Edibash Paws in Feudal Japan

-A Work of Samurai Fiction-

Written by the Ginzou Matsuo

Epigraph

Blade at the ready

Mind in deep concentration

Spirit fierce as death

-Shinji Otsuka

Preface

Readers familiar with Japanese history will be quick to point out that, although this story is set mostly in the sixteenth century, the Yakuza did not exist until the seventeenth century.

Keep in mind that typical samurai were not part of the Yakuza- they were military nobles. The samurai featured in this story are those who have committed acts against the Bushido- the code of the samurai. While the punishment for this was death, many samurai simply vanished, joining mobs in other areas of Japan. Many samurai became enforcers for various Yakuza families.

I am writing this novel to spread knowledge of the Samurai to anime loving Western youths- many aspects of this story are fictional or exaggerated. I use characters from the manga/anime InuYasha to create a cast of characters that most readers will find more familiar.

Glossary

Bushido: The code of the samurai. Similar to the idea of chivalry.

Hanyo: A half demon.

Oyabun/Oyakata: A mentor, or leader of an organization. Most commonly used within the Yakuza.

Samurai: A military noble.

Yakuza: A member of a Japanese organized crime group.

Episodes

The Messenger

To Kill a Master

Discovery

Trial and Punishment