The Wanderer's Decree: A Martial Journey Across Japan

The story is set in 1329, during the waning years of Japan’s Kamakura shogunate. Emperor Go-Daigo issues an imperial decree announcing the “Imperial Tournament of Blades,” and a nationwide martial arts contest begins. Spanning more than six thousand kilometers across the Japanese archipelago and lasting two years, it offers the champion a prize of one hundred thousand koku of rice, roughly one percent of the nation’s annual tribute! What does it mean to be “the best under heaven”? What is the fate of “sword and poetry”? The emperor and the shogunate join forces. The victor will become a legend in this world! The protagonist, Takeda Kogen, was once the most promising of the young samurai in his clan. But after resisting the regime’s oppression, he was cast out by his family and fell into despair. When he hears about the tournament, he enters to prove himself to his family and the world. Along the way, he meets a mysterious man, Uesugi Ryuken of Musashi Province. Though they come from different backgrounds and have different missions, they follow the same path, becoming both worthy rivals and close confidants. The supernatural power known as “Heartscape” allows them to defeat powerful foes, but it also plunges them into deeper confusion... In search of themselves and the meaning of “strongest,” young men from across the land set out on the road once more! Yet this is no ordinary martial arts tournament. By a twist of fate, the two are drawn into a struggle over twelve hidden purple tokens. Guided by the power of Japan’s gods, legend says that whoever gathers all twelve tokens will gain a miracle capable of changing an unknown fate! The emperor and the shogunate will stop at nothing to seize the tokens and rule the land! A tournament spanning two years and thousands of miles will gather the blades of warriors from across the land and sever the century-long chains of Hojo shogunate rule! Who will emerge victorious from this battle of fate?