The Royal Diaries: Kazunomiya, Prisoner of Heaven, Japan, 1858

The Royal Diaries

by Kathryn Lasky

Intrigue and danger increase as Princess Kazunomiya's once-sheltered life in nineteenth-century Japan changes, in Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky's latest addition to THE ROYAL DIARIES series.Kazunomiya, along with her royal family, is thought to be a divinity, descended from the goddess of the sun, and she lives an extremely sheltered life. However, when a Japanese general signs a treaty with the white-faced men from America, uncertainty and turmoil erupt in the kingdom. But the external threats do not compare to the tangled intrigue, romance, and politics that dominate the imperial palace, as wives and queens plot to destroy Kazunomiya and her mother.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Japan, Childrens

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2004

About the author

Kathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a princess of Japan in the year 1858, twelve-year-old Kazunomiya lives a life of privilege and luxury. But it is one in which she is a virtual prisoner, kept sheltered behind palace walls, only able to leave for the occasional visit to a temple or shrine. But her predictable life is changing. Japan has kept itself isolated for generations, but now foreigners are clamoring to be allowed in, and given trading rights. And Kazunomiya finds her own future in question, when she learns that her betrothal to a prince she has known since childhood may be broken so that her half-brother, the Emperor, can make an alliance by marrying her off to the young man that will be the next shogun of Japan.

I recommend this new addition to the Royal Diaries to all fans of the series. I enjoyed learning about what life was like for a princess of Japan during an era of great change. I had never heard of Kazunomiya before this book, but I found her life fascinating.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but am dissapointed that the author didn´t delve into the ´female samourai´ remark om p72:
"Was there ever a girl warrior, a woman samurai? I might be the first to have ever heard this word used to describe something a girl had done."
(Yes, there were several onna-bugeisha throughout history).
I can live with the fact that the protagonist might not have known this, growing up very secluded in the Empirial Court, but a mention in the historical notes would have been nice.
Especially since about 10 years after this story is set, there was the Boshin War (Japanese Revolution), where several woman partook in the fighting.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I learned from this book is that editors are WAY overpaid. This book is full of both factual and spelling errors. I was going to recommend it to my students since it is related to the big TV drama this year, "Atsuhime," but they would not be able to recognize the setting as Japan. I like the other books in this series, so this is a disappointment.

[Lady Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! Definately a front runner for my favorite "Royal Diaries" book. Kathryn Lasky covered all of the bases here: Romance, Friendship, Court Intrigue, Political Manoevering, and so so much more! I was very impressed with the level of complexity presented in this novel, especially since it is so short. Bravo!

Kazunomiya was born in the year of the Fire Horse, a very unlucky event for a girl. So her birthdate was changed to one year earlier to make her birthdate fall in a year that would ensure her docility.

They may have changed her birthday, but they can't change her.

Kazunomiya is the daughter of the former emperor and his chief concubine. As such it puts her in the firing line to be a political pawn. At the age of four she was betrothed to another Prince, but years later, her betrothel is revoked and she is betrothed to the next Shogun of Japan. While she likes Yoshi, she longs for her soulmate Prince. That is not to be though, since tying the Imperial house and that of the Shogun would give the Emperor more power, and he could then expel the "barbian" Americans who demand he sign treaties. The Americans are calling for the opening up of Japan, while the country resists and tries to keep the past alive. Amid such machinations, court intrigues are rife. Blatant liasons and spying are "de rigeur" and Kazunomiya must learn to keep her head above the waters.

[Erin Becker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both historically informative and narratively interesting. Not one of my favorites in the series, but I learned things and was engaged by the story, so I'm calling this a win. I really liked the inclusion of waka poetry and thought that was well done. I don't know how accurate the portrayal of 1850s Japanese culture was, as the author is neither Japanese nor a scholar of Japan.

[Raeanne Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED this installment! Kazunomiya’s voice is so strong and vivid—it feels like she’s pulling you straight into her world. I adored the blend of historical detail and diary-style storytelling. It’s fun and accessible, but also surprisingly moving. You really get a sense of what it must have felt like to be caught between duty and desire, tradition and change.

