Takashi Matsuoka

«El honor del samurái posee el mismo exotismo y acción vertiginosa que Shogun pero es incluso mejor.»San Francisco Chronicle En 1861 Japón se ha visto forzado a abrir las puertas a Occidente, con el

Warrior clans nursing ancient grudges. Western missionaries brandishing pistols. Beautiful geishas who are deadly ninjas.1861, after two centuries of isolation Japan has been forced to open its doors. Now new influences are tearing apart the old order. Japan is as unprepared for outsiders as missionaries are for samurai assassins, executions and honour killings. Genji's life is at risk. He plans his escape to the Cloud of Sparrows but the road is long and there are many places along the way for brutal samurai to attack -The demons of the past, the treachery of the present, an uncertain future are about to collide in the most terrifying ways.

Corre el año 1861 y Japón, tras dos siglos de aislamiento, se ha visto forzado a abrir las puertas a Occidente, con el consecuente choque entre ambas culturas. En el puerto de Edo se reúnen numerosos barcos extranjeros en busca de oportunidades en esas nuevas tierras; uno de ellos transporta a un grupo de americanos cuyo objetivo es llevar la palabra de Dios al pueblo nipón. Para dos de estos misioneros, sin embargo, el viaje supone algo más: la joven Emily Gibson desea dejar atrás un pasado incómodo e iniciar una nueva vida; también su compañero de viaje, Matthew Stark, tiene algo que ocultar bajo su pacífica apariencia: el suyo es un pasado manchado de sangre. El destino de ambos se cruza con el de Genji, un joven samurái heredero del clan Akaoka. Dotado con el poder profético que caracteriza a su familia, Genji intuye que su futuro y el de Japón están en manos extranjeras. Su amistad con los foráneos despierta el recelo de otros clanes, los cuales, tras años de enfrentamientos en su ambición por alcanzar el shogunado, declarán la guerra abierta a Genji. En este escenario de luchas fratricidas, Genji, ayudado por sus dos nuevos amigos y su amante, la geisha Heiko, defenderá su posición sorteando intrigas y traiciones.

The year is 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman watches from the window as the city is set alight and a mob runs riot destroying everything they can lay their hands on. She begins to write down the events unfolding around her and the secret history of the Okumichi Clan. Six centuries later the lost scrolls fall into the hands of American missionary Emily Gibson, a new arrival at Edo Harbour and racing from her tragic past. Emily quickly finds herself translating the text, caught up in the gripping tale of ancestry, heroism and forbidden love. At the same time Emily is desperately trying to unravel the complexities in her own life as two men fight for her love. As Emily sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. As past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.

Set in 1861 Japan, this epic novel explores the world of samurai and geishas, focusing on Lord Genji, who was born with the gift--or curse--of prophecy. When he predicts bad news for the future of Japan, he must flee with a mysterious woman to an isolated castle, where he and his troops try to circumvent what he has seen in his prophetic visions.

The year is 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman watches from the window as the city is set alight and a mob runs riot destroying everything they can lay their hands on. She begins to write down the events unfolding around her and the secret history of the Okumichi Clan. Six centuries later the lost scrolls fall into the hands of American missionary Emily Gibson, a new arrival at Edo Harbour and racing from her tragic past. Emily quickly finds herself translating the text, caught up in the gripping tale of ancestry, heroism and forbidden love. At the same time Emily is desperately trying to unravel the complexities in her own life as two men fight for her love. As Emily sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. As past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.

En 1861, en el puerto de Edo, se reúnen barcos extranjeros en busca de oportunidades en las tierras de Japón. Uno de ellos transporta a un grupo de americanos cuyo objetivo es llevar la palabra de Dios al pueblo nipon. La joven Emily Gibson desea dejar atras un pasado incomodi, mientras que Matthew Stark tiene algo que ocultar bajo su pacifica apariencia. El destino de ambos se cruza con el Genji, un joven samurai heredero del clan Akaoka. El recelo de otros clanes provocara la guerra anierta a Genji.

