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The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 4,077 ratings · 569 reviews

"Just remember," Yoshio said quietly to his grandsons. "Every day of your lives, you must always be sure what you're fighting for."

It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at th

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Hardcover, 422 pages

Published September 4th 2007 by St. Martin's Press

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Jan 17, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian, war

Non-fussy storytelling. Tsukiyama tells the story in a straight manner devoid of gimmicks. Reading this book is like having a friend sitting with you on a park bench in a cool Sunday afternoon. Your friend is a Japanese woman who knows the tale by heart and you have the snow-capped Mt. Fuji at your back. It is springtime and the cherry flowers are in their full bloom. Picture this in your mind as you leaf through the pages of this book and you will know what I am trying to say.

Particularly in th...more Non-fussy storytelling. Tsukiyama tells the story in a straight manner devoid of gimmicks. Reading this book is like having a friend sitting with you on a park bench in a cool Sunday afternoon. Your friend is a Japanese woman who knows the tale by heart and you have the snow-capped Mt. Fuji at your back. It is springtime and the cherry flowers are in their full bloom. Picture this in your mind as you leaf through the pages of this book and you will know what I am trying to say.

Particularly in the first half of the book, Tsukiyama's prose is breathtaking in its simplicity and honesty. As a Filipino, I grew up watching WWII movies with Japanese soldiers killing my fellow-Filipinos and raping our women. When I was a toddler, I also heard stories from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles about the atrocities of the Japanese forces in our little island. They were not as barbaric as those I read from the book but for a child like me, hearing stories of pregnant woman dying from bomb shrapnels and/or trying to put back her intestines inside her abdominal cavity while riding the motorboat, or with babies bayoneted after being thrown out on the air were harrowing enough for me to think that Japanese people were heartless monsters.

When I was working in a US multinational chemical company, I had the chance to visit Japan (Nagoya & Tokyo) thrice. At one point, I joked about them killing my forefathers. One of them responded: "Don't believe everything that you heard or read, most of them could be untrue or exaggerated." I did not respond back anymore not because I believed him but I felt that that war was too distant from us already and many Filipinos were already then flocking to Japan to become work and earn Yen to support their families back home. In other words, most Filipinos have already forgotten those atrocities and have moved on with their lives.

But do we, Filipinos, know what happened to the Japanese during the war? Do we know or did we care to know how they suffered when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed by the Americans and the Allied forces? A couple of months back, I read John Hersey's Hiroshima and I really liked it.

This book, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms chronicles the lives of two brothers before, during and after World War II in a Japanese town. Tsukiyama masterfully interweaved the political landscape with the lives of the two brothers, Haroshi, the sumo wrestler, and Kenji, the Noh-mask maker. I hope many of us Filipinos read novels like this for us to appreciate the fact that Japanese people are also like us and that they were only blindly following the vision of their Emperor on "Asia for Asians" during that tumultuous period of world history.

The only reasons why I am not giving this a 5-star rating are: (1) the prolonged "after the war" or second half of the story. That part seems anticlimactic and uneventful for me after the amazing first half and (2) taken as a whole, the book is too simple for me to be amazed.
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Jun 20, 2008 Marion rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, historicalfiction, favorites

I love Gail Tsukiyama's peaceful tone. She does a fabulous job of depicting life in Japan, spanning from the pre-World War II era through to the post-War revival. The characters in this story are wonderful, engaging, and alive. Her descriptions are so real; during the most intense moments of the war, I had to stop to catch my breath because I was so emotionally engaged in the story. I sped through this 420-page book and loved every minute of it.

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Dec 09, 2012 ☮Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is Tokyo before, during, and after the fire-bombings of WWII, and the survivors of these horrendous experiences. The U.S. could well imagine the potential devastation of fire on a city built of paper and wood. The book was educational but not entertaining. Each separate chapter covered one year, from 1939 to 1966, so that is 27 long and choppily written chapters. Not only did Tsukiyama jump from one character to another with startling regularity, but the characters names were too similar fo...more

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Oct 14, 2007 Slygly rated it 2 of 5 stars

This one was OK, but disappointing compared to Tsukiyama's previous books. And very long, so about halfway through I realized I wasn't going to love it, but I couldn't quit because I had already invested so much time in it. So I was restless and acutely aware of the large stack of books remaining for me to read after this one.
The book was set in Japan spanning about 30 years around WWII. The war part was great but not much happened all of the other years. The part that really irritated me was...more