The emotional stakes were so high, but written in such a personal way that I found myself rooting for Kazunomiya every step of the journey. Her honesty, her doubts, her courage—they make her story unforgettable.

This might honestly be my favorite of the series so far. It’s elegant, heartfelt, and beautifully written. If you’re into history, strong young heroines, or just a really engaging diary-style narrative—you need to pick this one up. Obsessed.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, except for the ending. I just would have liked a bit more closure. In my opinion it ended quite suddenly. I was ready to read another chapter till I realized I just finished the last one. Again, I did enjoy the ride though.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was kinda on the depressing side as far as the Royal Diaries go. This focuses on Princess Kazunomiya's life at court and being torn between duty and her own desires. The descriptions of Japanese culture during this time period was very interesting, but I do wish that the other included a bit more detail about the significance of some of the ceremonies either in the actual diary or the historical notes. Particularly the teeth blackening ceremony.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a cool book. It shows how venomous court life could be, and how you had to fight for what you believed in. Court life wasn't just about pretty dresses and doing whatever you wanted to do. Most of the time, it was about power and some people had to do bad things to get it.

[Angelique Sapone · Rating 5 out of 5]

COMPLETELY interesting book in 19th Century Japan. Not just the food they ate, but the traditions! So neat. Royal Japanese women are mean and petty by the way.

[Ellen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only a few words need be said: the love(s) in this story was simply beautiful and amazing... 💕

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn't bad! The power struggle between the emperor and the shogunate is an interesting bit of history.

[Lizzie & Koala Skywalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading about the Japanese culture and Princess Kazunomiya. There was only one part about ghosts that I didn't care for, but overall it was a great book. ~ Lizzie😃🎮

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kazunomiya, Prisoner of Heaven / 0-439-16485-0

In a sense, most of the princesses in the Princess Diary series are prisoners in one form or other, as they are maneuvered in and out of political marriages and, in some cases (such as young Elizabeth of the Tudors) as they are maneuvered in and out of actual prisons. Kazunomiya herself dwells in a prison, albeit a lovely gilded one.

The year is 1858, and Japan is in a turmoil as investors from America have arrived on their shores and have threatened and bribed the shogun of Edo into a treaty to open Japan's shores to these men. The Emperor is furious at this breach of tradition, but he has no real power over the shoguns and is largely a figurehead in politics, a ceremonial god that does not involve himself in the messy business of treaties. In order to move away from a position of ceremonial weakness to a position of political strength, the Emperor breaks Kazunomiya's long-standing engagement with her true love - a prince of royal blood - to engage her to the next shogun. Kazunomiya is horrified at this turn of events and dreads becoming a political puppet for her brother to use.

With the help of her mother and aunt, Kazunomiya attempts to assert a little of her independence by circumventing the Empresses Mother's attempts to wrest control of Kazunomiya away from her birth mother. Kazunomiya also begins to meet secretly with her true love, promising that they will be together in the next life if not this one. Bravely, she strikes up a friendship with her intended, the young shogun, and they agree to be friends forever, even if they are forced to marry one another. In this way, does Kazunomiya try to survive within her prison, with kindness, bravely, and a samurai spirit.

Although this book is very short (not quite reaching 150 pages), and starts off fairly slow with descriptions of the Japanese court and the ceremonial poems that they send to one another throughout the day, the novel picks up the pace rapidly and grips the reader with concern for Kazunomiya's plight and whether she will be found out during her supervised, yet clandestine meetings with her soul mate. I enjoyed this novel, and recommend it to both children and adults alike, as an enjoyable coming-of-age tale, set against the fascinating backdrop of Kazunomiya's unique culture.

~ Ana Mardoll

[PurplyCookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"They can try and make me their puppet. They can blacken my teeth. They can change my birthday, but deep inside of me nothing will change. My real birthday will always be my birthday. So, you see, no matter how they cut me up to serve their purposes, within me there shall always remain a little spark, a small piece that is my essence and cannot be destroyed no matter what."

