Lucia St. Clair Robson The Tokaido Road

The Tokaido Road

Lucia St. Clair Robson

Forge, Dec 2005, $15.95, 528 pp.

ISBN: 0765305208

In 1702, betrayed and dishonored by Lord Kira, Lord Asaro commits suicide. Kira's warriors force Kasana, daughter of Asaro via an outside-wife, to become a courtesan in Edo. She vows vengeance starting with restoring her father's name and honor; she waits for the opportune moment to flee the brothel that imprisons her so she can journey along the Tokaido Road to find and obtain the support of her late father's chief samurai, Oishi Kuranosuke.

Disguising herself as a poor priest she escapes the brothel and begins her quest to travel from Edo to Kyoto with Kira's minion pursuing her. Also assigned to bring her back to her brothel is Ronan Hanshiro. As he watches her perform in disguise, and as good as any samurai, Hanshiro falls in love with the runaway whom he has not yet met. However, he knows she has no reason to trust him, and besides honor calls for him to fulfill his contract of returning her to her master.

THE TOKAIDO ROAD is a fabulous look at early eighteenth century Japan, in which aristocratic and samurai classes adhere to a deep rooted honor system that include suicide when one "breaks" the code and a need for offspring to do whatever is necessary to regain lost respect, as without honor there is no esteem. The action takes a back seat to the historical details of feudal caste Japan so that the audience obtains a better understanding of Zen philosophy, and the rigid rules of society that places honor above all else. More historical fiction (based on a real account) than a thriller, fans who appreciate a vivid powerful look into a different culture will appreciate this glimpse at a bygone era in Japan.