Feudal Pacific

7

As the small ship came into Edo bay, all five of us were in awe at the beauty and size of the city. Wash, Ishida, and I had been to Edo many times, but Mai and Yasuo stared at the metropolis with wide eyes and open mouths, no doubt wondering how many people lived there—more than they'd ever seen in the same place, that was certain.

The city of Edo was not so much a city as it was a giant open castle. A thick stone wall surrounded it, encompassing almost thirty square miles. In the center of the city sat what was called Edo Castle, a pagoda with fifty stories, each one smaller than the one below it, with slanting roofs fanning out at each level so that it appeared to one standing below as a ladder to heaven built for giants. The castle was painted red and black, housing the shogun and serving as a meeting place for the bakufu leaders.

Surrounding the pagoda was a wide yard covered in green grass and small streams of clear water than ran through gardens of flowers, fruit trees, bamboo, and bonsai. Another stone wall surrounded the pagoda grounds.

Outside the pagoda walls was the city's main level. There lived the artisans, businessmen, and philosophers. The samurai and visiting daimyo lived at this level as well, always ready to gather in the castle at a moment's notice. Yet another stone wall surrounded the mid-level, though this one was much smaller and served mostly an aesthetic purpose rather than for security.

The common people lived in the lower ring of the city. This was also the market district where bakers, fishermen, and textile workers made and sold their wares, as well as any other service that people were willing to pay for. Pleasure rooms, sake houses, public parks, and schools could all be found in the lower ring.

The city had been well planned during its construction, and the roads were made in neat orderly lines, all the same width—wide enough for a horse and cart to turn around—and all the streets and blocks were situated so that you were never more than three turns from your destination. The citizens of Edo enjoyed good health and well-stocked granaries, and its workers were paid well, its farmers graciously looked after.

Outside the city proper lay the shopping district, spreading out to the seashore where more than twenty docks, piers, and stone wharfs spread over two miles of beach. Anything larger than a two-masted schooner had to wait beyond the harbor, as the water was deep enough to accommodate only the average-sized fishing boat.

Wash piloted his own two-masted schooner between the larger ships in the bay, almost a mile from the harbor itself. Ishida and I waited at the ship's forward, leaning against the gunwale. Mai joined us, and together we grinned at the huge city that rose up to meet us, listening to the bells and crying of gulls. The sky was blue that day, almost as blue as Mai's orchid eyes, broken by a few small white clouds.

"It's beautiful," said Mai. "I didn't know a city could be so big. All the buildings are so tall, and there are so many of them!"

"Wait until you see it from the inside," I told her. "I love Edo. I always hate leaving. The city is so...clean."

Mai laughed and I had to smile. She was even more beautiful when she laughed, and I had heard her laugh only one other time, back on Van Diemen's Land.

Ishida stood up straight with his fingers around his obi and his chest puffed out like a proud father. "I never tire of seeing Edo from the bay," he said. "This is the greatest city on Earth, led by the finest men and women, and a shōgun descended from the kami." He looked around. "Where's Yasuo?"

The three of us turned and scanned the ship. Yasuo was nowhere to be seen, though he'd been with us only moments ago.

"There's nowhere for him to hide," I said. "He must be below."