Kazunomiya, along with her royal family, is thought to be a divinity, descended from the goddess of the sun, and she lives an extremely sheltered life. But it is one in which she is a virtual prisoner, kept sheltered behind palace walls, only able to leave for the occasional visit to a temple or shrine. But her predictable life is changing.

Japan has kept itself isolated for generations, but now foreigners are clamoring to be allowed in, and given trading rights. Princess Kazunomiya finds her own future in question, when she learns that her betrothal to a prince she has known since childhood may be broken so that her half-brother, the Emperor, can make an alliance by marrying her off to the young man that will be the next shogun of Japan.

But the external threats do not compare to the tangled intrigue, romance, and politics that dominate the imperial palace, as wives and queens plot to destroy Princess Kazunomiya and her mother.


Book Details:

Title Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan, 1858 (The Royal Diaries)
Author Kathryn Lasky
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Carrie Slager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it was the fact that I really have no interest in Japan or Japanese history in general or maybe it was the book itself, but I did not really enjoy Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t as good as some of the other books in The Royal Diaries.

Kazunomiya was a pretty bland character who just did not appeal to me. Although it is likely how the real woman behaved, for someone born in the year of the Fire Horse and supposedly was a fighter, she was not very proactive. Instead, we only really get to see a bit of her frustration (not anger) through her writing in her diary, not her actions. It just felt like Kathryn Lasky wanted to go for the firebrand female angle in the beginning, but just sort of gave up a quarter of the way through. As a character, Kazunomiya is not very consistent.

Although I know a bit about the modernization of Japan, it would have been nice for Kathryn Lasky just to give readers a little more background. Yes, Japan and the Imperial court were both incredibly isolated from the outside world, but surely there would have been some news that reached the ears of Kazunomiya. I can definitely see where things would get confusing for someone with no background in the Japan’s rapid industrialization.

Overall: meh. None of the characters really stuck out for me and I didn’t really learn as much as I would have liked. Still, it’s a great book to get girls aged 8-13 interested in history so it’s fine by me if other people like it. I’m not the target audience anymore, after all.

I give this book 3/5 stars.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Kazunomiya, a young girl in Imperial Japan living at the end of the samurai era. She feels that she is basically a prisoner, her life controlled by others for their own purposes. She has been engaged to someone and had no input into that. She is a political pawn to be used by others and also has no say over that, either.

It's a novel that tells her personal story but at the same time gives the reader an excellent view into Japan at the end of the samurai period and the beginning of "modern" Japan. It also shows just how Japan was forced to open its borders by Western countries, including the United States, who were willing to use their advanced technological weaponry to make Japan open itself to trade.

There's also an historical section with information and pictures to help the reader understand more about what is going on in the story.

It's a very interesting book and definitely worth getting and reading.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book because it gives you a strong sense of the characters feelings. This book is about a girl,Kazunomiya, who was born on a bad luck day,fire horse. Kazunomiya's birthday is changed because she becomes the new emporer's wife. The Emporer requires her to change her birthdate so she is the same age as the Emporer. They belive the birthdate change will make the blood line stonger. An important event that occurred in the book was when Kazunomiya's favorite aunt died. This aunt was very close to Kazunomiya and she trusted her advise.

Kazunomiya still is famous for her poetry. Scientists wanted to move her body to a museum and found Kazunomiya's body. Her body was discovered with her left hand missing. They do not know if the hand disintegrated or someone choppped it off before her death.

[Shirleon Sharron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know much about Japanese history or culture at all, just to start off with. So this was a very interesting read.

I hadn't known the people treated their royal families with such high regard. I mean, I had heard/learned in class that they were seen as gods, yes, but to be treated more like they just didn't exist was crazy. It seemed to me that they really had no power; that was all the General.

I also had no idea that teeth blackening was a thing. Ever. I had to look it up, but it's true! Japanese women would blacken their teeth at a certain age (usually signifying that they were ready to wed, according to the book) but it was also to hide their smile more (like a fan would do or their hand). It seemed to be permanent as well. Though they did attribute healthy gums and less illness to the blackening. I don't know if I would ever do something like that...

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book made me think that I really, REALLY need to learn more about the history of Japan.

