The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls

Infobox animanga/Header
name = The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan


caption =
ja_name = Y十M ～柳生忍法帖～
ja_name_trans = Y- Jū -M - Yagyū Ninpōchō
genre = Action, Historical fantasyInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Masaki Segawa
publisher = flagicon|Japan Kodansha flagicon|Canada flagicon|United States Del Rey Manga flagicon|United Kingdom Tanoshimi
publisher_other = flagicon|Germany Heyne
demographic = Seinen
magazine = flagicon|Japan Young Magazine Uppers
first = November 2005
last = June 2007
volumes = 11

nihongo|"The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan"|Y十M ～柳生忍法帖～|Y- Jū -M - Yagyū Ninpōchō is an 11-volume manga series written by Masaki Segawa and first published in Japan by Kodansha in 2005. Like Masaki Segawa's first manga Basilisk, the Yagyu Ninja Scrolls is based on a novel from Futaro Yamada's Ninpocho series and can therefore be considered a sequel to Basilisk, especially as several of the same historical characters featured in Basilisk make a return appearance. The story centers on seven female survivors of the Hori Clan and their crusade of vengeance against the tyrannical daimyo who slaughtered their family.

Plot Summary

In the 19nth year of Kannei (1642), a rebellion by the Hori Clan against the despotic daimyo of Aizu Kato Akinari has been suppressed through the intervention of the Shogunate. Placed into the custody of the Seven Spears, Kato's personal enforcers, the Hori men are dragged to the Tokeiji Divorce Temple at Kamakura where the Hori women had been hiding. Despite a law passed by former Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu forbidding men to enter the temple, the Seven Spears force their way in and brutally slaughter the Hori women before their husbands and brothers. The massacre is stopped only by the intervention of Princess Sen, Tokeiji's guardian and older sister to the reigning Shogun Iemitsu. Unfortunately, though the Seven Spears agreed to depart, only seven of the Hori women survived.

In retribution for the violation of Tokeiji Temple and those who she had taken under her care, Princess Sen sends a message to the famous monk Takuan Soho to locate one person who can train the seven Hori women to seek their revenge. The one chosen is Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi, son of Yagyu Munenori and former instructor to the Shogun. With Jubei's instruction and guidance, the Hori women begin their war against the Seven Spears and ultimately Kato himself.

Characters

;Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi:Son of the famous Yagyu Munenori, Jubei was formerly a sword instructor for Shogun Iemistu but gave up the post to his younger brother in order to live as a wandering swordsman. Chosen by Takuan Soho at the request of Princess Sen to train the Hori women in the arts of war, Jubei had strong doubts as to whether they would be able to win but agreed to teach them as it might prove interesting. As the Seven Spears greatly outclass the Hori women in terms of power and martial ability, Jubei instead instructs them in the ways of military strategy, devising ambush tactics for the Hori women to eliminate the Seven Spears one by one in ways that neutralize their individual skills. Although a harsh and merciless teacher (Takuan relates to Princess Sen how during one of his lessons with Iemitsu Jubei beat his student to the point that Iemitsu couldn't even stand) Jubei has a mischievous streak to him and he enjoys needling and annoying the Hori women while his cavalier attitude belies both his strong sense of justice and his dedication to his students.

The Hori Clan

;Hori Mondo Tsunafusa:Lord of the Hori Clan and former samurai to Aizu daimyo Kato Akinari. Despite his disgust at the wanton acts of violence and depravity performed by his lord, Mondo performed his required duty as Kato's "Kuni-Garo" (chief vassal) until he was pressured to surrender his daughter Ochie to be Kato's mistress. Knowing that Kato would never accept his refusal, Mondo sent Ochie and the other Hori women into hiding at Tokeiji Temple while he and his men launched an assault on Kato's castle. Defeated by Kato's soldiers, Mondo and his men fled to Koyasan where they posed as monks before being captured by Shogunate forces who turned them over to the Seven Spears. Mondo was then dragged in stocks to Tokeiji where he was forced to witness the slaughter of nearly all the Hori women before being taken back to Aizu where he and his men were brutally tortured to death.

The Hori Women

;Ochie:The daughter of Hori Mondo and princess to the Hori. Following the genocide of her clan, Ochie rises to take leadership of the survivors in their quest for revenge against Kato and the Seven Spears. Because of the abuse she and the others suffered at the hands of Kato and his subordinates, Ochie develops an aversion to all men and at first refuses to accept Jubei's help yet gradually comes to respect him as both a mentor and a comrade.

