AnimeNewsNetwork.com is reporting that Dark Horse Comics is releasing the first volumne of Kazuo Koike (Lone Wolf & Cub, Crying Freeman) & Goseki Kojima’s (Lone Wolf & Cub) Path of the Assassin on June 28th.

Called Hanzo No Mon in Japan, this 15-volume story recounts the story of Hattori Hanzo, the fabled master ninja master whose duty it was to protect the shogun who was to unite Japan into one nation. The shogun that Hanzo protects is young, and the time spent together with his protector develops into a lasting friendship . Using both his vast ninja skills and his company to the young shogun, Hanzo realizes the influence he has over the future by being so close to the shogun.

For those who might be sensing they’ve heard the name Hattori Hanzo before, it is a character that is quite popular in Japan. The character was played in the movie series Kage no Gundan by Sonny Chiba, as well as in Quentin Tarintino’s Kill Bill. For a detailed look at his history and his place in Japanese culture, visit his wikipedia entry.

I’ve ran across mentions of this manga series on several occassions, but was never able to track down an English translation. The history of Hattori Hanzo is one I’ve read about online and in some Japanese history books, but I’m delighted by the ability to finally read this fiction/biography of the man by two respected authors such as Koiki & Kojima.