Black Lotus

by Laura Joh Rowland

  “Almost nothing short of death would excuse him,” Sano said.

  His words filled Reiko with sudden, overwhelming fear. She ran into the house, calling for the maids to summon her palanquin. Sano followed, carrying Masahiro.

  “Where are you going?” Sano asked.

  “To Minister Fugatami’s house.” In her chamber, Reiko threw on a cloak. “I have to know what went wrong.”

  Sano set down Masahiro, who ran off down the corridor. “Whatever did, I’ve already made it clear that I want nothing to do with the man, and your visiting him again will only further the connection.”

  “I won’t see him. I’ll ask his wife what happened.”

  “Just leave the matter alone.” Sano blocked the door.

  In desperation, Reiko said, “The Black Lotus retaliates against people who make trouble for them. Do you remember how the nurse Chie’s husband was attacked after he tried to get her back from the temple? I’m afraid it’s Minister Fugatami’s turn now.”

  Sano’s expression sharpened. “I’ll go with you.”

  Whether her conviction had struck a chord of response in him, or he merely realized he couldn’t stop her and wanted to control her behavior at the Fugatami house, all that mattered to Reiko was getting there.

  “The Honorable Minister isn’t receiving guests today,” said the sentry stationed in the guardhouse at the Fugatami estate.

  “Is he home?” Sano stood with Hirata and two detectives at the guardhouse window, while Reiko waited in her palanquin nearby. Now that he’d had time to think, Sano was sorry he’d let Reiko’s panic influence him. Probably nothing had happened to Minister Fugatami, except that he’d reconsidered his crusade against the Black Lotus. Still angry at Fugatami, Sano hoped to ascertain his condition without personal contact.

  “Yes, but he gave strict orders that he’s not to be disturbed,” said the sentry.

  “Is all well with the Honorable Minister?” Hirata asked.

  “He was fine yesterday evening, when I last saw him.”

  Reiko whispered to Sano, “We have to see for ourselves!”

  Her insistence annoyed Sano; reluctantly, he addressed the sentry: “I’m here on official business for the shogun, and I order you to let us see Minister Fugatami.”

  “Very well.”

  The sentry summoned a guard who ushered Sano’s party into the courtyard, where Reiko climbed out of the palanquin. Samurai retainers loitered outside the barracks, but when the party entered the mansion, it seemed strangely quiet.

  “Where is everyone?” Sano asked the guard as they all walked down the dim corridor.

  “The Honorable Minister’s top retainers went off somewhere.” The guard peered uneasily into vacant offices and reception rooms. “His servants should be here. I don’t know why they’re not.”

  Sano heard a murmur of distress from Reiko, walking behind him with the detectives. Beside him, Hirata frowned. A bad feeling tingled Sano’s nerves. “You’ve seen your master today?”

  “No,” said the guard.

  “Are you sure the family is here?”

  “No one has seen them leave.”

  They turned a corner into the private quarters of the mansion. On a sliding paper wall ahead to the left, maroon streaks like spattered paint appeared. Sano looked down and saw dark footprints in the hall. Alarm seized him. He hurried to the open door. The fetid, metallic odor of blood assailed him. He saw a man lying on the futon, and a woman sprawled on the floor, limbs askew. Their throats had been cut, and blood had drenched their faces, hair, robes, the bedclothes, tatami, and walls. Horrified, Sano turned abruptly.

  “Reiko-san! Don’t look!” he ordered.

  Too late. She was right behind Sano; she’d already seen the room. Her open mouth drew a deep, wheezing gasp, and she swayed. Sano dragged her away from the door. He held her, pressing her face against his chest. Hirata, the detectives, and the Fugatami guard looked inside the chamber, exclamations rose from them.

  “Master!” the guard cried.

  Sano experienced nausea and revulsion at the spectacle of violent death, but his detective instincts focused his mind on the work he must do. Still holding Reiko, he turned for a more thorough look into the chamber. Now he noticed that a quilt covered Minister Fugatami up to his shoulders. The woman had cuts on her arms and hands, as if from defending herself against a blade.

  Reiko struggled in Sano’s arms, crying, “Hiroko-san! Hiroko-san!”