En 1861 Japón se ha visto forzado a abrir las puertas a Occidente, con el consecuente choque entre ambas culturas. En el puerto de Edo se reúnen barcos extranjeros en busca de oportunidades en esas tierras; uno de ellos transporta a un grupo de americanos cuyo objetivo es llevar la palabra de Dios al pueblo nipon.

Warrior clans nursing ancient grudges. Western missionaries brandishing pistols. Beautiful geishas who are deadly ninjas. 1861 - after two centuries of isolation Japan has been forced to open its doors. Now new influences are tearing apart the old order. Japan is as unprepared for outsiders as missionaries are for samurai assassins, executions and honour killings. Genjis life is at risk. He plans his escape to the Cloud of Sparrows but the road is long and there are many places along the way for brutal samurai to attack -The demons of the past, the treachery of the present, an uncertain future are about to collide in the most terrifying ways.

The year is 1311, in the highest tower of Cloud of Sparrows Castle, a beautiful woman watches from the window as the city is set alight and a mob runs riot destroying everything they can lay their hands on. She begins to write down the events unfolding around her and the secret history of the Okumichi Clan. Six centuries later the lost scrolls fall into the hands of American missionary Emily Gibson, a new arrival at Edo Harbour and racing from her tragic past. Emily quickly finds herself translating the text, caught up in the gripping tale of ancestry, heroism and forbidden love. At the same time Emily is desperately trying to unravel the complexities in her own life as two men fight for her love. As Emily sifts through the fragile scrolls, she begins to see threads of her own life woven into the ancient writings. As past and present collide, a hidden history comes to life, and with it a secret prophecy that has been shrouded for centuries and may now finally be revealed.

Emily residente en Japón desde su llegada a Edo en 1861, entabla amistad con el heredero del clan de Okumichi, Genji, un joven que, aunque interesado por el mundo occidental que se abre ante él, sigue considerando que su principal deber es la defensa del honor familiar. Emily, intrigada por la historia de los ancestros de Genji, se volcara en la interpretacion de los manuscritos legados. Una profecia oculta durante siglos comenzara a tomar forma.

Takashi Matsuoka retoma a algunos de los protagonistas de El honor del samurai para describir el rico mosaico que conforma la sociedad japonesa, en la que se funden oriente y occidente, mundo tangible y mundo trascendental, realidad y profecias. La historia de los Okumichi, una familia de samurais, es la historia de la evolucion del pais, desde su inicial anclaje en las tradiciones puramente japonesas, pasando por la posterior transfiguracion cultural con la llegada de los occidentales, hasta alcanzar nuestros dias.

"El honor del samur#i posee el mismo exotismo y acci#n vertiginosa que Shogun pero es incluso mejor."San Francisco Chronicle En 1861 Jap#n se ha visto forzado a abrir las puertas a Occidente, con el consecuente choque entre ambas culturas. En el puerto de Edo se re#nen barcos extranjeros en busca de oportunidades en esas tierras; uno de ellos transporta a un grupo de americanos cuyo objetivo es llevar la palabra de Dios al pueblo nip#n. Para dos de estos misioneros, sin embargo, el viaje supone algo m#s: la joven Emily Gibson desea dejar atr#s un pasado inc#modo e iniciar una nueva vida; Matthew Stark tiene algo que ocultar bajo su pac#fica apariencia. El destino de ambos se cruza con el de Genji, un joven samur#i heredero del clan Akaoka. Su amistad con los for#neos despierta el recelo de otros clanes, que declarar#n la guerra abierta a Genji. Ayudado por sus dos nuevos amigos y su amante, la geisha Heiko, #ste defender# su posici#n sorteando intrigas y traiciones.

«El honor del samurái posee el mismo exotismo y acción vertiginosa que Shogun pero es incluso mejor.»San Francisco ChronicleEn 1861 Japón se ha visto forzado a abrir las puertas a Occidente, con el c