Black Lotus

by Laura Joh Rowland

  Lady Keisho-in was an avid Buddhist who had taken a religious name; she’d also directed the shogun to build temples and give generous endowments to religious orders. The clergy didn’t dare disobey her, lest they lose Tokugawa patronage.

  “Just leave that priest to me,” Keisho-in said, “and you shall have whatever you want.” She fixed an insinuating, covetous gaze on Reiko.

  Keisho-in was flirting with her! The belated realization flabbergasted Reiko. Everyone knew that the shogun’s mother liked women as well as men, but Reiko had never imagined herself as an object of Keisho-in’s romantic interest. The dowager had always treated her with maternal kindness, yet now it seemed that Keisho-in had taken a fancy to her.

  “A thousand thanks,” Reiko stammered in dismay. Keisho-in often had affairs with her attendants, the wives of bakufu officials, and even her son’s concubines. No lover could give her as much affection as she needed, and she punished them harshly for their failure. Everyone had heard tales of maids and concubines thrown out on the streets; ladies-in-waiting dismissed and doomed to spinsterhood because Keisho-in forbade anyone to marry them; officials demoted because their wives had displeased her. Reiko wasn’t physically attracted to women, and she found the shogun’s mother repugnant. She was horrified to discover that she’d put herself and Sano in peril.

  The only solution was to get away as quickly and gracefully as possible. Reiko said, “Your help will surely benefit the investigation, and I truly appreciate it, but I must—”

  “We shall go to the Black Lotus Temple tomorrow,” Keisho-in announced. “I’ll order the sect to let you see the high priest, and we’ll both visit him.”

  “What?” Reiko hoped she’d misheard the shogun’s mother.

  “A little trip is just the diversion I need,” Keisho-in said. Giggling, she leaned closer to Reiko as she whispered, “Traveling together will give us time to get better acquainted.”

  Reiko stared at her, dumbstruck. She didn’t want to spend any more time with Lady Keisho-in. Nor did she want Keisho-in around to meddle in the investigation.

  “But you don’t have to go to the temple,” Reiko said, fighting anxiety. “It’s such a long way, and a message from you to High Priest Anraku would do just as well as a personal visit. Please don’t trouble yourself.”

  “A favor for you is no trouble.” Some of the happiness faded from Lady Keisho-in’s face. “Don’t you want my company?”

  “Of course I do,” Reiko said quickly, because she dared not offend Keisho-in. “I’m just so overwhelmed by your generosity.”

  “Then it’s all settled. We’ll leave at the hour of the dragon.” Her good humor restored, Keisho-in extended her hands to the ladies-in-waiting. “Help me up so I can choose my costume for the occasion.” As the women pulled her to her feet, Keisho-in simpered at Reiko. “I want to look nice.”

  Riding in her palanquin through the streets of Edo Castle’s official district, Reiko gazed absently out the window at the walled estates and mounted samurai. She tried to think how to avoid taking Lady Keisho-in along to the Black Lotus Temple, and failed. Unless she honored Keisho-in’s wishes, she wouldn’t get an interview with High Priest Anraku. She dreaded tomorrow and wondered how to discourage Keisho-in’s attentions. What would she tell Sano? Maybe she shouldn’t have approached the shogun’s mother.

  Then Reiko shook her head. It was too late for regrets and self-recrimination. She would just have to think of a way to handle Lady Keisho-in. Meanwhile she had another favor to ask of someone else.

  Outside an estate near Sano’s and similar in design, but grander, the captain of her military escort announced her arrival to the sentry stationed at the gate: “The wife of the ssakan-sama wishes to visit the wife of the Honorable Minister of Temples and Shrines.” Soon Reiko was seated in a cozy chamber with her friend Hiroko, daughter of Magistrate Ueda’s chief retainer and now wife of the official in charge of monitoring the clergy.

  “It’s good to see you again,” Hiroko said, pouring tea. She was two years Reiko’s senior and had rounded features that reflected her tranquil disposition. Maids brought her two little boys, aged one and three years, for Reiko to admire. Hiroko inquired about Masahiro, then said with a gentle, knowing smile, “Somehow I doubt that you’ve come here for the mere pleasure of passing the time with me.”