  “She’s dead.” Sano held Reiko tighter. “There’s nothing you can do for her.” He said to his men, “Secure the estate. Nobody leaves.” He must find out who had done this terrible thing, and why.

  “The Black Lotus killed them!” Pulling out of Sano’s grasp, Reiko pointed into the room. “Look!”

  On the wall above the futon, drawn in the spattered blood, was a crude representation of the Black Lotus symbol. Reiko stumbled down the corridor.

  “The children,” she moaned. “Merciful gods, where are the children?”

  24

  There will be many people who will speak ill of us,

  They will address the rulers and high ministers,

  Seeking to defile and banish us,

  But we shall endure.

  —FROM THE BLACK LOTUS SUTRA

  “Minister Fugatami’s two small sons are missing. We searched the estate and the entire official quarter, but found no sign of them,” Sano told the shogun.

  They were walking along a path through the shogun’s private garden. After Sano had finished examining the crime scene and questioning the Fugatami household, he had taken Reiko home, then come to the palace for an emergency audience with the shogun. He’d already reported the murders; now, he needed the shogun to approve the course of action he deemed necessary.

  “That is most, ahh, unfortunate.” The shogun wore white martial arts practice clothes for his afternoon exercise routine. As he puffed, marched, and swung his arms, attendants trailed him, carrying towels and a water jug.

  “I’ve determined what happened,” Sano said. “Last night, Minister Fugatami’s three top retainers ordered the staff out of the house and dismissed the servants. Later, they sneaked into the mansion, which was deserted except for the family. They cut Minister Fugatami’s throat while he lay asleep. His wife tried to run away, but the retainers killed her. All Minister Fugatami’s papers are gone, and there was a large amount of ash in the kitchen stove, which suggests that the retainers burned the papers there, before they took the children and left.”

  “What a deplorable breach of loyalty,” lamented the shogun. “And how, ahh, shocking that murder should be committed right here in Edo Castle! Are you sure the minister’s retainers are to blame?”

  “They arranged for the family to be alone. According to the patrol guards, those retainers were the only people to enter the house, and now they’re missing.”

  The shogun frowned in puzzlement as he did a series of jumps. “How did they get the, ahh, children out of the castle?”

  “The Fugatami gate sentry says they left the estate around midnight, carrying a large chest,” Sano said. “The children must have been inside it. The retainers are trusted officials, and the castle guards let them through the checkpoints without inspecting the chest.”

  “Security must be improved,” said the shogun, bending to touch his toes. “See to it at once.”

  “Yes, Your Excellency,” Sano said, “but the major problem is the Black Lotus.” The murder of the Fugatami had convinced him that Reiko’s suspicions about the sect were justified and he must act before anyone else could be hurt. “I believe the retainers painted a Black Lotus symbol on the walls because they’re members of the sect. I believe they assassinated Minister Fugatami to stop his crusade against them, then destroyed his papers so there would be no incriminating evidence left. I also believe they and the children are now hidden in the temple, where the sect is preparing to create much worse trouble.”

  Straightening, Tokugawa Ts
unayoshi looked closely at Sano, then gave a nervous laugh. “Surely you are not serious?”

  “I am,” Sano said, though aware that the scenario would have once sounded preposterous to himself. “That’s why I must ask you to order all activities at the Black Lotus Temple to cease and the residents arrested while I conduct a thorough investigation of all the sect’s followers and properties.”

  Worry creased the shogun’s forehead. “Ahh …” He signaled to an attendant, who gave him a drink of water. “I cannot believe that a Buddhist order would do such terrible things,” he fretted. “Indeed, my honorable mother has developed a great, ahh, enthusiasm for High Priest Anraku. She plans to become his disciple, and I know she would not associate herself with a sect that is as bad as you claim.”

  If only Reiko had not taken Lady Keisho-in to the temple. The shogun trusted his mother’s judgment; he rarely opposed her, and anyone who did risked offending him.

  “Anraku is a skillful trickster who can take in even the wisest persons,” Sano said, recalling how he himself had been fooled by the priest. He should have listened to Reiko, who’d perceived Anraku’s true nature. “The Honorable Lady Keisho-in is in grave danger.”

