A master swordsmith, and soothsayer of the Sengoku period who was reclusive, belonged to no house nor country, and is renowned by many of the other characters, his work was regarded so highly that during said period, 1000 of his swords were distributed over 25 countries and that the country with the most of his swords during that time dominated it. Of those 1000 swords, the first 988 he had created are believed to have been practice for the last twelve: the Deviant Blades. Inspiration came from his ability to peer into the future, seeing the methods he implied to his latest creations. He was friends with the founder of the Kyotōryuu, Kazune Yasuri, his &#039;final blade&#039;. He dabbled in alchemy and the occult during his development of the Deviant Blades. Later is it confirmed that Kyotōryuu is Shikizaki&#039;s Perfected Deviant Blade.    (Source: English Wikipedia)

Yasuri Shichika, seventh successor of the Kyotouryuu (bladeless) sword art, lives on an isolated island with his older sister, Nanami. 
One day Shichika is visited by a woman named Togame, who requests his aid in her quest to find and collect the final twelve swords forged by the legendary master swordsmith, Shikizaki Kiki. Shichika and Togame begin their odyssey by leaving the island he called home for over 20 years. They will face twelve individuals who possess and protect Shikizaki's legendary swords. 
Join Shichika and Togame on an exciting, epic adventure that defies reality as they discover the true potential of the Kyoutoryuu sword style! 
(Source: NIS America)

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A swordless “swordsman” and a self-described “schemer” who embark on a quest to obtain twelve peculiar masterpiece blades. Featuring a gatefold color insert, beautiful interior art, and copious bilingual footnotes, this hardcover edition is the first of a quartet scheduled to collect the entire original run. Brimming with action, romance, and unexpected wisdom, often as tongue-in-cheek as The Princess Bride, and shot through with ninjas, samurais, and secret moves, Sword Tale is Musashi for a new generation and a gift for any fan of adventure. 
(Source: Kodansha USA)

Kiki Shikizaki