Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Vol. 1 by Daruma Matsuura

A down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life in early 19th-century Japan.

In early 19th-century Japan, a down-and-out samurai named Ryudo Konosuke struggles through his hardscrabble life. His dear departed mother’s last hope was for him to live his life as a splendid warrior, but a cruel curse repels and distorts any metal that gets near him. Will he ever be able to wield a sword, much less live the life of an honorable samurai?

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 Ryudo’s journey into a strange world of magic that exists a step away from his own.