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首斬り朝 [Kubikiri Asa] #5
Samurai Executioner, Vol. 5: Ten Fingers, One Life
Striking similarities between Lone Wolf & Cub and Koike and Kojima's sidebar storyline Samurai Executioner (known as Kubikiri Asa in Japan) are evident in the cool attitude, rebellious honor, and unflappable bushido of the lead characters of both series, but readers will delight in the whole new genre of Edo-era samurai spirit in Samurai Executioner. Wrapped tightly around a core of crime fiction, we enter a world of harsh and violent crime, and the forces up against it.
In this volume, after a few initial stories of criminals' lives leading to execution, we meet two Edo-era police officers and explore their specialized methods of capturing crafty criminals. Then, in Koike's signature fashion, the volume ends with a psycho killer and her grueling and violent end. It's like a history lesson, art education, and pulp sensation, all wrapped up in one fantastic series.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2005
6 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Kazuo Koike
562 books292 followersKazuo Koike (小池一夫, Koike Kazuo) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 3, 2025
One of my all time favorite series - Zen and Bushido cut deeply in these stories. The illustrations are intense: death by sword is illustrated in a very graphic way. If you are offended by violence then you may not want to read this. If you have not been exposed to Bushido and Zen then some of the concepts may be strange at first.
September 28, 2015
Volume 5 does not typically follow a long chapter pattern that dominates the previous 4 books. Instead, shorter chapters are written - like sushis of history rather than a bento of the past.
As always, the stories are beautifully written with an equally realistic artwork. The Koike-Kojima tandem by now has grown into me, a part of my life and a literary standard I set when looking for other manga titles.
The only drawback is for those who seek a serialized story rather than an episodic one. Samurai Executioner lacks story arcs that conclude after a few volumes. Halfway through the whole story, one would kinda expect that volume 5 has a sort of mid-season finale. But this doesn't have that. Book 5 just ends the way a volume of Samurai Executioner ends - a decapitation by Kubikiri Asa.
As always, the stories are beautifully written with an equally realistic artwork. The Koike-Kojima tandem by now has grown into me, a part of my life and a literary standard I set when looking for other manga titles.
The only drawback is for those who seek a serialized story rather than an episodic one. Samurai Executioner lacks story arcs that conclude after a few volumes. Halfway through the whole story, one would kinda expect that volume 5 has a sort of mid-season finale. But this doesn't have that. Book 5 just ends the way a volume of Samurai Executioner ends - a decapitation by Kubikiri Asa.
March 21, 2018
Samurai are a big staple of manga comics, but nobody does samurai better than Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima. The pair are most famous for their 8400 (give or take a few) page samurai epic Lone Wolf & Cub. After completing the saga of Ogami Itto and his son, they embarked on a slightly less ambitious series, spinning an extremely minor LW&C character, Yamada Asaemon, the Shoguns decapitator and sword tester, off into his own 3000-page saga.
However, Samurai Executioner takes a different tact than its predecessor. Rather than spinning one gargantuan epic of family, honor and revenge, Samurai Executioner essentially limits itself to a continuing series of nearly unrelated short stories. The focus, thus, becomes less on Asaemon's journey and more on the political, social and criminal strata of Edo-period Japanese history. The depth of research that Koike has done is truly astounding, reflecting in the impeccable detail of Kojimas illustrations and the intriguing scenarios that continually face Asaemon.
Short tales focus on the sense of honor that even the lowest criminal can feel. Longer stories, such as Volume 6's Gobari Sandosu, examine the political make-up of Edo by putting Asaemon in conflict with what are effectively the unions that run the city's daily functions. Through it all, Asaemon behaves with total honor and responsibility for his duties as decapitator. Asaemon is often just a bit player in many stories, as Koike prefers to tell stories about the history and culture of his homeland. However, Koike still takes some time to prevent Asaemon from becoming a complete cipher, delving into the manner by which citizens avoid contact with the dreaded executioner and his cursed status in Edo. When Asaemon steps to the side (usually to show up at the tales end with a final sword stroke or to offer words of wisdom), one of his few friends, Jitte man (in modern English, cop) Sakane Kasajiro, steps to the front to showcase the police methods of ancient Japan. Kasajiro offers a different view of the time period, that of a younger man finding his place in a regimented world. Among other things, he learns the limits of his favored fighting technique, marries (a most unlikely bride whom he doesnt treat very well, which may be a signifier of the times or perhaps just an unsavory character trait) and solves mind-scrambling crimes.
Artist Goseki Kojima has his limitations. He only has 4 or 5 stock people, and everybody starts to look a like after a while, but nobody I mean nobody lays out a scene more cinematically or creates more believable backgrounds. Each building has a physical weight on the page, and the reader can feel the wind blowing out of the book when Kojimas landscapes come to the fore. His brushstrokes perfectly capture the organic feel of Edo. Plus, let's be honest, his action scenes kick ass.
Samurai Executioner is a violent, sexual series. Whether that is a negative or a positive, I leave up the reader, but it should be noted that Koike and Kojima pulls absolutely no punches when showing the depth to which some criminals will sink. Some criminals inspire sympathy due to their circumstances, and some are amoral monsters. In any case, Decapitator Asaemon is waiting at the end of the line, and I strongly encourage any curious reader to be there as well.
