S. C. Contryman's
SANZENSEKAI
An elemental samurai—displaced from his world, lost in ours, and hiding a calamitous secret.
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A dark, psychological-drama
packaged as a reverse-isekai progression-fantasy.
The Ronin's Exile
A dark, psychological drama packaged as a reverse-isekai progression fantasy.An elemental samurai—displaced from his world, lost in ours, and hiding a calamitous secret.
Navigating modern Earth is like crossing a frosted log.Finally free, Kurisu finds himself stranded. Attempting to settle into a second adolescence, he lowers his head, earns his keep with his foster family, and struggles to untangle a language barrier and high school. All while this new world feels as though it were built from damp shoji paper, where he shatters drinking glasses just trying to lift them.Then rifts open, fracturing his newfound peace.With Kurisu forced to fight creatures bleeding from his realm, the failure of his blood-soaked past and the pressures of his new life boil over, slowly reverting him into a threat far worse.
Ideal for fans of the elemental martial arts of The Sword of Kaigen and Avatar: The Last Airbender who want the friction of Jade City and the psychological stakes of Red Rising.
The Abyss's ReckoningComing soon to Patreon...
Kurisu and Kenji are gone, and the fallout from Draven is only just beginning.
Saturated with Reiki, Earth fractures. Unseen life spawns in the ocean depths, and familiar animals warp into vicious predators. Scouring the changing landscape for a lead on the missing pair, Ace and Kellevra hit nothing but dead ends.As disasters repeatedly stall their hopeless search, a youth from Terra arrives looking for Kurisu, and Tanden unseal within ordinary humans across the globe, turning them into what this newcomer calls Awakened.Stranded in a desolate wasteland, Kenji carries a comatose Kurisu on his back while literally everything tries to kill him. Starving, dehydrated, and craving just one nap in peace, he forces each step forward through the endless ash.Finding a way home will require more than just breaking past his limits; surviving this journey will change him forever.
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Characters & Official Art
Kurisu Nodaichi. Following a noble upbringing, this samurai was inexplicably exiled from his home. Harnessing Electricity (Raiki), an advanced form of Air (Fūki), he teaches the other boys how to control their new powers.
Kenji Tetsuya. A fellow freshman at Kurisu's school. Enigmatically, he already possesses control over Fire (Kaki) and Light (Kōki).
Ace Miller. Accidentally starts a fire in the kitchen after spontaneously developing the ability to manipulate Flame (Kaki).
Kellevra Miller. The youngest of the group. He awakens to the element of Earth (Doki) to protect himself during a kitchen fire.
The Lore of the
Nodaichi
The Nodaichi Kamon
The Nodaichi Kamon is a black and white interlocking triple crescent moon symbol, resembling a triskelion. Not only was it known as the symbol of the Nodaichi clan, but it also served as the emblem for the entire nation of Yamato no Daichi.
Kanji
I'm sure you'd like to know what the Kanji I use in the series is, so I'll keep the most relevant ones here.
YAMATO NO DAICHI
The Great Land of Great Harmony
大
和
乃
大
地
With their name a part of the land's own, one could say that the Nodaichi have no identity to themselves, as they are servants of the people.大 和 | Yamato—A curious similarity between Terra and Earth, Together these Kanji reference "The Great Harmony."乃 | No—This is an old possessive particle used before hiragana was developed. It simply means "of."大 | Dai—This is the Kanji for great or large. For Yamato, it references the Great Land.地 | Chi—The character for the earth.
FUEKI-KYŌ
The Timeless City
不
易
京
The capital city Yamato no Daichi, Fueki-Kyō. This is where Kurisu spent his younger days with his parents, his people, and Rin.不 | Fu—To be without.易 | Eki—Change or alteration.京 | Kyō—City, specifically capital city.
KURISU
The Immutable Blade
久
利
寿
A Child with a name as uncommon as the color of his eyes, even in his world. Kurisu's given name is constructed of the following Kanji.久 Pronounced Ku—The character represents one who will endure eternity.利 Pronounced Ri—This Kanji is meant for those whose sharpness shall know no equal.寿 Pronounced Su—Representing longevity, this character doubles down on his parent's wish for Kurisu to live a long life.
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About the author
Hello there. I'm Steve Contryman, writing as S. C. Contryman: a blue-collar American truck driver hauling an 80,000-pound semi all over the Rockies. At home, I've got my two young boys and wife as the reasons to get up every morning.Long before I started getting cut off by Teslas for a living, I lived in So-Cal. From a young age, I was fascinated by titles like Ronin Warriors and My Neighbor Totoro. Planted in front of channels 18 or 52, I watched what I only later discovered were episodes of Saint Seiya, Sailor Moon, and Ranma ½ in either Spanish or Japanese—I still have no idea.Add in a grandfather who regularly visited Japan and brought back souvenirs, which only fed my love of Japanese media.I was also an avid reader, constantly begging my parents for the newest Star Wars novel. Hambly and Zahn would have been proud.Fast forward to today. After consuming thousands of hours of epic novels, anime, light novels, and manga, that appetite naturally grew to include martial arts and classical history. Today, I practice a 400-year-old martial art known as Asayama Ichiden-ryū under Sōke Seki Nobuhide Sensei.Enter Sanzensekai!Somewhere along the way, during my chuuni years of sword-fighting my brothers with sticks and imaginary energy blasts, the games transitioned into a world, and that world took on a life of its own.Twenty-five years later, that world is no longer confined to my head, scraps of paper, or forgotten ClarisWorks and Word files. With soundscapes on YouTube, visual art by Anra, and a multi-novel series in production, Sanzensekai stands poised to deliver on its name.Inspired by the likes of Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, and certainly not least of all Pierce Brown, I explore my ability to bring you a complex world of flawed characters, and moral ambiguity without the comfort of black and white, in a tale meant to be as infuriating and cathartic as real life.
