Satsuma Gishiden -- The Legend of the Satsuma Samurai

By: Nadia Oxford
Review Date: Monday, October 02, 2006

If you hang around the Internet, you undoubtedly hear a lot about Ninjas and how they waste their enemies with laser-swords, run on the ceiling, and hate pirates (and vice versa). Someone usually brings up something about the hit series, Naruto. You might even hear a generous word or two about the Ninja's honourable counterpart, the Samurai (who, according to Internet lore, waste Ninjas with laser swords and eye-beams).

Of course, no one really takes such portrayals seriously. It's just fun banter. On the other hand, there probably aren't too many anime and manga fans who can relay a serious history of the Samurai, their feudal society, their social hierarchy ... and what happened to such seasoned warriors when there was no war to fight.

Satsuma Gishiden by Hiroshi Hirata is a complex story of the Samurai plight, contained in a thicker tome than what's average for manga. It's not ideal for anyone who isn't interested in the Samurai beyond the teachings of cartoons, but for fans of the dark ink strokes and words within Kazuo Koike's Lone Wolf and Cub, it's natural reading.

The manga opens with a fast-paced man-hunt that outlines the fallen state of the Satsuma Samurai. Poverty-stricken and tied down by low status, the former warriors are forced to do menial tasks and construct objects for peasants in order to provide for their families. Bloodsports such as "Hiemontori"--in which convicted felons are hunted and hacked to pieces--are the only outlets left to vent frustration and draw a sword against an "enemy" in what seems like peaceful times.


Despite being set in the A.D. 800's, Satsuma Gishiden's story, disturbingly, reflects many of the same war-time struggles and questions that still arise today. Hiemontori, one felon argues, is not an activity a truly honourable Samurai would engage in, and would be unheard of in less troubled times. "Nonsense," the hunters counter. Hiemontori is an honourable sport that has been practised for generations. It's very easy for human decency to be lost in the struggle for physical and emotional security.

Satsuma Gishiden's art is beautifully inked and detailed, its pages rich with carefully cross-hatched tree trunks and vivid detail reflected in the eyes of battle-wild horses. Blood--lots of it--pumps from wounds and hacked stumps of limbs.

The manga's content is definitely for adults, but not the violence alone. Satsuma Gishiden is translated very faithfully from its source material. Anime is often subtitled to preserve original story content, and Hirata's work is likewise cherished; the manga's inked Japanese calligraphy remains, and subtitles appear under their original word bubbles.

Due to the very direct translation Dark Horse provided for Satsuma Gishiden, the story and dialogue is a little dry at times, and can be hard to follow for someone not familiar with the history of the Samurai. A glossary is provided, although it doesn't cover every term the reader might wonder about. A summation or timeline might also have proved useful for those looking to seriously venture for the first time into the rich legend of the Samurai.

Satsuma Gishiden is intimidating at times, but not overwhelming. For a reader in the right frame of mind, it's a rich story well worth the commitment.