Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge [Paperback]

Shotaro Ikenami (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

His name is Baian; his professions are acupuncture and murder. A needle deftly inserted into the human body can bring relief and healing. For the defense of justice and honor -- and for the right price -- it can also bring instant death.

Set in a world of corrupt samurai lords, ruthless merchant princes, fawning geisha, and deadly ninja, Ninja Justice introduces Baian and his friend and accomplice Hikojiro in six tales of murder and deceit, jealousy and revenge.

Previously published as Master Assassin, this collection of six riveting stories is a rare example in English of jidai historical adventure fiction, one of the most popular genres in Japan. Fans of Eric Van Lustbader and James Clavell will welcome this new paperback edition of a Japanese popular classic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... good, clean entertainment straight from a bad, dirty world."--Japan Times -- Japan Times

"An almost cinematic approach ..."--Publishers Weekly -- Publishers Weekly

"Diverting and surprisingly fast-paced tales ..."--Mainichi Daily News -- Mainichi Daily News

"While reading these tales, you might think of Akira Kurosawa's satirical samurai movies..."--Philadelphia PA Inquirer -- Philadelphia PA Inquirer

About the Author

Shotaro Ikenami was born in Tokyo in 1923. Best known as a leading writer of Japanese historical adventure novels, many of his tales of ninja, samurai, and assassins have been successfully adapted for stage, screen, and television. Ikenami died in 1990.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770025378
• ISBN-13: 978-4770025371
• Product Dimensions: 1.3 x 0.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,069,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Master Assassins was a more appropriate title., October 23, 2000

By 

Keith L. Goode "Keith L. Goode" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge (Paperback)

The original title for this book was "Master Assassins," but I suppose they changed the title to something they thought would sell better. As a student of ninpo taijutsu, I was a little disappointed to find that the protagonists were merely assassins, not the mythical ninja. But, that disappoinment aside, I have to admit that I was drawn in to the story by the author's wit, simplistic writing style, and interwoven plots.

Master Assassins (as I choose to call this book, out of protest more than anything) is a compilation of six short stories about Baian, a doctor and an assassin, and his counterpart, Hikojiro, whom Baian trained as an assassin. The two of them travel around Edo, Kyoto, and other villages, fulfilling contracts taken out on people the world would be better without -- rapist ronins, cruel bureaucrats, evil samurai, etc. Surprising twists in the plot keep the reader enticed and enthralled, and I often found myself reading until very late, just to get to the end of the story.

Warning: if you're looking for a thick, literary masterpiece, I'd recommend that you keep reading Eiji Yoshikawa books. But if you're interested in an entertaining book with easily read text (minus a couple of translation errors here and there), pick this book up. You'll be through with this 184-page page-turner in no time at all.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat dark, but interesting, stories of Fujieda Baian, September 26, 2002

By 

W "W" (South of the border, West of the sun) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge (Paperback)

The original work by Ikenami Shotaro, "Koroshi no Yonin, Shikakenin Fujieda Baian" (Four Killers), was very popular in Japan. "Ninja Justice" is not a good name for the book. The 1973 adaptation of this book into the movie "Hissatsu Shikakenin" was also quite successful. In fact, I first came across these tales from watching the movie. Many subtleties in the original writing were lost in this English translation, but the storylines have been well captured.

All the stories are interesting, and from one chapter to another they slowly bring alive the character of Fujieda Baian. At the end of the book you begin to like Baian, and you wish that there were more. Another seven volumes were published in the series, only the direct sequel, "Baian AriJigoku", was translated into "Master Assassin, Bridge of Darkness", but it has been long out of print. I believe that many readers would welcome a softcover reprint of this.

5.0 out of 5 stars PLEASE: Translate more books from Shotaro Ikenami, August 10, 2005

By 

Pascal Guichard (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge (Paperback)

Baian is a healer by day and a professional killer by night - but only if the killing the "mark" fits Baian's sense of justice. None of his victims are innocent, or he wouldn't accept the job.
There is only one negative: There are 20+ books in Japanese from Shotaro Ikenami, but I could find only 2 in English. Actually, I bought three, but only to find out that "Ninja Justice" and "Tales of Murder from the Shogun's City" are one and the same.
PLEASE publish more of Shotaro Ikenami's books!
It's a very quick read, very entertaining, perfect fun!