Nemuri Kyoshiro

The Adventures of Nemuri Kyoshiro take place during the Tokugawa Era (approximately 1603-1868, also called the Edo Period), during the term of the 11th Tokugawa Shogun, Tokugawa Ienari who served 1787-1837. Nemuri Kyoshiro is a ronin of mixed marriage with a very mysterious background and history. His mother Japanese, his father a foreigner, he has no past and wants no future.

Played by Ishikawa Raizo, "the son of the Black Mass" is a half-breed warrior in search of a perfect death, driven by his hatred of Christianity and of the society in which he lives. Nemuri Kyoshiro's trademark fighting technique is the Engetsu-Sappo, literally meaning "The Full Moon Cut."  It is a technique in which he draws a circle with his sword -- his opponent is always slain by the time the circle is completed.