Island of Ogres

Zenta and Matsuzo Mystery #5

by Lensey Namioka

Kajiro, a young masterless samurai is sent to a Japanese island to spy on the old lord. But when his boat lands, he is mistaken for Zenta, the famous warrior, and the villagers and fisherman of the island are anxious for him to combat the ogres that are tormenting the island. With an unforgettable cast of unusual characters, from a spacey commander, to a mysterious guest, and nuns who behave strangely when visited by Kajiro- Island of Ogres is a clever story that will satisfy young readers everywhere.

Genres: Fiction, Cultural, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Japan

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Namioka was born in Beijing, the daughter of linguist Yuenren Chao and physician Buwei Yang Chao. The family moved often in China. In 1937, the Chaos were living in Nanjing, and fled westward in the face of the Japanese Invasion. They eventually made their way to Hawaii, then Cambridge, Massachusetts. Namioka attended grade school in Cambridge and excelled at mathematics.

Namioka attended University of California, Berkeley, where her father was a professor of Asian Studies. Here she met and married Isaac Namioka, a fellow graduate student in mathematics. The Namiokas moved to Ithaca, New York, where Isaac Namioka taught at Cornell University, and Lensey Namioka taught at Wells College.

In 1959, the Namiokas' first daughter Aki was born, followed by a second daughter Michi, who was born in 1961. The family moved to Seattle in 1963, when Isaac Namioka accepted a position at the University of Washington.

In the 1970s, on a visit to Japan, Namioka visited Namioka Castle. The experience inspired her to learn more about the samurai. This study culminated in The Samurai and the Long-nosed Devils, which was published in 1976. Namioka expanded this book into a whole series of books about samurai. Namioka also wrote a series of books about a Chinese American family named Yang, and several books about young women and girls facing difficult choices.

Lensey Namioka is the only person known to have the first name "Lensey." Her name has an especially unusual property for a Chinese person born in China: there are no Chinese characters to represent it. Lensey's father, Yuenren Chao, was cataloguing all of the phonemes used in Chinese. He noted that there were two syllables which were possible in the Chinese language, but which were used in no Chinese words. These syllables could be written in English as "len" and "sey." His third daughter was born soon after, and he named her "Lensey."

Reviews

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting addition to the Zenta and Matsuzo series, especially since much of the story does not take place from their point of view. The outsider perspective from another quick-witted ronin allowed us deeper into the mystery. Nicely complex. Perfectly paced.

[Kara]

I'd have to re-read this to give it a proper review and rating, but even though I haven't read this in years, I still fondly remember the climax of the story:

A huge fight breaks out in the castle as all the opposing characters decide now is the time to try and kill each other. The lady of the castle ducks out of the fighting to run into her bedroom, looking for some extra swords, where she finds her husband dressed in his best robes, calmly sitting at a table writing a poem. She (understandably) yells at him, but he calmly explains that since they are losing, he's writing his funeral dirge.

I cheered as the lady rolls her eyes, grabs his sword, and plunges back into the fight scene. (And wins!)

[Lilly [Hiatus due to School] · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great series I enjoyed in my teens.

[Athiek Achmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this story. The plot is clear and fun to read.