The Memory Painter

“… The Asano name and its lineage will be struck from the Book of Records.”


On hearing those words, Asano felt the odd bodily sensation of drifting—the anchor to his world had just been cut away. His clan’s entire history was to be forgotten. Only in one way had the Shogun demonstrated mercy: by granting Asano the privilege to die with honor by seppuku.

Seppuku was the ultimate test and sacrifice a samurai could make, and it gave Asano the chance to atone for his actions. Like many others, he believed that if his karma had brought him to the brink of death, it was better to die by his own hand, so that it would not follow him into the next life.

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