by Susan Spann
For a moment, Hiro worried that Luis would try to join them. The merchant wouldn’t survive a day in Iga, even if Hanzo granted permission for him to stay.
“Enjoy that,” Luis snorted. “When you tire of living like savages, you can join us at Yokoseura.”
“I am not going to Yokoseura.” Ana glared at Hiro. “Hm. I didn’t risk my life to be sent off with Luis like an old kimono. Where Father Mateo goes, I go.”
She set her face forward and added, “I’ve always wanted to go to Iga. They say there are shinobi there, and kunoichi”—she glanced at the priest—“that’s what they call the ones who are women.”
“Yes, I’ve heard the term,” the Jesuit replied.
“Perhaps we will even see one,” Ana said.
“You want to see a shinobi?” Hiro glanced at Father Mateo and scowled when he noticed the Jesuit’s grin.
“Hm. When I was a little girl, I wanted to become a kunoichi,” Ana said. “It wasn’t possible, of course, but I’d still like to see one before I close my elderly eyes for good. They wouldn’t have to worry about me telling anyone, either. A woman my age knows how to keep a secret.”
She turned to Hiro and pushed her basket toward him. “Hold this. I have something in my sandal.”
Luis kept walking, unwilling to wait while the housekeeper dealt with her shoe.
Ana gave Hiro a knowing look and bent to examine her foot.
A strange suspicion came over Hiro. He lifted the lid of the basket and swept his hand around the interior. Gato purred and licked his finger. He felt his medicine box, and the cat, and then his fingers struck a padded bag that made a clinking sound, as if it held a selection of metal objects.
Hiro knew at once what it contained.
It wasn’t all of the shinobi weapons he left behind, just the ones that fit in the basket without impeding its other cargo, but these weapons had been hidden in the secret compartment beneath the false-bottomed chest in Hiro’s room. He wondered when Ana found it, and thereby realized he was shinobi.
He doubted she would tell him, if he asked.
Ana straightened and reached for the basket. “Hm. You can give that back now—unless you intend to carry it to Iga?”
Hiro handed her the basket, and Ana started after Luis, her back as straight and her face as stern as ever.
Father Mateo looked at Hiro. “How are we going to tell her no? I can’t believe she wants to go to Iga.”
“And go she will.” Hiro smiled at the priest. “Don’t worry. She knows how to keep a secret.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The list of people I want to thank gets longer with every book I write. Although my name is the one on the cover, this book was by no means a solo effort, and I am grateful to everyone who had a hand in getting both the story and me across the finish line.
To Michael and Christopher—thank you for the constant love, support, and reinforcement that allows me to spend so many hours playing with—and killing—my imaginary friends.
To my incomparable agent, Sandra Bond—thank you for finding this book a home, for all the hours you invest on my behalf, and for your friendship. I am deeply grateful.
To my editor, Dan Mayer—thank you for your considered, thoughtful approach, and for giving Hiro and Father Mateo a home; also, special thanks to Jill Maxick, Jeff Curry, Nicole Sommer-Lecht, Lisa Michalski, Hanna Etu, and everyone else at Seventh Street Books who contributed to making this book not only a reality, but better than I could have made it working on my own.
To Heather, Kerry, Julianne, Chuck, and Amanda—thank you for wielding the +10 Banhammers of Critique and the Scalpels of Peer-Editing Skill with much-needed force and precision.
To the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the organization and each of its members—thank you for being my “herd”—I love you all.
To Paula, Spencer, Robert, Lola, Spencer (III), Gene, Marcie, and Bob—thank you for loving this crazy scribbler and encouraging her to follow her dreams. And to Anna and Matteo—thank you also for lending me your names.
To all of my friends—you know who you are—I wish I had the space to mention every one of you by name. I am truly blessed by your friendship and support.
And last, but certainly not least, to every reader—thank you for sharing this adventure with Hiro, Father Mateo, and me. If you liked this book, or any other, I hope you’ll consider telling a friend about it. Your praise and your recommendation are the greatest rewards an author can receive.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Where present, Japanese characters’ surnames precede their given names, in the Japanese style. Western surnames follow the characters’ given names, in accordance with Western conventions.
Ana – Father Mateo’s housekeeper
Aki – an actor with the Yutoku-za
Basho – a wealthy Kyoto rice merchant
Botan – head of the Yutoku-za, a troupe of actors specializing in nō theater
Chou – Satsu’s elder daughter; sister to Emi and Haru
Emi – Satsu’s younger daughter; sister to Chou and Haru
Father Mateo Ávila de Santos – a Christian priest from Portugal, currently working in Kyoto
Gato – Hiro’s cat
Ginjiro – a sake brewer; owner of Ginjiro’s brewery
Hama – Basho’s wife
Haru – Satsu’s son; brother to Chou and Emi
Hattori Hiro – a shinobi (ninja) assassin from the Iga ryu, hired by an anonymous benefactor to guard Father Mateo; at times, he uses the alias Matsui Hiro
Jiro – Basho’s apprentice
Luis Álvares – a Portuguese merchant whose weapon sales finance Father Mateo’s work
Magistrate Ishimaki – a judge appointed to oversee justice in Kyoto
Matsunaga Hisahide* – a samurai warlord who seized Kyoto in June 1565
Nori – Satsu’s wife
Oda Nobunaga* – a samurai warlord
Ozuru – a shinobi assassin from the Koga ryu, on assignment and posing as a carpenter in Kyoto
Rika – Yuji’s mother
Satsu – an actor with the Yutoku-za; Nori’s husband and father to Chou, Emi, and Haru
Suke – a Buddhist monk who frequents Ginjiro’s brewery
Tani – Botan’s elder brother
Tomiko – Ginjiro’s adult daughter
Yoriki Hosokawa – a yoriki (assistant magistrate) in the service of Magistrate Ishimaki
Yuji – an actor with the Yutoku-za
* Designates a character who, though fictionally represented, is based upon a historical figure. [All other characters are entirely fictitious.]
