is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written by

Kazuo Koike was a prolific Japanese manga writer ( gensakusha), novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artful ''seinen'' manga, notably ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' (with Goseki Kojima, 1970–6), '' Lady Snowblood'' ...

and illustrated by

Kazuo Kamimura was a Japanese manga artist, best known as the illustrator of ''Lady Snowblood (manga), Lady Snowblood'', which was adapted into Lady Snowblood (film), film in 1973. Hitoshi Iwaaki, a manga artist was his assistant. Kamimura died at age 45 of a p ...

. It was serialized in

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

's ''

Weekly Playboy , also known as or ''WPB'', is a Japanese weekly magazine published by Shueisha since 1966. Although the magazine publishes a variety of news and special interest articles, columns, celebrity interviews, and manga, it is considered an Pornographi ...

'' magazine from February 1972 to March 1973. The series revolves around the title character, a female assassin who seeks vengeance against the bandits who raped her mother and murdered both her father and older brother. ''Lady Snowblood'' was translated into English and published in four volumes by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

between 2005 and 2006. The manga was adapted into a live-action film of the same name starring

Meiko Kaji is a Japanese actress and singer. Since the 1960s, she has appeared in over 100 film and television roles, most prominently in the 1970s with her most famous roles as outlaw characters, best known for her performances in the film series ''Alley ...

in 1973, which was followed by '' Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance'' in 1974. The manga and film adaptations have influenced a number of other works.

Title

The Japanese title ''Shurayuki-hime'' is a pun on . Additionally, ''shura'' nods to the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

path of the

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...

, in which a devout follower is prepared to kill. The title was translated as ''Lady Snowblood'' because Asura is associated with the term ''shuraba'' "scene of a great battle" or "scene of carnage".

Plot

A band of four villainous criminals murder the husband and child of a woman whom they rape. The woman kills one of the bandits and is imprisoned without parole; she decides to seduce a guard to become pregnant, and has her daughter raised by a friend in order to avenge the family. The girl, Oyuki / Lady Snowblood, grows up and determines to set up crime boss Okono Kitahama so she will be convicted as a murderer. Kitahama's cohort Gishiro Tsukamoto discovers Oyuki's plan and uses her ally Miyanara as bait, but Oyuki defeats him. Another cohort, Hanzo Takemura, begs for Oyuki's forgiveness, but she slays him in a final act of vengeance.

Characters

;Lady Snowblood :Oyuki is a seductive and beautiful woman, with formidable skills in using a blade hidden in her umbrella. She has been entrusted with a task of vengeance by her mother to kill the three surviving criminals who murdered her brother and father. When necessary, she uses her

sex appeal Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, o ...

to distract her foes. ;Miyanara-san :A writer who pens Oyuki's story in an effort to draw the final two tormentors out in the open. Although antagonistic at first, he comes to treat Oyuki as his daughter, even risking his life to assist in her quest. It is implied through their final interaction that Oyuki will return to take care of him, as he is the closest thing to a father that she has ever had. ;Matsuemon-san :The leader of a band of beggars who assists Oyuki in discovering the location of her kill list in return for Oyuki stealing a hojicho for him.

Production

Written by

and illustrated by

, ''Lady Snowblood'' was serialized in

's ''

'' magazine between February 29, 1972 and March 6, 1973. The chapters were collected and published under the Playboy Zōkan

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

in two volumes on December 10, 1972 and March 15, 1973. Since then the manga has been republished in various editions by different publishers, including a 1976–1977 three volume edition by

Akita Shoten is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines * – Bimo ...

, a five volume 1985 edition by

Takeshobo is a major publisher in Japan. Takeshobo was founded in 1972 by Kyōichirō Noguchi, starting Japan's first Mahjong magazine . Other magazines, such as a magazine dedicated to mahjong-themed manga, as well as a magazine dedicated to yonkoma ma ...

, and a two volume 2001 edition by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

. was serialized in ''Weekly Playboy'' from November 1973 to June 1974. ''Lady Snowblood'' was translated and published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

between 2005–2006 by

as a series of four volumes, collected into more-or-less self-contained chapters.

Media

English volumes

Film adaptations

In 1973, the manga was adapted into a feature film of the same name by director

Toshiya Fujita Toshiya is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Toshiya can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *敏也, "agile, to be" *敏矢, "agile, arrow" *敏哉, "agile, how (interrogative par ...

, starring

. The film was followed by '' Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance'' in 1974. A

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

remake titled ''

The Princess Blade is a 2001 Japanese action film directed by Shinsuke Sato. It is a reimagining of the manga '' Lady Snowblood'' by Kazuo Koike and Kazuo Kamimura. Story Yuki is the last surviving royal of the House of Takemikazuchi, who live in a futuri ...

'', starring

Yumiko Shaku is a Japanese actress, model and former gravure idol. She is represented by Tommy's Artist Company. Roles TV Dramas *2019: ''Kamen Rider Zi-O'' (Yuko Kitajima/ Another Kiva; Episode 35-36, 2019) *2014: '' Lost Days no Himitsu'' (Fuji Telev ...

, was released in 2001. ''Lady Snowblood'' and its 1973 adaptation are credited as major sources of inspiration behind

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

's ''

Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a team of assassins (Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, and Vivica A. Fox) an ...

''. Additionally, the manga and film adaptation are an inspiration for the 2021 anime series '' Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood''.

Stage adaptations

In November 2021, the stage adaptation of the manga was performed at the CBGK Shibugeki theater in Tokyo, with

Yui Imaizumi is a former Japanese actress, singer, model, and television personality. She is a former member of the idol girl group Keyakizaka46 (now Sakurazaka46). Career Early career In 2011, Imaizumi was a member of the underground idol group Smile ...

as the main character. A sequel titled was performed in February 2022.

Reception

Tom Rosin from ''Manga Life'' considers ''Lady Snowblood'' "another cold-blooded revenge drama from the author of ''Lone Wolf''", and says he enjoyed the mix of Western modernization and Japanese traditionalism. W .E. Wallo from Blogcritics.org finds the English translation weak compared to that of ''Lone Wolf and Cub'', but recommends it to any fans of the latter series. Similarly to Tom Rosin, he praises the prevalent

East–West dichotomy In sociology, the East–West dichotomy is the perceived difference between the Eastern and the Western worlds. Cultural and religious rather than geographical in division, the boundaries of East and West are not fixed, but vary according to ...

. ; archived at the "Wayback Machine" .

References

External links

* {{Shurayukihime 1972 manga Dark Horse Comics titles Kazuo Koike Manga adapted into films Samurai in anime and manga Seinen manga Shueisha manga Anime and manga about revenge Orphan characters in anime and manga Fictional murderers Fictional swordfighters in anime and manga Fictional female assassins Fictional serial killers Fictional female murderers fr:Lady Snowblood