is a

gekiga , literally "dramatic pictures", is a style of Japanese comics aimed at adult audiences and marked by a more cinematic art style and more mature themes. ''Gekiga'' was the predominant style of adult comics in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s. It is ...

manga created by the writer

Kazuo Koike was a prolific Japanese manga writer ( gensakusha), novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artful ''seinen'' manga, notably ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' (with Goseki Kojima, 1970–6), '' Lady Snowblood'' ...

and the artist

Goseki Kojima was a Japanese manga artist. He is known for his collaborations with manga writer Kazuo Koike, the most famous of them being ''Lone Wolf and Cub''. Biography Kojima was born in Yokkaichi, Mie, on the same day as Osamu Tezuka. After getting out ...

and published in ''

Weekly Gendai Weekly, The Weekly, or variations, may refer to: News media * ''Weekly'' (news magazine), an English-language national news magazine published in Mauritius *Weekly newspaper, any newspaper published on a weekly schedule *Alternative newspaper, als ...

'' magazine ( Kodansha). Unlike their previous collaborations on ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and i ...

'' and ''

Samurai Executioner ''Samurai Executioner'', known in Japan as , is a 10-volume manga created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima, the same team that created the popular ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' series. The series was first serialized in Japan, from 1972� ...

'', this story focuses on two historical figures from 16th-century Japan. ''Path of the Assassin'' is the story of

Hattori Hanzō or ''Second Hanzō'', nicknamed , was a famous Ninja of the Sengoku era, who served the Tokugawa clan as a ninja, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. He is often a subje ...

, the master ninja whose duty it was to protect

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

, who would grow up to become ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

'' and unify Japan. The creators poetically describe the story as "Lifelong Friends, with the Same Dreams, Striving to Grow into a Rising River". The 20-volume series has been reprinted by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...

in a thicker 15 volume edition, translated into English and oriented in the original right-to-left reading format.Dark Horse Comics > Profile > Path of the Assassin Vol. 1: Serving In The Dark
/ref>

Plot

''Path of the Assassin'', called ''Hanzō no Mon'' in Japan, is the story of

, the fabled master ninja whose duty was to protect

, the ''shōgun'' who would unite Japan into one great nation. But before he could do that, he had to grow up and learn how to love the ladies! As the secret caretaker of such an influential future leader, not only does Hanzo use vast and varied ninja talents, but in living closely with Ieyasu, he forms a close friendship with the young ''shōgun''. The quality of their relationship is unforgettably crystallized by Hanzo's fulfillment of a challenging but enticing task Ieyasu sets him: to demonstrate how to make love to a woman, which neither youngster has ever done. Hanzo succeeds at obliging his master and winning himself a woman whom he pleases, but anticipating that he won't be able to serve both master and wife, Hattori turns away the young woman he won while Ieyasu walks a tactical tightrope between the factions contending for rule—one led by his ''de facto'' father, the other by his older brother while Hanzo meets Tsukumo, the female ninja who will be his wife. Ieyasu wins his first battle when his foster father is killed, which simplifies Ieyasu's next choice of an ally, while meanwhile Hanzo and Tsukumo oppose the marriage because two families' lords are potential rivals. Later, Hanzo rescues Ieyasu's wife and children from a sadistic warlord, precipitating an attempt on Hanzo's life and, oddly, estrangement between him and Ieyasu when Hanzo offends Ieyasu's wife. Hanzo's father-in-law is attacked by another ninja who had previously attacked Hanzo, and the dying man charges Hanzo and Tsukumo to avenge him. Ieyasu, awaiting Hanzo's return from his voluntary exile, makes a mistake by attempting to collect rice from Buddhist-monk vassals belonging to a sect that spurns feudal obligations and provokes an uprising that may be taken advantage of by his rivals. Hanzo learns of the situation and with Tsukumo begins a series of subterfuges and impersonations which culminates in him obtaining a secret document that enables Ieyasu to quell the uprising.

Publication history

Dark Horse manga volumes: *Volume 1. ''Serving in the Dark'' (July 2006). *Volume 2. ''Sand and Flower'' (August 2006). *Volume 3. ''Comparison of a Man'' (November 2006). *Volume 4. ''The Man Who Altered the River's Flow'' (December 2006). *Volume 5. ''Battle of One Hundred and Eight Days'' (February 2007). *Volume 6. ''Life's Greatest Difficulty'' (April 2007). *Volume 7. ''Center of the World'' (June 2007). *Volume 8. ''Shinobi with Extending Fists'' (August 2007). *Volume 9. ''Battle for Power - Part 1'' (October 2007). *Volume 10. ''Battle for Power - Part 2'' (March 2008). *Volume 11. ''Hikuma Castle'' (April 2008). *Volume 12. ''Three Foot Battle'' (May 2008). *Volume 13. ''Hateful Burden'' (September 2008) *Volume 14. ''Bad Blood'' (January 2009) *Volume 15. ''One Who Rules the Dark'' (May 2009)

References

External links

* {{ann, manga, 6244, Path of the Assassin 1973 manga Dark Horse Comics titles Kazuo Koike Kodansha manga Ninja in anime and manga Samurai in anime and manga Seinen manga Comics set in the 16th century Cultural depictions of Hattori Hanzō Gekiga