;Ofue:The attendant and confidant of Ochie. The most outspoken of the Hori women, Ofue is easily riled which makes her a prime target for Jubei's teasing. She frequently serves as comic relief

;Sakura:The daughter of Mondo's brother Manabe Shobei and cousin to Ochie. Quiet and introspective, Sakura is frequently assigned by Jubei to spy on their enemies as her close-cropped hair allows her to disguise herself as either a women or a youth.

;Osawa:The wife of Mondo's brother Tagei Matahachiro and aunt to Ochie and Sakura. Osawa is a talented seamstress whom Jubei assigns to create whatever costumes and disguises are required to spy or entrap their enemies. She serves as a mother figure to the other Hori women.

;Oshina:The wife of Mondo's vassal Kanemaru Hansaku. Although dedicated to avenging her clan, Oshina is the most timid of the surviving women and rarely speaks.

;Otori:The daughter of Mondo's vassal Itakura Buden.

;Okei:The wife of Mondo's vassal Inaba Jyuzaburo. She accompanies Yagyu Jyubei to the Kato mansion in an attempt to kidnap Lord Akinari.

The Kato Clan

;Kato Shikinobusho Akinari:The daimyo of Aizu and lord of the Kato clan. Sadistic and perverse, Kato ruthlessly slaughters any who oppose him and spends his days fornicating with the constantly changing members of his harem. Although Kato's public face is of a fearless and powerful noble such as when he held his own against the attempted intimidation by Date Masamune (a bold man known as The One-Eyed Dragon); his private moments reveal him to be an insecure and apprehensive individual plagued by nightmares and constantly overshadowed by the legacy of his father.

The Ashina

A clan of ninja who once ruled over Aizu, the Ashina rescued Lord Kato seven years prior to the Manga's beginning when he was attacked by an unknown assailant while out hawking. In gratitude, Kato selected seven of the strongest Ashina to be his personal bodyguards and enforcers, naming them the Seven Spears of Aizu after the Seven Spears of Shizugatake whom his father, Kato Yoshiaki, had led. The Ashina are as perverse as their Lord and whenever Kato grows bored with any of his consorts, the unlucky women are given to the Seven Spears who rape and torture them to death. ;Ashina Dohaku:Lord of the Ashina ninja clan and vassal to Kato. He trained the Seven Spears.

The Seven Spears

;Urushido Koshichiro:The leader of the Seven Spears and a master swordsman. Although missing his left arm, Koshichiro has developed a unique two-sword method where he holds his nodachi in his right hand while gripping his wakizashi in his mouth.

;Daidoji Tessai:The oldest of the seven spears, Tessai wields a two-handed scythe that can be split in half to form a Kusari-gama. The weapon also contains a weighted chain in the butt of the handle and a retractable seconday scythe blade in the head. Tessai is easily angered and will even lash out at his allies if he feels they've insulted him. He becomes the first to die at the hands of the Hori women who trap and immobilize both ends of his weapon before closing in from all sides and stabbing him with their swords.

;Koro Ginshiro:The youngest of the Seven Spears, Ginshiro is cocky and impulsive. He wields a net that when folded can easily be concealed within the palm of his hand yet when deployed can expand to envelop two people. The net possesses surprising strength despite its delicate appearance and its mesh is fine enough that not even air can pass through. Following Jubei's surprise raid on Kato's castle, Ginshiro was the one who discovered that that the Hori women had departed Tokeiji temple. He also lusts after Sakura as during the murder of the Hori Clan's female members he requests that the others allow him to slay her personally.

;Shiba Ichiganbo:A one-eyed pig of a man, Ichiganbo's bulk belies both his incredible martial ability and his cunning. Highly observant, he's usually the first to figure out crucial aspects that his comrades overlook and was the one who proposed framing Princess Sen in order to draw out Jubei. In battle, he wields a whip that responds as though it were an extension of his own being. He can even use it to amputate parts of an opponent's body by wrapping it around their limbs or necks and pulling the whip taut.

;Washinosu Rensuke:The most physically powerful of the Seven Spears, Rensuke disdains the use of weapons in favor of kenpō (Japanese martial arts inspired by Chinese Kung Fu) and his own inhuman strength. During the Seven Spears assault on Tokeiji, Rensuke was able to break open the temple's gate using his bare hands and feet.

;Hiraga Magobei:The fifth member of the Seven Spears, Magobei stands out among the other Seven Spears due to his dark complexion. A specialist in long range combat, he wields a convert|20|ft|m|sing=on cavalry spear with the same speed and precision on foot as he would on horseback. He is the second of the Seven Spears to die when Otori (with some coaching from Jubei) uses his spear as a springboard to catapult herself above and inside his range of attack and slice him in half vertically.

