The Fire Kimono
Encyclopedia
The Fire Kimono is a 2008
mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland
, set in the Genroku
period (AD 1688–1704) in Japan
. It is the 13th book in the Sano Ichiro series.
This time, Sano was assigned to a sensitive murder investigation more than four decade old involving a member of the Tokugawa clan
, cousin to his lord Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
. The murder apparently occurred during the historical Great Fire of Meireki
the destroyed much of Edo
city that took the lives of many people in the confusion. Sano was shocked when his mother became embroiled in the case as a primary suspect and learned there were much more to her than he had ever imagined.
Meanwhile, the tension between Sano and Lord Matsudaira reached a boiling point and they were on the verge of open warfare, a situation brought about by the manipulation of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
who had earlier escaped from exile.
priest passing by discovered remains of a human unearthed when strong winds toppled an oak tree near the Inari Shrine
.
Since his return from Ezo
gashima, there had been increased in attacks against Sano and against Matsudaira, the attackers wearing insignias from each other's houses. Just as Sano confronted Matsudaira about the latest attack on Sano's wife, Reiko, which Matsudaira flatly denied, both men were summoned by the Shogun.
The shogun informed them that the skeleton of his long lost cousin, Tokugawa Tadatoshi, who was thought to have perished during the Great Fire of Meireki, and charged Sano with the investigation.
Sano barely had time to plan his investigation when his mother, Etsuko, was arrested by Matsudaira's men as the suspect for murdering Tadatoshi. The witness was a Colonel Doi Naokatsu in the service of Matsudaira. Doi was also apparently once Tadatoshi's bodyguard, and Etsuko was a lady-in-waiting to Tadatoshi's household women. Sano was shocked that his mother was not a humble commoner as he had thought, but a scion of the Kumazawa clan, a respected hereditary Tokugawa vassal
. Doi claimed to have heard Etsuko plotting with Egen against Tadatoshi, Egen being a monk and Tadatoshi's tutor.
Sano was able to convinced the shogun to allow him bring Etsuko home to facilitate the investigation, but he was dismayed to find his mother less than cooperative. As more and more of the past were uncovered, his mother's position became more and more unfavourable.
Meanwhile, confined to the security of the house due to danger of attacks, Reiko was at last able to help in the investigation by trying to get more information from Etsuko, and from Etsuko's loyal longtime maid, Hana. Reiko was also struggling to win back her young daughter, Akiko, who became alienated from Reiko when Reiko left her behind to go to Ezogashima to rescue her son, Masahiro, as told in the previous novel.
Hirata too had returned from an even longer absence to find that his wife and children had become strangers to him.
Amidst the investigation, Yanagisawa plotted with his son Yoritomo to bring down both Sano and Matsudaira.
2008 in literature
The year 2008 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*January 1 - In the 2008 New Year Honours, Hanif Kureishi , Jenny Uglow , Peter Vansittart and Debjani Chatterjee are all rewarded for "services to literature".*June 15 - Gore Vidal, asked in a New York Times...
mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland
Laura Joh Rowland
Laura Joh Rowland is a detective/mystery author best known for her series of mystery novels set in the late days of feudal Japan, mostly in Edo during the late 17th century...
, set in the Genroku
Genroku
was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from September 1688 through March 1704. The reigning emperor was .The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo Period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative...
period (AD 1688–1704) in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is the 13th book in the Sano Ichiro series.
This time, Sano was assigned to a sensitive murder investigation more than four decade old involving a member of the Tokugawa clan
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
, cousin to his lord Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
. The murder apparently occurred during the historical Great Fire of Meireki
Great Fire of Meireki
The , also known as the Furisode Fire, destroyed 60-70% of the Japanese capital city of Edo on March 2, 1657, this is the third year of the Meireki Imperial era...
the destroyed much of Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
city that took the lives of many people in the confusion. Sano was shocked when his mother became embroiled in the case as a primary suspect and learned there were much more to her than he had ever imagined.
Meanwhile, the tension between Sano and Lord Matsudaira reached a boiling point and they were on the verge of open warfare, a situation brought about by the manipulation of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and he was a favorite of the fifth shogun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi....
who had earlier escaped from exile.
Plot summary
In the prologue, a ShintoShinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priest passing by discovered remains of a human unearthed when strong winds toppled an oak tree near the Inari Shrine
Inari Shrine
is a shinto shrine to worship the god Inari. There are many Inari shrines in Japan. The deity is worshiped also in some Buddhist temples.-Shrines and offerings:Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples located throughout most of Japan...
.
Since his return from Ezo
Ezo
is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands...
gashima, there had been increased in attacks against Sano and against Matsudaira, the attackers wearing insignias from each other's houses. Just as Sano confronted Matsudaira about the latest attack on Sano's wife, Reiko, which Matsudaira flatly denied, both men were summoned by the Shogun.
The shogun informed them that the skeleton of his long lost cousin, Tokugawa Tadatoshi, who was thought to have perished during the Great Fire of Meireki, and charged Sano with the investigation.
Sano barely had time to plan his investigation when his mother, Etsuko, was arrested by Matsudaira's men as the suspect for murdering Tadatoshi. The witness was a Colonel Doi Naokatsu in the service of Matsudaira. Doi was also apparently once Tadatoshi's bodyguard, and Etsuko was a lady-in-waiting to Tadatoshi's household women. Sano was shocked that his mother was not a humble commoner as he had thought, but a scion of the Kumazawa clan, a respected hereditary Tokugawa vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
. Doi claimed to have heard Etsuko plotting with Egen against Tadatoshi, Egen being a monk and Tadatoshi's tutor.
Sano was able to convinced the shogun to allow him bring Etsuko home to facilitate the investigation, but he was dismayed to find his mother less than cooperative. As more and more of the past were uncovered, his mother's position became more and more unfavourable.
Meanwhile, confined to the security of the house due to danger of attacks, Reiko was at last able to help in the investigation by trying to get more information from Etsuko, and from Etsuko's loyal longtime maid, Hana. Reiko was also struggling to win back her young daughter, Akiko, who became alienated from Reiko when Reiko left her behind to go to Ezogashima to rescue her son, Masahiro, as told in the previous novel.
Hirata too had returned from an even longer absence to find that his wife and children had become strangers to him.
Amidst the investigation, Yanagisawa plotted with his son Yoritomo to bring down both Sano and Matsudaira.