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Jan 15, 2008 Fran rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Fran by: Catherine deCuir

Gail Tsukiyama's generational saga follows two sets of families in Japan prior to World War II, through the war, and through the mid-60s. Two young men's parents are killed in a boating accident and they are raised by their grandparents. One becomes a famous sumo wrestler and the other a Noh mask maker. Two sisters, daughters of a sumo master, lose their mother and the book primarily entertwines between these two families. I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I did, I literally cou...more

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Oct 28, 2009 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book but I listened to the Audio, unabridged, not sure I could have read it--there was alot of Japanese (language and names) and I would have missed much of it and gotten confused if not for the narration. but the story was soo good. it gave me a whole new perspective of life in World War II in Japan. The view point of the grandparents and the two boys was also just delightful. There is so much to recommend this book. I pick it up due to a reading challenge to read something by a Ja...more

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Apr 14, 2010 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, asia, four-star-fiction

At first I wasn't sure I'd like this because of the sumo wrestling stuff. Grunting, glaring fat men sporting diapers and topknots just don't send me anywhere I care to go. Fortunately, there's much more to the book than just sumo, and I ended up liking it quite a bit. I learned a lot about Japanese culture and history. I didn't know that the U.S. had occupied Japan for seven years after WWII ended. That would explain all the Japanese "war brides" our soldiers brought home. But then they should r...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Valerie Derbyshire rated it 3 of 5 stars

On the upside, this book was a good introduction to something I knew nothing whatsoever about, the mysterious worlds of traditional Japanese Noh Theatre and Sumo wrestling. I liked the juxtaposition of the two brothers - how one, Hiroshi, was all about what was earthly and of the flesh; and how Kenji represented the spiritual and all that was ghostly about traditional Japan. I also liked the author's description of the war years in Japan. It was a new insight into a very harrowing time and I fou...more On the upside, this book was a good introduction to something I knew nothing whatsoever about, the mysterious worlds of traditional Japanese Noh Theatre and Sumo wrestling. I liked the juxtaposition of the two brothers - how one, Hiroshi, was all about what was earthly and of the flesh; and how Kenji represented the spiritual and all that was ghostly about traditional Japan. I also liked the author's description of the war years in Japan. It was a new insight into a very harrowing time and I found it fascinating. However, I found the style of writing to be unpolished - as if the author had just set pen to paper and the story had just been written as it had popped into her head. In my opinion, the book could have done with a good edit. There is just too much detail, the story reads as cluttered and unstructured - too many characters (I think the previous reviewer who struggled with the number of Japanese names, was finding the same fault that I have found here really) and as soon as the writer seemingly gets sick of these many characters, or they achieve any kind of happiness or fulfilment, the characters are killed off. It got a little hackneyed towards the end - as soon as one of the characters started to think that they'd had a good life, "that the Gods had been good to them", I started thinking, hang on, watch out, and yes, indeed, in the very next paragraph they would be duly killed off. In this way, poor old Grandad drops down dead in a garden with a smile on his face, Mika and the father-in-law are bumped off in a train wreck (who'd have seen that one coming?) baby dies of SIDS and Aki dresses up as a geisha and hangs herself from a pine tree (to be fair, she wasn't that happy or had reached any kind of personal fulfilment when she did this, but you get the picture). Even if the character manages to survive, happiness is generally followed by disaster. In this way Akira loses his arm in a landslide (again, who'd have seen that one coming?) and Kenji becomes an alcoholic. I could go on, but I won't. It seemed to me that character development is in limited supply in this book and the author has relied on disaster after disaster to drive the plot forward. In short, this book was a disappointment to me considering how much it's been raved about. (less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, japan, world-war-2, family-relationships, historical-fiction

A tender and sometimes heartbreaking story of two brothers, Hiroshi and Kenji, coming of age in Tokyo near the beginning of World War 2 and striving to achieve their dreams up into the 60’s. One has the ambition to become a champion sumo wrestler and the other to become a master at making wooden masks for the Noh theater, goals which are supported by the nurturing grandparents who raised them after their parents died when they were young.

