The Otori clan

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Map of the three countries

The Clan of the Otori (OT: Tales of the Otori ) is the name of a series of books by the writer Gillian Rubinstein , who wrote them under the pseudonym Lian Hearn. It tells of a young man named Takeo who lives in a world that is authentically modeled on historical Japan .

The volumes

The Otori clan was originally planned as a trilogy and should end after The Shine of the Moon . Surprisingly, however, Lian Hearn announced that two more book parts will follow. The Harsh Cry of the Heron , which takes place 16 years after the end of the third part, and the prequel Heaven’s Net is Wide , which was released before the book “Das Schwert in the silence ”.

The sword in the silence

Original title: Across the Nightingale Floor

The boy Tomasu grew up in a village in the mountains, far away from war and violence. When a warlord named Iida , the lord of the Tohan clan, raids his village and kills all residents, everything changes. Tomasu is the only survivor to flee and is saved from his three persecutors by the traveling nobleman Otori Shigeru. He takes Tomasu in and gives him the name Takeo , named after Shigeru's deceased brother Takeshi, whom Tomasu looks very similar. When Takeo warns Shigeru of an assassination attempt and with Shigeru's help locates the assassin, Shigeru is determined to adopt Takeo. Takeo learns to read and write from the scholar Ichiro and is later taught archery and sword fighting by Shigeru. When Kenji , a tribal member, hears of the death of the assassin, he discovers that Takeo is also a member of the so-called tribe . Kenji teaches Takeo to deal with his skills (invisibility, excellent hearing, being in two places at the same time, changing facial features). When Shigeru and Takeo ask for an adoption from Shigeru's uncle, they only agree if Shigeru remarries. He is said to form the alliance with the Tohan by marrying the hostage Kaede. This marriage is to take place in Inuyama, the Tohan capital. But Kaede has a bad reputation that says that all men who desire her die; but when Takeo and Kaede meet for the first time, they both fall madly in love. Meanwhile, Iida sees an opportunity to get rid of Shigeru. Once in Inuyama, this wedding turns into a debacle. Shigeru already suspected a trap of his uncles and Iida, but he has a plan: He goes to Inuyama with Takeo, and before Shigeru Kaede is to marry, Takeo gets into Iida's castle with his tribal skills and kills him. But this plan fails. Takeo wants to go to the castle with his teacher Kenji, but Shigeru reveals to the tribe. He kidnaps Takeo and Shigeru is captured as a traitor. His betrayal is to have taken in someone who was hidden. Takeo accuses Kenji of betraying him, because he betrayed Shigeru out of loyalty to the tribe, despite years of friendship. Kenji also has a hard time with this breach of trust. The two make a pact: For Kenji to have Takeo killed Iida and to support him in this, Takeo will return to the tribe and transfer his loyalty from the Otori to the tribe. With the help of Kenji and his daughter Yuki, Takeo secretly sneaks to the castle wall at night, where Lord Shigeru, who is hung by both arms on the castle wall, is said to suffer a painful death. Takeo takes him from the wall and ends his suffering with Shigeru's sword, which has been passed on in his family for centuries, he then takes the sword for himself. Then he penetrates the castle again and has a night of love with Kaede. Both confess their love. Takeo then attacks Iida and his guards. Kaede gives Iida the fatal blow. since the killing of a lord by a woman is a death-worthy crime, Takeo claims to have killed Iida. Both leave the castle and watch the army of a rival Iidas invade. He voluntarily returns to the tribe and mourns the dead Shigeru and Kaede, whom he no longer sees.

The path in the snow

Original title: Grass for his Pillow

After the death of Iida and Shigeru, Takeo joins the tribe from which he is descended on his father's side and swears eternal loyalty to them. So he also leaves his love Kaede , who is pregnant from their only night together, which Takeo does not know. Since Takeo had nothing but his horse raku, he gave it to her as a gift. For her part, Kaede travels back to her old home, but realizes that nothing is as it was in her childhood. The harvest has not taken place and the food supply is very scarce. When she sees her father, she knows why everything in the village had deteriorated: her father went crazy because his oldest daughter had a bad reputation. Since he was dishonored by his daughter, he wants nothing more than that she brings death to him too. A faithful servant of Kaedes kills her mad father with dignity. Due to his death, she is the oldest and only heir of the Shirakawa clan. Although she is a woman, she takes over the leadership of the Shirakawa domain and wants to prove herself against the warlords. Meanwhile, Takeo is subjected to tough training by the members of the tribe. The in his eyes brutal and nefarious methods of the tribe move him to turn away from him, despite the oath of loyalty. But the punishment for treason is death, from which he must now flee. He makes his way to Terayama Monastery, where he hopes for help. On the way there, half frozen, he meets a group of outcasts. He already knows one of them from the events in Inuyama. This leads him to a hidden mountain path. In a cave he learns the prophecy that accompanies him from then on from an old woman. Kaede tries to restore the Shirakawa clan's prosperity. Because of this, she befriends a rich nobleman: Lord Fujiwara. Kaede wants to benefit from this powerful man. Kaede has no choice but to reveal all her secrets about Takeo and his origins, in return she gets food and better weapons for her village. But what Kaede doesn't know is that Fujiwara wants to marry her. Kaede rips off to Terayama under the pretext of Lord Arai to pay her respects. There she meets Takeo and they get married.

The shine of the moon

Original title: Brilliance of the Moon

After Takeo fled to Terayama and married Kaede there without the consent of the current most powerful ruler Arai, he is now building an army to protect his wife's legacy (Maruyama clan) and overthrow the Otori lords. According to the prophecy, he will fight five battles, win four and lose one. But the marriage with Kaede also raised other enemies. Both Lord Fujiwara and Lord Arai are angry about the marriage. Fujiwara because he saw Kaede as his bride, Arai because the marriage took place without his consent. Takeo, Kaede and their allies, including the monk Kubo Makoto and the Miyoshi brothers Kahei and Gemba, manage to defend Maruyama against Lord Iida Nariaki (cousin of Iida) and to bring the country back to old prosperity. Takeo seeks a way to overthrow Hagi without engaging in a siege, which would mean an inevitable defeat. So he sets off to the island of Oshima with Makoto and some other companions. Once there, he forms an alliance with the pirate leader Fumifusa, who is also the father of his best friend Fumio. In the meantime, however, Kaede makes her way to her Shirakawa domain to check on her and to pick up her sisters Ai and Hana. However, she is betrayed by her henchman Shoji Kiyoshi and captured by Lord Fujiwara. He marries her against her will, but without sleeping with her, as he prefers men. When Takeo learns what has happened to his wife, he immediately sets out with an army to bring her back. However, he can do nothing against the superior strength of Arai's soldiers. They flee to Shuho, but are caught up there. Takeo surrenders voluntarily to protect his men. He is led to Lord Arai, who does not want to kill Takeo, but offers him an alliance. Takeo is supposed to prove, however, that the rumors that he is hidden are not true. He has no choice but to kill Jo-An so as not to reveal himself. Meanwhile, after giving birth to Takeo's child, Muto Kenji's daughter Yuki is forced to swallow poison. Kenji is so beside himself with grief and anger at the Kikuta that he divides the tribe and allies with Takeo to overthrow the Otori lords. Arriving in Hagi, they manage to get Shoichi and Masahiro and their sons out of the way and thus avenge Shigeru's death. When Arai joins them, however, he turns out to be a traitor because he lets Otori soldiers kill with arrows. Shortly thereafter, however, the earth shook, completely destroying Arai's army and ending the war. With Shizuka's help, Kaede manages to escape from Fujiwara's house, which is destroyed in an earthquake. You and Takeo find themselves in the sacred caves of Shirakawa.

In the epilogue, Takeo then tells that he successfully rules the three countries in peace with Kaede and that he has three daughters with her. According to the description, the eldest is Kaedes' likeness, while the twins, who are two years younger, have inherited the tribal skills of the Kikuta. Takeo also lets his son, Yuki's child, grow up under the tribe's hands. He knows that one day his son will try to kill him, spurred on by lying, but Takeo does not want to let anything happen to the boy and will welcome it much more if he is killed by his hand.

The call of the heron

Original title: The Harsh Cry of the Heron

Takeo and Kaede have ruled the three countries together for sixteen years. Their love and harmony, but also the perfect balance between male and female power, have brought lasting peace and great wealth to their country. This is not hidden from the emperor in distant Miyako and his supreme general, Saga Hideki. Together with Arai Daiichi's son Arai Zenko, who is looking for revenge, and his wife Hana, Kaede's sister, they plan to rule the three countries. Not only does Zenko seek revenge for his father, but also Kikuta Akio as the leader of the Kikuta. The two work together to destroy Takeo. Zenko also secures the support of the strangers, their fleets and their firearms. The general challenges Takeo to a competition: if he loses, he not only has to abdicate and go into exile, but also consent to his beautiful daughter Shigeko marrying Saga. With his most loyal followers, with whom Takeo fought all his life, he makes the long journey to the imperial city. He hopes to win the competition and convince the emperor and his general of the legitimacy of his rule. The trip seems to be a success for the Otori in the beginning and they seem to have got the Kaiser and Saga on their side by winning the competition, but suddenly, from unfortunate coincidences, the two sides break. Saga's and Takeo's army meet in a massive battle on the eastern border of the three countries, which Takeo's armed forces can narrowly win. Meanwhile, Hana Kaede has revealed that Takeo has kept his son with Muto Yuki from her. Blind with anger and hatred of Takeo, she first supports Arai Zenko's open rebellion against the Otori, which begins when Takeo's army fights Saga in the east, and then apparently disappears after she and Takeo meet one last time in Yamagata. Angry, she chases away Takeo, who wants to make up with her and then flees to the monastery in Terayama. He had previously resigned and appointed Shigeko as his successor, who is bringing the army from the east to fight Arai Zenko. In the monastery, he swears never to kill again and spends his last days as an artist. Eventually, Kikuta Akio and Takeo's son Hisao show up to murder Takeo. Hisao can't bring himself to shoot Takeo and Akio dies trying because Hisao's gun misfires. Takeo hugs Hisao, grabs his guns and stabs himself with a knife, which he presses into Hisao's hands. He is buried next to Shigeru. Kaede shows up at the monastery months later, full of grief and regrets her behavior. She decides to go on living for her remaining children Shigeko and Miki as well as Chikara, Suanomi (Zenko's sons) and Hisao. It is learned that Shigeko and Saga are married and that their armies have defeated Zenko and the strangers. Shigeko and Saga now rule the three countries on an equal footing, as was Takeo's testamentary wish.

The vastness of the sky

Original title: Heaven's Net is Wide

This book is the first and the last in the book series "The Clan of Otori". It was released in Germany on January 10, 2009 and in Switzerland on January 15, 2009. This prequel begins in Takeo's year of birth and describes the life of Shigeru and the course of the Battle of Yaegahara. You can also learn more about Shigeru, e.g. For example, how he got information from Shizuka about the tribe, under what circumstances Kenji became his friend, the murder of his brother Takeshi and how he fell madly in love with Maruyama Naomi.

Shigeru is the son of the Otoriclan leader Shigemori. Shigemori and his family lived in Hagi. The clan heir Shigeru grew up like his younger brother Takeshi like a warrior; he was trained in sword fighting, archery, reading and writing. When Shigeru got to a certain age, when he secretly met women with his closest friend Kyioshige and went to cathouses, this did not escape his father, he told him how he once fell in love with a concubine who, like him, later found out about her, is from the tribe, and was expecting a child from him. She wanted to have this child, she told the amorous Shigemori. It would grow up in the trunk. But he should keep this a secret. He never saw his concubine again. And neither is his illegitimate child. Because of this, his father recommended Shigeru not to fall in love. For this reason he should go to Terayama and take lessons from the best swordsman Matsuda Shingen. During this time in Terayama he learned a lot. He learned to keep his mind under control, and his speed in a fight greatly improved. Back in Hagi, his closest friend surprised him with a concubine named Akane. He and Akane made love for many nights until he decided not to fall in love with any woman and become like his father. He had a house built for her next to the castle. There they made love almost every night without him falling in love with her. Months passed and his father wanted to talk to him about a wedding. A woman was chosen to marry Shigeru. Shigeru traveled extensively in the middle country and met Arai Daiichi and the beautiful clan leader Naomi Maruyama. Shigeru and Naomi fell in love, but this should remain a secret for their lives, because Lord Iida, who was gaining more and more power, would not approve of this, since Lord Shigeru had once saved him and now did not hide his contempt for Lord Shigeru. It was said that Iida Sadamu wanted to marry the only woman who led a clan so that he could rule her clan by force. All of this contributed to a terrible war in Yaegahara. The Otori allies, the Noguchi, betrayed the Otori, and Iida won the battle. Lord Shigeru wanted to take his life because it was honorable, his father was dead and the sword Jato was gone. A turn made Shigeru pause; Muto Kenji brought him back his sword Jato. In Hagi, his uncles did not approve of his failure to commit suicide. Iida's demands were that he only wanted to negotiate if Shigeru stayed out of the political arena and his uncles took over. He also threatened to murder his brother, who was in Terayama. So he secretly vowed to take revenge on Iida and murder him. But he could only achieve this if he was considered harmless, so he became a farmer. Years passed and his role as a farmer solidified. When Muto Shizuka, one of the tribe, followed him home and offered him help, Shigeru agreed to forgive her for betraying him. In return, Shigeru received details of the tribe. As if by chance, Shizuka heard of someone who was hidden who looked like an otori. She told Shigeru that this boy lived in Mino and was his nephew. When Shigeru found out, he quickly set off to find his nephew to bring him to Hagi and to adopt him. A nephew who had mixed blood: from the Otori, the tribe and the hidden. This blood of the tribe gave Shigeru hope to kill Iida.

The clans

The various clans , their alliances and their hostilities play an important role in the books .

The clans and their symbol:

Otori clan

The Otori clan is ruled by Shigeru's uncle, Otori Masahiro and Otori Shoichi and has its headquarters in the port city of Hagi. The Otoriland stretches from the northern sea to the middle land. In the past the Otori owned other lands in the east, but the Tohan claimed large parts of this land due to the lost battle of Yaegahara.

Maruyama clan

The Maruyama clan is ruled by Lady Maruyama Naomi in the first volume of the trilogy. In contrast to Lord Iida, she grants the hidden protection. She is allied with Shigeru.

Shirakawa clan

The Shirakawa clan is led by Lord Shirakawa, Kaede's father. Since the death of his wife, Lord Shirakawa has no longer cared about his land. The harvests are bad and his honor is gone.

Tohan clan

The Tohan clan is led by Iida Sadamu in the first volume. He had made it his business to wipe out all that was hidden. He works with the tribe on occasion. He uses his contacts with the tribe to carry out attacks. Knowing how dangerous the trunk can be, he had a nightingale floor built in his room.

Arai clan

The Arai clan is led by Arai Daiichi.

Seishuu clan

The clans in the western country are called Seishuu (Maruyama, Shirakawa, ...)

Other groups

In addition to the clans, there are also three other groups: the tribe, the hidden and the outcast.

The strain

The tribe is divided into 5 families: Kikuta, Muto, Kuroda, Kudo and Imai. The kikuta master and the muto master lead the tribe. The members of the tribe have tribal skills such as: good eyesight and hearing, the use of the second self, camouflage (invisibility), a look that can incapacitate someone (put someone into a sleep that may kill them). Equipped with these skills, they commit assassinations for the clans. Their services are for sale, with their loyalty only to the tribe or their family within the tribe. Because of this, and because of their supernatural abilities with which they dishonorably kill from ambush, people despise and fear them. As a camouflage, the members of the tribe often do business or act as traders or moneylenders. During their missions, they are often disguised as acrobats, prostitutes or servants. Most clans tolerate the members of the tribe for their usefulness and not least for fear of retaliation. An exception is Takeo, who has a lot of information about the tribe based on Shigeru's records and has them tracked. Because of this and because of his betrayal of the tribe, he is a constant target of attacks. Some families of the tribe take his side. Due to this division of the tribe, the permanent persecution by Takeo and, last but not least, the gradual decline in supernatural abilities over the centuries, the tribe is becoming increasingly less important.

The hidden ones

The hidden ones have a different religion than the clans and therefore have to hide. Your religion has elements of the (real) Christian faith. They worship a single (secret) God who will send his son into the world to free them from their sins. Because they therefore do not fully recognize any other authority and because according to their belief every person is equal, they are persecuted by the warriors' guild. Much of the hidden are common people like peasants and outcasts. The hidden are forbidden to take life, neither from others nor from themselves.

The outcasts

The outcasts do the lowest work and are considered inferior.

main characters

Otori Takeo

Grew up with the hidden. When he was fifteen, he saw his village burned down by the Tohan. He later learned of his family's death from a peddler. His real name is Tomasu , but Shigeru renamed him for his own protection. Three kinds of blood flow in his veins: that of the hidden, that of the otori and that of the tribe. He has exceptional tribal skills. Takeo is characterized by his courage and perseverance, but also by his stubbornness. A prophecy determines his life and later also his death. She predicts that there will be five battles and that he will be killed at the hand of his own son. However, this also happens differently than expected. Before marrying Kaede, he made a terrible mistake while staying with the tribe.

Shirakawa Kaede (later Otori Kaede)

Is the rightful heir to the Shirakawa domain. When Kaede was 7 years old, the Noguchi took her hostage at Noguchi Castle. She was placed with the servants and treated badly for years. Kaede becomes more and more entangled in the intrigues of the clan until she runs into Takeo and falls in love with him. She is described as beautiful, but apparently there is a curse on her: Every man who desires her must die. Only Takeo defies this alleged curse. She and Takeo get married, although they shouldn't actually be married. Together they rule the three countries and help them to prosperity and peace. They have a daughter, Shigeko (named after Shigeru), followed by twins, Maya and Miki, but Kaede is not happy about that. Kaede has always wanted a son and eventually gets him, but a cruel fate happens to him. After Takeo's death, she takes care of all the children.

Otori Shigeru

Is the rightful clan leader of the Otori. He saved Takeo from the Mino massacre. Shigeru was the only survivor of his family after the battle in Yaegahara. His father died fighting the Tohan, his brother Otori Takeshi was murdered by Tohan men a short time later, and his mother fell ill with a fever which killed her. He adopts Takeo and recognizes him as the heir to the Otoriclans. He has a secret relationship with Maruyama Naomi. Shigeru is captured and tortured by the Tohan. His stepson Takeo kills him to free him from the torment. Shigeru is known for his gentleness and is worshiped as a god just a few days after his death.

Otori Shigeko

Takeo's and Kaede's oldest daughter. She is 15 years old and her mother's face, but she has a personality of her own. She is taught in Terayama by Matsuda Shingen, Kubo Makoto and Miyoshi Gemba. In contrast to her mother, who is ashamed of the twins, she feels unconditional love for Maya and Miki and, like her father, tries to protect them. She has no tribal skills, but is an excellent warrior, but always tries to avoid combat according to her training. She falls in love with Sugita Hiroshi, who returns her love. But their fate is different.

Otori Maya

The firstborn of the twins. She has the same tribal skills as her father. At the age of 13 she was already able to use Kikuta sleep, which, however, had far-reaching consequences. Since she knows that her mother would have preferred a son instead of her, she begins to feel more and more hatred for Kaede. There is a very close, almost telepathic connection to Miki. She later gains the ability to transform into a cat. She accidentally kills her little brother, finally turning away from her life as Otori, and joins Hisao. She dies when Kikuta Akio tries to kill Takeo.

Otori Miki

The younger of the two twins. She is just as gifted as her sister, but does not have the kikuta gift of euthanasia. She is very spirited, but also extremely wise for her age. Throughout history, she develops strong spiritual powers that protect Maya from Hisao. Although she wasn't there, she knows that Maya killed her little brother, but remains alone because she cannot follow Maya in cat form. She is later taken to Terayama.

Muto Kenji

The head of the Muto family; he taught Takeo to use and control his tribal skills. Kenji is quite old and looks very inconspicuous, but is a brilliant fighter. He is loyal to the tribe, which is why he betrays his longtime friend Otori Shigeru. Later, however, he and his whole family (the Mutos) separate from the tribe to help Takeo. To save Takeo from the fulfillment of the prophecy, he goes to Kikuta Akio to negotiate with him. He never returns from this meeting because he swallows poison before the Kikuta can kill him.

