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首斬り朝 [Kubikiri Asa] #3
Samurai Executioner, Vol. 3: The Hell Stick
Readers of Lone Wolf & Cub came to know a samurai of such high honor that he was not only able to perform but enjoyed and, in fact, learned from basic daily tasks. Cutting wood, cooking food. That wasn't something a samurai did back in feudal Japan. These same human elements are apparent in Kubikiri Asa, the main character in Samurai Executioner. He's a man of the people, though his job is to separate many of those same people from their heads. In this volume, however, we're treated to three fantastic stories of amazing weapons skill, both on the part of Asa and those around him.
316 pages, Paperback
First published February 8, 2005
7 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Kazuo Koike
562 books295 followersKazuo Koike (小池一夫, Koike Kazuo) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series.
Koike, along with artist Goseki Kojima, made the manga Kozure Okami (Lone Wolf and Cub), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of Lone Wolf and Cub.
Another series written by Koike, Crying Freeman, which was illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director Christophe Gans.
Kazuo Koike started the Gekika Sonjuku, a college course meant to teach people how to be mangaka.
In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 20, 2015
Now I am starting to understand what Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima wanted their readers to see in Samurai Executioner. This is not just about the central character Kubikiri Asa and his honorable executions, this is also about the supporting characters who give color to each episodic chapters and along the way, spending time on carefully revealing to us the great history of Japan in its Shogunate era.
This volume presents three faces of Asaemon's personality: his stoic yet kindhearted demeanor, a righteous warrior and a mentor full of wisdom. In all three chapters it is also established that Asa is a great listener and a calculated guy, able to do the best decisions in the situation. Though he may not be the star in this volume, his actions left a lasting mark (like a decapitated head) on the people whose story he came to listen to.
This volume presents three faces of Asaemon's personality: his stoic yet kindhearted demeanor, a righteous warrior and a mentor full of wisdom. In all three chapters it is also established that Asa is a great listener and a calculated guy, able to do the best decisions in the situation. Though he may not be the star in this volume, his actions left a lasting mark (like a decapitated head) on the people whose story he came to listen to.
February 26, 2017
There are three long stories in this volume. The first one is an intriguing story concerning political betrayals and honour. The second is about social positions, and the third is about out Samurai Executioner helping a young man develop his skill as a police man.
All the stories were good, but I was hoping for more development of the over-arching plot. It was nice to learn more about Yamada's social and private life though, as well as his position in government.
Unfortunately, at this point I see this series as more of a side of Lone Wolf and Cub than its own series. It further develops the world but Yamada and his journey pale in comparison to the journey that Ogami Itto sets out on with his son.
All the stories were good, but I was hoping for more development of the over-arching plot. It was nice to learn more about Yamada's social and private life though, as well as his position in government.
Unfortunately, at this point I see this series as more of a side of Lone Wolf and Cub than its own series. It further develops the world but Yamada and his journey pale in comparison to the journey that Ogami Itto sets out on with his son.
November 17, 2011
Created by the legendary creator team who made my alltime favourite manga in Lone Wolf and Cub.
Not as much epic sword action as Lone Wolf and Cub but the same extremly well reaserched Edo period Japan that tells many short stories about high born, low born peoples lives back then. Fascinating historical stories that are more literary than 99% of Samurai mangas.
Not as much epic sword action as Lone Wolf and Cub but the same extremly well reaserched Edo period Japan that tells many short stories about high born, low born peoples lives back then. Fascinating historical stories that are more literary than 99% of Samurai mangas.
February 23, 2014
Episodic story-of-the-week books like this are so difficult to review; The Hell Stick is a fantastic story though.
August 18, 2024
Did I mention previously that there's nudity in this series?
