The Great Bodhisattva Pass, Volume 3: Mibu and Shimabara

Tsukue Ryūnosuke reaches Kyoto with a dangerous sword and an unsettled mind. Around him, masterless samurai pursue power, private enemies search the streets, and the pleasures of Shimabara stand within walking distance of Mibu’s armed headquarters. A chance encounter on the road becomes a duel; an innocent young man finds that his comrades may be criminals.

Omatsu, now living in a courtesan’s household, hopes an old protector can buy her freedom. But money, pursuit, and a conversation overheard at a banquet draw her into another peril. Far away, Yohachi listens to a hymn of Jizō’s compassion while carrying a child whose father is moving toward catastrophe.

The third installment of Nakazato Kaizan’s vast historical novel combines lyrical Kyoto nights, the social history of a fading pleasure quarter, darkly comic theft, factional conspiracy, and shocking violence. This complete new English translation includes all seventeen sections, every source poem and hymn passage, and concise explanatory notes.