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The Legend of Kamui
The Legend of Kamui: Volume Two
More swords, more fighting, more deception...
Shirato Sanpei’s epic feudal sword drama continues! In Shirato’s world, life is hard ande very step forward is hard-won. But through that hardship comes strength. The Legend of Kamui: Volume 2 features more action and more intrigue as minor characters step into the light of this sweeping seventeenth-century social tapestry.
Deeply embroiled in the deceptive maneuverings of the upper class, the warrior Ikkaku begins to see the betrayal around him. Meanwhile, the genin Shosuke uses his education to better himself and learn to farm―all while realizing his education can better the lives of those around him, too. As he gains the skills and intelligence necessary to forge a path forward, he also becomes all too aware that there can, and must, be a better way.
Will Ikkaku become a prisoner of his own quest for revenge? Will Shosuke find salvation inleading peers out of destitution? The White Wolf, too, resurfaces and begins to lead a life apart from other wolves until he meets the great One-Eyed Lone Wolf. Will he be accepted or will he be killed, hunted down for his rare pelt?
Only time will tell. There is no rest for the wicked, and sinister forces only work against the little guy.
Translated by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.
Shirato Sanpei’s epic feudal sword drama continues! In Shirato’s world, life is hard ande very step forward is hard-won. But through that hardship comes strength. The Legend of Kamui: Volume 2 features more action and more intrigue as minor characters step into the light of this sweeping seventeenth-century social tapestry.
Deeply embroiled in the deceptive maneuverings of the upper class, the warrior Ikkaku begins to see the betrayal around him. Meanwhile, the genin Shosuke uses his education to better himself and learn to farm―all while realizing his education can better the lives of those around him, too. As he gains the skills and intelligence necessary to forge a path forward, he also becomes all too aware that there can, and must, be a better way.
Will Ikkaku become a prisoner of his own quest for revenge? Will Shosuke find salvation inleading peers out of destitution? The White Wolf, too, resurfaces and begins to lead a life apart from other wolves until he meets the great One-Eyed Lone Wolf. Will he be accepted or will he be killed, hunted down for his rare pelt?
Only time will tell. There is no rest for the wicked, and sinister forces only work against the little guy.
Translated by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger.
640 pages, Paperback
Published August 12, 2025
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31 people want to read
About the author
Sanpei Shirato
115 books12 followersSanpei Shirato (白土三平) was born Noboru Okamoto in 1932, a son of well-known leftist painter and activist, Tōki Okamoto, who was active in organizing a proletarian art movement during the 1920s and 1930s. In wartime Japan, to avoid persecution from the authorities, the Okamoto family frequently moved around the country to different places including Kobe, Osaka, and some rural areas where young Shirato experienced poverty and came in contact with ethnic minorities and other discriminated groups (i.e., burakumin) as a child.
Shirato debuted in 1957 with his manga, Kogarashi kenshi. Although his earlier manga were aimed at children, some of them already exhibited social concerns, including social marginalization of ethnic minorities, the struggles of people in the lower class, the socially oppressive power structure–all of which became prevalent motifs in his works. Stylistically, his earlier manga in the late 1950s inherited the postwar mainstream manga style—which consists of Tezuka-inspired, simplistic cartoony depiction of characters with large eyes. His style gradually changed throughout the 1960s, as observed in the shift of visual style in Kamui-den.
Shirato debuted in 1957 with his manga, Kogarashi kenshi. Although his earlier manga were aimed at children, some of them already exhibited social concerns, including social marginalization of ethnic minorities, the struggles of people in the lower class, the socially oppressive power structure–all of which became prevalent motifs in his works. Stylistically, his earlier manga in the late 1950s inherited the postwar mainstream manga style—which consists of Tezuka-inspired, simplistic cartoony depiction of characters with large eyes. His style gradually changed throughout the 1960s, as observed in the shift of visual style in Kamui-den.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 21, 2026
Another excellent volume that balances exciting events with social and economic commentary of the period.
January 3, 2026
Sanpei is a great writer and this series has excellent themes and complex plotlines. Much of the art is beautiful but the character's faces are similar. It's hard to keep track of the characters because there are so many, they look the same, and the chapters jump from one focus to the next. I'm looking forward to Volume 3
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews