JQ Magazine: Book Review — ‘Blade’s Edge’

By Rashaad Jorden (Yamagata-ken, 2008-10) for JQ magazine. A former head of the JETAA Philadelphia Sub-Chapter, Rashaad is a graduate of Leeds Beckett University with a master’s degree in responsible tourism management. For more on his life abroad and enthusiasm for taiko drumming, visit his blog at www.gettingpounded.wordpress.com.A lot of people (former JETs included) probably feel a lot of things take place in Japan because “that’s the way they have always been.”So it’s not surprising that mindset would permeate throughout a fictionalized version of the country. Virginia McClain takes readers through such a place in her new novel, Blade’s Edge. Although Japan is blessed with a ridiculously long and rich history that many of us are somewhat aware of, 12th century Japan is probably a complete mystery to even most Japanophiles, but that shouldn’t stop us from imagining what it would have been like. Fortunately, McClain lets her creative and imaginary juices flow, providing readers with a glimpse of a fantasy Japan she created, inspired by her experiences living in Yamagata Prefecture and learning about the country’s history and culture.The main characters of Blade’s Edge are two young girls named Mishi and Taka. They both reside in Gensokai, the kingdom that serves as the story’s setting (the word “Gensokai”—created from the Japanese terms for element and world—was actually coined for the purpose of the story) in addition to being a territory ruled for more than a thousand years by the Kisōshi, an elite group of warriors…who happen to be all-male.Or so many people in Gensokai thought. However, Mishi and Taka both discover at a very young age they are Kisōshi. Unfortunately, they are separated from each other early in the story, as someone discovers that Taka is a josanpu (woman trained in birthing and care for women’s health) and thus, takes her to a Josanko, the training site for josanpu. It is not an enjoyable place—she is caught studying in the library by a male instructor, who threatens her with punishment.Not that Mishi is enjoying a more pleasant daily life. She works as a servant at a school for young Kisōshi, where she spends all day cleaning, mending and tending horses. In addition to those unpleasantries of her mundane life, Mishi is scolded by her master because of her poor technique throwing punches—which forces the other girls at her school to continually perform the proper technique. Furthermore, she is taunted by a classmate due to her illiteracy.However, the difficulties Taka and Mishi endure are far from the most shocking things they experience. Both of them (in addition to another female classmate) discover that the true purpose of a josanpu is to drown female Kisōshi at birth, as the penalty for allowing a female Kisōshi to live is death. (A bizarre law in Gensokai is that two josanpu are required at every child’s birth. The josanpu must not only report on the birth of the child, but on the behavior of the other josanpu.) Not only are Taka and Mishi fortunate to have made it out of childhood, Mishi also learns from another female Kisōshi that if the Rōju (the ruling council of elder Kisōshi responsible for governing Gensokai) were to discover she was still alive, it would put all of them at risk.While it might be depressing to read about how all the female Kisōshi are threatened solely due to their gender, it’s clear that they are courageous—as evidenced by Mishi’s actions after her mentor Kuma-sensei demands she must infiltrate Rōju City to steal a scroll that will help them defeat the Rōju and protect female Kisōshi.Mishi actually succeeds in stealing the scroll, a very well-guarded parchment that must not end up in the hands of any of their enemies. Despite the best efforts of her and her comrades, she is captured and they go to trial, where they are accused of stealing the ancient scroll, imitating a Kisōshi, and participating in the murder of several Eihei (the elite guard of the Rōju). But instead of a typical trial full of nondescript testimony, a scuffle breaks out after Tsuku-san recites the writing on the scroll and much of the end of Blade’s Edge is one enormous battle scene.Certainly, the novel ends on a high note with lots of excitement. But before reaching the action-packed end, Blade’s Edge does present a challenge for readers. While the story is not told in first person, most of the chapters tend to emphasize the experiences of either Mishi or Taka—which is not surprising considering the two were separated early in the novel. But the story doesn’t flow continuously until the end, and while many of the chapters contain interesting tidbits about the diverse set of characters, crucial events in the story do seem to be chopped up.Despite this, certain experiences that occur in Blade’s Edge will resonate for those who have lived in Japan. Mishi and Taka obviously face numerous mental challenges and they are constantly told they shouldn’t do certain things or are forbidden to do them for silly reasons—for example, Mishi is forbidden to enter the library of ancient texts and gets into a skirmish with a guard who sees her there. And of course, females aren’t supposed to be Kisōshi. But on a much brighter note, Blade’s Edge will resonate with JETs because many hope to bring about positive changes in their communities. Eventually, things change for the better in Gensokai, such as new schools being opened in the kingdom.While Blade’s Edge features challenges for not just the characters, it is fun to see imagination used to create fantasy in an ancient Japan from long, long ago.Visit Virginia’s homepage at www.virginiamcclain.org. For more JQ magazine book reviews, click here.