Japantown (47 page)

Authors: Barry Lancet

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BOOK: Japantown

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ABOUT AUTHENTICITY

I’ve made every effort to render the Japanese material as accurately as possible. More than three decades of residency in Japan gives me a step up, though I am far from infallible. Here’s what’s true:

The background information on kanji and the Japanese language is accurate. The Soga kanji was created for the purposes of this novel, but its components were taken from existing characters.

Discussions of Japanese calligraphy, woodblock prints, and other art objects (Japanese or otherwise) are also accurate.

Settings at the inn, ryotei, soba restaurant, and elsewhere echo actual sites and my real-life experiences. While the village of Soga and its residents are fictional, the locale and the details are based on village life in that region of Japan. Historically, secret groups of assassins of various origins inhabited the area.

The Obon festival is a cherished Japanese ritual.

The events surrounding the Kobe earthquake occurred; the specific victims in these pages are fictional.

The ministries mentioned in the book are official government institutions, although the names sometimes evolve. For example, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as it was known at the time of the Kobe earthquake, is now called the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Many Japanese feel the ministries to be oppressive in the ways described in this story. To what extent varies with the individual, but the views expressed in these pages are in no way extreme.

Shadow powerbrokers existed in the recent past and to a degree exist today. Some observers believe they are dying out. Others think their
role is merely changing with the times. In either case, the way power is wielded remains the same.

The “Dog Shogun” was the well-earned moniker of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646–1709), the fifth shogun in a line of fifteen Tokugawa shoguns. The forty-seven ronin are also actual historical figures, and Sengakuji Temple, in central Tokyo, is their resting place.

Before and during World War II, Japan invaded its Asian neighbors to create what it called at various times a “new order” or a “co-prosperity sphere.” A pivotal part of these expansionist efforts fell to the secret police organization known as the Kempei Tai (KPT), which committed countless atrocities.

In comparison to the standards followed in the United States and Europe, the restrictions on Japanese journalists are severe.

The Hanshin Tigers are an actual ball club, as its legion of fans will attest.

The poem Mieko Brodie recited was originally written by a Buddhist nun named Rengetsu (1791–1875) and appears in English in a short but elegant volume of her poetry called
Lotus Moon
, translated with aplomb by John Stevens. I am pleased to report that the Okazaki Hills front the Higashiyama Mountains at the eastern edge of Kyoto.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

You often hear that it takes many people to launch a book. Nothing could be truer in my case. I have been fortunate in the people I’ve met. Many have extended a hand, advice, or insight with generosity and grace.

I owe an immense debt of gratitude to my agent, Robert Gottlieb. He “got it” from the first and has been supportive, professional, and on point throughout. I also want to express my thanks to others at Trident Media Group, including Erica Spellman-Silverman, Adrienne Lombardo, and Mark Gottlieb.

I am equally indebted to Sarah Knight at Simon & Schuster, who read this novel and then called me in Tokyo from New York, knowing as much or more about the work than I did. Her sharp editorial perceptions, enthusiasm, and great good humor have been a blessing. Also at Simon & Schuster, I wish to thank Lance Fitzgerald for his keen interest and support from the outset; Marysue Rucci for her sage advice and kind words; Molly Lindley for so efficiently taking care of additional publishing matters; Jackie Seow and Thomas Ng for a stunning jacket design; Andrea DeWerd for marketing; Elina Vaysbeyn for digital marketing; Kathy Higuchi for handling the production with such precision; Anne Cherry for her impressive copyediting; James Walsh for eagle-eyed proofreading; and the Internet and IT wizards in the digital group whom I’ve not yet gotten to know but whose work to date has been imaginative and cutting edge. And last, my deep thanks to Jonathan Karp and Richard Rhorer for their support of this project.

I also offer thanks to the following: Ben Simmons, a professional photographer with a focus on Japan and Asia, for taking the author
photographs; web meister Maddee James and her crew, Jen and Ryan, all of
xuni.com
, for designing a superb website; and psychologist Betsey M. Olson for her insights into young girls going through trauma.

For help and encouragement along the way I also want to express my thanks to Mike and Cecilie Salo, Ann Slater, Janet Ashby, Ethel Margolin, John Paine, Jeff and Bonnie Stern, Richard Marek, John S. Knowlend, Lincoln Lancet, Margie and Mike Wilson, Linda and Bruce Miller, J. A. Ted Baer, Adrienne K. Di Giacomo, Kathleen Ireland, and Miles Kline.

Over the years, some of my publishing friends in Japan have offered stimulating conversation and general support: Shigeyoshi Suzuki (who also penned the art dealer’s version of the kanji), Mio Urata, Ayako Akaogi, Michiko Uchiyama, and Michael Brase.

Family played a big role. My parent’s steady presence on the other end of the Internet in California and their unquestioning support proves that blind faith has its moments. My brother Marc has also followed the years-long process with unbridled enthusiasm, plunging into the world of thrillers and mysteries with such abandon that his advice and insights were often stunning. Also thanks go out to his wife, Annette De Bow, for her enthusiasm for the project and her warm welcome during a brief stay at their home when things got rough. My brother Scott and his wife, Rosaleen, offered encouragement from the early stages of this book. As if that weren’t enough, their children, Daryanna and Daniel, are proving to be a formidable cheering section. Melbourne and Teresa Weddle were early supporters, and Mel kindly offered his legal assistance as well. At home, my wife, Haruko, accepted my endless hours pounding the keyboard with amusement. My children, Renee and Michael, willingly put up with my distracted state and odd hours. They gave me inspiration on more levels than they could possibly imagine.

In Japan, my in-laws, Hozumi and Masako Horiuchi, supplied the occasional evening meal, conversation, and wonderful stories. The Chiba gang—Masaharu and Hiroko Nagase, Hirotaka Nagase, Chikako and Shinya Ishioka—has always been a kind and steady presence.

To each and every person here, and others unmentioned, I offer my sincere gratitude and profound thanks, as well as a promise to do it all again—soon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barry Lancet’s connection with Japan began more than thirty years ago with a short exploratory trip from his California home to Tokyo. Five years later his visit turned into a long-term stay in the Japanese capital, a thriving metropolis he found endlessly fascinating.

Lancet landed a position at one of the country’s top publishing houses, and in twenty-five years he developed numerous books across many fields but mostly on Japanese culture—including art, crafts, cuisine, history, fiction, Zen gardens, martial arts, Asian philosophy, and more—all of which were sold in the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world. The work opened doors to many traditional worlds, lending a unique insider’s view to his own writing.

One incident in particular started him on his present course. Early on during his return to Japan, Lancet was directed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to come down to the stationhouse for a “voluntary interview.” The MPD proceeded to interrogate him for three hours over what turned out to be a minor, noncriminal infraction. The police grilling evolved into one of the most intensive psychological battles of cat-and-mouse he had faced up to that point in his stay in Asia, and caused him to view many of his experiences, past and future, in a whole new light. The encounter was also instrumental in shaping Lancet’s approach to his first novel.

For more information, please visit
BarryLancet.com
.

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

SimonandSchuster.com

authors.simonandschuster.com/Barry-Lancet

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