Guided Reading Essay: A Deep Laid Plot

Read the story of A Deep Laid Plot then answer then complete the following essay assignment under the Quiz section. The 8th installment of Justin Hagen's Jitsuroku series, A Deep Laid Plot introduces us to Ooka Tadasuke, a famous court magistrate of Edo who attempts to unravel a treacherous plot to deceive Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune. Loosely based on a true story, a murderous villain attempts to pose as the Shogun's son and only Ooka Tadasuke can stop him, but can he uncover his true identity before it is too late? Vendettas, honor, loyalty, murder and betrayal, key components of a classic and yet little known Japanese literary genre known as jitsuroku. The word “jitsuroku” translates as “memoir” and was a genre of literature in feudal Japan that were generally exaggerated stories of political scandals and revenge. These stories were largely based on true events, however through oral transmission and embellishment, these stories would soon intertwine fact and fiction together to the point that trying to decipher between the two would become quite difficult. The result is that epic tales of revenge would soon become transmitted and popularized throughout Feudal Japan. The story of A Deep Laid Plot is one such tale of deception and treachery. This work is a republishing of a segment from Walter Dening's Japan in Days of Yore, which is now out of print and in the public domain.