The affinity of these brothers for traditional culture and...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Carol Moore rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms ** ½ by Gail Tsukiyama

This book romanticizes the Japanese. The writing is predictable, and the characters don’t feel real. Death is random. Two die by drowning. A baby dies from SIDS. Another baby dies from a miscarriage. Someone burns to death. Another hangs herself. A mask maker loses his hand due to a freak accident. One charcter dies naturally at a ripe old age; thank God for that. It all leaves the reader wondering: just what was the point of this story? Th...more The Street of a Thousand Blossoms ** ½ by Gail Tsukiyama

This book romanticizes the Japanese. The writing is predictable, and the characters don’t feel real. Death is random. Two die by drowning. A baby dies from SIDS. Another baby dies from a miscarriage. Someone burns to death. Another hangs herself. A mask maker loses his hand due to a freak accident. One charcter dies naturally at a ripe old age; thank God for that. It all leaves the reader wondering: just what was the point of this story? The story would have been truly depressing if the reader cared about the characters.
In addition, the characters who set out to succeed, do just that. They work hard, and achieve incredible individual success, fame, and fortune. Even one of the females works hard and becomes a professor, on her own without a mentor. This was during a time when women weren’t likely to be hired for jobs like that. She also needed and enjoyed her work. So many things didn’t ring true. It turns out that the author isn’t Japanese. She’s American with a Japanese father who lived in Hawaii. Maybe that explains her highly idealized version of the Japanese and some of the glitches in the writing, as with having the characters go after personal success even though they live is a society that rarely rewards or takes note of the individual. This book is perhaps the author’s tribute to her ethnic background. It’s “old Japan” from the viewpoint of an American. The character who was a beautiful geisha was too perfect. One character knew as a boy that all he ever wanted was to make Noh masks. So that is what he did—he made incredible, perfect masks, used by the most famous actors. The character who was Sumo wrestler was, of course, amazing in every way.
The book started off strong. The grandparents had to raise their two grandsons during a difficult time, WWII, and there was so little to eat. There were points that were interesting—learning about Sumo wrestling and the Noh theatre. I did finish reading the book. There was another book by this author that I abandoned: Women of the silk.
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Jul 28, 2012 Beverly rated it 4 of 5 stars

• It has been a couple of years since I have read a book by this author and I forgot how elegant her language and how riveting her storytelling abilities
• I enjoyed learning about somo wrestling and the Noh mask making traditions – but the details do not overwhelm the storylines
• As usual great character development – very good at getting at the intimate thoughts of the characters
• Moved by how well the author is able to create the fascinating worlds of the characters and their sense of family...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Susan added it

It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of creating hard-carved masks for actors in the Noh theater.
Across town, a renowned sumo master, Sho Tanaka, lives with his wife and their two young daughters: the delicate, daydre...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Juliet Waldron rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a family saga set in a suburb of Tokyo, which begins in the turbulent 1930’s and ends in the 1960’s, as Japanese culture reinvents itself after the horrors and deprivations of war. Two families—a total of seven characters--tell the story. In one, a father must raise his daughters after their mother dies in the infamous Tokyo firestorm. In the other, brothers, whose parents have drowned, are raised by loving grandparents. We experience the desperation, hunger...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Kristina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Reading this book reminded me just how much I enjoy Gail Tsukiyama's writing. At first, I wasn't too sure about this one as I'm not too keen on books with male main characters (narrow minded, I know). Plus, one of the characters was a sumo wrestler. Nonetheless, I embarked upon this book and within pages, I loved it.

It follows the story of two young, orphaned boys as they grow up in the midst of WWII with their grandparents in Tokyo. WWII is one of my favorite time periods to read about, but st...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Suzierussell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Written in the style I love - clear, clean, uncluttered. My favourite books are those set in other countries, at other times. I hadn't been to World War 2 Japan before and this was perfect for me. Two brothers are orphaned and their grandparents bring them up through the hardships of war and into adulthood in a post-war Japan that has been humbled by their devastating defeat by the USA.

It's written in the third person and we see through the eyes of Hiroshi and Kenji, their devoted grandparents,...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Linda C. rated it 2 of 5 stars

The Street of A Thousand Blossoms is filled with tragedy from the start. Kenji and Hiroshi are orphans who are being raised by their grandparents. Then World War II happens impacting their lives, setting them on an unexpected path. After each sadness, they appear to move forward only to have misfortune follow them again and again.

Recently I asked one of my writing mentors to give me a critique on a story I was working on. Her first words were that it was too depressing. Depressing doesn't lure...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Gretchen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011

There are time I wish I was an editor. Or, failing that, that I could have been in on the discussions between author and editor while a novel takes shape. This is a great book, with a completely unnecessary prologue that overshadows the story. If you can forgive the prologue (or better, skip it), this book is rich with moments of beauty, and some very subtle explorations of themes, along with a good story.

