Customer Reviews

The Tokaido Road: A Novel of Feudal Japan

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All the research that Lucia St. Clair Robson has done for this book pays huge dividends for her readers. The journey down "Tokaido Road" is a page-turning adventure, a good read; but the real thrill is that the author pulls the reader into feudal Japan in an unforgetable historical experience.

I was so taken with the novel that I followed up by looking for other things written by Lucia St. Clair Robson and came across "Ride the Wind," the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, a woman raised by a Comanche tribe. It was another incredible culture experience. I learned more about Plains Indian culture in "Ride the Wind" than in all my other combined experiences about Indians.

While I read "Tokaido Road" several years ago, my memories of it are still crystal clear, a sure sign that this is one of the best books I've ever read.

If the person who thinks I lifted scenes from Oliver Statler's Japanese Inn had read more than two books on the subject--Statler's and mine--- she would have realized that he and I probably used many of the same sources in our research. Since both our books are fiction neither of us included a complete bibliography. However, in the Author's Notes I did list several of the 188 sources I consulted while writing The Tokaido Road.

Lucia St. Clair Robson is back! This time she's a long, long way from her Indian romances. She's in feudal Japan and is telling the story of Cat, a daughter of a betrayed man and her quest to stay alive, avenge her father and just maybe, if it doesn't interfere with her duty, find love.

Once again, as she did in Ride the Wind and Walk in My Soul this talented author takes a real incident or person and weaves a fictionalized account that is so good that even if it didn't happen that way, it should have. The story of the 47 samaurai who avenge their master is filtered through the eyes of Cat, an exceptionally brave, beautiful and tough young woman and the magnificent man who comes to love her.

If you love ancient Japan, if you love soaring, tragic romance, or if you buy anything that Lucia St. Clair Robson writes this new book is for you.

"The Tokaido Road" is, at first glance, a road trip wrapped around a tale of revenge . . . and a beautiful one, at that.

Lady Asano, nicknamed "Cat," is a gorgeous, refined daughter of a samurai lord who was betrayed and forced to commit suicide. We first meet Cat, who has been forced to work as a courtesan thanks to her family's disgrace, as she stares at a dead "client," who died eating a poisoned dish meant for her. Within moments, Cat uses her ingenuity to escape her brothel and begin her journey down the Tokaido Road, which shall end with her death -- either by her failure, or by her own hand after her success.

Along the way, Ms. St. Clair Robson throws the reader back into feudal Japan, untarnished by Western influence (although there is an entertaining scene where the Japanese vie to catch a glimpse of the "orangutans," which were the red-headed Dutch traders who had very limited access to the Japanese mainland). Robson does a masterful job of putting the reader inside the Asian mind, where poetry transcends all, and the mournful beauty of a landscape can be the transcendant moment of a lifetime.

Other writers would have been tempted to make "The Tokaido Road" into a chop-socky action piece. To be sure, Cat is an expert with the Japanese sword/spear, the naginata, and we see her use it to lethal effect. We also see the ronin, Hanshiro, swordsman extraordinaire, mete out lethal justice with "Barber." But it is a mark of Robson's appropriate restraint that Hanshiro's most powerful demonstration of swordsmanship is used to prevent a swordfight, rather than win one.

Hanshiro is one heck of a character, by the way. A masterless samurai, Hanshiro is charged by the holder of Cat's courtesan contract to track Cat down. Initially convinced that this is just another hum-drum assignment, the noble Hanshiro eventually sees through the fog of Cat's various disguises and counterfeits to see the steel-strong will and razor-sharp mind behind the gorgeous facade, and he falls in love with Cat even before they have their first conversation. As unbelievable as this poorly written review makes that plot line, Robson pulls it off masterfully, again by placing us so well inside the thoughts, values, and motivations of these characters.

We also get to meet Kasane, the peasant girl who latches on to Cat with a zeal that is at first annoying, but soon is cherished. Kasane's home-spun simplicity is charming, and her love-letter romance with the star-struck Traveler brings any number of smiles.

Structured around the journey along the Tokaido Road, the major highway in Japan, the book undeniably has an episodic feel, as minor characters make brief appearances and depart, but most leave quite an impression.

Robson also shows the harsh world of feudal Japan, where peasants and farmers live on a razor's edge between sustenance and starvation, and samurai are always struggling to maintain honor when disgrace is always lurking. Robson is unflinching in her depiction of this long-lost Japan, and this unyielding focus creates moments of great sadness as well as great triumph.

This story is a parallel story to the famed "47 Ronin" story, in which forty-seven ronin plotted to avenge their betrayed lord, and, in one night, killed their lord's betrayer and then committed ritual suicide. In "Tokaido Road," Cat's father is the betrayed lord, and Cat's plot of vengeance runs parallel to that of the 47 ronin. In perhaps the only weak point of the book, Cat is ultimately more of an observer to the act of vengeace rather than a participant. After all this woman has been through, she deserved to take it herself.

But, as one of the wiser characters in the book says, courage means living when it's time to live and dying when it's time to die. For Cat, the answer to that question denies her certain opportunities, but opens up others.

Cat is not a character to be forgotten, and "Tokaido Road" is a book that should be read.

Lucia is an honest writer, and respects both her subject and her readers. I have had at least a dozen copies of this book, and have worn out three or four; the rest have gone to friends who have fallen in love with The Tokaido Road and so keep the loaned book as a gift. The characters are at once familiar and alien: familiar humans in (to a 21st century American) an alien culture. While the need for revenge is understandable, Lucia helps the reader to understand why it is so important, and how terrible as well as how beautiful it can be. My only sorrow is that she hasn't revisited the novel's location. I'd love to read more.

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 wait 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.

Harriet Klausner

This most excellent novel enraptures the reader with its detailed backdrop and adventure story. The descriptions are poetic, and the characters themselves use haiku and other Japanese poetic forms to speak volumes of subtext. If you enjoy this book, look at the woodcuttings of the Tokaido by Hiroshige. Some of these woodcuts could be illustrations for the book.

Not to go on too long, this book has to be in the top 10 best books I've ever read. Very sorry to see that it's out of print, very glad I have a copy. Wonderful. Thank you.

Are books like wine? This one is a rare varietal with a complex aroma and a graceful finish. Something to savor. I read this over 13 years ago and I still love this story. It is not what you can imagine by reading the description given above. Put simply: Its a good adventure and a heart wrenching romance. The story lingers long after you finish. It was, to me, a well written journey and romance but yes, I learned some history too. I am about to venture on the road once more as I start reading it all over again. . Btw..my cover shows the fiery romance and this new edition cover shows the samarai fighting.

This is the best single fiction book I have read about feudal Japan. It really conveys a tremendous sense of the daily life and culture in a most enjoyable way. It is a highly imaginative "prequel" to the story of the 47 ronin (Chushingura). The heroine Cat is plucky, loyal, sensual, and skilled in the high arts of poetry, spirituality and the tea ceremony as well as the enjoyable lower arts of acting, disguise and kicking ass (with and without sword and stave). This book is great! I read the paperback edition several years ago, and have re-read it twice since. An easy and highly enjoyable entry into Japanese culture.