"The Fire Kimono" by Laura Joh Rowland Quiz

Answer: Takugawa Tadatoshi

He disappeared the day of the Great Fire and was never seen again. Until a Shinto priest discovers his corpse beside a fallen tree, everyone assumed the Shogun's cousin to have been just another casualty of the inferno.

Of the other answer choices, Lord Matsudaira is the Shogun's living cousin and Sano's rival, Etsuko is the Chamberlain's mother, and Lady Reiko is his wife.

Answer: A funeral

Her aunt had just recently died so she felt obligated to leave the safety of her castle home to attend. But she never made it, as she and her bodyguards were attacked on the road and were forced to abandon their outing.

Answer: Yes

Known as the Great Fire of Meireki or the Furisode Fire, it ravaged the Japanese capital city of Tokyo (formerly Edo) in March of 1657. It is estimated that 100,000 souls perished in the blaze, which burned for three days.

Answer: Akiko

She is still a baby, whereas her brother is around nine years old. Of the other answer choices, Etsuko is Chamberlain Sano's mother, Hana is her servant, and Midori is wed to the Honorable Investigator, Hirata.

Answer: "I don't know"

There are four reasons for this response: (1) The Shogun was only 11 years old at the time of the Great Fire; (2) The Takugawa family has a lot of members; (3) Many of his relatives perished in the Great Fire; and (4) His cousin and rival for the throne, Lord Matsudaira, keeps him estranged from the majority of his family for fear that he will find out how little power he really has over the country.

I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea is in reference to Sano's question as to a possible murder suspect, and the other two answer choices are given by the Shogun's valet.

Answer: Colonel Doi

At one time, the Samurai was employed by Tadatoshi's father, where he became the younger Takugawa's bodyguard. There he met and fell in love with Etsuko, a Lady-in-Waiting on the Takugawa Estate. Unfortunately, she wound up falling for Egen, a monk who joined the family to become Tadatoshi's tutor.

After the fire, Etsuko went home to her parents, who discovered she was no longer a virgin and broke off the engagement with Doi. In a fit of anger, he caused her to have a miscarriage. Sometime later, Etsuko married Sano's father.

Of the other two answer choices, Lady Ateki is the victim's mother and Lord Arima is one of the many spectators the day Chamberlain Sano's mother is brought before the Shogun for questioning.

Answer: False

When Sano and his men meet the man, he reluctantly agrees to refute Colonel Doi's story that he conspired with Etsuko to kidnap and kill Tadatoshi. They assume this means he will exonerate her, but when the party appears before the Shogun Egen incriminates Sano's mother while extricating himself.

After the so-called monk's death, the Chamberlain discovers he was an actor by trade.

Answer: Captain Ogyu

His hand was found inside a cupboard where Lady Reiko had placed a book that purportedly was a diary containing the list of men in Lord Matsudaira's household who were actually on her husband's payroll. When she and her bodyguard, Lieutenant Asukai, discover his hand caught in the trap, he feigns simple curiosity. Asukai doesn't buy it, however, saying, "you thought the book was a list of spies... Well the book is a fake, this is a trap, and you fell for it."

Colonel Doi is loyal to Lord Matsudaira, and fights alongside him.

The other answer choice, Yanagisawa, is Matsudaira's an Sano's rival.

Answer: Lord Arima

This is in response to the following tirade by the Shogun: "I'm sick of everyone talking around me, arguing with one another, and acting as if they're hiding things behind my back!" He then orders Lord Arima to explain the situation since "You seem to be in the middle of everything." When Arima doesn't answer, the Shogun has his guards surround the Lord and threatens him with death if he doesn't "speak up".

Answer: No

It was Etsuko who decided Tadatoshi had to die before he could set another fire. It was Etsuko who encouraged Egen and Doi to assist her.