''The Samurai'' is a novel by Japanese author Shusaku Endo first published in 1980. It tells a fictionalized story of a 17th-century diplomatic mission to "Nueva España" (

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

or Mexico) by Japanese noblemen, and the cultural clash that ensues. The main character is

Hasekura Rokuemon was a kirishitan Japanese samurai and retainer of Date Masamune, the daimyō of Sendai. He was of Japanese imperial descent with ancestral ties to Emperor Kanmu. Other names include Philip Francis Faxicura, Felipe Francisco Faxicura, and Phil ...

. The book won the 33rd edition of the Noma Literary Prize.

Plot summary

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

who serves as the "regent" of a series of villages is appointed, along with a Spanish priest named Velasco, to embark on a journey across the Pacific to negotiate a trade agreement with the Spanish in Mexico. There they travel from

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

, crossing the desert until they reach

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, where they realize they cannot carry out their mission. To do so, they need to journey to

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

and board a ship bound for Spain. However, since the Spanish authorities show no interest in their mission, they must continue on to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, to seek an audience with the Pope Paul V at the Vatican. However, their mission proves to be in vain as they are unable to establish any contacts or agreements. They end up returning home, crossing Spain and then Mexico again, and crossing the Pacific once more before arriving in Japan, where they discover that the new leaders of the country are now actively persecuting Christians and do not wish to have any commercial contacts with other nations. The samurai Hasekura Rokuemon, who had traveled out of duty and not desire, ends up being ostracized.

Reception

The ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' stated that it is "an intricate, fascinating tale".

References

1980 Japanese novels Novels by Shusaku Endo Novels set in Europe Novels set in Japan Novels set in Mexico Novels set in the 17th century {{1980s-novel-stub