Omnibus Historical Comic 'Comic Edition of Japanese History 94: Legends of Sengoku Swordsmen - Tsukahara Bokuden, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Ito Ittosai' Released

Poplar Publishing Co., Ltd. will release the children's book 'Comic Edition of Japanese History 94: Legends of Sengoku Swordsmen - Tsukahara Bokuden, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Ito Ittosai' (Planning, Composition, Supervision: Kozo Kaku / Original Story: Kaoru Shizuka / Illustration: Hirokazu Kobayashi, Ashibi Fukui, Koichi Suzuki) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

This work is an educational manga depicting three famous swordsmen from the Sengoku period.

Historian Kozo Kaku, himself the head of an ancient martial arts school, serves as supervisor, and three talented manga artists vividly portray the lives and philosophies of these swordsmen who left their mark on the history of swordsmanship.

Content

This work is an omnibus story of three renowned swordsmen from the era of warring states.

■ Tsukahara Bokuden, Founder of Kashima Shinto-ryu

Born into a family of Shinto priests at Kashima Shrine in Hitachi Province (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture), Tsukahara Bokuden mastered the 'One Sword' technique and founded Kashima Shinto-ryu.

■ Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Founder of Shinkage-ryu

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna served as the lord of Ogo Castle in Kozuke Province (present-day Gunma Prefecture) under Nagano Narimasa, distinguished himself in numerous battles, and founded Shinkage-ryu.

■ Ito Ittosai, Founder of Itto-ryu

After developing Itto-ryu, Ito Ittosai traveled across the country, witnessed a duel between two disciples, and determined his successor.

What is the 'Comic Edition of Japanese History Series' that has sold over 3.1 million copies and is hugely popular with elementary school students?

Poplar's popular educational manga series 'Comic Edition of Japanese History'. It is a long-selling series that surpassed 3.1 million cumulative copies in 2025. This series, which unravels Japanese history by featuring diverse historical figures as protagonists and depicting their ways of life, allows readers to choose their favorite era and人物, from popular warlords to unknown heroes. The lineup has reached volume 94 with 'Legends of Sengoku Swordsmen: Tsukahara Bokuden, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Ito Ittosai'. By depicting a single historical fact from different perspectives, it deepens a multi-layered understanding of history.

The 'Comic Edition of Japanese History' series features a clean, modern art style and composition that is easy for today's children and even manga-savvy adults to pick up. Unlike traditional educational manga, it is structured so that readers can naturally deepen their understanding of history without feeling like they are 'studying'.

Each volume is a self-contained story, allowing readers to experience a person's life like a drama, making it easy to remember and visualize history. It is perfect as an introduction to history because it is easy to read.

The stories and historical settings are thoroughly supervised by historian Kozo Kaku, ensuring the content is substantial as a historical reference.

Furthermore, each volume includes insightful commentary, trivia, and a detailed timeline by Kozo Kaku, allowing for a deeper understanding of the figures.

Official Site>>https://www.poplar.co.jp/comic-rekishi/

Author Profiles

Planning, Composition, Supervision: Kozo Kaku

Historian and writer. Born in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture in 1958. Graduated from the Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Nara University in 1981. After academic research, became a research fellow at the Faculty of Literature, Nara University in March 1984. Currently, while serving as a lecturer at universities and corporations, he is engaged in writing activities based on his unique historical perspective as a historian and writer. His main works include 'Uesugi Kenshin', 'Naoe Kanetsugu' (both Poplar), 'The Failure Studies of Sengoku Warlords and Princesses: History's Failure Studies 3: The Art of Surviving and Ending in Turbulent Times' (Nikkei BP), 'Introduction to History as a Liberal Art' (Business-sha), 'Tokugawa Ieyasu's Study Method' (President-sha), 'Success and Ruin: Japanese History of Turbulent Times' (Sakura-sha), among others. He is involved in the planning, composition, and supervision of the 'Comic Edition of Japanese History Series' and the 'Educational Manga: History that Moves You! Series' (both Poplar). He also supervises and appears in numerous TV and radio programs.

