''The Blade of the Courtesans'' is a historical fiction novel by Japanese author

Keiichiro Ryu Ryu, Keiichiro. The Blade of the Courtesans. back cover. was a Japanese editor, acclaimed screenplay writer, and historical fiction writer. List of novels # '' The Blade of the Courtesans'' (, 2008, Vertical Inc Vertical is a Japanese novel ...

originally published in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

.The Blade of the Courtesans By Keiichiro Ryu
at Vertical. It was published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Vertical Inc Vertical is a Japanese novel and manga imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing. Founded in 2001 by Hiroki Sakai, in February 2011, the company was bought by Kodansha (46.7%) and Dai Nippon Printing (46.0%). The company was consolidated into Kodansha ...

in 2008. Ryu's debut novel, it was nominated for a

Naoki Award The Naoki Prize, officially , is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the ''Bungeishunjū'' magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo. Sponsored by the Society for the ...

and "instantly made him a doyen of historical fiction."

Plot summary

"The grueling, century-long battle royal that plunged Japan into “an Era of the Warring States” has finally ended, and the victorious Tokugawa clan rules the freshly-united Land of the Rising Sun. The shogun will come from the Tokugawa line for more than two hundred years, right until Commodore Perry’s "black ships" force the far eastern archipelago into modernity. While the Mikado or emperor retains prestige, he is but a figurehead. It is the beginning of the Edo period. Yet, despite the onset of peace and prosperity, trouble brews in Yoshiwara, the pleasure quarters of Edo where geisha courtesans count among their clientele numerous bored samurai who are no longer called upon to fight. The issuance of a gomenjo or permit for the red-light district is threatening to occasion a momentous power struggle. The courtesans themselves have no blade of their own—not until an unspoiled young swordsman from the mountains of Higo province arrives in Edo. Raised by the late legendary

Miyamoto Musashi , also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman, philosopher, strategist, writer and rōnin, who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship a ...

and mysteriously sent to the capital by him, the innocent but lethal Matsunaga Seiichiro bears a secret that is hidden even from himself: he is of the imperial family. Having barely survived as ruthless purge by Tokugawa minions as an infant thanks to Musashi, the youth is now more than ready to stand his own against forces that stubbornly seek his death. But the infamous Yagyu clan that serves the shogun includes ninja as well as daylight warriors among its ranks."

Characters (in order of appearance)

*Matsunaga Seiichiro- a samurai of good moral character and superb swordsmanship skills. He is revealed to be the son of retired

Emperor Go-Mizunoo was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period. This 17th-century sovereign was n ...

. *Miyamoto Musashi- a legendary swordsman who rescues the infant Seiichiro and raises him in the secluded mountains of Higo Province. *Shoji Jin'emon- former master of the Nishidaya, a prominent courtesan establishment in

Yoshiwara was a famous (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shimab ...

. His daughter Nabe married Jinnojo, Nishidaya's current proprietor, and together they had Oshabu. *Shoji Jinnojo- son-in-law of Jin'emon and father of Oshabu. *Shoji Oshabu- a nine-year-old girl who is able to see the future and read other people's thoughts. *Mizuno Jurozaemon- a

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as '' gokenin.'' Howev ...

or direct retainer of the shogun, and leader of a band of rough samurai called the Jingi-gumi. According to Seiichiro he has a particularly large nose.Ryu, ''The Blade of the Courtesans'', p. 17. * Kagazume Kai- one of Mizuno's retainers and a member of the Jingi-gumi. Seiichiro nicknames him "Crab" on account of his wide forehead. *Gensai- a kind old man who becomes Seiichiro's friend, mentor, and guide around

. *Katsuyama- a beautiful tayu or highest-level

oiran is a collective term for the highest-ranking courtesans in Japanese history, who were considered to be above common prostitutes (known as ) for their more refined entertainment skills and training in the traditional arts. Divided into a numbe ...

. She harbors feelings for Seiichiro but has dark secrets. *Miuraya Shizaemon- the very fat and anxious bohachi or house proprietor of Omiuraya or Great Miura, the most prominent house in

.Ryu, ''The Blade of the Courtesans'', p. 37. *Nomura Gen'i, Yamadaya Sannojo, and Namikiya Genzaemon- three former disciples of Musashi from

Shinmachi Shinmachi (新町) was a in Osaka, built between 1615 and 1623, and operating until its destruction in World War II. It was situated roughly two kilometers southwest of Nakanoshima. Today, it is mostly a tourist attraction and historical site. ...

, Edo's Edocho Nichome, and Kakucho respectively. *Yagyū Rendo/Rokuro, also called Retsudō Gisen, also called Gizen- founder of the

Yagyū clan The were a family of ''daimyōs'' (feudal lords) with lands just outside Nara, who became the heads of one of Japan's greatest schools of swordsmanship, Yagyū Shinkage-ryū. The Yagyū were also Kenjutsu teachers to the Tokugawa shōguns and des ...

's Hotokuji temple and leader of the Yagyu Ura branch of ninja. Rather hot-headed and bloodthirsty. *Sagawa Shinza(emon)- Gizen's right-hand commander. * Yagyū Munefuyu- Gizen's older, calmer brother and leader of both the entire

and its main ninja forces. Took over for his and Gizen's eldest brother

Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era. Life Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (born "Shichirō ...

when Jubei was killed seven years ago. *Notori Takumi- Munefuyu's chief retainer and the Yagyu clan's best tactician. *Sendai Takao or Takao II- the most famous tayu in

, employed by Miuraya and eventual love of Seiichiro. *Kageyama Sanjuro- a

or direct vassal to the shogun, and a "newcomer" (or, in actuality, a spy) to Mizuno's Jinjigumi group of samurai. *Obaba-sama- the leader of the "legendary Eight Hundred Bhiksuni," wandering spiritual mediums-priestesses based in the famous Kumano region *Sarada Jirosaburo Motonabu- a wandering swordsman who becomes employed by

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

himself for a top-secret mission.Ryu, ''The Blade of the Courtesans'', p. 214. *

Tenkai was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of ''Daisōjō'', the highest rank of the priesthood. His Buddhist name was first , which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as , he ...

- a priest of

Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei b ...

and advisor to Ieyasu *

Honda Tadakatsu , also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings along with Ii ...

- one of Ieyasu's four closest generals and allies *

Sakai Tadakiyo , also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999) ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442./ref> was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Kōzuke Province, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogu ...

- senior councilor of Ieyasu's great-grandson

Tokugawa Ietsuna was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He is considered the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, which makes him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. E ...

and secret ally of GisenRyu, ''The Blade of the Courtesans'', p. 275.

Reception

“The violence is ultra-modern and the fights are the literary equivalent of a contemporary martial arts film and are played out with cinematic speed and balletic grace. The novel is full of well-researched information… It is told in a straightforward manner yet includes elements of magic, fantasy, romance, and chivalry. Vertical has yet again published a book that, without its commitment to contemporary Japanese literature, would never have been translated into English.”- ''The Japan Times''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blade of the Courtesans 1986 novels 1986 debut novels Cultural depictions of Miyamoto Musashi