Spoilers! Spoilers!
CHAPTER 53 (book 7 of 18): Descendants of Ogres
Ofu senses that an ogre is coming for her.
Keiji Maeda pays a visit to Naoe Onatsu (sister of Naoe Kanetsugu) and Naoe Kanetsugu ((1559-1620). Military commander of the Yamashiro Province, an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger). Keiji picks up The Shiji by the historian Sima Qian.
Keiji and Sutemaru are attacked by Iwabe (a giant mind reading Ogre from the hidden Nagiri village).
CHAPTER 54: The Laughing Ogre!
Iwabe follows Keiji into a bathhouse.
Keiji pranks six Kabukimono samurai with a bamboo wakizashi, the Kabukimono ruin (by oxidization) their own iron swords by bringing their real swords into the sauna.
Iwabe the Ogre and Keiji become friends.
CHAPTER 55: The Ill-Fated Damsel
Iwabe reveals that he raised Ofu in Nagiri after her mother's death.
Ofu doesn't want to leave with Iwabe, so she brings Keiji some persimmons (fruit).
Ofu is actually Princess Ofu, her mother (Oyuki) is from Nagiri and her father is a nobleman who works for the emperor (Go-Yōzei) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The Later Hōjō clan (who hold domains in the Kantō region) and the Date clan of the Ōu region (Northeast Japan) are resisting Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The Later Hōjō clan has sent the Fūma ninja clan of Fūma Kotarō (who live in Hakone in the mountains in the far west of Kanagawa) to kidnap Princess Ofu.
CHAPTER 56: The Sky in His Soul!
Iwabe, Princess Ofu, Keiji and Sutemaru go to Nagiri where Ofu was born.
Keiji survives a booby trap, the Chief of the village arm wrestles Keiji and uses his powers to examine Keiji's soul.
The village Chief realizes that Princess Ofu has the intuitive powers of an Ogre.
Kozaru the Ogre gets murdered by a Fūma ninja.
CHAPTER 57: The Terror of Nagiri
Kozaru has remotely extinguished his own life candle (a way to tell the village Chief that you passed away).
Keiji and the Ogres capture the Fūma ninjas.
Iwabe kills Kozaru's murderer.
Kamo River. The Fūma ninjas are ridiculed in public... Keiji (who is also a Kōga-ryū ninja) wrote their real names on their loincloths, revealing their true identities. A displeased Fūma Kotarō appears to scold his ninjas.
CHAPTER 58: The Golden Trap
Fūma Kotarō wants Iseya (a lumber merchant from Kyoto who is permitted by the emperor to trade with the village of Nagiri) to seduce Keiji with gold.
Iseya wants Keiji to pour the numbing powder of Fūma Kotarō into the water supply of the Ogres.
Keiji teaches Iseya a lesson.
CHAPTER 59: The Ninja's Smirk!!
Naoe Kanetsugu and Uesugi Kagekatsu (1556-1623) wonder what Keiji is up to.
A Kabukimono slaps a Fūma ninja in disguise (Fusai, an homage to actor Bin Amatsu (1921-1979) from The Samurai aka Onmitsu kenshi (TV Series 1962–1965)). Iwabe (the mind reading Ogre) cannot read Fusai's mind.
In a forest, Keiji and co. find Fusai burning the corpse of the Kabukimono who had just smacked him.
Fusai paralyses Iwabe and Sutemaru with a Qigong energy blast technique.
Keiji, being a ninja himself, is unaffected by the technique.
CHAPTER 60: Fusai and Gessai
Keiji tells Fusai to return home to Hakone immediately.
Fusai mentions that Hōjō Ujinao ((1562-1591). The final head of the Later Hōjō clan) and Hōjō Ujimasa ((1538-1590). The fourth head of the later Hōjō clan) refuse to submit to Toyotomi Hideyoshi (an homage to actor Tsutomu Yamazaki from Rikyu (1989 film)) and as a delaying tactic Hōjō Ujinori (1545-1600) was sent to meet with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Fusai reveals that he beheaded Iseya (lumber merchant).
Fusai fails once again to hypnotize Keiji.
The Ogres guarding the Imperial palace get killed by Gessai (a twin of Fusai).
Gessai forces a nobleman to kill himself.
Fusai and Gessai will kill noblemen until Princess Ofu has been surrendered to them.
CHAPTER 61: Ofu's Dark Abyss
We learn that the Ogre village chief is Princess Ofu's grandfather.
Ishida Mitsunari ((1559-1600). An homage to actor Shirō Sano, one of the five commissioners (bugyō) of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the administrator of Sakai) is also looking for Princess Ofu, he is aware of Hōjō Ujimasa's plan, he wants the Kantō region to submit to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and to expose Hōjō Ujimasa's treachery.
Keiji repeatedly cleans his ears with Ishida Mitsunari's clothing.
The village chief prevents Princess Ofu from committing suicide, he notices that Ofu is deliberately stunting her own growth.
CHAPTER 62 (book 8 of 18): Ishida Mitsunari Awestruck by a Kabukimono
Sen no Rikyū (tea ceremony master, an homage to actor Rentarō Mikuni (1923-2013) from Rikyu (1989 film)) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (an homage to actor Shintaro Katsu (1931-1997) from Dokuganryū Masamune (1987 TV Series)) are having tea.
Tokugawa Ieyasu doesn't believe that the nobleman killed himself.
Tokugawa Ieyasu's second daughter (Tokugawa Tokuhime) is married to Hōjō Ujinao (the head of the Later Hōjō clan who is plotting against Toyotomi Hideyoshi).
