Pathway to Japanese Literature

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The Virtuous Lord TadayukiAuthor: Yumeno Kyūsaku

Original Title	名君忠之
Author	夢野久作
Genre	Historical Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In the volatile court of Chikuzen Domain, Lord Tadayuki’s wrath ignites when aging retainer Hanashiro Yakyūrō flaunts forbidden rewards from rival Satsuma—a brazen insult to Kuroda’s honor. Ordered into exile, Yakyūrō’s defiance threatens to unravel fragile alliances and spark war. Yet salvation—or ruin—lies with his grandson, thirteen-year-old Yoichi, a prodigy torn between filial duty and loyalty to his lord. In a storm of blood and resolve, Yoichi commits an unthinkable act to cleanse his family’s shame, confronting his grandfather with a blade and a plea for redemption. As political tensions simmer and spies lurk, Tadayuki’s merciless justice collides with unexpected mercy, revealing the fragile line between honor and tyranny. Amid cherry blossoms and treachery, a boy’s sacrifice tests the limits of samurai codes, where loyalty demands impossible choices and even lords may kneel to grief. A tale of feudal intrigue where legacy hangs by a thread, and one child’s courage could save—or shatter—a domain.