Hitoshi and Kenji, orphaned as babies, are raised by their grandparents in pre- and post-WW...more There are time I wish I was an editor. Or, failing that, that I could have been in on the discussions between author and editor while a novel takes shape. This is a great book, with a completely unnecessary prologue that overshadows the story. If you can forgive the prologue (or better, skip it), this book is rich with moments of beauty, and some very subtle explorations of themes, along with a good story.

Hitoshi and Kenji, orphaned as babies, are raised by their grandparents in pre- and post-WWII Japan, and story is at it's strongest in focusing on that family unit. I loved the parts of the story set in the loving household of Yoshio and Fumiko. Their commitment to their family, and the portrait of a long-term marriage are wonderful. As the boys grow, their spheres change. Hitoshi finds his calling as a sumo wrestler, while Kenji becomes involved in making Noh masks. With these changes we are introduced to their senseis, and learn more about their families. This expansion gets a bit convoluted as we get more characters' perspectives, but each new thread adds to the tapestry Ms. Tsukiyama is weaving.

This is first book I can remember reading set in Japan during WWII and focused on normal Japanese citizens. I appreciated this approach. These characters were conflicted about the war - should they support the Emporer, or remember their own experience from the last war? Was it safer to stay home or go to the country? They are themes I've read before, but they rang new from these characters. And then, post-War, the rise of the new modern culture and its differences from the traditions are shown. Again, I appreciate that there wasn't a lot of judgment in this. Characters may comment on someone being more or less modern, but that doesn't imply good or bad - it's just who that person is.

I should note that there are some traumatic scenes (it's set in Japan during WWII.....) but I felt they were handled well, and served to advance the characters' development.

Recommended for those who might like to see a different view of Japanese culture, or a well-written character study. Just please, skip the prologue.(less)

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Oct 17, 2010 Judy rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of historical fiction

Shelves: 21st-century-fiction, historical-fiction

Gail Tsukiyama is a beloved author in Los Angeles, where she lives at least part of the year. This is the first novel of hers I have read, though she has written several. While she did not win me over as an author, the story was a good contrast with a recent book I read, The Piano Teacher, because while that book showed the effects of Japanese aggression on Hong Kong during WWII, this one gave me insight into the lives of Japanese civilians who went through their own hardships as their Emperor...more Gail Tsukiyama is a beloved author in Los Angeles, where she lives at least part of the year. This is the first novel of hers I have read, though she has written several. While she did not win me over as an author, the story was a good contrast with a recent book I read, The Piano Teacher, because while that book showed the effects of Japanese aggression on Hong Kong during WWII, this one gave me insight into the lives of Japanese civilians who went through their own hardships as their Emperor set out to conquer the world, losing in one the most stunning defeats of the 20th century.

Hiroshi, who becomes an acclaimed Sumo wrestling champion and his brother Kenji, destined for fame as the carver of masks for actors in Japan's traditional Noh theater, are raised by their grandparents. The boys were orphaned at a young age when their parents drowned in an accident.

The book is long and follows their lives along with other key characters from 1939 into the 1960s. The style is leisurely and as precise as a Japanese tea ceremony. Though these men both achieve their goals, so much suffering and loss accompanies their successes that I felt mostly sad when I wasn't slightly bored as I read.

I was enlightened on the details of both professions. As usual, the women suffered the most. The author celebrated the hard working and resilient character of the Japanese people, who within two decades after the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were back in the game as a world power, at least economically.

I used to practice macrobiotics, a form of vegetarianism based on Japanese foods and philosophy. One of its sayings was, "The bigger the back, the bigger the front." Gail Tsukiyama demonstrates in her story that behind the intricate beauty of Japanese culture lay an equal cruelty and violence. In the Tao and in macrobiotics, we sought balance which would promote health, because in extremes are found illness, death, loss and sorrow. Mankind apparently has a hard time with that lesson.(less)

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May 05, 2010 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book starts in a suburb of Toyko in 1939. Two boys who have been orphaned are living with their grandparents. Their grandparents love their grandsons and want them to find their passions. The elder brother, Hiroshi is becoming quite good at the national obsession, sumo wrestling. Just as the war starts he is accepted for training at a facilty run by Sho Tanaka. The younger brother is more creative and interested in carving masks for the Non theater.

World War II intervenes. Tsukiyama paints...more

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Dec 14, 2009 Corinne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish I could give it 4.5 stars.

