Laughing Buddha

Laughing Buddha (2004) isn't a sequel" to Haiku Guy; it's more like a continuation of the story. We meet many of the same characters again: the village poet, Buck-Teeth; the cruel courtesan, Lady Plum; the daimyo-turned-hermit, Lord Kaga; the color-coded Poets in Green, Black, and White (Mido, Kuro, Shiro); Master Cup-of-Tea; and the narrator's Thursday afternoon writing group, commenting on, and entering into, the unfolding plot.

Why has the poet Buck-Teeth stopped writing after a certain lunar eclipse, and what can be done to help him recover his inspiration?

When an evil ninja slinks into the pages intent on murder, we find that writer's block is no mere academic problem but a grave matter with lives and poetry hanging in the balance.