;Gusoku Jyunoshin:The weakest of the Seven Spears, Jyunoshin specializes neither in weapons nor hand to hand combat. Instead, he controls a pack of vicous dogs the size of calves whom he uses to hunt down and ultimately tear his opponents to pieces. His small size and overlong arms cause him to resemble a monkey, a fact the other Seven Spears frequently use to insult him.

Others

;Tokugawa Iemitsu:The grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the current reigning Shogun. In the years between Basilisk and The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls, Iemitsu has grown from a somewhat dimwitted child into a capable and efficient ruler. Although he sympathizes with the Hori clan, his responsibilities as Shogun demand that he arrest them for the crime of rebellion and deliver them to Kato for punishment. As the Hori women had hidden in a divorce temple forbidding the entrance of men, Iemitsu was willing to spare at least them and was greatly troubled to hear that the Ashina were the ones charged with delivering the Hori to Aizu.

;Nankoubou Tenkai:The archbishop of Kanneiji temple. As with Ieyasu, Tenkai serves in Shogun Iemitsu's inner circle as his most trusted advisor. While he agrees with Iemitsu's decision to turn over the Hori men to Kato while leaving the Hori women sequestered in the divorce temple, Tenkai is all too aware of the Ashina clan's capacity for violence and the potential of the Seven Spears to escalate the already tenuous situation.

;Yagyu Munenori:The father of Yagyu Jubei and another former member of Tokugawa Ieyasu's inner circle. In the years between Basilisk and The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls, Munenori had been appointed "Sometsuke" (the overseer of the daimyo) and since retired yet still holds a place in Iemitsu's council. Like Tenkai, he supports Iemitsu's decision to arrest the Hori men, stating that regardless of how justified their actions, allowing any sort of anarchy to go unpunished would jeorpadize the Tokugawa Shogunate's hold over the various regions.

; Princess Sen (Tenjuin):The grandaughter of Ieyasu and older sister to Shogun Iemitsu. As the guardian of Tokeiji temple, Princess Sen was the one who convinced her grandfather to enact a law banning any man from entering. When Hori Mondo staged his rebellion against the Kato clan, Princess Sen agreed to grant shelter for the Hori women, disguising them as nuns but permitting them to keep their hair in the hopes that they would be able to leave once the matter had been settled. When the Seven Spears launched their attack, Princess Sen offered her life in exchange for the seven surviving Hori women and the Seven Spears retreated for fear that she would convince Iemitsu to have Mondo and his men released as well. Because both of her prior husbands died shortly after marrying her, a rumor spread throughout Edo stating that she seduced men only to kill them after having her way with them. Following the death of Magobei, the remaining Seven Spears took advantage of the rumor in order to draw out Jubei by framing her for the kidnapping of several soon to be married couples throughout Edo.

;Tenshuni:The high preistess of Tokeiji Temple and the grandaughter of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ieyasu's sworn rival. Following the siege of Osaka Castle in which the Toyotomi clan perished, Tenshuni was adopted by Princess Sen-whom Ieyasu had wed to Hideyoshi's son Hideyori as part of his political ambitions-and sequestered in Tokeiji. During the raid by the Seven Spears, Tenshuni was almost killed by Ginshiro who enveloped her in his net and nearly suffocated her before Ochie and the other Hori women revealed themselves. Although put off by Jubei's lack of grace, Tenshuni allows him to stay at Tokeiji to train the Hori women under the condition that he wear a set of bells to alert the other nuns to his presence. Jubei would later repay the favor by having the Hori women wear bells while staying at Tokaiji.

;Takuan Soho:The High Priest of Shinagawa Banshozan Tokaiji Temple in Edo. Because of his friendships with various generals and swordsmen, Takuan was asked by Princess Sen to find a sensei who could train the surviving Hori women to defeat the Seven Spears. Later, as the Hori women begin their assault, he grants them and Jubei shelter at his temple since the last place the Seven Spears would look for them would be a monestary forbidding women to enter.

;Shoji Jinnemon:The owner of the Nishida-ya Brothel in Yoshiwara who frequently sells girls to Kato. In the past, Jinnemon was a bandit known as Shoji Jinnai who plundered the region of Kankatsu-sa as part of a trio of thieves known as the Three Jinnais. Although he learns of the way Kato abuses and eventually kills his consorts, he continues to sell women to him in exchange for higher costs to ensure his silence. After the Hori women kill Tessai who had been escorting the latest group of girls Kato had purchased, Jubei assaults Jinnemon and forces him to provide money for the girls to escape, promising that he would return if Jinnemon ever sold another woman to the Kato clan.

References

*The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls(manga) [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=8121] at Anime News Network Encyclopedia [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/] . Accessed 2008-05-15.

*Masaki Segawa (Manga-Ka). The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls Revenge of the Hori Clan [Manga] Kodansha: Japan. 2005-2007