Kazounomiya is the daughter of the former Emperor of Japan and half-sister to the current Emperor. She is only rarely permitted to leave the Imperial Palace, and you might think that would make for a boring book, but you would be wrong. The politics of court, Kazounomiya's tooth-blackening ceremony, and her betrothal all make for a fascinating mix. In addition, though Kazounomiya doesn't talk much about it, the Americans are practicing gunboat diplomacy (as we do), and the impending intrusion of the West on Japan's traditional culture is a dark undercurrent throughout the book. I really liked this one. Definitely would recommend.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I found to be a fairly accurate, believable, and interesting historical fiction read that I wanted to keep reading until the end; The time set of ancient Japan has always fascinated me.
The book clearly tells the truth of the ancient Japanese court: the lies, treacheries, and conquests that went on secretly and openly. Kazunomiya's life in the Japanese court is no different.
This story is based on a true story of a real Kazunomiys, explained in the back of the book, which I found very interesting.
A great read if you love historical fiction and/or the time set of Japan/ancient Japan.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought and read this early during Junior High, because I was so highly attracted to the Japanese Culture. It is a very simple read, as are all of the Royal Diaries, and the entires paint vivid pictures in your mind. Sometimes you forget at all that you are reading diary entries at all. It was a good read, with good character development but not very challenging; I would rate the reading level from 4th to 7th. However, all of the Royal Diaries pleased me greatly, even now as a college student, and I do not expect that to change much. Easy, simple, good read.

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting book, but I was rather bored through a lot of it. I mean it sounded like a bad love triangle for teenagers and the worst part is that it's true.
The teeth-blackening and never cutting hair unless the husband dies is just weird. I cringed when I read about it, but I was curious enough to Google it and now I'm completely disturbed. I mean, did they do that to hide imperfections and rotting? And/or to make the face appear even whiter? Doesn't make much sense to me, SMH. Yuck.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other princesses might have ended up with worse fates, but I think Kazunomiya might win for most miserable day-to-day life. What's life like for a princess who can't leave the palace, know anything about outside life, or even choose her own birthday? Thanks to Kazunomiya and her mother and "aunt"'s determination, a lot more interesting than their enemies would want. It's not intriguing enough to warrant a higher rating, but it's not dull enough to knock it down either.

Last line:

Why, I do believe it was the spirit of Auntie.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admirably, the Royal Diaries series doesn't just stick to princesses well-known in the West. I really enjoyed this one: it's the impetus behind me adding Margaret Drabble's The Red Queen to my To Read list (not about Kazunomiya, but about another Asian princess - Korean, in this case), and to chasing up more of the Royal Diaries for princesses I've never heard of.

A beautiful book, although I wonder about her ease in falling in love with her original intended.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took an Asian history course in high school that allows me to understand the historical context of this story. While I find the Tokugawa period to be very fascinating, Kazunomiya herself is very much a Juliet, which is a bit much for a twelve-year-old. The last entry skips ahead four years and is unnecessary, as the same information is covered in the epilogue and historical note. (It also did not need to be in the historical note).

[Caity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a particularly interesting view of Japan as the country's 200 years of seclusion were coming to an end and new treaties were being made with outside influences. The princess was in a unique position of being both very influential in how the country moved forward while also feeling that she had little to no real power. This is a great book for young readers who are a fan of the Royal Diaries or interested in Japanese history.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kazunomiya is the sister of the Emperor of Japan in 1858, when it is opening to the west. Court intrigues surround her, as her brother strugles with the shogun over power. Her mother and Auntie help her, even let her meet with her love, a prince, even though she is now betrothed to the future shogun. How will she ever find freedom?

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting enough to whet my appetite for the shogun era again but not so well written to make me want to read anything else by this author. The diary format resulted in a choppy story and details that should have been fleshed out were left behind. Details that could have been left behind were explored much too deeply.

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I like that this book focuses on a place and time in history that we don't learn about. Kazunomiya did suffer from insta-love and she was only 13. What does anyone know about love at that age? Also, why did Auntie encourage it? Wouldn't it just break Kazunomiya's heart?