This is one of the poems that Mariko creates in a genial competition with her liege, Lord Toranaga:
If I could use words
Like falling leaves,
What a bonfire
My poems would make!
For readers of historical fiction or anyone who watched the recent Hulu limited series, the book is a rich exploration of cultural conflict in 1600 Japan where the Portuguese have a foothold in trade which the English would like to wrest away from them. Japan seems to be on the brink of a new civil war between rival, well-armed clans after years of peace.
The political struggles are front and center, as are the main English character’s incomprehension of understanding Japanese values, customs, and mores. Likewise, the Japanese he interacts with find him variously ugly, weird, grotesque—but at times strangely admirable. As the story develops, he becomes more and more Japanese in how he sees the world and seems to believe in karma. But can he “learn to drink tea from an empty cup”?
The characters are well-drawn and though Clavell is not as deft a writer as, for example, Ken Follett in The Pillars of the Earth, the book is deeply immersive. Buyer’s note: The hardcover novel weighs almost five pounds. That being said, it’s a beautifully designed book with a gorgeous cover, glossy pages, and a highly readable font. Japanese characters appear on some pages as a kind of ghostly presence to help transport us to Japan.
I re-read it last year (getting ready for the remake of the TV series!) and found it as gripping as the first time. Wakarimaska?