In this thrilling volume, the rabbit ronin teams up with - and faces off against - a multitude of unexpected characters! First, bandits plunder a village threatened by flooding...but their reasons for pillaging will surprise even the most steadfast! Then, Usagi must work alongside his natural enemy - a Kappa - to cast out a violent renegade of the same species. Later, a Komori ninja must honor her debts when she and Usagi end up on opposing sides of a trade agreement gone wrong. Finally, Inspector Ishida returns to investigate a ghastly painting known only as the Hell Screen!

Author Biography

Stan Sakai was born in Kyoto, Japan, grew up in Hawaii, and now lives in California with his children, Hannah and Matthew. He received a Fine Arts degree from the University of Hawaii, and did further studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. His creation, Usagi Yojimbo, is the story of a samurai rabbit living in a feudal Japan populated by anthropomorphic animals. It first appeared in Albedo Comics in 1984. Since then, Usagi has been on television as a guest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and as toys, on clothing, in comic books, and in a series of trade paperback collections. In 1991, Stan created Space Usagi, the adventures of a descendant of the original Usagi, dealing with the samurai in a futuristic setting. Stan is also an award-winning letterer for his work on Sergio Aragones? Groo the Wanderer, the Spider-Man Sunday newspaper strips as well as Usagi Yojimbo. He is the recipient of a Parents? Choice Award, an Inkpot Award, multiple Eisner Awards, two Spanish Haxturs, an American Library Association Award, and a National Cartoonists? Society Division Award. Usagi Yojimbo Book 12- Grasscutter was used as a textbook in Japanese history classes at the University of Portland.