The Legend of Kamui

Shirato’s politically aware ninja manga, which ran from 1964 to 1971, makes its English-language debut in this glorious collection, the first of 10 volumes. In 17th-century Japan, the ninja Kamui is born an “outcast,” the lowest caste in the feudal system. He rabble rouses tirelessly against the peasantry’s lot (“The more you tremble the more they’ll exploit you!”), and war between the castes soon breaks out. Other key players in the sprawling drama include Ryūnoshin, a promising young samurai; Shōsuke, another frustrated teenage peasant; and Shōsuke’s girlfriend, Omine, who is sold against her will to the local lord. But the real central character is the setting, which Shirato explores layer by layer, capturing the beauty and brutality of medieval life. He spends pages patiently following a boar hunt, a children’s wrestling match, or the annual rice harvest on which the farmers’ lives depend—though they can’t afford to eat rice themselves. Every scene simmers with outrage at inequality and injustice, which Shirato links to the politics of the 1960s: “If everyone’s legitimate demands were crushed and ignored,” he writes in one of many side essays, “how sad and indignant we would be!” In the early sections, simply drawn characters pop against carefully researched and rendered backgrounds. Then, as the plot thickens, thick, slashing brush lines highlight the violent action. Part adventure epic, part historical fiction, part political call to arms, this manga defies easy categorization. But as Shirato says, “The fish who swims against the current is more vibrant and beautiful than any other.” Readers will want to dive in. (Jan.)