Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Vol. 1

A down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life in early 19th-century Japan.

In early 19th-century Japan, a down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life. His dear departed mother’s last hope was for him to live his life as a splendid warrior, but a cruel curse repels and distorts any metal that gets near him. Will he ever be able to wield a sword, much less live the life of an honorable samurai?

It is said that a samurai’s spirit rests in their sword—and Konosuke can’t even pick one up thanks to a cruel curse that repels anything made of metal that gets near him. Destitute and hopeless, he decides to end it all. But when a beautiful and mysterious woman saves his life and his soul, it is the beginning of Ryudo’s journey into a strange world of magic that exists a step away from his own.

Daruma Matsuura was born in 1984 in Kanagawa prefecture. Her debut series, Kasane, was serialized in 2013 and made into a live-action film in 2018. Other works include Imakako and Utakata to Tomoshibi. Steel of the Celestial Shadows is currently being serialized in Big Comic Superior from Shogakukan. Her favorite sushi is uni.