"A down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life in early 19th-century Japan. It is said that a samurai's spirit rests in their sword--and Konosuke can't even pick one up thanks to a cruel curse that repels anything made of metal that gets near him. Destitute and hopeless, he decides to end it all. But when a beautiful and mysterious woman saves his life and his soul, it is the beginning of Konosuke's journey into a strange world of magic that exists a step away from his own."--Back cover.