The Ninja's Daughter: A Hiro Hattori Novel (4) (A Shinobi Mystery) Paperback – August 2, 2016

[...]My rating:[...]Another murder in Kyoto for Hiro and Father Mateo to solve. A young girl strangled to death on the riverside, a young merchant's apprentice arriving at their door in the early morning hours sure that he has killed her in a drunken stupor and asking their help.Susan Spann continues to bring medieval Japan to life, populating it with men and women of every rank and profession. Here we are introduced to a company of actors and so we learn of the tradition of noh theatre and those who perform it. Another aspect of Japanese custom and behavior as the setting in which the Jesuit priest and his samurai body guard investigate this complicated murder.At the same time we learn of the history of Japanese government--for the shogun who has ruled for many years has died and in the vacuum left behind several samurai compete for the role. It would appear war is imminent, indeed, one samurai has seized control of Kyoto in the Spring and now, in the Fall of 1565, it may be that another will march on the city in an attempt to wrest if from him. There is much police activity and control of the movements of the inhabitants and, in time, the danger to Hiro and Father Mateo is so great they and their housekeeper and the Portuguese arms dealer who reside with them must flee the city. But, first, a murder must be solved, in great secrecy since the presiding magistrate has forbidden an investigation.All of the characters come to life in the story but the most interesting thing, if one has read the first three books, is the development of Hiro, Fr. Mateo as characters and their relationship through time is so real. Initially, the Portuguese priest is so unaware of the formal etiquette of Japanese interaction that he often embarrasses Hiro, his samurai body guard, by bluntly asking questions or opening discussions that are off limits. He does not recognize or chooses to ignore the relative positions of commoners and samurai. But, by this time, in the fourth book, he has learned much more and Hiro and he have developed an uncanny ability to use his position as a foreigner to their advantage while investigating murders. In addition, they have become more relaxed and intimate in what has become a true friendship--to the point where the Jesuit shares a secret he has shared with no one in over 20 years.As in real life, this familiarity has developed over time and was not immediate. Both have learned more about each other's cultures and religions gradually and the reader is along for the ride. Even Ana, the housekeeper, is more like family rather than a competitor for Mateo's attention or, indeed, for the position of his protector. This is most strongly shown at the end of the book--when they are fleeing Kyoto there was no mention of Gato, the adorable cat. I could not believe Spann forgot to include her in the escape and my heart was broken--but then, Hiro, many miles away, also realizes he's forgotten her. He, too, develops a lump in his throat at the thought. Ah, but Ana, she is wise and caring and oh, well, off they go to Hiro's home of Igo, where, I hope, the story will resume in the next book.[...]

Another book in the series that again keeps you turning the pages. It is fast paced good entertainment. For those who love stories taking place in Japan. Not a literary masterpiece but good fun.

Ninja? This is the fourth book in a series of five (so far) books. In every one of them the author makes the point that the Japanese term for a "Ninja" is" Shinobi" and that "Ninga" is the Chinese pronunciation of the characters, not the Japanese one. Thus, I was struck by the title of this book - "The Ninja's Daughter" as being inappropriate. Then I realized that the selling of books, is after all, a business and the title as given would "sell" better than if it had been "The Shinobi's Daughter". However, if I had been the author, and had made such a point of not using the term "Ninja" in the books, I would hope that I would have come up with another title. However, I will not pretend to understand the pressures of the publishing trade. I do not read the reviews written by others prior to writing my review, so I do not know if this bothered others.As to the book itself - a well deserved five star rating. In this episode we continue to follow our hero (Hiro) ((pun intended)) and the Jesuit priest that he protects (Fr. Mateo) as they continue to solve murders in feudal Japan. For those with a knowledge of Japanese history, this book is set towards at the end of the Ashikaga Shogunage, but before the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During this period there was great upheaval in Japan as the various Daimyos struggled for power.Hiro and Father Mateo try to solve the murder of the daughter of one of the actors in a company of "No" actors. We learn the class position (or lack thereof) in which actors were held within the society - they were even lower than merchants - and classed along with Eta, Prostitutes and Criminals at the very bottom of the Japanese social pyramid. I find the author's knowledge of Japan and it's history to be very informative, as well as making her books more realistic.Again, we are given specific landmarks within Kyoto, as Hiro moves about, so we can mentally track his movements from one location to another. I find this helpful, but some may see it as useless detail.I highly recommend this book and the others in this series.

The mystery element is fine but my pleasure comes from immersing myself in a Japan of the samurai. It is a romanticized era yet a savage era too, though no more savage than what was taking place everywhere in what we call the 16th century, including China, Europe and the Americas. In this book, the author introduces us to the world of traditional and ritualized Japanese theater. Enjoy.I will say that Hiro’s swords are not discussed sufficiently. Such swords are collected as precious antiques today and they are still made in Japan and fetch a high price. Though the swords are made elsewhere, notably China, the ones crafted in Japan are called Nihonto. There is a whole history behind the steel used in the samurai era the author does not touch on but which Hiro would have known. After each of his fights, especially where blades made hard contact with other blades, Hiro would have checked his katana or wakizashi for dings and chips and smoothed those out with a whetstone, in addition to resharpening them. He would have cleaned them thoroughly and oiled them as well. They were his life and death. If the author talks about this in the final three books of the series, thank you.I bow to Gato the kitten.

Great book, really interesting. One of those books you can't wait to finish, if you like the genre.

I read half of the book and decided to move on to other things...I was expecting something much more exciting after reading the positive reviews of this author.