Table of Contents
CHARACTERS
The River
The Old Couple
Naniwa
A Sparrow Among Cranes
The Ugly Man
The Dead End
The Amulet
The Hostel of the Flying Cranes
The Black Dragon
The Ugly Man Returns
Ducks
A Flea between a Dog's Teeth
The Bawdy Postmaster
Karma
Return to Naniwa
Family Ties
The Evils of Gambling
Melons and Courtesans
The Pirate Ship
The Lady of the River Mansion
The Shared Cup
The Island
The Goblin's Tale
The Bodhisattva
Treading on the Tigers's Tail
A Sword in his Belly
Even Monkeys Fall From Trees
Reckoning
Akogi
Homecoming
Historical Note
Contact Information
DEATH
ON AN AUTUMN RIVER
An Akitada Novel
by
I. J. Parker
Copyright 2011 by I. J. Parker
Praise for I. J. Parker and the Akitada series
“Elegant and entertaining . . . Parker has created a wonderful protagonist in Akitada. . . . She puts us at ease in a Japan of one thousand years ago.” The Boston Globe
“You couldn’t ask for a more gracious introduction to the exotic world of Imperial Japan than the stately historical novels of I. J. Parker.” The New York Times
“Akitada is as rich a character as Robert Van Gulik’s intriguing detective, Judge Dee.” The Dallas Morning News
“Readers will be enchanted by Akitada.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Terrifically imaginative” The Wall Street Journal
“A brisk and well-plotted mystery with a cast of regulars who become more fully developed with every episode.” Kirkus
“More than just a mystery novel, (THE CONVICT’S SWORD) is a superb piece of literature set against the backdrop of 11th-cntury Kyoto.” The Japan Times
“Parker’s research is extensive and she makes great use of the complex manners and relationships of feudal Japan.” Globe and Mail
“The fast-moving, surprising plot and colorful writing will enthrall even those unfamiliar with the exotic setting.” Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“. . .the author possesses both intimate knowledge of the time period and a fertile imagination as well. Combine that with an intriguing mystery and a fast-moving plot, and you’ve got a historical crime novel that anyone can love.” Chicago Sun-Times
“Parker’s series deserves a wide readership.” Historical Novel Society
Also by I. J. Parker
The Akitada series in chronological order
The Dragon Scroll
Rashomon Gate
Black Arrow
Island of Exiles
The Hell Screen
The Convict’s Sword
The Masuda Affair
The Fires of the Gods
Death on an Autumn River
The collection of stories
Akitada and the Way of Justice
The HOLLOW REED trilogy
Dream of a Spring Night
Unsheathed Swords
Dust before the Wind
The Author
I.J. Parker was born and educated in Europe and turned to mystery writing after an academic career in the U.S. She has published her Akitada stories in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, winning the Shamus award in 2000. Several stories have also appeared in collections, such as Fifty Years of Crime and Suspense and the recent Shaken. The award-winning “Akitada’s First Case” is available as a podcast. Many of the stories have been collected in Akitada and the Way of Justice.
The Akitada series of crime novels features the same protagonist, an eleventh century Japanese nobleman/detective. It now consists of nine titles.Death on an Autumn River is the latest. Most of the books are available in audio format and have been translated into twelve languages.
Acknowledgments
I’m grateful to my readers, Jacqueline Falkenhan and John Rosenman, and to my agent, Jean Naggar. Without them the series would not exist.
Pronunciation of Japanese Words
Unlike English, Japanese is pronounced phonetically. Therefore vowel sounds are approximately as follows:
“a” as in “father”
“e” as in “let”
“i” as in “kin”
“o” as in “more”
“u” as in “would.”
Double consonants (“ai” or “ei”) are pronounced separately, and M or k are doubled or lengthened.
As for the consonants:
“g” as in “game”
“j” as in “join”
“ch” as in “chat”.
Death on an Autumn River
In the Yodo’s waters
The young Ayu fish
Cries out.
Pierced by the Cormorant’s beak,
It writhes.
How pitiful!
(From the Ryojin hisho, a collection of the songs of courtesans by Emperor Go-Shirakawa)
CHARACTERS
Sugawara Akitada - midlevel official in the Ministry of Justice
Sadenari - his clerk
Tamako - his wife
Yasuko - his little daughter
Seimei - his elderly secretary
Tora and Genba - faithful retainers
Kobe - chief of the capital police
Characters in Eguchi:
Fujiwara Takeko - the lady of the River Mansion
Fukuda and Harima - two poor, elderly people
Mrs. Wada - owner of the Hananoya brothel
Warden Wada - her husband
Nakagimi - the reigning queen of courtesans
Akogi - a young trainee in the Hananoya
Characters in Naniwa and Kawajiri:
Oga Sadazane - governor of Settsu
Oga Yoshiyo - his son
Munata - the local prefect; a wealthy landowner
Nakahara - chief of the trade office
Nariyuki and Tameaki - his clerks
Otomo - a retired professor of Chinese
Watamaro - a local ship owner and merchant
Saburo - a severely disfigured former spy
Kunimitsu - owner of a sailors’ hostel
Chapter One
The River
Akitada watched the passing scenery through half-closed eyes. The river was as deep green as the wooded shoreline and flowed heavily toward the sea. Fish swam dimly in the glaucous depths of the water, shadows of silver in the shifting shades of green. On shore, the green curtain of the forest was broken here and there by a shimmer of gold or a touch of red. It was autumn, the “leaf-turning month.”