Publisher's Synopsis
Japan, 1709. The shogun is old and ailing. Amid the ever-treacherous intrigue in the court, Sano Ichiro has been demoted from chamberlain to a lowly patrol guard. Evicted from their estate inside Edo Castle, he and his family now live in a hovel in the military district, yet Sano's dedication to the way of the warrior - the samurai code of honour - is undiminished. Then a harrowing, almost inconceivable crime takes place. In his own palace, the shogun is stabbed with a fan made of painted silk with sharp-pointed iron ribs.
