Ningyô

We are the daughters of the Patriarchs of the Clans that have made their mark upon the Empire and the world about us.

Blood binds us, duty compels us to serve the Throne,

to give up our lives if need be to protect those upon the Throne and those destined by fate to ascend to it when the time comes.

We have trained in and mastered the arts of war and the exquisite dance of dealings between our nation and others.

We are not ordinary women though we may be as human as the rest of the world.

We are ningyô and we ask to be given the right to serve the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Tokyo, 24 September 2136…

Murasaki Fujiwara, the only daughter of the Grand Duke of Nara, arrives home on her sixteenth birthday to swear fealty to Kunihiko, Crown Prince to the Chrysanthemum Throne, as ningyô: a hereditary female bodyguard trained to be the equal – if not the superior – of any man working in the service of the Imperial Clan.

However, her investiture is marred when masked assailants try to make off with the Crown Prince. But nobody – and nobody! – touches Kunihiko without Murasaki blowing out a few brains and breaking a few bones first!

But just when things are beginning to settle down, tragedy strikes.

Young Kunihiko is thrust to the forefront as the burden of ruling an empire falls upon his shoulders.

Murasaki suddenly finds herself running a race against time to get to the bottom of things – lest all be lost…

The History Behind the Events of Ningyô Meet the Main Characters

Begin Chapter One: Murasaki’s Homecoming