The Street of a Thousand Blossoms (Hardcover)

by Gail Tsukiyama (Author)
Key Phrases: juryo division, makushita division, other sumotori, Akira Yoshiwara, Otomo Matsui, Yokozuna Takanoyama (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In her ambitious sixth novel (Dreaming Water; The Samurai's Garden), Tsukiyama tackles life in Japan before, during and after WWII. The story follows brothers Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto through the devastation of war and the hardships of postwar reconstruction. Orphaned when their parents were killed in a boating accident, the boys are raised by their grandparents in Tokyo. In 1939, Hiroshi is 11 and dreams of becoming a sumo champion, and soon Kenji will discover his own passion, to become a master maker of Noh masks. Their grandparents, Yoshio and Fumiko Wada, are vividly rendered; the war years and early postwar years, centered in their home on the street of the novel's title, are powerfully portrayed. Hiroshi and Kenji reach pinnacles of success in their chosen fields as well as in love, and while Tsukiyama's close attention to historical and geographical detail enriches the narrative, she isn't as successful when describing Hiroshi's wrestling career; the matches all begin to blur together. The lingering effects of war, on the other hand, are clear, and these, combined with a nation's search for pride and hope after surrender comprise the novel's oversized heart. (Sept.)
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From Booklist
Tsukiyama is a mesmerizing storyteller who focuses on family, tradition, and the solace of nature and art. Of both Chinese and Japanese descent, she has explored the history and culture of both lands, here imagining life in Japan during its most catastrophic time as experienced by the orphaned brothers Hiroshi and Kenji. Raised by their loving grandparents in Yanaka, a residential area of Tokyo, they are opposites. Big, strong, and confident, Hiroshi believes he is destined to be a sumo wrestler. Slight, quiet, and artistic, Kenji discovers his love for mask making and Noh theater by accident. They each secure mentors, but just as the good brothers embark on their demanding apprenticeships, war breaks out. Tsukiyama's spare prose reflects the clean-lined, distilled-to-the-essence aesthetic of Japanese art as she writes appreciatively and informatively about the arts of sumo and Noh, and piercingly about the horrific deprivations and tyranny of war, the firebombing of Tokyo, the American occupation, and the rapid evolution of modern Japan. As her endearing characters attempt to adjust to the new while preserving the old, Tsukiyama evokes a classic vision of a blasted world returning to life. Tsukiyama's historically detailed and plot-driven story of resilience, discipline, loyalty, and right action is popular fiction at its most intelligent, appealing, and rewarding. Seaman, Donna

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312274823
• ISBN-13: 978-0312274825
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #301,909 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for.", September 5, 2007

By	Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Tsukiyama returns with a novel that spans pre-World War II Japan, the devastating bombings, occupation and the gradual recovery of a country battered by the forces of war and defeat. As young boys, Kenji and Hiroshi Matsumoto, orphaned grandsons of Yoshio and Fumiko Wada, are early attracted to the lifestyles they will pursue. Hiroshi wants nothing more than to become a sumitori; Kenji dreams of crafting the otherworldly masks used in the Noh Theater as taught by his sensei, Akira Yoshiwara. Watching proudly as their grandsons grow into responsible young men, the threat of impending war interferes with the family's plans for the future, the citizens of the Yanaka district of northeastern Tokyo consumed with surviving ever decreasing rations, old and young males called to serve their country on the front lines. While Kenji's sensei escapes to the mountains and Hiroshi delays his training with the master, Sho Tanaka, people gather in homemade bomb shelters, hoping to survive each new attack.

The eventual bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki throws the country into chaos, Tanaka's wife lost to her children during the conflagration, Aki and Haru returning to their father alone. The wounds are slow to heal after such devastation, but Hiroshi and Kenji renew their separate passions, Hiroshi training diligently, one eye on the growing Aki, Kenji opening his own mask shop, married and content with every aspect of his life but one. Time passes, one generation giving way to another, parents and grandparents bequeathing the future to their children. Finally free of the grief of the past, Kenji and Hiroshi deal with the challenges of every day existence, the small, but painful tragedies and fragile victories that define them in the world. Each is burdened with unexpected loss, relying on family and work to recover. It is in these areas, the particulars of loss and redemption that the author is most proficient.

Although the male characters are more rigidly constructed, guided by the expectations of others and their own dedication to their careers, it is the female characters who most embody change and compassion, the now-widowed, but wise Fumiko, the darkest days of Aki's self-doubt and the loving presence of the faithful Haru, Aki's older sister, who assumed the place of mother when theirs was lost. Set in the culture of sumo, the historic years of war ever present, Tsukiyama's Japan suffers the loss of power and occupation, slowly rebuilding a more modern society. Strength of family and pride of culture sustain the decades, as the characters adapt to a world that is forever changed, loss and renewal the common, sustaining theme of the author's vision. Luan Gaines/2007.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Educational, But Hard to Get Through, May 14, 2008

By	Pamela S. Jones (Clifton, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Our CHATTER Reading Group reads literary works of fiction and nonfiction. Based largely on the 4.5-star rating other Amazon.com readers had given it, we read and discussed "Street of a Thousand Blossoms". Knowing that everyone else had rated this book on average 4.5 stars, it was difficult for us to go against the grain. We even discussed WHY others might have liked it so much. Certainly, it was interesting to consider Japan during the WWII period and realize that the "enemy" of the U.S. is a country made up of people just like us and that they suffered.

Also, if asked ahead of time, "How would you like to read a book about Sumo Wrestling?", we certainly would have said, "No, thanks." Yet, it was also extremely interesting to read about this sport, admittedly previously unknown to us. The same goes for Noh Mask Artistry. I researched and shared photographs of masks and information about how they are made with the group. We also shared a sumo wrestling video. So, again, this book gets points for its educational aspects, which lead to a very interesting book club discussion.

Our group thought it was necessary to include our opinion of the book as a warning to the uninformed reader who might think, "this must be a real page-turner with reviews like that!" The writing style felt predictable and left us wondering about a few things (such as, why include that bit about Aki catching the caretaker in the middle of the night - what was the purpose of that?) After a slow beginning, the book did pick up a little. But, quite frankly, if it had not been a reading group book, it would have been hard for us to get all the way to the end before giving up (some members didn't even make it that far).

This book was voted an average of 3 stars by the 6 reading group members who finished reading it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another winner by this author, October 25, 2007

By	D. Obal "tish53" (freehold,nj) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Early this morning around 2 AM, I finished The street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tskiyama. Once again she took me in showed me the Asian culture but this time Japan right before WW II,thru the war and the dropping of the bombs and how Japan recovered. It could have been gory but this author has in incredible way with words,so lyrical,even when telling about the horror of the nuclear holocaust.. i give this book a 4.5/5. my favorite by her still is The Samurai's Garden.when I finish one of her books, i am so immersed by her that i wonder if i will ever be able to read another book right away!