"Japan in the sixteenth century was torn by civil wars, and thousands of samurai were left jobless when their feudal lords were overthrown. These masterless samurai, known as ronin, wandered around the country looking for work and adventure. A warlord called Nobunaga began the process of unifying the feudal states. About the same time, Portuguese merchants and missionaries arrived in Japan. With their firearms, their pale faces and their long noses, these foreigners were hated and feared by many Japanese. The Samurai and the Long-Nosed Devils follows the adventure of two ronin who find themselves employed as bodyguards for some of the Portuguese missionaries. Here is a wry and witting mystery that provides keen insights into two cultural points of view as they meet head on.".