New Novel by Ned Greenwood Blends Fact with Fiction in Japan at the End of WWII

St. George, UT, February 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Soon after becoming the Supreme Commander of Allied Powers, MacArthur ordered all Japanese weapons confiscated and destroyed. The order includes swords, even Shinto temple swords of great beauty and value. Some of these art swords, called nippon-to, are documented national treasures. At the same time, Japanese secret societies, such as Showa and the Kanesuka Brotherhood, are to sell them to big time foreign collectors for the lucrative profit they will bring. The Johkai Priest of the nearby Sengaku-ji Temple and his assistant, Yoshida Nobu, have asked two former POWs and one Navy Medic to smuggle two extremely valuable swords out of Japan and keep them hidden until political conditions are favorable for their return.

Charged with smuggling priceless swords out of Japan to protect them from being destroyed by Allied forces or sold on the black market by criminal organizations, Blaz Carvajal, Ragnor Ragnvold, and Magwitch Russell conceal the swords and transport them back to the United States for safekeeping. Among the swords is the Hachiman Taro, invaluable Samurai sword from the sixteenth century. Showa, a Japanese secret society, sends Watanabe, a brutal, Japanese POW guard, to retrieve the swords from the trio. Once in the United States, Watanabe covertly tracks down the swords’ locations. Can Blaz, Ragnor, and Magwitch keep the swords from falling into Showa’s hands? What lengths of brutality will Showa go to retrieve the swords? Who will emerge victorious in the battle for the blades?

Follow the path of the swords in the history-rich, action-packed Hachiman Taro: Firstborn of the God of War.

Book Information:
Hachiman Taro: Firstborn of the God of War
Author: Ned Greenwood
Publisher: Tate Publishing
ISBN: 978:-1-61777-532-1
Pages: 328
Published: July 2011

About The Author
Ned Greenwood is a retired professor of geography. He and his wife, Alverta, love to travel the world, having visited seven continents. Amidst his travels, Ned studies exotic weaponry, including Samurai swords from Japan.

For more information, review copies, or interviews please contact the author at:

Ned Greenwood
Email: ned.greenwood@yahoo.com
Website: http://nedgreenwood.tateauthor.com

Hachiman Taro is available for purchase online through the author’s website, from the publisher, Amazon.com, BN.com and other online retailers. Bookstores should contact Ingram for wholesale orders.

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