Under the gray sky, with the last echoes of the tengu floating away, and the fisherman’s boat making toward land, hauling what would turn out to be (he told us later) the biggest catch of his lifetime, Jinnai met my scowl with a half-smile.
“Where should we go first?” he asked, and then he answered himself. “Wherever we want. You’re the deadliest flower I know. I’m the best thief there is. And there’s always more treasure to steal.”
Author’s Note
Ninjas
Ninjas did not leave many records behind them. They worked in secret, after all, and a ninja who ended up in the history books probably didn’t do a very good job. However, we do know that ninjas (who also called themselves shinobi [shih-NOH-bee]) played an important role in the feudal age of Japan, and that they handled such jobs as espionage and assassination, things that the bold warrior class, the samurai, would have considered beneath them.
It can’t be proven that there were female ninjas, but some may have existed. There are certainly stories and legends that speak of kunoichi (KOO-noh-EE-chee) or “deadly flowers.” One such story tells of Mochizuki Chiyome (or Chiyojo), who is said to have taken in girls orphaned or abandoned in the civil wars that spread through Japan in the 1500s, and then trained these girls as spies and information gatherers—in a word, as ninjas.
For more information on female ninjas and Madame Chiyome, you might enjoy:
Shadow Warrior by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
Uppity Women of Medieval Times by Vicki León
Ninja: The True Story of Japan’s Secret Warrior Cult by Stephen Turnbull
Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt
Ghosts and Demons
Japanese folklore tells of ghosts (yurei) and other supernatural creatures, called yokai or by an old name, bakemono. Some bakemono are merely mischievous or spooky but harmless. A few are even helpful. But beware—others are terrifying.
Double-tailed cat or neko-mata (NEH-ko MAH-tuh): Some say that once a cat reaches a certain age, its tail will split in two. It is then a neko-mata. These double-tailed cats can speak, sing, and dance, but they take part in more sinister pursuits as well. They crave human flesh. They can also raise corpses from the dead to do their bidding.
Fox: The Japanese red fox, or kitsune (KEY-tsoo-nay), is a clever trickster, and some are able to transform themselves into human beings (although they tend to keep the tail). They are powerful and unpredictable creatures. Some may play tricks on human beings, some may kill, and some may be helpers or guides. White foxes are messengers of Inari, the god of rice, wealth, and the harvest.
Iron-toothed rat or tesso (TEH-so): An oversized rat with teeth made of metal, the tesso can control smaller, lesser rats. It normally creeps into temples and libraries and chews sacred texts and scrolls to bits. Perhaps its followers have more mundane appetites, and so attacked Kata and her companions.
Kappa (KAH-pah): With a shell like a turtle’s on its back, the kappa lurks in shallow waters, waiting to ambush and drown unwary travelers. They sometimes challenge victims to a wrestling match. If you are ever challenged by a kappa, remember to speak to it respectfully and bow. It will bow back, and water will drain from the small depression on its head. This will render it powerless.
Moku-moku ren (MOH-koo MOH-koo ren): These animated eyes may appear on the rice paper panels of old and damaged screens. Though startling, they are not dangerous.
Nurikabe (NOO-ree-KAH-bay): A sort of invisible, living wall that may spring up to block your path. If you find yourself inconvenienced by a nurikabe, the secret is to run a staff or a stick along its base, where it meets the ground. This will cause it to vanish.
Sea of Trees, or Jukai (joo-KIE): The unofficial name for an area of wilderness at the foot of Mount Fuji. It’s easy to become lost in this dense forest, and compasses are said to malfunction there. But this alone can’t explain why so many travelers to the Sea of Trees never return. Sadly, the Jukai is known throughout Japan as a place where people commit suicide. No one knows why this particular place is the site of so many tragedies. Maybe Kata and her companions came across a similar eerie place when they entered the copse of trees that had power over their thoughts and fears.
Ship ghosts or funa-yurei (FOO-nuh YOO-ray): The spirits of those who have drowned at sea are known to band together and do their best to sink boats with living passengers. Some tales suggest that a funa-yurei cannot rest unless it finds another soul to take its place.
