The Sengoku Jidai was an age of nearly constant warfare in Japanese history, clans struggled endlessly against other clans and today’s ally might be tomorrow’s enemy. The proud Inuyama clan, once driven nearly to the brink of extinction by their hated rivals the Kurokawa clan, have finally grown in strength enough to face their enemies in a battle for their freedom. But this freedom will have many costs, for the peace that bought them the time to secretly rearm was paid for with the clan lord’s own sons- held hostage by the Kurokawa in a bargain of peace.
Knowing that the declaration of independence will surely bring the deaths of her sons, the clan lord’s wife, Lady Murasaki, has secretly dispatched two of the clan’s samurai -the elder Jiro and his apprentice Masato- to Kurokawa lands in an effort to rescue the boys. But even now as the two men leave the castle on their mission, in other parts of Inuyama castle a shadow falls over Hasagawa Yohei, trusted minister of Lord Inuyama…
The Inuyama Rebellion is a historical action-adventure tale set in the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States 15th-17th century) period of Japanese history. My goal with the story is to tell a rousing young adult adventure story in the mold of the old Samurai epics and Westerns where the good guys are noble, the bad guys are ruthless, and the action is non-stop, with twists and turns at every corner. Jiro is an aging samurai past his prime who needs to rely on his wits and experience to overcome his slowing reflexes, while his apprentice Masato is just coming into his own and lacks real experience in facing the dangers that they need to overcome on their mission. A perfect pair to make a last ditch effort at a rescue on the eve of a war!
Note: while writing this my focus has been on telling a good adventure story, the clans in the story are fictional, as are some of the places mentioned. I have tried to be accurate when possible, but my focus is always on entertainment first so don’t take this story as historical fact. Also, I’ve chosen to use a more modern form of English with the dialogue both because I wanted it to be accessible to young people, and because the truth is people in every age have always talked in slang and colloquial ways to each other. The language I have the characters use is the language of common speech and ideas, and isn’t meant to simulate some stilted concept of “how they really talked”. Having lived in Japan, and holding a minor degree in Japanese Studies, I know very well how they talked and carried themselves, but the focus here is entertainment, not accuracy.
I hope you’ll enjoy this story, thanks for reading it!
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About the Author– Robyn Paterson is the writer/producer behind the Kung Fu Action Theatre podcast, which showcased action-adventure audio drama he’d written from 2006-2010. Working with a team of actors from around the world, Rob brought over 46 stories of historical adventure, superheroic action and epic science fiction to life. Recently, Rob has changed gears and is focussing on writing fiction with the Kung Fu Action Tales podcast, and published his first e-book on the Kindle (Hot Soup) earlier this year. To keep his dog fed and editing pen sharp, Rob works as a Communication Skills teacher at Fanshawe College, in London, Ontario, Canada.
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