Vagabond Volume 7

Vagabond is a long-running seinen manga created by Takehiko Inoue after Slam Dunk, inspired by Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi. The story is set in the late Warring States period around the Battle of Sekigahara and the early Edo period; the protagonist is Shinmen Takezo, who leaves home at seventeen to join the army. After the Western Army's defeat, he flees together with his friend Matahachi Honiden and from then on embarks on a path of seeking the Way through the sword and also examining himself through the sword. In the manga, Miyamoto Musashi's goal is to become a swordsman famous throughout the land through real-sword duels and thereby attain "unrivaled under heaven"; along the way he repeatedly encounters defeat and fear at life-and-death moments and also receives his teacher's guidance. Takehiko Inoue reimagines Sasaki Kojiro as a swordsman who is deaf-mute from birth and pure of heart; this adaptation is the most notable original part of the work. The art style also gradually transitions from the realistic linework of the early period to ink-wash expression with extensive brushwork. This volume is Volume 7 of the series, belonging to the Hong Kong Chinese edition of Vagabond Volume 7; the book continues the plot after Musashi's rebirth as he heads for the capital, including chapters such as "Trouble at Yoshioka," "The Head of the House," "Instinct," and "Fierce Ghost 2." Readers who wish to understand the details of this volume may first read the original Volume 6 and then continue with this volume for smoother reading.