  “Surely my mother would know if she were.” Annoyance soured the shogun’s expression. “Do you dare challenge her wisdom?”

  “Not at all,” Sano said calmly, while panic shot through him. “I just want to protect her and other good, innocent citizens from harm by the sect.”

  “She is, ahh, not the only member of my regime who follows the way of the Black Lotus,” the shogun retorted, sweaty and flustered with ire now. A nervous attendant blotted his face with a towel. “There are many who accept High Priest Anraku as their, ahh, spiritual guide. They have expressed to me their disapproval of Minister Fugatami. They would not appreciate your continuing his persecution of the sect.”

  Sano was alarmed to learn that the Black Lotus had supporters in high positions close to the shogun. “May I ask who these people are?”

  Tokugawa Tsunayoshi’s face took on a queasy look, as if he’d said too much for his own good and wanted someone to rescue him. When no one did, he huffed, “You may not ask.”

  Yet Sano deduced that the high-ranking Black Lotus supporters had to be members of the Tokugawa branch clans, which controlled large landholdings and wielded much political influence. Some of these Tokugawa daimyo were strong personalities who intimidated the shogun, although he would never admit it. The Black Lotus’s power had spread too wide and high, and Sano guessed how this had happened.

  Chamberlain Yanagisawa normally discovered and neutralized such threats to his own power with great efficiency, but he was away on his provincial inspection tour. Perhaps his affair with Yoriki Hoshina had distracted him from politics, and he’d forgotten to watch his back. The old Yanagisawa would never have allowed a religious order to develop so much influence, yet even now, he wouldn’t ignore the Black Lotus situation. If he knew about it, he would disband the sect. With a sharp sense of irony, Sano wished his former enemy were here.

  Then a disturbing thought occurred to Sano. Maybe there were secrets that even Yanagisawa with all his spies didn’t know, and forces stronger than the powerful chamberlain. Sano realized for the first time how much the stability of the nation depended on Yanagisawa, and fear chilled him. If Yanagisawa couldn’t control the Black Lotus, who could?

  “I will not treat the Black Lotus as you advise,” said the shogun. “That would be a blasphemy against Buddhism. The temple shall be allowed to continue its business.”

  Determined to counteract the influence of the sect’s supporters, Sano said, “We must capture the men who murdered Minister Fugatami and his wife. The temple is the obvious place to begin looking for the killers and the missing children. Therefore, I need permission to search it and interrogate everyone there as potential accomplices.”

  “Well, ahh …” As the shogun hesitated, his face took on a look of labored concentration. “Probably Minister Fugatami’s retainers killed him for, ahh, personal reasons, and afterward, they, ahh, painted Black Lotus symbols on the walls because they knew he was an enemy of the sect and wanted to cast suspicion upon it.”

  Sano thought it more likely that the symbols had been left at the murder scene because High Priest Anraku wanted to take credit for the crime and thereby warn his enemies what would happen to anyone who crossed him. And if the sect members’ faith in their own power had convinced them that they were above the law, they wouldn’t fear the consequences of implicating themselves in a crime.

  “Perhaps they fled to the countryside, planning to ransom the children later,” the shogun continued. “You had better, ahh, mount a nationwide manhunt rather than focus on the temple.”

  His rejoinder had an artificial tone as well as an uncharacteristic craftiness, and Sano had seen that same look on the faces of Kabuki actors trying to remember their lines. Sano realized that the shogun had already been informed about the murders, by someone who’d coached him on what to think and say. The efficiency with which the Black Lotus had moved to protect itself daunted Sano.

  “There have been poisonings, kidnappings, attacks, and an explosion connected with the Black Lotus,” Sano said. He described what Reiko and Hirata had learned. “Sentiment against the Black Lotus is widespread. The public attacked some priests and nuns this morning. To prevent further violence, the sect’s activities should be halted and the members confined at least until I can find out what they’re planning.”

  The shogun waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Enemies of the Black Lotus are spreading false rumors that have, ahh, incited violence.” Again he spoke in that artificial tone. Then he gave an irritated sigh and signaled to an attendant, who handed him a sword. “Your persistence in denouncing the Black Lotus grows tiresome. You are spoiling my exercise.”

