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Synopsis

Strange, primordial beings called Mushi—beyond ordinary understanding and feared by many—are implicated in numerous inexplicable events. Centuries ago, an immensely powerful Mushi nearly wiped out life; those who contained it became the Minai clan of Mushishi, bound to serve the Karibusa household that safeguards the sealed creature. Ginko, a Mushishi, is asked by Tanyuu Karibusa to monitor Kumado Minai as he probes an abandoned settlement where lifeless timber and derelict houses are reverting to vigorous plant life. The Minai exhibit an unusually severe temperament for Mushishi, and they generally display little sensitivity to beauty or emotion. Tanyuu suspects deeper reasons for this stoic uniformity. As Ginko follows Kumado into a hazardous region called the Path of Thorns—where Mushi emerge from uncommon origins into the human realm—he confronts rare, lethal Mushi and gradually uncovers the underlying cause of the Minai clan's austere commitment to their age-old responsibility.