Snake-woman or nure onna (NEW-ray OHN-nah): With the body of an enormous snake and the head of a woman, the nure onna lurks in shallow waters, ready to attack swimmers and devour them. Sometimes she floats at the surface with only her human face showing and calls for help, as if she is drowning. Anyone approaching to assist her will soon regret the kindness.
Umi-bozu (OO-mee BOH-zoo): These monsters lurk in deep ocean waters and arise from the depths to engulf ships and sailors. Their smooth heads and glowing eyes seem to be formed out of water, and they are almost impossible to injure or kill.
Water dragon: Perhaps the greatest dragon in Japanese folklore is Ryujin, the fierce god who dwells in an undersea palace and controls the rising and falling of the tides. All snakes are his messengers. Perhaps it was Ryujin himself, or one of his servants, whom Kata encountered in the ocean off Japan.
If you are interested in knowing more about Japanese yokai, you might try Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide and Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide, both by Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt.
Pirates
In the sixteenth century, the people of Japan were known for their skills in seafaring (and also in swimming). Not all of them used these skills for lawful purposes. “Wa” is an old name for inhabitants of Japan, and sea raiders in Asia were commonly called wako, meaning “pirates from Japan,” even if their crews included members from many nations.
Some pirates were ragtag bands who found places to hide on the smaller Japanese islands. Others were warlords or openly employed by them. They raided coastal villages and towns in Japan itself and the nearby countries of China and Korea (then called Choson), terrifying inhabitants and carrying off rice, gold, silver, and slaves.
If you would like to know more about Japanese pirates, you might read Fighting Ships of the Far East, volume 2: Korea AD 612–1639 and Pirate of the Far East: 811–1639, both by Stephen Turnbull.
Don’t miss Kata’s other adventure:
DEADLY FLOWERS
I was sparring in the practice yard the day the new girl arrived.
Weak. She looked weak, and frail, and modest, and beautiful, and shocked at what she was seeing….
I stood there, barefoot, my hair spilling out of its braid, in my undyed, ragged jacket and trousers, covered in dust and straw and with a bit of blood trickling from my nose, and thought, She won’t last a week.
Kata has been training to be a deadly flower—a female ninja—nearly her entire life. She knows the rules that a ninja must live by better than she knows her own heart.
Secrecy is your armor. Betray your thoughts to no one. Trust no friend. Trust no ally.
She’s more than ready for her first mission … until she learns that it’s to be an assassin. Even then, she’s sure that she’ll be successful. After all, she knows more ways to kill than she can count.
But when Kata discovers that her target is just a young boy and that her new accomplice is his slightly older sister, suddenly her mission becomes much more complicated than she bargained for. Faced with taking someone’s life or confronting the dire consequences of failure in her mission, Kata must make a difficult choice, one that leads her into a more dangerous battle than she ever expected.
Praise for DEADLY FLOWERS
“This action-packed book will captivate both girls and boys.” —School Library Connection, starred review
“Genuinely thrilling, with surprises at every turn and a solid emotional core, this is just the thing for
Percy Jackson fanatics thirsty for more, more, more.” —Booklist
“Ninja-loving readers will rejoice at this clever, dangerous, vivacious book.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“In Kata and Saiko, Thomson has created heroines who are opposites yet manage to use their strengths to take control of their lives under the social restraints of their time…. Edge-of-your-seat action.” —Kirkus Reviews
SARAH L. THOMSON is a ninja with her fingers on a keyboard. She has written more than thirty books—everything from picture books to easy readers to novels and from fiction to nonfiction to poetry. Her covert research skills have taught her such things as the best way to walk silently on a bamboo floor and the proper preparation of bear’s paws for a formal banquet. Her novels include Dragon’s Egg, a fantasy that was a Maine Lupine Award winner; the Secrets of the Seven series; and Kata’s first adventure, Deadly Flowers, which Kirkus Reviews praised for its “edge-of-your-seat action.” She lives in Portland, Maine.
sarahlthomson.com.
boydsmillspress.com
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