Duel for the Samurai Sword

The Duel for the Samurai Sword is book 5 of the Race Against Time series written by J. J. Fortune.

Plot summary

Richard Duffy received urgent summons to Japan where his mentor, Ohara Noburu, was dying. Ohara was the last steward of a sword crafted by the famous swordsmith Masamune.

During his adventuring days, Richard had been seriously injured when his ship was sunk. After ending up in a hospital in Tokyo, Richard managed to recover and got even better under the tutelage of Ohara. He also became one of Ohara's best disciples and incurred the enmity of a fellow student named Sakuma Mori by besting the latter in a sparring match.

As Ohara was on his deathbed, Sakuma, who had become a yakuza gang leader, wanted to get hold of the famous sword in order to win respect of other yakuza chiefs and become their leader. Most of Ohara's other students were injured by Sakuma, and Ohara summoned Richard to entrust the sword to the American to prevent it from falling into criminal hands.

After the funeral the following morning, Richard and Stephen had to keep the sword safe until they make it to their flight back home in the evening the same day. But a lot could happen in a day, a lot of dangerous things especially when one was a Westerner in faraway Tokyo.

Mentioned in the novel were historical characters Sengo Muramasa (千子村正)) and Masamune Okazaki (岡崎 正宗) who were famous swordsmiths. Their products clashed in the final battle to determine whether Richard would survive.

Non-recurring Characters

• Hideyoshi - a fellow kendo student of Richard Duffy under Ohara Noburu.
• Ohara Noburu - Richard's kendo master.
• Ohara Hana (Aka) - Daughter of Ohara Noburu.
• Sakuma Mori - Former student of Ohara Noburu, turned yakuza chief.

Chapter headings

1. Kamikaze Driving, Wednesday, 10:41 P.M., Japan
2. A Little Bit of Drama, Tuesday, 6:53 P.M., New York City
3. Tokyo at Night, Wednesday, 10:54 P.M., Japan
4. Farewell to the Master, Wednesday, 11:27 P.M., Japan
5. The Housebreakers, Thursday, 10:56 A.M., Japan
6. All Around the Town, Thursday, 12:39 P.M., Japan
7. Me and My Shadow, Thursday, 1:50 P.M., Japan
8. Three Bridges to Safety, 2:41 P.M., Japan
9. Making Tracks, Thursday, 4:00 P.M., Japan
10. Fun and Games, Thursday, 4:13 P.M., Japan
11. Backs to the Backstage Wall, Thursday, 5:49 P.M., Japan
12. The Crazy Gaijin Strikes Again, Thursday, 6:17 P.M., Japan
13. Rub-A-Dub-Out, Thursday, 7:28 P.M., Japan
14. Custom Alteration, Thursday, 8:10 P.M., Japan
15. The Wildest Ride, Thursday, 8:31 P.M., Japan
16. Battle and Disaster, Thursday, 8:48 P.M., Japan
17. The Sword of the Master, Thursday, 9:08 P.M., Japan
18. Jet-Lag Blues, Thursday, 8:20 P.M., New York