It's been way too long since I've posted anything on this blog. Dorothy and I have been writing a new book--not, alas, another Samurai Detective book, but a book that will be part of a series for younger readers. It's called the "What Was..." series, and is a companion to the "Who Was..." series of biographies. We also wrote a "Where Was..." book, about the Great Pyramids. That is scheduled for publication this fall. If you know any 3rd graders who like to read (or who you'd like to encourage), give it a look. Many bookstores and libraries carry the series.
We're also joining a publication project that is a "new paradigm" for publishing. That's Booktrope, in which writers, editors, proofreaders, cover designers and book managers all share the task of publishing a book. Unlike the old-fashioned type of publishing, those who create the book get the lion's share of the profits. You can read more about what we're doing on my other blog, scribblertw.blogspot.com.
To discuss Seikei and the books about him: We received some emails from students whose teacher assigned them to take roles in a discussion of "Who Is the Best Samurai in The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn."
This is actually the second time we've received emails on this topic. Either it's a recommended assignment in some teacher guide, or maybe the same teacher gives that assignment every year.
Well, the students who wrote us were assigned to defend the idea that Tomomi, the actor-thief, (spoiler alert) was the "best" samurai. They wanted us to give evidence in support of their side of the discussion.
Of course it all depends on what you mean by "best." A good samurai serves his master--indeed, he's willing to give up his life for his master. He also will give up his life to defend his honor. There are various virtues that a good samurai practices, not only the arts of warfare, but artistic appreciation as well. We don't often think of samurai this way, but a good samurai was supposed to be good at writing poetry and even flower arranging, gardening, and so forth.
We know by the end of the book that Tomomi is willing to give up his life for what he sees as his honor. Lord Hakuseki destroyed his family, and Tomomi has devoted his own life to getting revenge. We told the students who wrote us that they should take a look at the earlier part of the book, where a play called "The Forty-Seven Ronin" is presented. That has a similar theme, only it's the 47 samurai (they're called ronin now that they have no master) seek to avenge their former master, who was forced to commit suicide because another samurai taunted him into drawing his sword in the presence of the shogun. The 47 ronin were real people, and are greatly admired in Japan. By the standards of bushido (the samurai code), they are heroes.
Maybe you can think of reasons why some of the other people in the story should be considered the "best" samurai. Post them right here and we can have our own discussion.