Boekverslag Dov Silverman

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Datum ingestuurd:	15 april 2003
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Titel:	The black dragon
Auteur:	Silverman, Dov
Jaar van uitgave:	1988

Auteur:	Silverman, Dov
Nationaliteit:	Engels
Populaire titels:	1988The black dragon (1)

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Title: The Black Dragon
Writer: Dov Silverman
Pages: 470
What sort of book: Thriller with historic facts

Main Characters:
Mung, John Mung, Moryiama Ishikawa: The hero of the story. A Japanese man, very smart. Five foot eight, 27 years old. He remembers everything he sees and hears. Because he grew up in America, he knows how important it is for Japan to open her gates. He still acts Japanese and thinks like one, but also thinks like an American. Mung is a Satsuma Samurai and Senior Scholar of the fiefdom of Satsuma. He earned the samurai title when he built an American ship from heart and after fighting for the Emporer where he lost his left hand.

Shimatzu Nariakira: The lord of Satsuma. His goal is to make sure that Japan opens its gates for trades with the West. A smart and cunning man. A good friend of Mung

Ryochi Okuda: The general of the Satsuma army. Also a good friend of Mung. Disagrees with the idea of opening the gates of Japan for the rest of the world. Wants to keep things the way they are. Later turns out to be a traitor. Thinks he's doing what's best for the Emperor and Japan. He wishes to die in battle instead of committing seppuku.

Yaka: Yaka is an Ashigara which means foot soldier. He protects Mung. He saved the man's life once and for that, his sons are accepted to the special school in Satsuma. He dies while protecting Mung.

Rhee: used to be the leader of a group of ryukun until all of the ryukun were murdered while protecting Mung from a group of hired assassins. As the last of the group, he stays Mung's guard so that he can revenge his friends and brother. (one of the murdered ryukun was his brother) His karate is amazing. He's very strong and smart.

Gompachi: at first he claims to be a Buddhist fighting priest, but he steals from merchants because they don't have to pay taxes. His nose is flattened into his face, spreading down to wide, thin lips. He has neither eyebrows nor lashes. His close-cropped ears are hidden behind massive jaws. If he smiles, his skin mask transforms into a jolly face, making everything around him appear happier and brighter. Later Mung finds out that Gompachi is in fact Tengu, and the Black Dragon. (=the eyes and ears of the Emperor) (Tengu can be a long-beaked bird or a feathered gnome with the large head of a human but in this case it is someone putting up signs with sayings about the government. For example, 'Tengu says the honourable price of eggs are too honourable for most persons to afford. Chickens with silver arseholes are useless to arseholes without silver.' After the traitor found out G. was the Black Dragon, he was captured and tortured. Then, Gompachi said his death poem and willed himself to die.

Ishida Takai: A bald lttle man. Cunning and at his best under great stress. He's the lord of Yedo (=Edo=Tokyo) and doesn't want Japan to open it's gates. He lives by Bushido. This term refers to the moral code principals that developed among the samurai (military) class of Japan, on a basis of national tradition influenced by Zen and Confucianism.
He's very superstitious.
Secondary characters
Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry: He made a treaty with Japan, in a peaceful way, with the help of Mung. His nickname is Old Bruin. He has a mustache.
John Whittefield: John is Mung's brother. His father adopted Mung when Mung was 14. They went to Harvard together. John is tall and blond. He helps Perry with the treaty.
General Hotta: He is the General of the Fujiwara army, serving Lord Takai. Dies when trying to kill Alan Bowring when he sees the flag of the Emperor fall.
Alan Bowring: An English lord, with steel grey hair. Very mean to mung, holding back the weapons Mung was planning to buy. Thinks oriental are to be treated like children, in short, underestimates them.
Sayio: She has a tall and reed-like body. Is married to Mung. Dies after an attack from the Americans at Kagoshima. (that's where Mang and Sayio live)
Yoshida: The son of Sayio and Mung. A chubby toddler with dark eyes.
Ukiko: Sayio's sister. Looks a lot like her sister but was always considered to be the fairer one of the two. She helps Sayio take care of Yohida.
Robert Webb: A redhead. He's from the business lobby. He's arrogant and thinks the Japanese are inferior to the Americans. He wants to trade with the far east even if it means war.
Caleb Butler: This quote describes Caleb best: 'the advance of Christianity is inevitable. It is morally superior to all other theologies.' He thinks he should go to Japan to save their heathen souls so they won't be damned to eternal Hell.
Silas Porter: Also wants to go to Japan to convert the people, but most of all, he wants to convert the Emperor to Christianity. He's a bit mad and very fanatic.
Uraga: the elder son of Yaka
Udo: the younger son of Yaka
Nitto Sukenobo: Better known as Fan-chen. A Japanese who is a well known merchant in Canton. He has taken a Chinese name and is thought of as Chinese. He helps Mung with Chinese contacts and helps him fight the Chinese pirates.
Relationship between main and secondary characters:
Mung is married to Sayio and he loves her. After she dies, he falls in love with her sister Ukiko. Yoshida is his son and they love each other. Nariakira and Ryochi are his friends, though Nariakira is his boss. This means he can't just speak freely whenever he desires. The relationship between Nariakira and Mung are at the beginning of the story quite formal. However, this changes as the story continuous. Ryochi is a traitor and secretely works for Takai. This is not good for the relationship between Ryochi and Mung. However, Mung still believes him when Ryochi said that if anything happened to him, he would take care of his son. John Whittefield is, as mentioned before, Mung's brother. They love each other and care about each other. Their relationship changes after Sayio dies, because Mung blames the Americans. Mung dislikes Webb, Butler, Porter. He holds them responsible for the death of his wife. he hates Alan Bowring for jeopardizing the entire American treaty, for letting the men who were responsible for the death of his wife go unpunished, for blockading the weapons he needed and for thinking the oriental are less than the Europeans and Americans. He loves Ukiko and Ukiko is in love with him. They will eventually marry each other. Mung respects Lord Takai, although he disagrees with him and Lord Takai, although he orders for the death of the Satsuma scholar, he respects Mung too.

