Synopsis: From the back cover of the Ace first edition: "In the next dimension there is a world very much like ours, and on this world is an island nation much like our Japan. In Naipon, however, the myths and dreams of the Japanese people are clothed in reality - sorcerers make magicks great and small, creatures out of legend walk the land from sea to sea. In Japan, magic exists now only in children's tales. In Naipon, the wonder never died... In this land travels the one they call Tomoe Gozen - a warrior who is half legend herself, so skilled is she in swordplay and the arts of the samurai. This is her story: of how she chose between the pathways of duty and freedom, between love and honor, and how she came to bear the splendid sword called The Golden Naginata."