A lively historical romance is conjured for us in the lush setting of Osaka, Japan, in 1590. Samurai Nishioji Tomi strides around wearing silk and carrying swords. THE SAMURAI’S SOUL concerns his unusual Christian faith, which was not officially approved since an edict ordering Portuguese missionaries out of the country.
Aki, the youngest daughter of her family, works hard as a dutiful girl should. She keeps the accounts for her father, an Osaka cloth merchant. The authorities consider every merchant to be a suspect where tax evasion, smuggling and short measures are concerned. Aki keeps them on the correct side of the law. Nevertheless, a police raid led by two samurai, Nishioji and Matsubara, sees her father arrested ‘in case’ while his accounts are being studied.
Aki wants nothing to do with the Osaka Police but has to bring the accounts to a Constable, the magistrate in the district. The samurai, Nishioji, notices her diligence and offers her temporary work caring for his ill mother. This is actually a relief for the girl. Her uncle Riku is keen to marry her off to a trader in order to have wider family links. They can’t offend a higher caste any more than she can refuse to marry.
The novel explores crime and taxes, smuggling and stolen art, in this rich setting. We also get to see how the Christian faith was practised despite official disapproval. The layers of society are tokened by style of dress, by having one or two names, and by the work a person carried out daily. Everyone was expected to know how much respect to demonstrate. If readers would like to explore sixteenth century Japanese culture, they can start with THE SAMURAI’S SOUL or with the earlier book by Walt Mussell, The Samurai’s Heart. His exotic series is titled The Heart of the Samurai, depicting a nation embroiled in changes that were greatly resisted by the rigid societal structure.
I find the story should appeal to readers used to historical fiction, but most of the time, Aki and Nishioji are doing different work, as would no doubt have been the case, and this makes the romance element a little harder to believe. My sympathies are entirely with Aki, of course.
Osaka 1590. Aki, the youngest daughter of an Osaka cloth merchant, knows her father will marry her off one day. She isn't prepared for her callous and greedy uncle to announce plans to adopt her to arrange a marriage advantageous to him.
Samurai Nishioji Tomi works for the Osaka Police as a cover for finding a clandestine anti-Christian conspiracy group. His biggest challenges, though, are hiding his Christian faith, which is under suspicion, and his mother’s illness, which could get her banished.
When Tomi arrests Aki’s father for tax evasion, the samurai finds himself impressed by Aki’s devotion in proving her father’s innocence. He extends her a temporary position as his mother’s caregiver, and Aki accepts to forestall her uncle’s plans. But when efforts to find silk smugglers implicate Aki’s family and an old enemy arises to seek Tomi’s death, will the family secrets each holds be the weapons that destroy them?
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