Laura Joh Rowland
Encyclopedia
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. Her main protagonist is .
and minor official who by the end of the first novel, became the trusted chief investigator for the fifth Tokugawa
Shogun
, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
, and by the tenth novel, promoted to a very high office.
Throughout the stories, Sano constantly had to deal with his problems following the code of bushido
while serving both justice and his master, the Shogun; and with his wife, , who frequently involves herself in Sano's investigations. Throughout the books, Sano experiences great pressure as he is faced with death if he doesn't fulfill his obligations to the shogun as well.
There are currently fourteen volumes in this series, starting with the highly acclaimed Shinjū. The next to be published will be "The Ronin's Mistress", based on the tale of the 47 Ronin, to be released September 13, 2011.
Rowland takes some licence with known figures, creating fictionalised versions of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
. Objective historical details, however, are credibly accurate.
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...
, mostly in 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...
during the late 17th century. Her main protagonist is .
Sano Ichiro
The novels deal with the experiences of Sano Ichiro, a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
and minor official who by the end of the first novel, became the trusted chief investigator for the fifth Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
, 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....
, and by the tenth novel, promoted to a very high office.
Throughout the stories, Sano constantly had to deal with his problems following the code of bushido
Bushido
, meaning "Way of the Warrior-Knight", is a Japanese word which is used to describe a uniquely Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and...
while serving both justice and his master, the Shogun; and with his wife, , who frequently involves herself in Sano's investigations. Throughout the books, Sano experiences great pressure as he is faced with death if he doesn't fulfill his obligations to the shogun as well.
There are currently fourteen volumes in this series, starting with the highly acclaimed Shinjū. The next to be published will be "The Ronin's Mistress", based on the tale of the 47 Ronin, to be released September 13, 2011.
Rowland takes some licence with known figures, creating fictionalised versions of 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....
and 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....
. Objective historical details, however, are credibly accurate.
List of novels
- ShinjūShinjū (novel)Shinjū is the title of the first novel by American writer Laura Joh Rowland, a mystery set in 1689 Genroku-era Japan. The main character, a yoriki named Sano Ichirō, investigates a double murder disguised as a lovers' suicide....
(ISBN 978-0-06-100950-1, 1994, Random House) - Bundori (ISBN 0-7472-1717-3, 1996, HarperTorch)
- The Way of the Traitor (ISBN 0-06-101090-1,1997, Headline Feature)
- The Concubine's Tattoo (ISBN 0-312-19252-5, December 1998, St. Martin's Press)
- The Samurai's Wife (ISBN 0-312-20325-X, May 2000, St. Martin's Press)
- Black Lotus (ISBN 0-312-26872-6, Aril 2001, St. Martin's Press)
- The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria (ISBN0-312-28262-1, April 2002, St. Martin's Press)
- The Dragon King's Palace (ISBN 0-312-28266-4, April 2003, St. Martin's Press)
- The Perfumed Sleeve (ISBN 0-312-31889-8, April 2004, St. Martin's Minotaur)
- The Assassin's Touch (ISBN 0-312-31900-2, August 2005, St. Martin's Press)
- The Red Chrysanthemum (ISBN 0-312-35532-7, November 2006, St. Martin's Press)
- The Snow EmpressThe Snow EmpressThe Snow Empress is a 2007 mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland, set in the Genroku of historical Japan It is the 12th book in the Sano Ichiro series....
(ISBN 0-312-36542-X, October 30, 2007, St. Martin's Minotaur) - The Fire KimonoThe Fire KimonoThe Fire Kimono is a 2008 mystery novel written by Laura Joh Rowland, set in the Genroku period in Japan. It is the 13th book in the Sano Ichiro series....
(ISBN 0-312-37948-X, November 11, 2008, St. Martin's Minotaur) - The Cloud Pavilion (ISBN 0-312-37949-8, October 27, 2009, Minotaur Books)
- The Ronin's Mistress (ISBN 0-312-65852-4, September 13, 2011, Minotaur Books)
Annotations
- It is not known if it is coincidental or intentional on the part of the author that the protagonist's name Sano Ichiro could be interpreted as a homage to one of Japan's most famous deductive fiction writers, , born in 1928, who uses the pen-name of Sano Yo (佐野洋.)
- The title of the first novel is the Romanised form of the term written in kanjiKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
as 心中, pronounced as ShinjūShinjuShinju can mean the following things:*Shinjū, Double suicide in Japanese theatre*Shinju , a form of breast bondage*Shinjū , a 1994 fiction book by Laura Joh Rowland...
, which refers to a suicide pactSuicide pactA suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.Suicide pacts are generally...
by a pair of lovers. - The title of the second novel is the Romanised form of the term written in katakanaKatakanais a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji, and in some cases the Latin alphabet . The word katakana means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanji. Each kana represents one mora...
as ブンドリ (bu-n-do-ri), which means "Seizing the soil of the vanquished.", or simply spoils of warSpoils of WarBotín de guerra is a 2000 Argentine documentary film directed and written by David Blaustein with Luis Alberto Asurey. The film premiered on 11 April 2000 in Buenos Aires...
or war trophyWar trophyIn ancient Greece and Rome, military victories were commemorated with a display of captured arms and standards. A trophy was originally a war memorial assembled from such items on a battlefield. The Roman triumph also displayed these items as well as cultural objects, which later came to be...
(BUNDORI).