However, Samurai Executioner takes a different tact than its predecessor. Rather than spinning one gargantuan epic of family, honor and revenge, Samurai Executioner essentially limits itself to a continuing series of nearly unrelated short stories. The focus, thus, becomes less on Asaemon's journey and more on the political, social and criminal strata of Edo-period Japanese history. The depth of research that Koike has done is truly astounding, reflecting in the impeccable detail of Kojimas illustrations and the intriguing scenarios that continually face Asaemon.
Short tales focus on the sense of honor that even the lowest criminal can feel. Longer stories, such as Volume 6's Gobari Sandosu, examine the political make-up of Edo by putting Asaemon in conflict with what are effectively the unions that run the city's daily functions. Through it all, Asaemon behaves with total honor and responsibility for his duties as decapitator. Asaemon is often just a bit player in many stories, as Koike prefers to tell stories about the history and culture of his homeland. However, Koike still takes some time to prevent Asaemon from becoming a complete cipher, delving into the manner by which citizens avoid contact with the dreaded executioner and his cursed status in Edo. When Asaemon steps to the side (usually to show up at the tales end with a final sword stroke or to offer words of wisdom), one of his few friends, Jitte man (in modern English, cop) Sakane Kasajiro, steps to the front to showcase the police methods of ancient Japan. Kasajiro offers a different view of the time period, that of a younger man finding his place in a regimented world. Among other things, he learns the limits of his favored fighting technique, marries (a most unlikely bride whom he doesnt treat very well, which may be a signifier of the times or perhaps just an unsavory character trait) and solves mind-scrambling crimes.
Artist Goseki Kojima has his limitations. He only has 4 or 5 stock people, and everybody starts to look a like after a while, but nobody I mean nobody lays out a scene more cinematically or creates more believable backgrounds. Each building has a physical weight on the page, and the reader can feel the wind blowing out of the book when Kojimas landscapes come to the fore. His brushstrokes perfectly capture the organic feel of Edo. Plus, let's be honest, his action scenes kick ass.
Samurai Executioner is a violent, sexual series. Whether that is a negative or a positive, I leave up the reader, but it should be noted that Koike and Kojima pulls absolutely no punches when showing the depth to which some criminals will sink. Some criminals inspire sympathy due to their circumstances, and some are amoral monsters. In any case, Decapitator Asaemon is waiting at the end of the line, and I strongly encourage any curious reader to be there as well.
January 24, 2015
Amazing. Perfectly crafted. Interesting and rich with historical value.
June 12, 2010
The quality in this series continues to be consistent and excellent, with the art doing a good job of conveying the story. I think the best story in the collection was the one about the old constable. However, the last one had a very good twist, which I will not reveal or spoil. Overall, this was a very good reading experience. Highly recommended.
September 13, 2017
Samurai Executioner continua ad essere uno dei manga più ispirati e poetici che abbia letto. A dispetto di un protagonista impettito, quasi pietrificato nella gabbia della morale e del proprio luogo. Ma è proprio questa sua natura quasi da aneddoto vivente che, nelle mani abili di Koike, tira fuori storie che sembrano parabole compiute e perfette sulla natura umana, sulle sue pulsioni, i suoi limiti e il rapporto fra uomo e società.
In questo numero (ho letto la versione italiana) i due racconti mettono il saggiatore di spade a confronto con due suoi "simili": un concorrente saggiatore di spade e una figlia di un altro celebre saggiatore. La potenza del secondo racconto è davvero notevole.
Il tratto viscerale e veemente Kojima, con i suoi primi piani su occhi appassionati, accompagna al meglio la narrazione.
In questo numero (ho letto la versione italiana) i due racconti mettono il saggiatore di spade a confronto con due suoi "simili": un concorrente saggiatore di spade e una figlia di un altro celebre saggiatore. La potenza del secondo racconto è davvero notevole.
Il tratto viscerale e veemente Kojima, con i suoi primi piani su occhi appassionati, accompagna al meglio la narrazione.
August 21, 2024
This volume delves more into the philosophy of life. Why do men clench their fists after death? How can they release their anger at their misfortune in their last moments? Can an addiction like smoking be associated with a loved one? Should police arrest criminals or prevent crime altogether?
October 22, 2021
Como siempre un gran manga, muy recomendable. Todo fluye
April 5, 2015
De nuevo, la faceta de instructor/profesor de Yaemon aparece aquí. Un volumen que, de seguro, comienza una etapa con más historias y con su usual ritmo lento pero lleno de cosas interesantes que leer.
Personalmente, se me hace dificil elegir una historia que se destaque en esta entrega, ya que todas estan bien hechas, incluso las más fuertes
Personalmente, se me hace dificil elegir una historia que se destaque en esta entrega, ya que todas estan bien hechas, incluso las más fuertes
March 11, 2013
Las 5 estrellas se las doy ya por la maravilla de historia que es Yajiro Togane.
March 6, 2015
excellent, as always
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews