After his ablutions, he felt marginally better. Sending for Genba, he told him about Saburo and Tora.Genba was stunned. “And the superintendent won’t let them go?” he asked in a tone of disbelief. “They haven’t really done anything, have they?”“No. Someone is putting pressure on Kobe to keep him ...
He hoped to get some answers about the way his predecessor had left things in the Chikuzen tribunal and to have the missing people and supplies replaced.It was customary for a governor to travel with a retinue but this was, of course, impossible. Akitada had at least no trouble finding his way. T...
She spent a great deal of time moaning and resting in her bedroom at the back of the house.Unimpressed by her mother’s suffering, Augusta took advantage of the good weather to clean the front windows downstairs. Frau von Langsdorff did not permit her to do such a thing in full view of neighbors a...
Dressed in the rough, quilted cotton jackets and short pants of laborers, they walked to the market, a collection of shops crammed together under the deep overhanging eaves of the houses that lined the main street. Here they parted company. Tora headed toward the outskir...
The fact that Akitada had resisted taking secondary wives to make certain of a large number of sons—hedges against the many diseases and mishaps that killed young children—fascinated Kosehira. He enjoyed all of his wives and his large brood of children and considered Akitada’s arrangement not muc...
During this interval he was watched with the greatest anxiety by Seimei, Tora, and Motosuke. Servants and physicians came and went. The prognosis went from desperate to hopeful, and still the three watchers persisted, leaving only for meals or urgent business. When Akita...
As before, the gate stood open, but today no bearers delivered lumber and no carriage waited. At the gate stood one of the monks with a basket hat. When he saw Tora, he placed his wooden begging bowl on the ground between his bare feet and started to play softly on a long, straight bamboo flute. ...
J. Parker Scanned & Proofed By MadMaxAU * * * * * * * * Characters The Hero and His Household: Sugawara Akitada An eleventh-century nobleman, returning ...
The regular passenger boat took him swiftly and uneventfully to Kawajiri. Like Akitada, Tora was greatly impressed with the large ships docking and the sight of more ships at anchor in the bay. Unlike his master, he postponed sightseeing. He chose a narrow street leading to a district of small...
He did so for the companionship, not for sexual gratification. Perhaps he had also hoped to be there when the child came. The first warning came sometime in the middle of the night. He woke because Tamako moaned beside him and then clutched his arm. Her fingers dug almost painfully into his skin....
Blue sky and golden clouds shimmered beyond the age-darkened beams and broken spars. He watched the clouds passing across the blue, and wondered if he was glimpsing a distant paradise.Gradually, he became aware of his other senses. Unpleasant odors assailed his nose. He tried to analyze them whil...
It occurred to him belatedly that he had spent far more time playing children's games than was justifiable for an investigator of crimes, particularly since he also hoped to look in on Michiko. Although his grumbling stomach reminded him that it was time for his evening rice, he ignored the hunge...