  A fond, sisterly understanding had existed between them since their childhood, when Reiko had taken the lead in games while Hiroko tried to curb Reiko’s willfulness and often shared the consequences of it.

  “I need information about the Black Lotus sect,” Reiko said. “I was hoping that the honorable minister might have some knowledge that would help solve the mystery of the fire and murders at the temple. May I speak to him?”

  A frown marred Hiroko’s smooth forehead. “You know I would give you anything you wanted of me, Reiko-san, but …” She paused, seeking words to refuse a favor to the daughter of her father’s master. “My husband is very busy, and women shouldn’t meddle in men’s affairs.”

  “I understand,” Reiko said, “and I don’t like asking you to do something that might cause trouble in your marriage, but a life may depend on what I can learn about the Black Lotus.” Reiko described Haru’s plight and her own suspicions about the sect. “Unless I can find out who committed the crimes, a person who may be innocent will be executed.”

  Hiroko glanced at her children playing in the next room, her gaze clouded with indecision.

  “Will you at least ask your husband if he’ll spare me a moment?” Reiko asked, though she hated to pressure her friend.

  Fortunately for Reiko, obedience was ingrained in Hiroko. A sigh issued from her, and she conceded, “I’ll ask him.”

  She left the room, but soon returned. “He agreed to see you,” she said, her relief clear in her voice. “Come with me.”

  Reiko accompanied her friend to the mansion’s private office and knelt before the man seated behind a desk in the raised study niche. Twenty years older than his wife, he had a lean, rigid figure clad in a gray kimono. The swarthy skin of his face stretched taut over high cheekbones. His eyes, deeply set beneath his shaved crown and heavy brows, had a hard intelligence.

  “Honorable Husband, I present Lady Reiko, daughter of Magistrate Ueda and wife of the shogun’s ssakan-sama.” Hiroko bowed. She said to Reiko, “Please allow me to introduce the Honorable Minister of Temples and Shrines,” then rose and left the room.

  Reiko stifled an urge to call her back. Minister Fugatami’s formidable appearance alarmed her. He must think her a presumptuous little fool.

  “I am honored to make your acquaintance,” she said, bowing. Nervousness quavered her words; her heart pounded.

  Minister Fugatami also bowed, regarding her with stern disapproval. Reiko guessed that he’d agreed to see her only because her father was a respected colleague and her husband a member of the shogun’s inner circle. “I understand that you have an interest in the Black Lotus sect,” he said. His voice was quiet, cold. “Please explain why.”

  When Reiko began faltering through a recitation about Haru, he raised a hand, stopping her. “My wife has already told me about this girl,” he said. “That does not concern me. What I wish to know is why you think the Black Lotus is capable of murder.” With a touch of scorn, he added, “The law requires evidence to support such a presumption, but I wouldn’t expect a woman to understand that. Are you slandering the sect just to remove the blame from your little friend?”

  That he should judge her so prematurely and underestimate her knowledge of the law! Indignation gave Reiko courage. She said politely but firmly, “No, Honorable Minister, I am not.” Surprise raised his thick brows: She was probably the first woman who’d ever stood up to him. “I have reason to believe that the Black Lotus is evil.”

  As she described her encounter with the novice monk, and his tales of imprisonment, torture, and murder, Minister Fugatami leaned forward, listening intently, until she finished her account wi
th Pious Truth’s claim that the sect was engaged in a dangerous secret project

  “You heard this from a source inside the sect,” he said. A strange elation inflected his voice. Now he regarded her with a warmth akin to affection. “Please forgive my initial doubt, and allow me to thank you for coming to me.”

  His sudden transformation aroused in Reiko a distrust that must have shown on her face, because Minister Fugatami said, “I owe you an explanation. My own interest in the Black Lotus dates back to a time six years ago, when the sect began its rapid expansion.” He seemed to have forgotten her inferior status; in his enthusiasm for his subject, he spoke as if addressing an equal. “Like yourself, I believe the Black Lotus is involved in bad business.”