Where does the story take place:
(Japan)
Yedo
Satsuma
Namatzu
Izo
Kyushu
Kagoshima
China

Is this fact important for the story:
A little, Yedo is where the negotiations for a treaty take place. It's sort of the capital of Japan. Satsuma is where Nariakira rules, where the Satsuma army is. At namatzu is where a battle takes place. Izo, there's a legend about the mines of Izo. The legend is true, they find Izo's gold there. Kagoshima is Mung's hometown. It's also where Sayio dies. Kyushu is the island where Kagoshima lies. China is where Mung wants to buy weapons from the dutch, where he meets Alan Bowring in person and where he meets Fan-chen.

When does the story take place:
It begins March 1854 and ends 7 April 1855

Explain the title of the book:
Gompachi is the Black Dragon at first, He's the eyes and ears of the Emperor. After he dies. Mung becomes the Black Dragon.
Main theme of the book:
Betrayal, honour, fear of (political) changes, inner struggle.
Story in short:
It's about Mung, Nariakira and others who think alike, trying to convince others that it would be best for Japan to open the gates for foreigners. This cannot happen without a struggle. Thanks to the genius Mung and the cunning of Nariakira things work out pretty well. In the meantime, people die, relationships change and friends become traitors. Japan changes.

What did you think about the book:
Not only is this book well written, but also it provides much insight into life in 19th century Japan. Silverman has obviously done his homework. From what I know, the history is solid, I've been reading a book about the history of Japan. As you can see in the extra information I have added, some of the (main) characters actually existed. I loved this book because it's written from a Japanese person's point of view who lived in the west. That means he knows about both cultures. It's interesting to see the struggle for loyalty between those two countries. I also liked the correct information on the history of Japan. 1850-1900 is an interesting period in Japanese history. Anyone interested in Japan should read this book.

Which part of the book did you like best:
The most interesting part of the book was the part where you notice Mung changing because of recent happenings and his new position as The Black Dragon. Before he was the black Dragon, he would not make use of the personal pronoun. It's unusual for a Japanese of high rank to take complete responsibility for decisions since mistakes could result in seppuku(=ritual suicide with a sword) Ever since he became The Black Dragon, he was making extensive use of the personal pronoun. In the past, Mung had always said we, or had spoken in the name of Lord Nariakira. How Mung changes throughout the story is intriguing.

What's your opinion of the main character(s):
The characters I like are Mung, because he's so clever, the way he handles certain situations are amazing. The solutions he thinks of are well thought of. I also like Lord Nariakira because his solutions are also fantastic and cunning. I like the way he outsmarts Lord Takai. I like Rhee, because he defeats 5 English boxers even though the odds are against him. After that fight, the Chinese servants worship him. That's pretty cool. I don't really like Lord Takai, 'cause he's mean and he doesn't want to change. I do respect this character because he's only doing what he think is best. There's more than one truth. There's not one character I really hate. Oh, wait, there is! Alan Bowring is a devious and evil man. I do not like him at all. He interferes in the internal affairs of another nation by purchasing arms for one side of opposing forces.