  Aware that he trod a hazardous path between the shogun’s esteem and disfavor, Sano said, “My apologies, Your Excellency. I only wish to serve you. And unless I’m granted control over the Black Lotus, I may not be able to solve the mystery of the fire and murders at the temple as you’ve ordered me to do.” Sano saw his path edging the brink of peril. Even a hint that he might fail in his work could turn Tokugawa Tsunayoshi against him, yet he had to demonstrate that what seemed like insubordination was really his commitment to duty. “I believe that a thorough investigation of the Black Lotus will reveal facts that we ignore at the risk of endangering society.”

  Holding the sword out before him, the shogun squatted; his knees creaked. “I, ahh, had the impression that you’d already identified the culprit. Haven’t you arrested that girl?”

  News had reached him fast; again Sano perceived the hand of the Black Lotus at work. The shogun usually forgot things told him, and the fact that he’d retained this information attested to the sect’s ability to plant notions in his weak mind.

  “Yes, I have,” Sano admitted.

  “Then your work is done,” the shogun said. He performed awkward lunges with his sword. “Arrange the girl’s, ahh, trial as soon as possible. Stay away from the temple and its residents.”

  Without access to the temple, Sano would never learn the truth about the sect. With the Black Lotus protected from official scrutiny, he feared more murders, worsening unrest. Desperate, Sano sought a way to change the shogun’s mind.

  “Some of the sect members are needed to testify at the trial,” he said. “Abbess Junketsu-in, Dr. Miwa, and Priest Kumashiro are important character witnesses, and two orphan girls have placed Haru at the crime scene. The law allows Haru the right to face her accusers.”

  “Then I revoke her right” Stabbing the air, Tsunayoshi tripped. “You may present the, ahh, testimony yourself. I shall order Magistrate Ueda to convict Haru and condemn her to death. Her execution will silence the, ahh, rumors against the Black Lotus and calm the public.”

  “But it won’t stop whatever schemes the Black Lotus has set in motion.” Throwing aside caution, San
o dropped to his knees before the shogun. If only he’d heeded Reiko’s concerns earlier, he might have persuaded Tsunayoshi to act before the sect got to him. “Please, I beg you to reconsider and shut down the Black Lotus before it’s too late!”

  “The only schemes are in your, ahh, imagination,” the shogun said peevishly. “I will hear no more of your slander. Stay away from the Black Lotus, or you shall be sorry.”

  He slashed a sudden, horizontal cut at Sano. The blade whistled so close over Sano’s head that he felt the air current across his scalp. The attendants gasped, and Sano froze. He knew the shogun had meant to miss him, but Tsunayoshi was such an inept swordsman that he might have injured or killed Sano by accident. The tacit threat terrified Sano.

  “Go now,” ordered the shogun. “Vex me no more.”

  25

  If you should be thrown into a pit of fire,

  The Bodhisattva of Infinite Power will change the fire to water.

  If you are pursued by evil men,

  The Bodhisattva will defend you.

  —FROM THE BLACK LOTUS SUTRA

  Three novice monks knelt in a row in Dr. Miwa’s secret underground chamber. “Praise the glory of the Black Lotus,” they chanted in rapid, breathless unison. Their young faces wore beatific expressions; their glazed eyes reflected images of High Priest Anraku, who stood before them.

  “Your service shall be rewarded with the enlightenment you crave,” Anraku said. With a radiant smile, he laid his hand upon the head of each monk in turn. They gasped in delight and chanted faster.

  Across the room, Dr. Miwa watched from beside the workbench that held the lamps, stove, dishware, utensils, and jars of herbs and potions for his experiments. He could almost feel the spiritually charged touch of Anraku’s hand and craved its blessing for himself. Somehow, Anraku always looked more real to Dr. Miwa than did anyone else. His luminosity eclipsed Kumashiro and Junketsu-in, who hovered like dim shadows on either side of him. Now, as Anraku turned toward him, Dr. Miwa trembled with the dread and gladness that his master’s attention always inspired.