The Demon In The Teahouse

Historical Fiction is a genre that has some qualities that are historically accurate, but it also has some qualities that are historically inaccurate. The Demon in the Teahouse is a book written by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler that takes place in Japan during the Edo Period. The main character is Seksei who has to go through many quests in order to solve the murder mystery of a young geisha. He is adopted by Judge Ooka in order to train to become a samurai. Before this, he was the son of a merchant who was not able to move up in the caste system. Seksei and Judge Ooka travel to a town called Yoshiwara. This is where they find out that there have been numerous fires, as well as finding out that a young teahouse attendant has been murdered in the

Judge Ooko and Seksei believe that the fires and the demons are related. In order to figure things out, Seksei goes undercover as a teahouse attendant. While he is working, he finds a geisha that he is attracted to named Umae, who is believed to be cursed by a demon. He also meets someone who wants to be her sister as well as a geisha, nui. Seksei is afraid that Nui will die like the other people who wanted to be like Umae. Seksei ends up meeting another person named Fukushu, who is said to be the demon and is looking for revenge on Umae. In The Demon in the Teahouse by Thomas Hoobler, there are many things that are depicted that are historically. The ones that are most prominent are the caste system, the influence of religion and the artwork. The social classes, influence of religion and and the style of artwork in Japan during the Edo period is portrayed accurately in the

In the book, mentions of gods and spirits that bring good luck are present. In this book, people believed that some people or even spirits are able to bring good luck and fortune into somebody’s life. Judge Ooka is talking to Seksei about people who appear as nice, he says, “Yes. You know, something that they promise will bring you good luck or health or richs. They’re supposed to have good kami within them”(Hoobler). During this time period in Japan, they believed in good luck, or good spirits. These good spirits and luck brought them riches, fortunes and luck. In Kokugaku by Peter Nosco, he describes "Atsutane adapted these arguments to elevate Shintō over both Confucianism and Buddhism. He reasoned that the three kam—Ame no Minakanushi, Takamimusubi, and Kamimusubi—were a "Trinity," which he identified as Musubi no Okami (great creator kami). He also advanced the notion that the human soul receives final judgment by Okuninushi no Mikoto in the netherworld and that one 's eternal happiness or hardship was based on one 's deeds during life"(Nosco). Religion did influence daily life. Their decisions and deeds that they made in daily life would eventually count to their afterlife. People believed that their deeds would bring happiness in their afterlife. Some people believed that they would give good luck and fortune. In both the book and during Edo Period Japan, religion did impact and influence the daily