Iida Sadamu

Is the cruel leader of the Tohan. At the beginning of the book series, he is the most powerful warlord ever, and his power remains intact. He is responsible for the massacre in Mino and for the death of Shigeru's brother. Iida is killed by Shirakawa Kaede when he tries to rape her.

Muto Shizuka

Is a loyal servant of Kaede, the niece of Muto Kenji and therefore a member of the tribe. She gives her mistress a lot of wise advice, although she can never be sure whether she can trust Shizuka. She was the mistress of Lord Arai and bore him two sons. Arai falls out with her when he learns that she belongs to the tribe. Shizuka is usually very talkative, which on the one hand serves as a camouflage and on the other hand is useful to get information. She is also an excellent fighter and instructs her mistress Kaede in sword fighting. Her two sons are named Zenko and Taku. They play a big part in Takeo's reign. One turns out to be a loyal companion, servant and friend, while the other only feigns loyalty and just waits for the chance to avenge the death of his father. When the good-hearted Taku dies because of his brother, Shizuka goes insane and begins to meditate and fast in front of a temple. They say the birds feed them.

Muto Yuki

Is the daughter of Muto Kenji and his wife, who is also a member of the tribe. She feels strongly drawn to Takeo, and they sleep together during a trip together. Only later does Takeo learn that it was Yuki's order to give birth to his son. After the birth of the son, however, Yuki is forced by the Kikuta to commit suicide. It would only have been a hindrance because she has strong feelings for Takeo. The murder of Yuki is also the reason that her father Muto Kenji (leader of the Muto family) turns away from the tribe. But even after her death, she influences the fate of some people.

Arai Daiichi

Is an influential warlord of the Sheishuu clan. At the beginning of the first volume he saves Kaede from being raped. But when he benefits from Iida's death and assumes his position as the most powerful lord, his true character is revealed: He is blinded by power and betrays Otori Takeo, which, however, costs him his life. Arai is very quick-tempered and gets angry quickly. He can't stand the tribe and has vowed to stamp it out. He is killed by a firearm.

Kubo Makoto (later Eikan)

Is Takeo's best friend. He lives as a monk in Terayama, but courageously stands by him in many of his battles. Makoto feels more than just friendship for Takeo and confesses his love to him in the second volume. After Matsuda's death, he is made abbot of the temple in Terayama and swears never to kill again. He is present at Takeo's death, pays his last respects and reports to Kaede about it. After his decision to become Hououmeister in Terayama, he changed his name to Eikan.

Lord Fujiwara

Is a friend of the emperor and a rich nobleman. He supports Kaede with money and food, in return he wants to hear from her secret stories about the tribe and Takeo. He is a collector of rare works of art and sees another valuable treasure in Kaede. She is married to him against her will. Fujiwara loves to watch his wife grieve over Takeo and feed on her suffering. The rich lord dies in his residence because of an unfortunate fire. His son causes a lot of commotion later when he announces to Takeo that the emperor does not consider his rule to be legitimate.

Kikuta Kotaro

Is the master of the Kikuta and the indirect leader of the entire tribe as his word is above that of others. He is the killer of Takeo's biological father and an extremely talented fighter. In the third volume he faces Takeo to a duel. He loses two of his fingers in the fight, but with the help of Muto Kenji he succeeds in killing the Kikuta master.

The supporting characters

Otori Shoichi and Otori Masahiro

Are the uncles of Shigeru. They run the Otoriclan, but are actually not the rightful leaders. They were installed as heads of the clan by the Tohan after the battle of Yaegahara. The two betray their nephew and hand him over to Iida so that he can kill him. They are also the ones who put the assassin Shintaro on Shigeru. In the third volume, Takeo takes revenge for this betrayal, kills her and takes her place as head of the Otoriclans.

Ichiro

Is an old man who teaches Takeo at Shigeru's house. Known as a respected but strict teacher, he teaches Takeo writing and clan history. Shigeru was also his student. In the third volume, Shoichi and Masahiro have him killed to stir up Takeo's anger.