Summary:
The story starts with Mung teaching the two sons of Yaka how to swim. It explains Mung's past, how he lost his left hand, why he grew up in America and why Yaka is Mung's loyal ashigara, why Mung trusts Yaka completely. Yaka once saved him in the Hakusar Valley where the shogun had been defeated a year before, he single-handed attacked a mounted samurai. Mung had rewarded him by allowing his sons to go to his special school in Satsuma. Mung's waiting for an American ship to arrive, with his brother aboard. The Americans want a treaty with Japan and Mung and the Lord he serves want the same to prevent famine in Japan and to assure a good future. Yaka and Mung have to go to Lord Nariakira to discuss the next move
While traveling to Lord Nariakira in Satsuma they meet a priest and some other men. Those other men turn out to be hired assassins and the priest saves his life. He tells him his name is Gompachi and reminds him not to trust anyone. Even though Mung expected back-up, there was none. Very strange.
The ship arrives and Nariakira and Mung go aboard the ship to talk to commodore Perry about how he should go about to get a treaty. The best way is to wait a few days before arriving in Yedo bay so they will be there on the day the shogun has a meeting. This way they will be surprised and have no other choice but to discuss the treaty. And that's what happens
Things go pretty well, but Nariakira and Mung need to talk to the Americans one last time because of misunderstandings. things are cleared up. When the two leave, someone gives a signal from the American ship and they get attacked. The lord gets away, but Mung gets captured. When he wakes up, he's about to get tortured so that he will tell the witnesses that Lord Nariakira is a traitor for speaking with the barbarians. Of course, Mung won't say a word. He's about to be eaten alive by rats when someone barges in and defeats his enemies. It turns out to be Gompachi.
Gompachi takes Mung to his home where Sayio and Ukiko nurse him back to health. Not long after that, there's an attack on Mung and his family. A group of Ryukun kill the assassins and pay with it with their own life, there's only one survivor, Rhee. Rhee stays with Mung to revenge the Ryukun and his brother.
Because a war is at hand, Mung is going to inspect the Satsuma army. The army turns out to be a mess because they received conflicting orders for maintenance of equipment, purchases of supplies and military manoeuvres. It seems to be sabotage. 72 hours later, everything is back to normal.
Mung found a bit of gold somewhere near a mountain. He thinks it might be from the hidden Izo mine. He sends people to look for it. They know it's somewhere in the mountain but they can't figure out where!
It is time for the Americans and the Japanese to talk about a treaty. The shogun are prepared to grant them 2 ports for rescue and supply stations but the proposal to open foreign trade between the countries remains forbidden. Perry renames trade to commercial interests and things are okay. The treaty is a fact.
Lord Takai finds out that Gompachi is The Black Dragon and gives the order to torture him to get information. He gets captured but they don't get any information out of him. After he recites his seath poem, he wills himself to death. Nariakira and Mung find out about his death and someone who is a member of the Black Dragons tells Mung Gompachi chose him to be his successor. Mung is now The Black Dragon.
In the meantime, a few Americans, not satisfied with the treaty decide to act alone to force Christianity upon the 'heathen' Things go completely wrong and there's a fight between the people from the island and the small group of Americans. Many Japanese get killed including Mung's wife Sayio. Ukiko takes care of Yoshida, because Mung is a bit depressed. he doesn't eat, barely sleeps and doesn't bathe. Ukiko talks to Mung and because there's work to do he slowly recovers. The relationship between John (Mung's brother) and Mung changes because he holds him and all the other Americans responsible for his wife's death.
John promises that the ones who did this will be punished and things return back to normal a little. Mung has to buy weapons to defeat Lord Takai's army. The Satsuma army is outnumbered so without better weapons, they won't stand a chance. To pay for all this, he will need the gold from the mine from Izo which they find with the help of John and Perry. Now Mung has enough gold and he goes to China to buy weapons from the Dutch. Unfortunately, the English have arrived and they try to hold him back, because Lord Takai has paid them to. Mung finds a way to leave and arrives at the Dutch port in China.

Alan Bowring sort of controls all trades in China and Mung and Alan aren't friends...Alan blockades the weapons and buys all other weapons for Lord Takai. Mung stores the Gold in the bank in The Netherlands (:-)) and returns to Japan without weapons and with a small steamer he managed to buy. It is then that he figures out who the traitor is. Birds are send to get messages across, but some messages never arrive. Ryochi is responsible for it...
Mung proves it but it's too late anyway, Ryochi is now with Lord Takai, plotting a war against Nariakira.

The English are now again at Yedo bay hoping for a treaty ensuring a favoured position for trade. Nariakira, outnumbered by the Fujiwara army (Takai's army) attacks one of the English ships, wearing the Emperors flag instead of the Satsuma flag. This is very smart, because this causes confusion and when the English fire back, both Fujiwara and Satsuma army attack the English. Friend and foes will stand toe to toe. Then turn West to face the test.
Takai, now seeing the power of the foreigners, is prepared to let them in, use their knowledge. Some day, they will use that same power to defeat the 'barbarians'. Until that day, they must learn what they can.

The End