Shiro, a bastard son of Katakura Kojuro and a nephew of Date
Masamune gets tasked by his uncle to go to an expedition to the
"newly" discovered country of Spain, in hopes to forge strong
diplomatic ties in 1614. Handsome, intelligent and talented, Shiro
agrees to do so. While in Spain, he meets the beautiful Maria Luisa
Benavides Fernandez de Cordoba y de la Cerda, otherwise known as
"Guada."
Guada, a recently married young woman, is attempting to navigate the
complex culture of Spain and marriage to a man who has less than
pleasant ideas of bedding partners. When Guada meets Shiro,
forbidden sparks fly between them. Can they be together, or will the
cultures of Spain and Japan prove too much for their fragile love?
Cultivated by research and amazing insights into both 17th century
Japanese and Spanish cultural identities, THE SAMURAI OF SEVILLE had a lot of promise. I
appreciated the historical details and background information that
enriched the story and made it easy to understand the time period. I
did think that the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more to
see the thought behind some of their actions. I also found the
chemistry between Guada and Shiro unrealistic. Nonetheless, the time
period is well-drawn and THE SAMURAI
OF SEVILLE tells a fascinating and unknown tale of East meets
West, and what happens when they get together. This is best
recommended for historical fiction readers that are interested in 17th
century Spain and Japan.
A sumptuous novel inspired by one of history’s most
intriguing forgotten chapters—the arrival of Japanese
Samurai on the shores of Europe.
In 1614, twenty-two Samurai warriors and a group of
tradesmen from Japan sailed to Spain, where they initiated
one of the most intriguing cultural exchanges in history.
They were received with pomp and circumstance, first by King
Philip III and later by Pope Paul V. They were the first
Japanese to visit Europe and they caused a sensation. They
remained for two years and then most of the party returned
to Japan; however, six of the Samurai stayed behind,
settling in a small fishing village close to Sanlúcar de
Barrameda, where their descendants live to this day.
Healey imbues this tale of the meeting of East and West with
uncommon emotional and intellectual intensity and a rich
sense of place. He explores the dueling mentalities of two
cultures through a singular romance; the sophisticated,
restrained warrior culture of Japan and the baroque
sensibilities of Renaissance Spain, dark and obsessed with
ethnic cleansing. What one culture lives with absolute
normality is experienced as exotic from the outsider’s eye.
Everyone is seen as strange at first and then—with growing
familiarity—is revealed as being more similar than
originally perceived, but with the added value of enduring
idiosyncrasies.
The story told in this novel is an essential and timeless
one about the discoveries and conflicts that arise from the
forging of relationships across borders, both geographical
and cultural.
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