Stranger in the Shogun's City, by Amy Stanley - Jenny
Stranger In The Shogun's City focuses on the daughter of a Buddhist priest, Tsuneno. Born in 1804 in Japan's snow country, she defied convention by running away from her family to Edo, which we now call Tokyo, following her third divorce. Through the letters she sent home, we see her forge her own path in life.
Woven around Tsuneno's story is the history of Edo and Japan at the time. The world was changing and soon Japan would also be changing. The people featured are also gone, which is a sobering thought, but I love that part of them now lives on through the pages of this book.
Overall this was a really interesting and compelling book. Whilst this is essentially a history book, the narrative following Tsuneno and her family added an additional human element. You become invested in her life and want to know how she fares. Considering all that is left of her are the few letters she sent home, and some of the replies, Stanley manages to build up a rounded picture of her personality and impulsive temperament.
That being said sometimes I felt that Stanley overplayed the "she might have" narrative. The fact is that we don't know a lot of what Tsuneno was thinking, and whilst it is interesting to speculate, there were a few chapters where I felt we were given too many options of what she might have thought, and I found it grating.
But that is a minor grumble really. Overall, this was incredibly well researched, as demonstrated by the extensive notes and bibliography, and is a love letter to Edo, a place which no longer exists.
I would like to read more from Stanley and would especially like to learn more about her research into Tsuneno and Edo.
- Jenny (@budgetbooklover on Instagram)
