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* "Bushido" by Sachi Mizuno (sex in Medieval Japan) 10, 10, 10
{Unarchived -- lost forever?}
* "Bushido" by Sachi Mizuno (71022.251@compuserve.com). I truly enjoy historical novels and televised miniseries with historical themes. Likewise, I enjoy reading about sex in a historical context. The present story takes place in Medieval Japan - during the Tokugawa shogunate, which would place it in the early 1600's. I am familiar with this period of Japanese history from other sources, and the customs and events in this story seem to be extremely accurate. For example, the daimyo (lords) really were hereditary warriors who were governed by a code of ethics - bushido (which means "the way of the warrior") - that defined service and conduct appropriate to their status as elite members of Japanese society. In addition, during the Tokugawa shogunate sons of the daimyo were routinely sent to the capital at Edo to serve as hostages in order to assure the good behavior of their fathers. A glaring exception to the overall accuracy is that in the first chapter the daimyo considers Tokugawa to be a weak and almost effeminate ruler. This is grotesquely inaccurate, and surely the author knows this. I suspect that in a later chapter the daimyo will realize his mistake. The first chapter is full of political intrigue and sex. I do NOT know for certain how accurately this story portrays the sex life of Japanese lords in the 17th century, but the presentation was certainly believable. In addition, the chapter that I sampled was just plain well written. If I were not already overwhelmed with numerous good stories to review for this newsgroup, this is certainly a book I would read. The publisher has a Web Page at Ratings for "Bushido" Athena (technical quality): 10 Venus (plot & character): 10 Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 |