The Shogun's executioner has received many strange last requests from those about to lose their head, some stranger than others. A woman condemned for murder wants her locks severed by the killing blade to be given to a lost love. An old man asks that his own decapitation follow that of his prized chrysanthemum, and that his executioner grow another from its cuttings. And elsewhere, the woman who once stole the weapons of samurai policemen is asked to serve as a cop herself to use her own unique skills to help solve a puzzling murder.

This book reads from right to left in the traditional Japanese manga format.

Complete texts of Benten Kozo, Pulling the Carriage Apart and The Village School, Shunkan, and Naozamurai. Commentary on each play by actors and critics. Nearly 100 photographs.

Ever met someone who had given a new meaning to your life? Most of us have. They might be with you forever or have left you at some point, but their names are carved in gold in your heart. Every time you hear their name or think about them, a smile creeps onto your lips or a tear escapes your lids. Well, that’s the idea of this story. The story is about Aarav Khanna, a Fashion Designer from NIFT who works at a call centre because of certain circumstances. He has a girlfriend, a good friend at work, a contented life, a handsome face and a job, enough for a guy to be happy with. And then he meets Ada Maciel, a Mechanical engineering student, a preplanned online friendship from the Metro girl’s (Ada) side brings them close and soon enough they become friends.

Through the lenses of Shotokan Karate and biomedicine, sensei and biomedical scientist Alex W. Tong shows readers how body, mind, and spirit can be developed through martial arts practice. Through the practice of martial arts, a person can realize their full potential--not only in body, but in mind and spirit. The Science and Philosophy of Martial Arts shows readers how. Author, sensei, and biomedical scientist Alex W. Tong delves into the physical, mental, and spiritual components of martial arts and integrates contemporary sports psychology, kinesiology, and neuroscience into a nuanced and illuminating understanding of what martial arts practice can be. Structured into three sections, Tong discusses: The Mind: The dao of martial arts, mental tranquility, contemporary neuroscience, and warming up the brain The Body: Posture and stance, breathing in martial arts, and the physics of mastery and effort The Spirit: Soul, spirit, and moving zen; nature and manifestations of the spirit Each section includes observations on martial arts origins, physiology, and tangible results on martial arts training. Blending traditional and contemporary approaches, knowledge, and research, The Science and Philosophy of Martial Arts builds a vision of practice that elevates physical performance, awareness, decisiveness, and strength of spirit.

DEADCORE: 4 HARDCORE ZOMBIE NOVELLAS Join authors Randy Chandler, Ben Cheetham, Edward M. Erdelac, and David James Keaton as they unleash the carnage while breathing new life, and death, into the zombie genre. FANGORIA MAGAZINE REVIEW "As the book’s title indicates, DEADCORE achieves all extremes. Violent, perverse, depraved—and, as such, quite recommended." THE STORIES DEAD JUJU BY RANDY CHANDLER He's the mystery man on the news. Where he shows up, the shit goes down. The dead are rising, the immigration issue has reached the boiling point, the living are screwed, and unspeakable acts are being performed upon all involved. In this tale of Zombies Gone Wild, yes the dead walk but just where the hell are they going and why? Dead Juju gives you the hardcore truth, if you're ghoul enough to handle it. NIGHT OF THE JIKININKI BY EDWARD M. ERDELAC After a comet is observed in the western sky of feudal Japan, a murdered inmate rises from the dead and attacks his fellow prisoners. Three disparate men: a casteless bandit, a mad, child-eating monk, and a renowned but sadistic samurai band together to escape the walled and moat-surrounded prison as it fills with the walking and ravenous dead. ZEE BEE & BEE (A.K.A. PROPELLER HATS FOR THE DEAD) BY DAVID JAMES KEATON At a "Zombie Bed & Breakfast" tourist trap, guests pay for the thrill of a staged zombie assault during an apocalyptic scenario, acted out by sluggish hotel workers who are well-versed in the zombie genre. But soon the script doesn't go as planned, the guests become uncooperative, and the actors are taking their roles very seriously these days. ZOMBIE SAFARI BY BEN CHEETHAM Survivors of a zombie apocalypse have carved out new existences on islands, only visiting the mainland to hunt zombies. But things start to go wrong. Zombies don't die as they should. Hunters go missing. A trip that's supposed to be fun turns into a struggle for survival as four men make a discovery that causes them to question not only what it means to be a zombie, but what it means to be human.

WITH SWORD AND PISTOL collects four dark fantasy adventure novellas from Edward M. Erdelac, the author of Monstrumfuhrer, Andersonville, and the Merkabah Rider series. RED SAILS - In 1740 a British marine and a Dominican Blackfriar are captured on the high seas by a blood guzzling pirate captain and turned loose on a cannibal isle to be hunted down for sport under the full moon by his shapeshifting crew. NIGHT OF THE JIKININKI - In 1737 three disparate men, a casteless bandit, a sadistic samurai sword tester, and a mad, child killing monk band together to fight their way out of a feudal Japanese prison as it fills with the walking dead. SINBAD AND THE SWORD OF SOLOMON - In 796, Sinbad the Sailor and motley crew undertake a mission from the Caliph of Baghdad to retrieve a magic sword from a demon on an enchanted island. GULLY GODS - In 2005 a young South Houston gangster learns the horrific secret behind the power behind a seemingly unstoppable clique of Liberian ex-child soldiers taking over a South Chicago neighborhood. Hundreds of years removed. Thousands of miles apart. They all make their end WITH SWORD AND PISTOL.

Entries covers Japanese life and culture with specific references to the subject in anime and manga.