The Missive

First Published: November, 1999 by Dark Horse Comics

• Miyamoto Usagi
• Shunji
• Sensei Katsuichi
• Jotaro

The story opens with Katsuichi receiving a letter from a wandering priest. He reveals to his student, Shunji, the letter is from Usagi. Over some tea, Katsuichi reads the letter and relates its contents to Shunji. In the letter, Usagi describes a match with Nakamura Koji, an old adversary Katsuichi defeated in a duel some many years past. Usagi lost his duel with Koji, but Koji spared his life so that he could arrange a rematch between Koji and Katsuichi.

Shunji is surprised that Usagi, Katsuichi's best student, was defeated in a duel. Katsuichi goes on to explain what he thinks of as Usagi's "major failing", that he is rash, headstrong, and impulsive, rushing into situations before truly understanding them. He then relates a story about Usagi to Shunji to demonstrate this point.

One day, as a young student, Usagi spied a river stained red. He surmised there must be a battle up the river and ran on ahead despite Katsuichi's commands to wait and further take stock of the situation. It turns out there was no battle going on up the river, but instead some people were rinsing red dyed cloth in the river.

Shunji then asks if Katsuichi is going to keep the appointed duel with Koji. Katsuichi replies he has no interest in "the outside world" but will keep the appointment as "honor is at stake." Finally, in the last panel, it is revealed that Katsuichi's other current student is Jotaro.

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.