Japan, 1939. Two orphaned brothers are growing up with loving grandparents who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh Theater masks. But as the ripples of war spread, the brothers must put their dreams on hold--and then forge their own paths in a new Japan.
Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the rising fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.
In an exquisitely moving story that spans almost thirty years, Gail Tsukiyama draws us into an unforgettable world of tradition and change, loss and renewal, and the enduring strength of family ties in the face of war.
"A generational saga, both sweeping and intimate...an epic achievement."
--KAREN JOY FOWLER, author of The Jane Austen Book Club--
"Tsukiyama has long been known for her emotional and detailed stories. This time she has gone even deeper to explore what happens to ordinary people during frightening and tragic times."
--Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love--
"A master storyteller...Gail Tsukiyama expertly and beautifully weaves together the lives of a sumo wrestler, his family, and a Noh mask-maker through World War II and into the 1960s."
--Jane Hamilton, author of the Book of Ruth and A Map of the World--