by Fumi Yoshinaga, 227 pages
Dead Iemitsu's illegitimate daughter Chie has secretly been the stand-in shogun for several years. When the hard, capable ruler shows no sign of bearing a child to continue the Tokugawa line (and therefore the country's stability) with her current lover--and the double tragedies of the pox and drought show no signs of abating--a series of fateful decisions further builds the framework (for better or for worse) for the world into which Yoshimune will one day be born.
Whether in the fields or behind the shogun's palace walls, no one here knows life without hardship and hateful ultimatums. The only thing that makes these harsh choices bearable is the resolve of those affected to accept what must be done for the good of the country, even if it breaks their own hearts. Such pragmatism is a bitter pill for the soft-hearted reader, however, so she looks forward (rather idealistically) to a warmer, safer, happier future, however many generations down the line it may be. Yoshimune has already succeeded in injecting a little humanity into her rule in the first volume. Hopefully, that will only be the beginning.
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