Maruyama Naomi

Is the head of the Maruyama clan. She is in love with Otori Shigeru and has a secret relationship with him. She and Shigeru's child are killed by the Tohan in the first volume. Lady Maruyama appears to be secretly practicing the religion of the hidden. Part five shows that she is ten years older than Shigeru.

Kondo Kiichi

Is a member of the tribe and a servant of Kaede. He looks very coarse and usually speaks with an ironic undertone. Although he basically serves the tribe, he is Kaede's most loyal warrior. It is he who kills her father and saves her from rape. The death of Lord Fujiwara is also due to him. He seems to have a lot of love for Muto Shizuka.

Matsuda Shingen

Is an abbot of the temple in Terayama. Otori Shigeru and he are very close. Before retiring to the temple, Matsuda was a notorious and gifted fighter. He teaches Takeo in war tactics.

Jo-An

Is an outcast and at times a companion of Takeo. He is a loyal believer and constantly prays to the hidden God. Arai Daiichi later forces Takeo to kill Jo-An. After his death he is worshiped as a kind of god or like such by peasants, travelers and the mostly lower classes of the population.

Lord Shirakawa

Is the father of Kaede and has a strong sense of honor. When he wants to kill himself, he goes mad and wants to rape his own daughter. But before that can happen, Kondo Kiichi kills him.

Kuroda Shintaro

Is a member of the tribe and a notorious contract killer. He was paid by Shigeru's uncles to kill him. Takeo is able to prevent the attack at the last second, but before they can confront Shintaro, Shintaro commits suicide.

Ishida

Is the family doctor of Lord Fujiwara and a kind hearted person. He has come around the world and is extremely educated. Shizuka is drawn to him and the two enter into an intimate relationship that later evolves into a marriage that does not result in children. From one of his trips he brought back a large animal named Kirin, a giraffe, around which many legends and myths later grew.

Kikuta Akio

Is a member of the tribe. He is assigned the task of taking care of Takeo and teaching him. Akio is no older than him, but he is condescending and hurtful. In Hagi, Takeo has the opportunity to kill his hated teacher, but decides against it and prefers to flee. It is he who later wants to kill Takeo in revenge for the murder of Kotaro. So he takes care of Yuki and Takeo's son, whom he calls Hisao. He only raises him with the aim that Hisao should one day kill Takeo, but he is less adept at such matters. Besides, Hisao is a shaman, meaning he can talk to the spirits; but this ability remains hidden for a long time, and Hisao sees it as more of an agony. Akio dies trying to kill Takeo with a firearm, as it explodes.

Kikuta Isamu

Is Takeo's biological father and a dangerous tribesman with extraordinary abilities. When he got to Mino, he joined the Hidden Ones and vowed never to kill again. But he had to pay for this decision with his death. He was murdered in Mino by Kotaro.

Arai Zenko

Son of Muto Shizuka and Arai Daiichi. Blames Takeo for his father's dishonorable death. Is the husband of the power-hungry sister Kaedes named Hana. Together with Hana and Kikuta Akio, he plans to avenge his father and to become ruler of the three countries himself. His rebellion is put down by Otori Shigeko and her husband, the emperor's general, Saga Hideki. Zenko and Hana are forced to take their own lives.

Japanese poems from the Otori clan

The deer united with
the autumnal clover
Has, as they say,
conceived a single fawn
This my fawn
The lonely boy
goes on a journey
Grass is his pillow

Anthology of poetry Manyoushu Vol. 9, No. 1790

On nights
when
rain falls, driven by the wind ,
On nights
when snow,
mixed with rain, falls

Yamanoue no Okura: A monologue on poverty

Others, in the most distant villages, also
look without a doubt to this moon,
which never asks which viewer
calls the night their own ...
loudly, in the invisible wind of the mountain,
the call of the deer resounds and makes the heart tremble
and somewhere from a branch
a lonely leaf falls to the ground

The bat ("Kinuta") from Zeami

The sound of the bells by Gion Shoja speaks
of the finitude of things.
The color of the sala flower reveals that all
wealthy are in danger of decline.
The proud do not endure, they are like
a dream in the spring night.
In the end, the mighty fall, they are like dust in the wind.

From: The Tale of the Heike. Stanford University Press 1988

literature

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German translations

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