The Great Bodhisattva Pass, Book 12: Yasutsuna of Hōki

A treasured sword leaves the Horse Magnate’s household on a secret loan. Before long, admiration for its maker becomes entangled with dangerous plans in Kōfu, where bodies found in the streets put the sword master Kobayashi Bungo on the alert.

Meanwhile Okimi, still weakened by illness and longing for Hyōma, finds work in the great estate. Lady Ogin offers her an unexpected friendship, but the household’s separate residences and guarded relationships reveal troubles that wealth cannot mend. A visit to a shrine draws the two women toward the new superintendent, Komai Noto no Kami.

This complete English translation presents all nine sections of the twelfth book of Nakazato Kaizan’s historical epic. The history and mystique of Japanese swords meet roadside comedy, concealed violence, and the uncertainties of loyalty and affection. Every conversation and the source’s divinatory verse are retained.