by Fumi Yoshinaga, 207 pages
The mantle of shogun passes from Iemitsu (Chie) to her first-born daughter Ietsuna (Chiyo) and thence to the latter's half-sister Tsunayoshi (Tokuko), each bringing her own strengths and weaknesses, competencies and deficiencies to her rule. And all the while the competition for positions of influence within and without the court continues.
I love watching how each shogun makes the title her own (even if not in a positive way), bringing her personality and experiences (or lack thereof) to the role. It's a little frightening to watch the tone of the entire country change with the whims of a single individual at the top who has the power to improve upon or undo the progress of those who've come before and to impact the futures of those who come after. The politics and intrigue here are fascinating, but even more compelling are the psychological profiles of the characters as they are molded by their environments and respond with either capitulation or rebellion.
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