Sen no Rikyū knows that Ishida Mitsunari (a vassal of the daimyō of Nagahama (Toyotomi Hideyoshi) is aware of the plot against Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Ishida Mitsunari still wants Keiji to hand over Princess Ofu to him. Ishida Mitsunari wants to expose Hōjō Ujinao and to take over The Kantō region of Honshu for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Keiji disrespects Ishida Mitsunari twice more. The fifty ninjas of Ishida Mitsunari appear out of nowhere.
The Jurakudai palace of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Kyoto. Fusai and Gessai are pleased to see that Lady Chacha ((1569-1615). The second wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the daughter of Oichi ((1547-1583). The younger sister of Oda Nobunaga)) is no longer protected by Ishida Mitsunari and his ninjas.
CHAPTER 63: The Silent Duel
A ninja soldier of Ishida Mitsunari recounts a battle in Noto Province where Keiji killed thirteen men with one spear swing.
Ishida Mitsunari decides not to fight Keiji, he leaves with his ninjas.
Noh theatre of the Jurakudai palace. Lady Chacha is waiting for her favourite performer (Goheita) to perform. Gessai kills Goheita and takes his place on stage.
CHAPTER 64: King Enma's Grand Performance
Lady Chacha immediately notices that it is not Goheita performing on the stage.
Gessai reveals himself and paralyses (with an energy blast technique) Lady Chacha's bodyguards.
Gessai mentions the Ikkō-ikki (from Toyotomi Hideyoshi's siege of Negoro-ji), the sword hunt ordered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1588 and that he works for THE KING OF HELL.
Gessai decapitates himself to intimidate Lady Chacha.
Fusai congratulates his dead twin for a job well done.
On their way back to the village of Nagiri, Iwabe, Keiji and Sutemaru visit the grave of Oyuki (Princess Ofu's mother, the woman Iwabe loved).
CHAPTER 65: Fight as Equals!
Toyotomi Hideyoshi checks on Lady Chacha.
Ishida Mitsunari gets scolded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi orders all the guards of Lady Chacha to be executed.
Gessai severed head is displayed next to the Kamo River.
Naoe Kanetsugu and Keiji get into an all-out brawl.
Keiji decides to keep Iwabe as a servant.
CHAPTER 66: To Understand a Kabukimono
Odawara Castle of the Later Hōjō clan in the Kantō region. Hōjō Ujimasa ((1538-1590). The fourth head of the Later Hōjō clan, the daimyō of Odawara. An homage to actor Tatsuya Nakadai (1932-2025) from Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980 film)) is pleased that Fusai is making everyone think that his twin (Gessai) is still alive.
Hōjō Ujimasa doesn't want his son (Hōjō Ujinao ((1562–1591). The final head of the Later Hōjō clan who is married Tokuhime (second daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu)) to play nice with Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Hōjō Ujimasa mentions that Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) and Uesugi Kenshin (1530-1578) were unable to take over Odawara Castle.
We learn that Naoe Kanetsugu and Ishida Mitsunari are related.
The ninja Fūma clan of Fūma Kotarō (who tried to kidnap Princess Ofu) still plagues the mind of Ishida Mitsunari.
Naoe Kanetsugu wants Ishida Mitsunari to befriend Keiji.
Ishida Mitsunari has a drink with Keiji and a bear (Gonta).
CHAPTER 67: Glory to the Ninja
Ishida Mitsunari's soldiers surround Keiji's residence.
Fusai sends the ninja Fūma clan of Fūma Kotarō back home (in Hakone) to report to Hōjō Ujinao. Fusai reveals that he is Fūma Kotarō and that he wants to kill Keiji on his own.
Iwabe (the mind reading Ogre) senses the powerful Ninja presence of Fūma Kotarō.
Keiji enters Lady Chacha's competition (to replace the late Goheita).
Naoe Kanetsugu is Lady Chacha's bodyguard, Ishida Mitsunari's soldiers are also protecting Lady Chacha.
Keiji starts his performance as "the heron" in Sagi (the Noh play).
CHAPTER 68: The White Heron Heralds Death
Keiji's performance makes Lady Chacha think of her late uncle (Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582)).
Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari get on a boat to get closer to Keiji's performance.
Fūma Kotarō kills the other contestants of Lady Chacha's competition.
In the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hattori Hanzō ((1542-1597). Leader of the Iga ninjas) tells Fūma Kotarō to break a leg.
CHAPTER 69: Fruitless Flowers
Fūma Kotarō creates underwater explosions and lacerates Keiji.
Sutemaru prevents Ishida Mitsunari from interfering with Keiji's performance.
Fūma Kotarō reveals that Princess Ofu stopped by her mother's grave and asked him to spare Keiji's life.
CHAPTER 70: Into the Jaws of Death!!
Without Ishida Mitsunari's permission, the now hearing-impaired underwater commando unit of Ishida Mitsunari attacks Fūma Kotarō .
Fūma Kotarō creates a diversion with swarms of butterflies laced with an hallucinogen.
The soldiers of Ishida Mitsunari think that they see calabash gourds made of gold and a dragon.
Keiji lights some explosives to take out Fūma Kotarō.
What I did not like:
The constant kiseru smoking.
I give it a 9/10. The best volume of Hana no Keiji so far. Highly recommended! Fist of the North Star and Saturday Night Slam Masters fans, you need to support this series! Purchase Keiji of the Flowers, now!
