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Spend 24 hours in the vibrant, divided world of Shogun’s Japan.
In 1614, Japan stood at a crossroads. As the Tokugawa shogunate tightened its grip on power, samurai prepared for war, Christians faced persecution, and foreign merchants navigated a rapidly shifting political landscape.
In 24 Hours in Shogun’s Japan, Mark Hudson brings this pivotal moment to life through the eyes of 24 individuals – nobles and farmers, merchants and monks, pirates and poets – each living through one dramatic hour of a single day. From the streets of Kyoto to the slopes of Mount Fuji, this book offers an immersive portrait of this fascinating era of Japanese history.
HOUR OF THE RAT 1 (00.00–01.00): The old shōgun plots his last battle
HOUR OF THE RAT 2 (01.00–02.00): A pirate boat returns from abroad
HOUR OF THE OX 1 (02.00–03.00): A doctor tends a patient
HOUR OF THE OX 2 (03.00–04.00): A novice in a Buddhist temple
HOUR OF THE TIGER 1 (04.00–05.00): Breakfast is prepared at an inn
HOUR OF THE TIGER 2 (05.00–06.00): A farmer’s son protects the wheat field
HOUR OF THE HARE 1 (06.00–07.00): An Ainu hunter checks his traps
HOUR OF THE HARE 2 (07.00–08.00): A woman carries charcoal to the market
HOUR OF THE DRAGON 1 (08.00–09.00): A peasant lodges a petition
HOUR OF THE DRAGON 2 (09.00–10.00): A merchant buys and sells
HOUR OF THE SNAKE 1 (10.00–11.00): A samurai goes shopping in Nagasaki
HOUR OF THE SNAKE 2 (11.00–12.00): A falcon-handler prepares for a hunt
HOUR OF THE HORSE 1 (12.00–13.00): A young samurai is trained in siege warfare
HOUR OF THE HORSE 2 (13.00–14.00): A townsman eats a quick lunch
HOUR OF THE GOAT 1 (14.00–15.00): A tea master performs a ceremony
HOUR OF THE GOAT 2 (15.00–16.00): A Corpus Christi procession begins in Nagasaki
HOUR OF THE MONKEY 1 (16.00–17.00): A high-powered concubine considers the political landscape
HOUR OF THE MONKEY 2 (17.00–18.00): A weaver’s mother is buried
HOUR OF THE COCK 1 (18.00–19.00): A traveller arrives at an inn
HOUR OF THE COCK 2 (19.00–20.00): A banquet at the Matsura residence
HOUR OF THE DOG 1 (20.00–21.00): Iberian
HOUR OF THE DOG 2 (21.00–22.00): A riverside kabuki performance in Kyoto
HOUR OF THE BOAR 1 (22.00–23.00): A mountain ascetic climbs Mount Fuji
HOUR OF THE BOAR 2 (23.00–24.00): A bodyguard prevents an attack