There are books that are so rich, so full of the essence of a place and its people, that they do not lend themselves to being merely "summarized" or "described." Books that do not follow merely one or two characters and their experiences, but truly try to examine a cross-section of humanity and how their lives intertwine. For me, this was such a book. And while the Japanese brothers Hiroshi and Kenji are at the crux of this amazing novel, we also come to know and...more I wish I could give it 4.5 stars.

There are books that are so rich, so full of the essence of a place and its people, that they do not lend themselves to being merely "summarized" or "described." Books that do not follow merely one or two characters and their experiences, but truly try to examine a cross-section of humanity and how their lives intertwine. For me, this was such a book. And while the Japanese brothers Hiroshi and Kenji are at the crux of this amazing novel, we also come to know and love the people that surround them.

Hioschi and Kenji are orphaned very young and are raised just outside of Tokyo by their beloved grandparents. Their ojichan and obachan are such...exquisite people. Their values and patience, their love and strength seemed to epitomize all that is good in Japanese culture. And as these boys and their countrymen go through the hell that was World War II, we see a completely different side of that war's story than we usually read: the plight of the common Japanese citizen. The scars of the firestorms at the end of the war have far-reaching consequences and no characters escape being affected in one way or another.

What I think I really liked most about this book is that it completely immersed me in Japanese culture. The ancient theater customs, city life vs rural life, the traditional sport of sumo wrestling (which honestly, I never would've thought I'd be interested in), I found myself putting the book down sometimes to do more research. And all the Japanese language sprinkled throughout was easily understood in context and made the story an even richer experience. I think the only thing about this book that didn't thrill me is that it wasn't exactly a "happy" book. While good things happen to some of the characters, it's also a raw and realistic picture of life at the time, as well as of human nature and its most basic weaknesses. And while it jumped around from character to character a lot, I followed it with no problem, like finishing a conversation with one friend and then taking a call from another. A great piece of literature.(less)

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Nov 01, 2009 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, audio-edition, japan, families, relationships, war, world-war-2, sumo, noh, historical-fiction, realistic, 1940s, 1930s, 1950s, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 03, 2009 Lothe rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, japan

It is clear what Gail Tsukiyama wants to communicate in her newest novel, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. The book strives to convey love, loss, coming-of-age, the horrors of war, the rebuilding of a nation--and throw in a little instruction in Japanese culture to boot.

Spanning more than thirty years immediately before, during, and after World War II, Blossoms follows the lives of the residents of Yanaka, a suburb of Tokyo. It finds its main characters in Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto, two youn...more It is clear what Gail Tsukiyama wants to communicate in her newest novel, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. The book strives to convey love, loss, coming-of-age, the horrors of war, the rebuilding of a nation--and throw in a little instruction in Japanese culture to boot.

Spanning more than thirty years immediately before, during, and after World War II, Blossoms follows the lives of the residents of Yanaka, a suburb of Tokyo. It finds its main characters in Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto, two young boys taken in by their grandparents after the death of their mother and father, and quickly expands to chronicle the lives of those around them: their grandparents, the sumo coach who nurtures Hiroshi’s burgeoning talent, the mask maker who draws the quiet Kenji into the world of the theatre. The novel’s subject is nothing less than the breadth and scope of these people’s entire lives.

Clearly, then, the characters should be the story’s driving force. But this is where the book stumbles. The characters feel a little too controlled, as if Tsukiyama does not trust them to tell their own story. She is too ready to describe feelings and frame dialogue in terms of platitudes and expected turns--a shame, because she has a wonderful gift for simile and metaphor. She is capable of beautiful, evocative choices of words, which makes it all the more disappointing that she so often relies on old saws. Meanwhile, her characters, once in a great while, say or do something truly unexpected, and thus freed, they transform into the most convincing human beings. If these moments, scattered throughout the book, were more common, Tsukiyama might have truly achieved the depth she seems to seek.

Instead, the thinness of her presentation creates the sense that the characters and story are subservient to the themes she wants to portray. The narration is given to fits of exposition that tell in a paragraph exactly how a character is feeling or what happens to them after a certain event, a too-pat approach that causes parts of the novel to feel rushed even though it’s more than 400 pages long.

Alternatives suggest a reading list: those interested in the history of Japan after World War II should read John Dower’s masterful Embracing Defeat, to which Tsukiyama acknowledges a debt for this novel. Those seeking a novel about the changing Japan of this era should consider Junichiro Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters. And readers simply new to Tsukiyama’s work should read The Samurai’s Garden instead.

