Samurai Part I

First Published: July 1987 by Fantagraphics Books

• Gunichi
• Miyamoto Usagi
• Murakami Gennosuke
• Kenichi
• Sensei Katsuichi

Usagi encounters a face he has not seen for many years. Perhaps one he would have preferred not to have encountered again. The two of them face off in the afternoon sun before drawing their blades. Two strong kiai and a flash of blades later and one of the two falls. It is not Usagi.

Gen, sitting unnoticed to one side applauds Usagi on a magnificent dual, then asks him the story behind it. Perhaps for no other reason other than that he needs to talk about it, Usagi begins to recount the events leading up to the duel, starting early into his childhood.

He explains about how his father sent him and his 'friend' Kenichi to the dogora fencing school to learn the ways of budo. En route they are witness to a group of Dogora fencing school students attacking a supposedly feeble old man, Katsuichi. After the old man easily dispatches his would be killers, Usagi follows him, much to the distain of Kenichi, who continues on to the Dogora fencing school.

Katsuichi curses Usagi for a fool and ignores him, making his way back to his mountain home. Usagi follows undeterred, only to spend a lonely night in the cold outside. When morning breaks, Usagi is startled by Katsuichi, who tells his new student warrior to go get some firewood.

Last change: 19. May 2003

Back to UY Dojo Home Page

Because of getting swamped by spam eMail, we don't publish an eMail adress here but you can always reach us via the DojoBoard.

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.