The Pull List – Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #6
Nezumi has set up a meeting for Usagi and Inspector Ishida to meet with Oda the thief. Oda, who had taken an object from the murdered Kirishitan, shows the two a crumpled page contained the translated text of a Kirishitan bible. This is highly illegal and against the Shogunate governing. The Shogunate had been aggressively banning and eliminating all those that follow the Kirishitan religion. Localized texts of Kirishitan beliefs would expand the belied deeper into the culture, something the Shogunate agents have been sent to stop. Now the trio must figure out where Oda has hidden the rest of the Kirishitan bible before the Shogunate catches on.
Issue sixth of the Hidden brings together all the clues Usagi and Inspector Ishida had uncovered and reveals the mystery of the murdered Kirishitan. Oda has unwilling found a piece of text that has great meaning and a threat to Shogunate control. The power of a book could change a perspective, leading to change and conflicts for order. Like the real events that this storyline is based on, the Japanese Shogunate had tried to eliminate all presence of Christianity in Japan, leading to the religion to be kept secret. A translated bible posed a big threat to the Shogunate, and Shogunate had too sent out agents to deal with that problem with violence.
While Usagi and Inspector Ishida do not care for the Shogunate extreme rules on Kirishitan, they still believe in a strong sense of honor that complies them to stand up for justice. Even if that means pushing back on the Shogunate itself. The next issue brings the warriors to see where the trail for the Kirishitan bible will lead them in next month’s issue.