shoguns

"As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber ... at the cost of never being able to swim again! Years, later, Luffy sets off in search of the 'One Piece', said to be the greatest treasure in the world ... Kaido is already the strongest creature in the world--and he's about to form an alliance that would make his Animal Kingdom pirates even more powerful!! Meanwhile, Luffy and the Straw Hats continue to recruit members to their side. But unbeknownst to them, the balance of power in the world is beginning to change ..."--.

After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen--Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne's loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed. Powerful and engrossing, capturing both the rich pageantry and stark realities of life in feudal Japan, Sh?gun is a critically acclaimed powerhouse of a book. Heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action melds seamlessly with intricate historical detail and raw human emotion. Endlessly compelling, this sweeping saga captivated the world to become not only one of the best-selling novels of all time but also one of the highest-rated television miniseries, as well as inspiring a nationwide surge of interest in the culture of Japan. Shakespearean in both scope and depth, Sh?gun is, as the New York Times put it, "...not only something you read--you live it." Provocative, absorbing, and endlessly fascinating, there is only one: Sh?gun.

Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, posessed of a talent that, if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus guild, accompanys her father on the Shogun's hunt to capture a thunder tiger, a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger, when she finds herself stranded, a young woman alone in the Shima's last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company.

As civil war sweeps across the Shima Imperium, the Lotus Guild unleashes their deadliest creation--a mechanical goliath, intended to unite the shattered Empire under a yoke of fear. Yukiko and Buruu are forced to take leadership of the rebellion, gathering new allies and old friends. But the ghosts of Buruu's past stand between them and the army they need, and Kin's betrayal has destroyed all trust among their allies. When a new foe joins the war, it will be all the pair can do to muster the strength to fight, let alone win. And as the earth splits asunder, as armies destroy each other for rule over an empire of lifeless ash and the final secret about blood lotus is revealed, the people of Shima will learn one last, horrifying truth.

Examines the history of Japan from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, during which the island country completely isolated itself from the world and nurtured its own unique culture of shogun, samurai, and geishas.

Left with few ways to occupy their time, the men of the Inner Chamber turn to nefarious ways to pass the time, creating a world of bloody intrigue.

Shogun Tsunayoshi must name an heir to take her place, but her senile father prefers a young, inexperienced lord to be appointed instead of the most likely candidate.

After Gyokuei rises to become an advisor to shogun Tsunayoshi, the intrigues of the Inner Chamber and the shogun herself, push Gyokuei to the breaking point.

Female shogun Iemitsu and her lover, Arikoto, try to conceive a male child in a land where much of the male population has died. After some time with no success, they decide they must betray their love for their country's sake.