Welcome to the shopping directory
From here you have several options for merchandise depending on what it is you're looking for.Don't forget that Samurai and Daimyo of Patreon receive up to 20% off every order at all locations.
Sanzensekai Relics & Regalia
If your tastes are a bit more discerning, might I suggest Sanzensekai Relics & Regalia. This Yorozuya, while small, is the best place to find those rare artifacts recovered from Kurisu's home, Yamato no Daichi.
For the more cautious, who prefer an environment with a modicum of safety. Sanzensekai Relics & Regalia is also on Etsy.
The Sanzensekai Mercantile
From hoodies and everyday apparel, to bags, art prints, and other Earth-native products, The Sanzensekai Mercantile has you covered. Even canvas prints up to 40x60 inches. That's as big as some adults!
What might you find?
Nodaichi Clan Kamon Haori
$45
Four distinct haori of different color variations from Sanzensekai featuring the Nodaichi Kamon.These items are available in both an anime style variant with a large kamon on the back, and in a more historically accurate variant, featuring three smaller kamon on the back and arms. Both versions have lapel crests.
The Shogunate
Bestowed by the Immortal Emperor, ink black and the forbidden purple of Murasaki are the expected colors of the Shogun and his heir—an honor wherein the height of one's station measures the limits of their freedom.
The Ruling Class
In a near-perfect inverse of the Emperor's colors, the ruling clans of Yamato wear lapis lazuli. A choice echoed in the sky blue of the common-folk, the shared hue reminding all that they are one.
Rin
Ever rebellious, Rin pairs the traditional lapis lazuli of Yamato no Daichi with a vibrant mint green that highlights her incredible elemental affinity, blending her imperial roots with her breezy attitude.
The Immortal Emperor
The foundation of Yamato's noble palette, lapis lazuli and victory blue belong to the Immortal Emperor. Yet his sea of victory blue holds something deeper—starred like the night sky, and hinting at the ultimate void.
Yamato no Daichi Sanka Seido Coin Collection
$45
2 Gold Ryō, 2 Silver Bu, and 2 Copper Mon
in a scale-textured coin purse
(no dragons were harmed in the making of this pouch)
Oh, and did I mention you can get a bag of coins from Kurisu's homeland?
Step into the world of Yamato no Daichi with the official Nodaichi Sanka Seido medallion pouch. Drawn from the lore of S. C. Contryman’s dark progression fantasy series, Sanzensekai, this three-tier collection brings the wealth of The Ronin's Exile straight to your tabletop.
Cast from zinc alloy, and wrapped in a polyurethane pouch, these metal tokens are engineered for a satisfying weight and an authentic clink. The Nodaichi clan mark and kanji are embossed on the face of each coin, blending real world historical minting aesthetics from Edo-era Japan with unique fantasy world-building. These function as physical props for tabletop RPGs, cosplay, or collection display.
What does Sanka Seido mean?
It's the tri-metallic monetary system established by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period.
The Sanka Seido Collection Includes:Gold Ryō (Koban / 小判) (Oval Koban) X 2: The peak of the currency system (65 x 35 x 5.7mm). It features a weathered gold-colored finish and horizontal gozame lines (instantly recognizable to anime fans as the coin worn by Meowth).Silver Bu (Ichibugin / 一分銀) (Rectangular Token) X 2: A heavy, solid token (36 x 24 x 3mm) with an antique silver-colored finish, representing the secondary standard.Copper Mon (Zeni / 文) (Round Token) X 2: The everyday street currency (25 x 3mm)(larger than a US quarter), finished in an aged copper tone. In a distinct fantasy twist, the traditional center hole is a ~12mm cutout shaped as the Nodaichi Kamon.Collector's Pouch X 1: A 10 x 15cm scale-textured drawstring bag featuring a tooled Nodaichi Kamon to hold the collection. (Note: No dragons were harmed in the making of this product).
By the way...
In Yamato, the exchange rate is: 1 Ryō = 4 Bu = 4,000 Mon.
Fun Fact: To put that wealth in perspective, a quick bowl of street noodles costs exactly 16 Mon (a price historically known as Ni-hachi, or 2x8). A single gold Ryō is enough to buy 250 bowls of Ni-hachi soba noodles.
Foil Art Prints
Starting at $20
You'll also find Anra's amazing illustrations as premium Foil Art Prints available in 8x12" and 12x18" sizes!
And of course, the physical book once available, with more to come!
