Shadows in the West

It’s early spring, and mid-afternoon at the shrine. The Village of the Reinstated Hero, Mura Sano Eiyu ni Suru, is a minor village in the Ikoma territories. This Lion town is home to about 1,200 people, famed for a shrine to Duty honoring a hero of an age long passed, Ikoma Teidei. The Shrine of Duty is actually rather small; it is a simple pagoda surrounded by a tiny garden and a stone-paved path. Residential houses are located at either side, and the noise and bustle of urban life is clearly audible, but the modest street which leads to the Shrine is kept clear and scrupulously clean. A single monk sweeps the path around it and hands out incense sticks to those who approach. Continue reading Escorting Asako I [Prologue| Episode 1]