Showing Shadow of the Golden Blade by J Feder

Can a catatonic thief change history?

Ray Mitchell is a history professor in San Francisco with a secret obsession for liberating black-market antiquities. He steals a 16th century golden Japanese sword from the private residence of a racketeer in Greece, believing it is key to a neglected, historical legend.  Then, he collapses at the end of an otherwise flawless heist.

Ray's sister Catherine, founder of a Silicon Valley technology startup, is forced to combine her expertise and technology with that of her cheating ex-husband, who runs a brain wave research center, to help her unconscious brother. In his catatonic state, Ray experiences the sword's history. He battles pirates and slave traders in feudal 16th century Japan, and he leads a band of samurai to rescue the daughter of a warlord only known in a forgotten legend.