'Soon after becoming the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, MacArthur ordered all Japanese weapons confiscated and destroyed. This order includes swords, even Shinto temple swords of great beauty and value. Some of these art swords, called nippon-to, are documented national treasures. At the same time, Japanese secret societies, such as Showa and the Kanesuka Brotherhood, are to sell them to bigtime foreign collectors for the lucrative profit they will bring. The Johkai Priest of the nearby Sengaku-ji Temple and his assistant, Yoshida Nobu, have asked us to smuggle two extremely valuable swords out of Japan and keep them hidden until political conditions are favorable for their return.' Charged with smuggling priceless swords out of Japan to protect them from being destroyed by Allied forces or sold on the black market by criminal organizations, Blaz Carvajal, Ragnor Ragnvold, and Magwitch Russell conceal the swords and transport them back to the United States for safekeeping. Among the swords is the Hachiman Taro, invaluable Samurai sword from the sixteenth century. Showa, a Japanese secret society, sends Watanabe, a brutal, Japanese POW guard, to retrieve the swords from the trio. Once in the United States, Watanabe covertly tracks down the swords' locations. Can Blaz, Ragnor, and Magwitch keep the swords from falling into Showa's hands? What lengths of brutality will Showa go to retrieve the swords? Who will emerge victorious in the battle for the blades? Follow the path of the swords in the history-rich, action-packed Hachiman Taro: Firstborn of the God of War.

The day when Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur met the Emperor Showa, Hirohito, was the day when the trust between MacArthur and the Emperor Showa, Hirohito, was established and the day when Japan started to recover from the disastrous situation after the Pacific War. Until then, under the name of the Japanese Empire, Japanese people suffered unreasonable orders from the military regime. Thanks to MacArthur's effort, Japan was able to make an outstanding recovery. You would be interested in what MacArthur knew about Japan. This book will tell the readers that Japan had democratic elements dating back to ancient times. In addition to the above story, the readers could know the rough history of transition of the regimes in Japan. The Imperial system actually had the basis of democracy. In spite of a number of Samurai Regimes' rise and fall, the Imperial system, Tenno System, has been maintained. Who built such a long sustainable political system? The key person was a female Emperor Jitoh (690-697), who had an unbelievably practical power of uniting competing tribal clans in Japan and call the country Nihon. You may think Shinto priest would be a peace-loving person. However, Shinobu Origuchi is believed to be a folklore of Shintoist and priest. Actually, this person triggered the Japanese Empire to wage war against the United States. Seemingly, trustful person deceived ignorant people easily. There have been a lot of wars and conflicts, which were caused by evil people. The author sincerely hopes this book could serve as a tip to recover a peaceful world.

Traces the development of the samurai, both in the way they regarded themselves and their role in society.

First published in 1884, this remains a compelling and authoritative overview of Japan at the turn of the century. Encompassing physical geography, flora and fauna, history, social conditions, ethnography, and topography, many of the observations in this classic study hold true in modern Japan.