Category:Sunrise Society

The Sunrise Society was originally a group of Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender after WWII. They were planning on killing some American troops located in a small village called Ueno when they were attacked by the village's protector Shigeru Ezaki in his guise as Tengu. During the struggle Shigeru's mask was knocked off and his face was seen by the Society's leader Kantaro Umezu as well as Captain James Richards the man in charge of the American troops.

Richards later offered to keep Ezaki's identity secret as long as he promised to hunt down the rebel soldiers. Over the next few months Ezaki pursued them relentlessly until they were reduced to a small handful of men and then gave them the choice to either disband or be killed. Umezu told his men to pretend to disband while in reality working from within the system to gain power. Over the decades the former renegades formed themselves into a very powerful and successful Japanese business. The Society got into various fields such as cloning and hi-tech weaponry as well as creating branches abroad.

Years later the Society struck at the Ezaki's again prompting them and Captain Richards son Philip to resume the training Shigeru had begun with them and hunt down his killers as the Shadowmasters. In the course of their struggle they crossed paths with the Punisher and the Black Widow taking the battle to the Society's main base where they discovered their father still alive. They managed to destroy the base and the army of Shigeru clones, but at the cost of Shigeru's life.

That setback forced the Society to reopen their California facility where the enhanced clone of Shigeru was accidentally revived after which he quickly fled. Despite sending both their special High Tech Ninjas and later their High Tech Soldiers they were unable to recapture the clone now calling himself Mace.

Later while studying under Hatsu Yakamoto the Shadowmasters were again attacked by the Society now going under the name Eternal Sun. With the help of the Punisher the Shadowmasters defeated them and destroyed their Tokyo base.

Appearances

• Shadowmasters Vol 1 1 (October 1989)
• Punisher Vol 2 24 (October 1989)
• Punisher War Journal Vol 1 9 (October 1989)
• Shadowmasters Vol 1 2 (November 1989)
• Punisher Vol 2 25 (November 1989)
• Shadowmasters Vol 1 3 (December 1989)
• Shadowmasters Vol 1 4 (January 1990)
• Venom: The Mace Vol 1 1 (May 1994)
• Venom: The Mace Vol 1 2 (June 1994)
• Venom: The Mace Vol 1 3 (July 1994)
• Marvel Comics Presents Vol 1 160 (August 1994)
• Marvel Comics Presents Vol 1 161 (August 1994)
• Marvel Comics Presents Vol 1 162 (September 1994)
• Marvel Comics Presents Vol 1 163 (September 1994)