To see the previous installments, click on the following links: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17

Greetings. I would like to take this opportunity to say hello after a long absence from Journaly. Family responsibilities kept me away for some time, and I was unable to be active on this platform. I hope that from now on I will be able to post regularly and continue the story I left unfinished.

This story begins in 1613 with Rodrigo Tanaka, the illegitimate son of a woman from Coria del Río, in the province of Seville, Spain, and a member of Hasekura Tsunenaga's Japanese embassy. The Keichō embassy, as it was called, was sent on a diplomatic mission to Spain, the hegemonic power at the time, and to the Holy See in Rome for commercial purposes.

He grew up unconsciously between two worlds but did not belong entirely to either of them. After his mother died of malaria, he discovered his Japanese origins and received a samurai amulet that belonged to his biological father from Yoshio Yamamoto (José Japón), one of the members of the embassy who remained in Spain. Orphaned, rootless and driven by a mixture of uncertainty, fractured identity and a thirst for adventure, Rodrigo decides to set sail for Japan, following the route of the Spanish colonies in America and the Philippines.

After years of travelling, he finally arrives in Sendai, where he discovers his Japanese family and is accepted by the Date clan. Under the tutelage of Date Masamune, he learns the way of bushidō (武士道), trains as a samurai and adopts a new Japanese name. However, in a Japan that has closed its borders under sakoku (鎖国) and fiercely persecutes Christianity, his foreign origins make him a suspect and a danger to his friends.

Political intrigues reach the domain of Sendai, and Rodrigo becomes the perfect target: a series of porcelain cups decorated with Christian crosses appear in his house. The pieces come from the Tsutsumi kiln, where Aoi Takasugi works, a young artisan of exceptional talent who has feelings for Rodrigo that she does not know how to interpret. Unwittingly involved in the conspiracy, Aoi is arrested along with him.

At the trial, Rodrigo refuses to step on a fumie (踏み絵), a Christian image depicting Jesus or Mary. His refusal, motivated by his sense of honour, is interpreted as a challenge to the Shōgun's authority. From that moment on, he awaits his inevitable punishment, seppuku, and from his cell, he reflects on his existence, his memories of Coria, his doubts and his resignation.

To be continued...