July 8, 2018
Samurai Executioner is really good. I bought a couple of volumes a while back and really enjoyed reading them. Since that time, reading more of the series has been on my mind and I was thrilled to see it on sale on Comixology. Volume three is once again excellent. Unlike some of the other volumes, there are only two stories which are longer and more complex. This time it is a mix of tragic and triumph for characters in very difficult situations. I like how the executioner isn't really the focus in these stories which highlights just how strong of a series this is. While Samurai Executioner is dark, I think it is addictive and fun to read. It scratches an itch for noir and samurai that you may not have known you had. I will be reading the rest of this series now because I know the remaining volumes are all going to be great just like this one.
August 21, 2017
Una puntata in cui il nostro eroe conosce un amico di cui determina il destino, parla con il padre di una sua "vittima", si confronta con una donna a cui ha ammazzato l'uomo. Un numero al solito documentatissimo, tecnico nel suo mostrare il giappone feudale, eppure al contempo estremamente fluido. Filosofico eppure veramente leggibile. Questo fumetto rimane una perla.
May 29, 2022
The focus here is not so much on a main storyline but more on the cultural norms of the time in Japan and the people that surround the main character of the executioner.
3 longer stories on this volume, it seems to be very well researched and the details really come through.
3 longer stories on this volume, it seems to be very well researched and the details really come through.
April 20, 2020
Terrific samurai adventure.
August 20, 2020
I'm Mary Poppins yall!
September 24, 2020
Better stories than volume two. Some cultural things almost incomprehensible. The glossary was lacking some key definitions. Usually in this series and in Line Wolf and Club it's a real resource.
July 23, 2021
Asa sigue en su camino de vida de samurai, viendo la justicia desde su punto de vista, la historia sólo mejora con el paso de los tomos, ya quiero el tomo 4
May 5, 2022
Segunda lectura de este cómic, que puedo decir, me parece magistral
June 13, 2025
This is rapidly becoming my favorite series. Every story is incredible.
June 10, 2012
It sounds trite to say, but the best description I can come up with for this series is that it’s like Lone Wolf & Cub’s twisted older brother. There’s more nudity, more decapitation, more rape, more bloodshed, and more plain old depravity in a random chapter of this story than in entire volumes of LW&C. After my first exposure I was afraid that they were just doing it for pure shock (I have nothing against shock for shock’s sake, but these creators are usually more thoughtful than that). But now I realize it’s showing the reader the dark side of that life in an attempt to enlighten and provoke thought.
But I should talk a little bit, specifically, about Volume 3: The Hell Stick. The thing I liked the most about this collection is that the most interesting characters in each of the three stories are the supporting characters. Yamada Asaemon, the main character, is a ronin who tests swords for the shogun. He could have been written as a brute, but he’s a quiet, thoughtful man who has a unique view of the world, and who affects nearly everyone who stumbles across his path. He’s interesting enough, but in this volume he’s much more like a device that allows other interesting stories to be told. In every story I’m presented with someone who appears to be one kind of character but then ends up acting another; someone who you think you understand as just a caricature and then, after their story is explained a little more, you realize just how much more layered they are. It’s character studies surrounded by titillation and violence.
The woman who comes to live with Asaemon in “The Hell Stick”; the ugly brute trying to take Asaemon’s job in “The Mad Sword of Tsukuba Bakushu”; the tortured Catcher Kasajiro in the final story of the same name: all of these characters are more interesting than our Samurai Executioner. It’s not just their backstories that make the book interesting, but the way he affects their lives and changes them, for good or ill. Asaemon isn’t simply reduced to a cipher in the book that’s named after him: he does as much by simply interacting with these characters than by engaging in swordplay. And that’s the best part of this volume for me: they’re not just hack-and-slash samurai adventures. They’re thoughtful and profound stories of human nature.
I’m not going to say they’re perfect books. There’s a definite undertone of misogyny in a lot of the stories; like I said before, there is a significant amount of rape, and way more topless women getting their heads cut off than one would expect. I understand that some of this is a reflection of the historical period, but there’s a lasciviousness to some of the figures that points to something a little bit more. And I’m just not the kind of guy who gets off on my sex mixing in with my violence. But most of the stories, even some of those that have the sexualized violence, are so psychologically and intellectually compelling that I can’t help but like them in spite of it. And the art is always great: Kojima’s action is teriffic, but it’s in the quieter moments, the landscapes and the backgrounds and the panels that build the scenes, where he really shines. Samurai Executioner may be hard to take at times, but it’s always exciting and compelling.