  He turned to the shelves behind him and lifted down four thick ledgers. “These are the records of my research on the sect, but alas, my information comes from sources outside the temple. Your story about the novice monk is the first I’ve heard of any member speaking out against the Black Lotus. It is a welcome sign that the wall of silence surrounding the sect is beginning to crumble, and I shall finally obtain the evidence I need to shut down the temple.”

  Reiko felt a thrill of excitement that this powerful official shared her suspicion about the Black Lotus. Perhaps Sano would finally take the allegations against the sect seriously. “May I ask what you know about High Priest Anraku?” she said.

  The room was growing dim as the day faded into evening. Fugatami lit lanterns, then opened a ledger.

  “This is my dossier on Anraku, whose original name was Yoshi, born thirty-seven years ago to the unmarried daughter of a laborer in Bizen Province,” he said. “At age fourteen he became a novice at the local monastery, where he got a rudimentary education and exercised such strong control over the other novices that they considered him their spiritual leader and refused to obey the priests. Anraku beat any novices who resisted his authority. He was expelled after a year, without taking religious vows.

  “Next he set himself up as an itinerant priest, wandering through the countryside, begging alms and cheating peasants at card games. Then came a period of eight years during which Anraku seems to have disappeared. He eventually resurfaced in Edo and began selling charms that would supposedly bring prosperity, but actually did nothing.

  “Anraku roamed through town for the next several years, attracting many followers. He established the Black Lotus sect in a makeshift temple in a Nihonbashi storefront. His followers distributed his writings, begged alms, and sold his dirty bathwater, advertised as ‘Miracle Juice’ that could cure diseases. Anraku also charged money for transferring his divine energy to his followers via secret rituals.”

  “Didn’t the authorities care?” Reiko said, recalling Dr. Miwa’s arrest for fraud.

  Shaking his head in regret, the minister said, “Anraku was good at controlling people and influencing them to believe they’d benefited from his rituals and remedies. Since no one complained about him, there was no reason to censure Anraku: Eventually he raised a fortune. He also forged connections with Zj priests. In exchange for a share of his wealth, they adopted the Black Lotus sect as a subsidiary and allowed Anraku to build his temple in their district. But I believe he’s still pursuing his criminal ways, on a larger scale.”

  “Why is that?” Reiko asked eagerly.

  Minister Fugatami laid his hand on another ledger. “These are complaints about the Black Lotus, filed with my office, from citizens and neighborhood headmen. According to them, the sect kidnaps children, extorts donations, and imprisons followers. Its neighborhood shrines are allegedly fronts for gambling dens and brothels. I am convinced that so many independent accounts tell the truth.”

  Here was confirmation of Pious Truth’s tale, yet disbelief undercut Reiko’s gladness. “How can this have been going on for years?” she said. “Why has no one stopped it?”

  “Because these reports are all hearsay.” With a gesture of repudiation, Fugatami shoved the ledgers aside. “I have not been able to obtain solid evidence to justify censuring the sect. I’ve interviewed the nuns and priests, who claim that all is well. I’ve inspected the temple and found nothing objectionable. I’m sure Anraku has spies who warn him that I’m coming, so that he can hide anything he doesn’t want me to see.”

  Perhaps the cover-up also hid evidence pertaining to the fire and murders, Reiko speculated, and explained why Sano hadn’t found any suspects except Haru. “Can’t you ban the sect anyway?” she said, because she’d thought that the minister of temples had authority to act on his own judgment.

  “Unfortunately, Anraku has loyal followers among my superiors,” said Fugatami. “They’ve persuaded the shogun to require material proof of my suspicions and testimony from sect members—exactly the things I’ve failed to get—before he’ll approve a ban on the Black Lotus.”

  Reiko hadn’t realized that the Black Lotus had such strong influence within the bakufu. “Can Anraku’s spurious cures and teachings really have won the favor of so many high officials?” she said, disturbed by the thought of their power opposing her effort to clear Haru and expose the sect’s misdeeds.

  “Oh, yes.” Irony twisted Fugatami’s mouth. “Some of my colleagues are as credulous as peasants. Besides, I suspect they’ve accepted monetary gifts from Anraku.”

  Corruption was rampant, and criminals often bribed officials to sanction their illegal activities, Reiko knew. “What’s to be done?” she asked.

