Here are some deeper dives into why Japan is the way it is, and real world links to crazy facts from the Samurai’s Octopus…
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Why are tattoos still taboo in Japan?
Spoiler: it’s not because they think you’re a gangster
In feudal Japan (the samurai era, when The Samurai’s Octopus takes place), the entire society was based on the principle that everybody has their place, and those in lower positions must submit to those above. What does this have to do with tattoos?
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Haunted household goods of Japan
Why were those who lived in Yoshiwara just as scared of the supernatural as they were of more logical dangers?
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Why do so many Tokyo restaurants refuse Michelin stars?
Why would anyone refuse the chance to attract more customers? To understand why men vied to outspend each other in Yoshiwara for access to an oiran’s attentions, read on…
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What’s with the barbers who specialized in reattaching severed topknots?
Why the heckin’ heck would any respectable samurai have to deal with a severed topknot…
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If you’re curious what kind of woman would lop off a man’s topknot to pull herself up by her own bootstraps…meet White Pearl, the House of Treasures’ first-rank oiran.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got home, Honored Elder Sister,” Birdie says. “Auntie sent me out for oranges, and I just got back.”
“Well, I hope you brought me one,” Pearl huffs. “I’m starving.”
Birdie tosses the one she palmed from the basket before handing it to Flower. Pearl catches it and invites her to the table where her morning tea awaits. She pours two cups, slides one across.
“So?” The oiran digs a thumb into the peel. “Did you find out who he is?”
“Yes. He’s Takeda-san’s son.”
“His son?” Pearl stares. “Are you sure?”
Birdie nods.
“Huh. He must take after his mother.” She peels off an orange segment. Pops it in her mouth. “Who was he with? Which woman, I mean.”
“Dunno. He might just have been there to keep his father company.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I hear that every courtesan at the Peony has her eye on him, so he must not have chosen one yet. Besides, what kind of courtesan would let her patron moan on and on about some other House’s oiran all night?”
“He was moaning about an oiran? Which one?”
“You.”
Smiling like a cat that just raided the goldfish bowl, Pearl breaks her orange in two and hands half to Birdie.
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is he the eldest Takeda son? Or a younger one?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you find out?”
Birdie swallows her bite of orange.
“Of course.” She grins.
Pearl nibbles thoughtfully. “Who do you suppose he’ll ask for an introduction?”
“He’s not allowed to. His father told him he can’t come here.”
“Funny thing for a father to say, especially while they’re being entertained by his mistress. Isn’t it a wife’s job to say that?”
“He doesn’t have one.”
“A wife, or a mistress?”
“A wife.”
Pearl stops chewing.
“Are you sure?”
“My friend at the Peony said his father is always telling him he doesn’t need a mistress until he has a wife.”
Pearl’s eyes narrow as she finishes her orange, no longer tasting it. She turns to Birdie.
“Listen to me,” she says, with an intensity that’s a little frightening. “Don’t say a word about this to anyone, do you understand? Especially Auntie. I’m not interested in Jewel’s pockmarked old cast-off. That boy is going to be my next patron, and if I play my cards right, he’ll make me his wife too. But I’m going to need your help.”
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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