With some of the most memorable moments in the genre and a unique pen style perfectly aligned with the Japanese art form of Nihonga, the art of Takayaki’s Shigurui displays some of the most intense and striking drawings in the manga industry.

Shigurui is a novel set in the dark and traditional early Japan’s Edo period when samurais were still the upper echelon of society (along with their daimyo for whom they worked).

The story offers a very interesting and immersive look at the life of an apprentice swordsman and what it took to become a renowned one at the time. Within this article, we will dive deeper into the analysis of Shigurui and its surrounding context; addressing its historical setting, the characters involved and its overall hardcore artistic mood.

Available in manga and anime, Shigurui proposes a dark and exaggerated view of Japan’s hardcore Dojo lifestyle during the Edo era (also referred to as the Tokugawa period).

Lord Tokugawa Tadanaga holds a fighting tournament. In the past, matches were fought with wooden swords, but this time, the combat is fatally real. The work of Takayuki Yamaguchi is an uncompromising portrayal of the real-life, gruesome nature of Samurais, swordsmanship, and the dojo lifestyle during the Edo Era. Both mediums are notorious for their graphic violence and sexual content. Consisting of only 15 volumes, the manga version started in 2003 and completed its story in 2010 with the final chapter being published.

In this match, one-armed Fujiki Gennosuke competes against the blind Irako Seigen. Both are students of Iwamoto Kogan, Japan's greatest swordsman. Each of them is determined to be the heir to Iwamoto's school. Regrettably, there can only be one victor. But what really pushes these young men to such a brutal fate? They only truly aim to “make it into history” as strong warriors. This is precisely the reason for their ambition, it defines their vision of glory and self-accomplishment to its utmost point.

So begins a tale of intertwined fates, strife, and strange fates. The conflict between the characters stems from their opposing approaches to martial arts. Irako rejects and mocks the standards, whereas Fujiki is more conventional in his method.

Double-crossings, vindication, beheadings, body desecration, loyalty, and class structure are all conceptual players in this tragic world. If there is one lesson to be drawn from the narrative, it is that influence and riches have no place inside a dojo without discipline and the most notable respect for hierarchy/chain of command. The sense of tradition, hierarchy and respect for elders is deeply rooted in the Japanese culture, as seen in works such as 13 Assassins and the works of Akira Kuwosara, western productions such as The Last Samurai (2003) or Kill Bill (2003). The story-writer and novelist Norio Nanjo (1908-2004) is known for writing traditional Samurai and Shinobi novels from which most were adapted into movies.

Within its heavily-focussed aesthetic, Shigurui displays with great complexity various fighting styles within the Japanese swordsmanship/martial art culture. Practicing their motions and techniques for years and decades, most characters are masters of their individual skills.

This focus on mastery is itself highly culturally relevant, and key to Japan’s approach to life. The brutal nature of duel fighting with Katana or other similar weapons make their fights/encounters extremely short; consisting of only one to two necessary hits to its target to inflict considerable and even mortal wounds (contrasting a lot with long-lasting fight manga or anime such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, Boku No Hero Academia.

We see the protagonists making use of special techniques (a touch of fantasy). Emphasized through the eccentric visual art direction for both mediums, the story makes each encounter feel extremely intense, even when the conflicts do not result in death or even combat at all. Many fantasy elements are added into the historical context of Shigurui to give it more significance and weight. For example, the Tokugawa (emperor’s) bloodline is considered godly. Similar to Baki, Baki Hanma; some of the characters’ attacks and most particularly their stances appear animal-like or are straight up drawn as such for an instant (tigers, snakes etc.).

As the story unravels, we can observe a gradual loss of “humanity” for Gennosuke Fujiki and Seigen Irako, who both appear to be “more” ordinary at the start of the manga than the other characters we are introduced to. The viewer experiences the degradation of the personas and the loss of their intangible “innocence” and naivety towards their surroundings. The main characters have all been exposed to consequent hardships during their recent or past lives. The manga also lightly explores homosexuality and how women were perceived and used as it was often the case in the story’s particular context and setting.

Produced and animated by MADHOUSE INC, the anime covers less than half of the original medium’s volumes (32 chapters, 6 and a half volumes); the anime is a good addition to the manga as it honors it in many aspects, depicting the exact events of the manga and adding a soundtrack that combines traditional Japanese music forms as well as more neutral, ambient work to ultimately strengthen the visuals and the overall immersion of its audience.

Medias such as Kenshin, Samurai Champloo, and particularly Vagabond all portray a feudal / middle-age Japan where the protagonists and other characters are seemingly allowed to carry weapons (up to 2 swords/katanas). Comparable to certain states in the USA of today, these mangas and animes often show us a fairly similar ambiance of a visibly very violent Japan with Samurais, Shinobis, Ninjas, and all kinds of assassins and other more “respectable” (value-wise for example Jin from Samurai Champloo). Although the Edo era can be seen for some as barbarous, it was in fact - at the time - a very peaceful time that eventually led the samurai to cease their duty of killing and waging war for their daimyo. It is important to know that the Edo era follows bloody times named as the Sengoku period where Japan was in a near-constant state of civil war. The absence of war conflicts led the samurais and swordsmen in the country to start performing various professions of all genres such as traders, bodyguards etc.

The novel is only well known within the underground scene. Although it is known by few, Shigurui has left its tremendous mark.

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Written by Guillaume W. Vincent