  “It is my duty to protect the public from physical and spiritual harm by evil religious frauds.” The cold fire of dedication burned in Minister Fugatami’s eyes. “With your help, maybe I can at last shut down the Black Lotus Temple, dissolve the sect, and punish the leaders. I must definitely see your novice monk.”

  “My husband promised to find Pious Truth.” Reiko wondered whether Sano had succeeded.

  “Good. Still, an inside witness represents only half the proof I need.” Fugatami stroked his chin thoughtfully, then said, “Many new complaints have come from Shinagawa.” This was a village near Edo. “I plan to investigate them tomorrow. I shall ask the ssakan-sama to accompany me so I can gain his support for my cause.” He took up a writing brush. “Will you convey my letter of invitation to him?”

  “Gladly.” Reiko hoped Minister Fugatami could convince Sano that the Black Lotus was worth investigating, yet she doubted that her husband would agree to spend hours on a trip. “But he may not have time to go.”

  “He can send one of his retainers,” Fugatami said, writing characters on paper.

  A sudden inspiration quickened Reiko’s heartbeat. She and Lady Keisho-in were going to see High Priest Anraku tomorrow morning, but she had nothing to do afterward, and Shinagawa wasn’t far from the Zj district. “I could go as my husband’s representative,” she suggested.

  “You?” Surprise lifted Minister Fugatami’s voice; he stopped writing and stared at Reiko with the same disapproval as when they’d first met. “That would be most inappropriate.”

  “We wouldn’t have to travel together,” Reiko said, understanding that a woman couldn’t join an official procession. “Nor would I interfere with your business.” That would be an even worse breach of social custom. “I propose simply to watch and report back to my husband.”

  The minister hesitated, studying her in the flickering lantern light. Reiko could see him estimating how much influence she had over Sano and weighing his desire for his mission’s success against the impropriety of honoring her request. At last he nodded.

  “Very well,” he said reluctantly. He wrote the letter and handed it to Reiko. “If the ssakan-sama cannot go to Shinagawa, and you happen to be there, I won’t prevent you from observing my investigation.”

  15

  Though wisdom be hard to fathom,

  Be firm in power of will and concentration,

  Have neither doubt nor regret,

  And you shall perceive the truth.

  —FROM THE BLACK LOTUS SUTRA

 
“So the murdered woman was a peasant folk-healer named Chie,” Sano said to Hirata as they walked through the outer courtyard of Sano’s estate. “That was a good idea to post notices around town. I commend your excellent work.”

  “Oh, it was just luck,” Hirata said modestly.

  In the deepening twilight, lanterns burned outside the barracks; detectives led horses to the stables. Sano said, “A patient at the temple hospital says a nurse named Chie disappeared. Her name and vocation match those of the wife of the carpenter you interviewed.”

  “Therefore, the murdered woman was connected with the Black Lotus,” Hirata said, “which contradicts the sect leaders’ claim that nobody is missing from the temple.”

  “Apparently.” Consternation filled Sano. Had the many priests and nuns he’d interviewed today, who’d all said they knew nothing about the crimes or the mystery victims, lied to him? Was the peaceful harmony he’d observed at the temple an illusion that hid the activities that a young man purporting to be a novice monk had described to Reiko? The identification of the woman lent support to Reiko’s theory of a Black Lotus conspiracy designed to sabotage the investigation; yet Sano still couldn’t agree with Reiko that Haru was an innocent victim, after what he’d learned about the girl today.

  He and Hirata entered the mansion and found Reiko in the corridor, removing her cloak and talking to Midori and a maid. When Reiko saw Sano, she started nervously. “Oh. Hello,” she said.

  “Hello,” Sano said, concerned because she’d obviously stayed out late again and wondering why.

  The maid took Reiko’s cloak, bowed, and left. There was an uncomfortable silence as Hirata smiled at Midori, she looked away from him, and tension gathered between Sano and Reiko.

  “It seems that we have things to discuss,” Sano said at last. “Let’s go to my office.”

  There he sat at his desk on the raised platform. Hirata knelt opposite him to his right, Reiko to his left. Midori, who’d apparently thought his invitation included her, sat beside Reiko. Sano said to his wife, “What have you learned today?”