Blossoms by no means fails miserably; it is reasonably entertaining. But it’s hard to recommend a book when the best thing you can say about it is that worse has been written. Tsukiyama seems to be grasping at timelessness here, but she would have done well to let it arise from the more intimate, character-driven storytelling at which she excels.

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May 01, 2009 George rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this book, we follow a handful of characters, all related in some way, primarily between the 1940s and early 1960s. While some background is provided, the book really starts to dig in during World War II, with some chilling accounts of what life was like for people living in Japan at that time. It is a side of the war that we don't hear all that much about, and while it bears striking similarities to the experiences of other countries, from rationing and propaganda to the London blitz and the...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my "light" book as I also read the Kingsolver non-fiction. I had never read any of this author before -- but may seek out some more of her books. She reminds me of Amy Tan - but blending the old and new and telling of ancient traditions in Japanese families/culture rather then Chinese.

The story spans about 30 years and follows the lives of 2 orphaned boys who are raised by their loving and traditional grandparents. You hear about the cruelty and deprivation duirng the 2nd world war, Ame...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Jgrace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms – Gail Tsukiyama
4 stars
The orphaned brothers, Hiroshi and Kenji, are being raised in a traditional Japanese household by their grandparents. Their story begins in 1939 and continues through the war and its aftermath. Considerably different in appearance and temperament, the brother’s choose traditional careers during the years of Japan’s greatest upheaval. Hiroshi becomes a famous Sumo wrestler while Kenji becomes a master craftsman of Noh masks. The story follo...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Pamela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Normally I don't read a lot of historical fiction, especially fiction set in more modern times when there is plently of contemporary written books available, but the subject of the this book intrigued me. The story of the brothers, Hiroshi and Kenji, and their lives as they live through World War Two Japan and the subsequent occupation was more about sumo then the war. The portrait of the sumo world was interesting to someone who really knows nothing about the sport. There also was the world of...more

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Apr 18, 2011 CeeAnne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I finally pulled this one off the shelf and I am wondering what took me so long. I read The Samurai's Garden a while ago and loved it. Maybe I was worried that it would be a disappointment. It seems like many Goodreads members didn't care much for it. Whatever the reason for the delay, it was exactly what I was in the mood for this last week.
The story is about two orphaned boys brothers being raised by their grandparents during WWII. One has the dream of becoming a sumo wrestler and the other wa...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Esther rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, own-a-copy

Ein Famiilenroman, der von 1939 bis 1966 die Geschichte Japans aufrollt.

Anhand zwei Brüder und den eingeflochtenen Schicksalen von verschiedenen Japanern aller Altersklassen und sozialen Schichten teilen wir kurz das Leben im Vorkriegsjapan um dann mit voller Intensität den zweiten Weltkrieg aus den Augen japanischer Durchschnittsfamilien mitzuerleben. Für mich eine neue Sichtweise und ergreifend.

Nach dem Krieg folgen wir den beiden Brüdern und den anderen sehr authentisch beschriebenen und dur...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, cultural, historical-fiction

Typically, you won’t catch me reading a book that has a main character who is a sumo wrestler. Typically. However, this is no typical book.

Tsukiyama has written a novel that truly presents the reader with a cross-section of normal Japanese citizens before, during and after WWII. I enjoyed her honest approach and the inner-conflict that the characters expressed about the war; was the government telling them the truth? Should they be supportive of the Emperor? Did they know what they were fighting...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian-voices

I've read books that speak of the Japanese American experience during WWII - Snow Falling on Cedars, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms speaks instead of the experience of families living in Japan before, during and after the war. The story of two brothers, one destined to be a sumo wrestler, the other a maker of masks used in Japanese theater. What I really enjoyed was the preparation to be a sumōtori, the tradition and culture within the sport.

I confess...more

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Historical Fiction

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Cultural > Japan

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Literature > Asian Literature

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Cultural > Asia

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War

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History > World War II

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Asian Literature > Japanese Literature

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About Gail Tsukiyama

Born to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father in San Francisco, Gail Tsukiyama now lives in El Cerrito, California. Her novels include Women of the Silk (1991), The Samurai's Garden (1995), Night of Many Dreams (1998), The Language of Threads (1999), Dreaming Water (2002), and The Street of a Thousand Blossoms (2007).

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