inn and enjoys some tea while wondering what is going on. While he examines the porcelain, another group of men arrive, admiring the ceramics, too. When they ask to have a closer look, Usagi puts the persimmon away but the men didn't seem to mind - at first.

When the innkeeper comes out to serve the sake which the men had ordered, Usagi is gone - and the men dead.

The men who are following Usagi at a distance start to get worried and bring their archers forward to kill Usagi. Only with sheer luck, he can avoid the rain of arrows and hurries away in field of grass.

Not wanting to waste more of their men than necessary, the attackers start to fire burning arrows into the field and soon, Usagi is trapped in a raging bushfire and starts to lash out at the grass.

The men come down from the top of the hill to retrieve the porcelain as soon as the fire passes on and before any authorities can arrive to investigate the blaze.

When they search the ashes, it becomes obvious that they also don't know what it means - only that their lives depend on retrieving it.

Much to their surprise, Usagi has survived the blaze which has reduced anything else in the field to ashes by digging himself into the ground! As usual, they expect that he can't stand against their number and attack.

And Usagi succeeds again except for the last archer who brings him down with an arrow. Helpless, Usagi lies on the ground and waits for the arrow which will kill him.

The next arrow goes straight through the heat but not Usagis. Surprised, Usagi sees the last man die. A mysterious figure rides slowly through the smoke, asking if Usagi is all right. Usagi, still suspicious, tries to rise.

The figure is clearly amused about his suspicions and teases him. When it gets closer, it turns out to be Tomoe. She has a look at his arm and explains why she is arround: The Geishu clan is missing one of their couriers.

Usagi explains that he has in fact run into that courier and shows her the persimmon which she seems to recognize. She is grateful that it's not broken and that Usagis wound doesn't look to bad (Usagis reply: "That's because you're not the one with an arrow in his arm!")

Arriving at the Geishu residence, Noriyuki explains Usagi what this all about: Hikiji is expecting a shipment of teppo delivered to Lord Sakamoto by a black ship and somehow the persimmon shows when and where the ship will arrive.

Unfortunately, Lord Noriyuki also doesn't know how to read the message which the porcelain is supposed to carry. Again, Usagi has a closer look, while telling the young lord how he came into the possession of it.

Suddenly, he sees it: It has been before their eyes all the time!i (Note: If you want to know how it works, buy the comic!)

Usagi guesses that Lord Hikiji will again find a way to avoid being implicated in this conspiracy but Tomoe still proposes to celebrate this day because it's not often that they can claim a victory over the shadow lord.

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.