0-1868

In turbulent sixteenth-century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord Takeda Shingen and grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family.

When, after intercepting a secret message from their mother, their evil Uncle Hidehira uncovers their samurai disguise, Kimi and Hana again must flee for their lives and, with the help of a fellow student, undertake a perilous journey to find their mother and brother before they are captured by Hidehira's samurai.

Fourteen-year-old Seikei, a tea merchant's son, dreams of being a samurai, and he gets a chance to prove his worth when, as the only witness to the theft of a priceless ruby intended for the shogun, he is asked to assist the samurai magistrate in solving the crime.

Akane gives up her life as a princess to become a servant in the inner palace in order to be near her one true love, Aogi, a guard who is confined within the palace walls.

In ancient Japan the young Princess Jingu wonders why her life in the Imperial Palace is different from that of other young people.

Thirteen-year-old Fujiwara no Mitsuko, daughter of a noble family in the imperial court of twelfth century Japan, enlists the help of a shape-shifter and other figures from Japanese mythology in her efforts to save her older sister's life.

Traces the history of the samurai castles of medieval Japan with information on the role of samurai, shogun, and women in feudal Japanese society, on religious beliefs, and on arms and armor of the period.

Describes the Japanese way of life during the samurai eras through information about the politics, military, culture, and the belief system; also indicates the legacy of the period.

In turbulent sixteenth-century Japan, orphaned Taro is taken in by a general serving the great warlord Takeda Shingen and grows up to become a samurai fighting for the enemies of his dead family.

In eighteenth-century Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei, a merchant's son in training to be a samurai, helps his patron investigate a series of murders and arson in the capital city of Edo, each of which is associated in some way with a popular geisha.