GLOSSARY OF JAPANESE TERMS
D
daimyo: A samurai lord, usually the ruler of a province and/or the head of a samurai clan.
F
futon: A thin padded mattress, small and pliable enough to be folded and stored out of sight during the day.
H
hakama: Loose, pleated pants worn over kimono or beneath a tunic or surcoat.
I
ichibancha: “first picked tea”—tea leaves picked in April or early May, during the first picking of the season. Ichibancha is considered the highest quality, and most flavorful, type of tea.
J
jitte: A long wooden or metal nightstick with a forward-pointing hook at the top of the hand grip; carried by dōshin as both a weapon and a symbol of office.
K
kami: The Japanese word for “god” or “divine spirit”; used to describe gods, the spirits inhabiting natural objects, and certain natural forces of divine origin.
kanzashi: a type of hairpin worn by women in medieval Japan.
katana: The longer of the two swords worn by a samurai. (The shorter one is the wakizashi.)
kimono: Literally, “a thing to wear.” A full-length wraparound robe traditionally worn by Japanese people of all ages and genders.
koban: A gold coin that came into widespread use
in Japan during the later medieval period.
kunoichi: A female shinobi.
kyogen: A traditional form of Japanese theater, featuring comic or satirical plays, which was traditionally performed between nō plays. Kyogen actors were lower-ranked socially, and within the theater guilds, than actors who performed in nō.
M
miso: A traditional Japanese food paste made from fermented soybeans (or, sometimes, rice or barley).
N
nō (sometimes written nô or noh): A Japanese dramatic form, where the plays (customarily performed by all-male casts wearing masks) retold traditional Japanese stories through stylized recitation, song, and dance.
noren: A traditional Japanese doorway hanging, with a slit cut up the center to permit passage.
O
obi: A wide sash wrapped around the waist to hold a kimono closed, worn by people of all ages and genders.
oe: The large central living space in a Japanese home, which featured a sunken hearth and often served as a combination of kitchen, reception room, and living space.
ōtsuzumi: A hand-held, hourglass-shaped drum; one of the three types of drums used to accompany nō drama.
P
Pontochō: One of Kyoto’s hanamachi (literally, a “flower town”), a district containing geisha houses, teahouses, brothels, restaurants, and similar businesses.
R
ronin: A masterless samurai.
ryu: Literally, “school.” Shinobi clans used this term as a combination identifier and association name. (Hattori Hiro is a member of the Iga ryu.)
S
sake (also saké): An alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice.
-sama: A suffix used to show even higher respect than -san.
samurai: A member of the medieval Japanese nobility, the warrior caste that formed the highest-ranking social class.
-san: A suffix used to show respect.
seppuku: A form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, originally used only by samurai.
shinobi: Literally, “shadowed person.” Shinobi is the Japanese pronunciation of the characters that many Westerners pronounce “ninja.” (“Ninja” is based on a Chinese pronunciation.)
shite: The term for the leading actor in a nō drama.
shogun: The military dictator and commander who acted as de facto ruler of medieval Japan.
shogunate: a name for the shogun’s government and/or the compound where the shogun lived.
shoji: a sliding door, usually consisting of a wooden frame with oiled paper panels.
shuriken: An easily concealed, palm-sized weapon made of metal and often shaped like a cross or star, which shinobi used for throwing or as a hand-held weapon in close combat.
T
tabi: An ankle-length Japanese sock with a separation between the big toe and other toes to facilitate the use of sandals and other traditional Japanese footwear.
tanto: A fixed-blade dagger with a single or double-edged blade measuring six to twelve inches (15-30 cm) in length.
tatami: A traditional Japanese mat-style floor covering made in standard sizes, with the length measuring precisely twice its width. Tatami usually contained a straw core covered with grass or rushes.
tokonoma: A decorative alcove or recessed space set into the wall of a Japanese room. The tokonoma typically held a piece of art, a flower arrangement, or a hanging scroll.
torii: A traditional, stylized Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines.
U
udon: A type of thick wheat flour noodle, often served hot in soup or broth.
umeboshi: Pickled plums; a favorite Japanese snack that dates to medieval times.
W
waki: The term for a supporting actor in a nō drama.
wakizashi: The shorter of the two swords worn by a samurai. (The longer one is the katana.)
For additional cultural information, expanded definitions, and author’s notes, visit http://www.susanspann.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Spann is the author of three previous novels in the Shinobi Mystery series: Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, and Flask of the Drunken Master. She has a degree in Asian studies and a lifelong love of Japanese history and culture. When not writing or practicing law, she raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium.