Category: Muramasa: Blood Drinker

Katana: The Ultimate Sword?

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Most people in the west have heard stories of the incredible cutting power and durability of the Katana, a symbol of Japan through two of its feudal periods. Some people can even tell about how their grandfather in World War II had the barrel of his rifle cut in half by a Japanese soldier with a Katana. Movies, anime, and video games put the sword front and center as something more than a melee weapon – it is simultaneously a warrior totem and the apex of swords. In many ways it is the image of the samurai, before all else.…

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How I designed the cover of Muramasa: Blood Drinker

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Muramasa Updates

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So this week I did a rather large update of Muramasa: Blood Drinker, going through all of the back postings on this site and updating formatting, html code, and graphics integration. All of the pages should now conform to the standard CSS and html tags used on DVS Press. I did this mostly because I want people to be able to read the book here, with all the advantages of the new site, with its better navigation and scripting capabilities (which has resulted in footnotes that actually work!) , rather than have to go back to The Tears of Prometheus to go through it.

When doing this it should be noted that the now current version of Muramasa on DVS Press has had its text derived from the original working file. This means that the version found here is effectively beta 2, having lots of little fixes that are different from the original run, yet containing no large revisions. Enjoy!

Muramasa: Blood Drinker table of contents

Muramasa: Blood Drinker, an Author’s Reflection

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At long last, the writing and subsequent digital publishing of my “little” samurai novel is complete. The first words were typed while I was on a break from teaching a special education class in El Segundo, California, and the final words were written in an uncomfortable high chair in a Starbucks that was attached to Marriot in Sacremento, California. That is somewhat symbolic for me, as there were as many words written away from home as at home; my life has been in a state of upheaval for some time, but I still got the work done.  Muramasa was definitely the…

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Blood Drinker: Chapter 17-2

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Back to Table of Contents   Yoshio waded through the reeds, donning only a cloth that was wrapped around his loins, his kimono having been left on the shore. He dug down in the water, coming up with handfuls of silt, littered with grass, which he put beside a large clay bowl that sat upon one of the many rocks that protruded from the slow stream. Sengo, stripped down in similar fashion, went through the piles of mud and sorted out a grey, malleable clay from rocky soil and watery brown silt. Emi sat under the shade of a willow…

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Blood Drinker: Chapter 17-1

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Back to Table of Contents Chapter 17 Yoshio stood beside the table, his right hand firmly holding onto the handle of his katana. He watched Kuro laugh with the younger men around him. A jug full of sake sat upright among several empty ones laying on their sides. Drops of rice wine were here and there. Yoshio looked out to the ocean, away from the men who, had they been sober, would have been ashamed of the scene they were making. It was barely mid-day. He stood there looking at Kuro for what seemed like a very long time, though…

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Blood Drinker: Chapter 16-2

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Back to Table of Contents   “This will be an excellent set of swords,” Sengo said. The hammer rang loudly as it fell upon the glowing sheet of steel. A smile split Sengo’s face as he worked away at it. “Flip it.” Yoshio complied, flipping over the steel sheet. “How do you know?” “The bright sparks, the hard feel beneath the hammerhead… but mostly the sound it makes when hit,” Sengo said. “It is like a melody to me. When the sword rings like a deadly bell, you have succeeded in giving the steel its one true spirit. Again.” Yoshio…

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Blood Drinker: Chapter 16-1

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Back to Table of Contents   Chapter 16   “Yoshi.” “Yes?” Yoshio turned over to see the back of Amaya’s head as she stared toward the door, dimply lit with the approaching dawn. He saw her side go up and down as she took a deep breath. “I do not…” She trailed off. Yoshio sat up and touched her shoulder. “What is it?” “I am having doubts,” she said. She turned on her back to look at Yoshio. “I do not want you to fight Ryunosuke.” “I must,” Yoshio said. “It is not just a matter of bushido now. It…

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