Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
Chris Bradford
 Jack Fletcher, a 12-year-old English boy, is sailing with his father and his crew in search of the legendary Japanese islands. The group are shipwrecked off the coast of Japan in 1611 in a village named Toba, whereupon the crew are attacked by a ninja (which they believe at the time to be wokou, Japanese pirates). Only Jack survives and his father leaves him with his prized possession, a rutter (a precursor to the modern navigation chart). Jack is rescued by legendary samurai swordsman Masamoto Takeshi who decides to adopt him until he is old enough (16), which makes Masamoto's son Yamato envious. Jack discovers that the leader of the ninja was known as Dokugan Ryu (Dragon Eye) through Masamoto following Jack's description of his distinctive solitary green eye. Yamato and Jack engage in heated sparring with their bokken After defeating a ninja in another attack, Masamoto enrolls him in his samurai school in Kyoto, the Niten Ichi-ryu to train as a samurai. Jack develops a strong relationship with a girl, Date Akiko. At the same time, Jack is singled out by Oda Kazuki and his friends who bully him on the basis of being a gaijin (a derogatory term for a foreigner). Jack is generally disliked until he wins a taryu-jiai tournament against a rival school, which earns him Yamato's respect. During a festival, Jack, Akiko and Yamato discover Dokugan Ryu attempting to assassinate Takatomi Hideaki, daimyo of Kyoto province. They manage to make him flee and are rewarded by Takatomi and Masamoto.