Dear Reader: In order to view all colored text and non-English text accurately, please ensure that the PUBLISHER DEFAULTS SETTING on your reading device is switched to ON. This will allow you to view all non-English characters and colored text in this book. —Tuttle Publishing
JET
BLACK
and the
NINJA WIND
Additional praise for Jet Black and the Ninja Wind:
In the first book of their new series, Jet Black and the Ninja Wind, Lowitz and Oketani combine their talents to concoct a fascinating new world for young readers. It’s a world filled with mystery, mysticism, magic, and martial arts action, and it’s also a wild and exciting ride… Kudos to Lowitz and Oketani for providing such a heady and addictive mix of entertainment. Read one book in this series, and you’ll want more.
– Frederik L. Schodt, author of Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe: How an American Acrobat Introduced Circus to Japan—and Japan to the West
This fast-paced whirlwind story of the teenage Jet, inheritor of ninja skills through her Japanese mother, spins the reader through history, legend, Buddhism, and modern Japan.
With vivid description, Lowitz and Oketani have created a visual experience akin to watching an epic thriller film. Five stars!
– Liza Dalby, author of Geisha, Hidden Buddhas, and The Tale of Murasaki
The Tuttle Story: “Books to Span the East and West”
Many people are surprised to learn that the world’s largest publisher of books on Asia had its humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company’s founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing.
Immediately after WW II, Tuttle served in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur and was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry. He later founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which thrives today as one of the world’s leading independent publishers.
Though a westerner, Tuttle was hugely instrumental in bringing a knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 books on Asian culture, history and art—a legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the “Order of the Sacred Treasure,” the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese.
With a backlist of 1,500 titles, Tuttle Publishing is more active today than at any time in its past—inspired by Charles Tuttle’s core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Copyright © 2013 Leza Lowitz and Shogo Oketani
Area map created by Yuki Masuko
Owaranai Uta (Endless Song) chords and music: Masatoshi Mashima, Performed by The Blue Hearts. English Translation by Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz.
Tokyo is Burning—words: Anarchy (Japanese version), original music: Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. English translation by Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data in Progress
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1344-2 (ebook)
16 15 14 13 5 4 3 2 1 1307RP
Printed in China
Distributed by
North America, Latin America & Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon
VT 05759-9436, USA
Tel: 1 (802) 773 8930; Fax: 1 (802) 773 6993
Japan
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 1410032, Japan
Tel: (81) 3 5437 0171; Fax: (81) 3 5437 0755
[email protected]; www.tuttle.co.jp
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte Ltd
61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280 1330; Fax: (65) 6280 6290
[email protected]; www.periplus.com
Indonesia
PT Java Books Indonesia
Jl. Rawa Gelam IV No. 9,
Kawasan Industri Pulogadung
Jakarta 13930, Indonesia
Tel: 62 (21) 4682 1088; Fax: 62 (21) 461 0206
[email protected]; www.periplus.com
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Contents
PART ONE
Chapter 1 Yugi The Game
Chapter 2 Monogatari The Story
Chapter 3 Yakusoku The Promise
Chapter 4 Kimono The Kimono
PART TWO
Chapter 5 Kokyo Homeland
Chapter 6 Ojiisan Grandfather
Chapter 7 Kabe Nuke No Jutsu Passing Through Walls
Chapter 8 Un-Mei Destiny
Chapter 9 Yogen The Prophecy
Chapter 10 Ame no Nioi The Smell of the Rain
Chapter 11 Kirigirisu