The New Shogun

In 1634 Japan, Hideki arrives in Edo after a tumultuous year spent sharpening his martial skills in Nagasaki. The old shogun is dead and the country is divided between two brothers for succession. The rightful heir is Iemitsu, but he is a stutterer with a birthmark on his face and a predilection for bedding boys. Tadanaga, the younger brother, embodies all the traits of an upstanding samurai except he has no conscience and he enjoys killing innocents. Iemitsu is supported by his wet nurse O'Fuku, a treacherous strategist with a huge hatred for Hideki. Tadanaga is endorsed by his mother, the lady Oeyo. Everyone with a sword is picking sides in the coming civil war. A cousin to both, Hideki must guide the Yoshinobu clan through perilous waters to decide loyalties as the competing brothers vie for his clan's support. When Hideki's year-old nephew and the Yoshinobu heir is kidnapped in an attempt to sway their allegiance, the clan is thrown into despair and indecision. Hideki must rise above his elder brother and beloved grandfather to lead the Yoshinobu clan and chart a future for his country. He is assisted by Yagyu Jubei, sword instructor to shoguns; Yoshi, a master of the old ways of the shinobi no mono; and Myo, the head of the Five Families.