17th generation head of the ancient swordsmanship school Tokigun-ryu. Licensed in Taisha-ryu swordsmanship. 5th dan in Aikido.

Kozo Kaku Official Site 'Learn from History, Read the Future'
https://kaku-kouzo.com/

Original Story: Kaoru Shizuka

Novelist, critic, and manga original creator. Currently, under a different pen name, she instructs students in the Manga, Comic Illustration, Scenario, and Light Novel departments at various schools within the Jikei Gakuen COM Group, including Osaka Design & Technology College, Tokyo Communication Art College, Nagoya Design & Technology College, Fukuoka Design & Technology College, Sendai Design & Technology College, Sapporo Design & Technology College, and Osaka Animation, Voice Actor & e-Sports College. Her main works include 'Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Volume 1', 'Volume 2' (co-author, Shueisha), 'Kano Jigoro' (original story for Poplar's 'Comic Edition of World Biographies Series'), and original stories for the 'Comic Edition of Japanese History Series' (Poplar).

Illustration: Hirokazu Kobayashi (Tsukahara Bokuden)

Manga artist. Born in Niigata Prefecture. Won the Shogakukan Newcomer Manga Award Honorable Mention in 2002. Debuted in 'Shonen Sunday R Zokan' (Shogakukan) in 2004. Main works include 'Sengoku Yatagarasu' (Shogakukan), 'Altair: A Record of Battles: Subaru of Shimaguni' (original story, Kodansha), 'Navagraha' series (script, Kodansha), 'King of the Labyrinth' (composition, Kodansha), 'Legends of Sengoku Ninja: Fuma Kotaro, Saika Magoichi, Kato Danzo' (in charge of Saika Magoichi), 'Sengoku人物 Den: Kobayakawa Hideaki', 'Sengoku人物 Den: Kuroda Nagamasa', 'Battles that Changed Japanese History: Battle of Komaki and Nagakute', 'Sengoku人物 Den: Kuki Yoshitaka' (all illustrations for Poplar's 'Comic Edition of Japanese History Series').

Illustration: Ashibi Fukui (Kamiizumi Nobutsuna)

Manga artist. Born in Osaka Prefecture. Selected in the Shogakukan Newcomer Manga Award Boys' Division in 2005. Debuted in 'Weekly Shonen Sunday' (Shogakukan) the following year. Main works include 'Re: Sukeban Deka' (original story: Shinji Wada / Akita Shoten), 'Coulomb's Ball Parade' (original story: Mikiyasu Kamada / Shueisha), 'Ano Natsu -1959-', 'The Lord's Lie Begins', 'Makoto no Oja' (all Shogakukan).

Illustration: Koichi Suzuki (Ito Ittosai)

Manga artist and illustrator. Born in Chiba Prefecture. After working as a graphic designer, he became a manga artist upon winning the Honorable Mention in the 75th Chiba Tetsuya Award General Division in 2019. Debuted in 'Weekly Morning' (Kodansha) the same year. Main works include 'Mitsunarism' (Kodansha), 'Hinomaru Rise: Ito Hirobumi Risshi-den' (Futabasha), 'Victoria of the Vote Reading' (original story, Kodansha).

Bibliographic Information

'Comic Edition of Japanese History 94: Legends of Sengoku Swordsmen - Tsukahara Bokuden, Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, Ito Ittosai'

Planning, Composition, Supervision: Kozo Kaku

Original Story: Kaoru Shizuka

Illustration: Hirokazu Kobayashi, Ashibi Fukui, Koichi Suzuki

Price: 1,320 yen (including 10% tax)

Release: June 10, 2026

Bibliographic Page>> https://www.poplar.co.jp/book/search/result/archive/7047094.html

Amazon>> https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4591190072