But I should talk a little bit, specifically, about Volume 3: The Hell Stick. The thing I liked the most about this collection is that the most interesting characters in each of the three stories are the supporting characters. Yamada Asaemon, the main character, is a ronin who tests swords for the shogun. He could have been written as a brute, but he’s a quiet, thoughtful man who has a unique view of the world, and who affects nearly everyone who stumbles across his path. He’s interesting enough, but in this volume he’s much more like a device that allows other interesting stories to be told. In every story I’m presented with someone who appears to be one kind of character but then ends up acting another; someone who you think you understand as just a caricature and then, after their story is explained a little more, you realize just how much more layered they are. It’s character studies surrounded by titillation and violence.
The woman who comes to live with Asaemon in “The Hell Stick”; the ugly brute trying to take Asaemon’s job in “The Mad Sword of Tsukuba Bakushu”; the tortured Catcher Kasajiro in the final story of the same name: all of these characters are more interesting than our Samurai Executioner. It’s not just their backstories that make the book interesting, but the way he affects their lives and changes them, for good or ill. Asaemon isn’t simply reduced to a cipher in the book that’s named after him: he does as much by simply interacting with these characters than by engaging in swordplay. And that’s the best part of this volume for me: they’re not just hack-and-slash samurai adventures. They’re thoughtful and profound stories of human nature.
I’m not going to say they’re perfect books. There’s a definite undertone of misogyny in a lot of the stories; like I said before, there is a significant amount of rape, and way more topless women getting their heads cut off than one would expect. I understand that some of this is a reflection of the historical period, but there’s a lasciviousness to some of the figures that points to something a little bit more. And I’m just not the kind of guy who gets off on my sex mixing in with my violence. But most of the stories, even some of those that have the sexualized violence, are so psychologically and intellectually compelling that I can’t help but like them in spite of it. And the art is always great: Kojima’s action is teriffic, but it’s in the quieter moments, the landscapes and the backgrounds and the panels that build the scenes, where he really shines. Samurai Executioner may be hard to take at times, but it’s always exciting and compelling.
April 20, 2010
This series continues to be an excellent read. One of the things I particular enjoy is how well it evokes the setting's era. You can tell the author did his homework. As for the stories in this series, they were all very good. I have to admit that I may have to reread the first one about the woman involved the betrayal plot. I think I missed something in there. But it was still good. The one about the dishonored samurai seemed a bit short, but it was good, and the characterization excellent. Overall, this is a volume I recommend, and a series I will continue reading.
February 1, 2011
The third Samurai Executioner is far better than the first two volumes. All three stories focus more on the Executioner than before. We are able to learn more than we ever have before about his past and why he acts the way he acts. It was good to actually see the title character for more than a few pages here and there in the stories.
December 9, 2013
In contrast to "Lone Wolf And Cub" which is such a dynamic plot within which many stories were able to thrive, this series does NOT exist within a dynamic plot. The hero is a (you guessed it) Samurai Executioner and sword tester, and yet here is the surprising thing. These ARE excellent stories within this seemingly dull context.
May 13, 2009
This series isn't as good as "Lone Wolf and Cub". Still, it is worth the time to pick it up.
December 22, 2011
The storytelling in this volume is the best of the first three volumes. There is less action than in previous volumes, but the stories were riveting.
March 24, 2015
Hasta el momento, considero que es una serie increible y la vuelta que tuvo en la historia final de este tomo, demuestra lo que opino de las andanzas de este singular verdugo.
May 30, 2016
Simply brilliant
Reading this in digital form in the Dark Horse iPad App.
Reading this in digital form in the Dark Horse iPad App.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews