The emperor of Japan is determined to regain the power that the samurais seized from his ancestors at any price. However, the Hōjō clan attacks the imperial capital before the uprising. Outside the city, a landowner remains faithful to the emperor, who has been forced to take refuge in the monastery of the warrior monks of Kyoto, and his oath of loyalty is the only hope of those besieged. The Genkō war has begun. And while these events shake The Sacred Isles, a country boy continues his initiation pilgrimage following the shadow of a zen monk. In this second instalment of the epic saga The Chihaya Stones there are cruel samurai battles, but we also witness life in the first Japanese zen communities, the secret activities of ninjas and the fight for freedom in a society marked by tradition and...