Kagami

Book excerpt: Passions and intrigues abound in this epic historical novel. Kagami follows three families in 19th Century Japan, the Yamamotos and the Okuras, traditionalists dedicated to the old feudal Samurai ways, and the commercial Fukudas, eager to seize trading opportunities opened up by the arrival of Commodore Perry's force in 1853. The Kagami, or sacred mirror, is said to reflect the secret self of anyone who looks into it; what will it reveal of Lady Masa, the gentle aristocrat; her son, Renzo, a student at one of the mysterious Seignorial schools, once Japan's only point of contact with the outside world; the swaggering Samurai, Kenichi, and his sharp witted friend, Fukuda; free-thinking Aiko, with her quick tongue, and Osen, the beguiling courtesan?