An imperial concubine's tale

the long version

Japan in the early 17th century was a wild place. Serial killers stalked the streets of Kyoto at night, while noblemen and women mingled freely at the imperial palace, drinking saké and watching kabuki dancing in the presence of the emperor's principal consort. Among these noblewomen was an imperial concubine named Nakanoin Nakako, who in 1609 became embroiled in a sex scandal, was exiled, shipwrecked, spent 14 years in a remote village, then entered a convent and became a Buddhist nun. This book recounts the story of this resilient woman.