Miyamoto Usagi's wanderings lead the rabbit ronin to an encounter with a stranger from another land whose outrageous demands cost the life of a good man in "Death of a Tea Master." After besting the best swordsmen of the town the stranger demands the prize he was offered. To satisfy honor, the lord is force to grant his unreasonable demand to witness Hara-Kiri of a noble tea master.
Outraged by the injustice, and tied up to prevent any interferance, Usagi is unable to stop the unnecessary bloodshed. However, when the bloodthirsty stranger requires more demonstrations of ritual suicide, an angered Usagi agrees to a duel in able to enact some measure of justice for the loss of the tea master.
Despite avenging the tea master's unnecessary death, Usagi Yojimbo #150 is a sad issue with our hero unable to prevent an outsider using local customs against honest citizens. Stan Sakai hides the more gruesome aspects of tea master's death just out-of-frame but still captures the complicated nature of the act which costs the life of Usagi's friend. Worth a look.
[Dark Horse, $3.50]
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