Den of the White Fox

by Lensey Namioka

Who is the White Fox? Is he merely the mysterious, charismatic leader of a doomed political rebellion? Or is he a powerful spirit, taking revenge on the occupying force that desecrated his shrine? And who-or what-shoves Zenta off a cliff on a dark and misty night? Two unemployed samurai in sixteenth-century feudal Japan find themselves engaged in an adventure charged with trickery and political intrigue.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

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]

Zenta and Matsuzo travel into a valley where people believe in legends of a trickster fox. In order to help the young woman who offers them shelter, the two ronin seek to unravel a mystery involving several thefts. A (much-welcomed) final story from Namioka, which was probably not included in the main series simply because it's shorter than the previous books. Pleased to have these traveling swordsman on my home shelf.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pair of samurai wander around ancient Japan, looking for work and always encountering mysteries and adventure.

This time a gang of masked bandits is causing trouble in a village occupied by soldiers.
Not my favorite of the series, as the identity of the masked bandit becomes pretty obvious and the various story threads were a clunky fit.
Plus, the attempt at a bit of the supernatural felt really cheesy.

Really like the two leads and how the author uses the story to teach readers about Japanese history and culture, but this book was only good, where I really enjoyed 'Vampire Cat".

[Littlerhymes]

Wandering ronin Zenta and Matsuzo come across a village under military occupation, where the boys of the village take small acts of rebellion using white fox masks to disguise themselves. But who is their leader, and what is his real plan?

This does not have quite as catchy a title as 'Village of the Vampire Cat' but I thought it was a better, neater mystery. I also really liked Kinu, a cool and aloof woman who shelters the ronin, and does her best to raise her impetuous younger brother and take care of their small farm.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice little mystery set in feudal Japan that I liked fine but I think would be better for middle grade readers. I think that a reader who is 9 or 10 years old might get more out of it. (As a 30-year-old with a lot of reading experience under my belt, I figured out who the mysterious White Fox was extremely quickly.) Recommended for younger fans of Japan, mysteries, folklore, or samurai.

[Cameron Mockabee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reads like a fleshed-out Japanese folk tale, and I love it. It follows 2 samurai who attempt to unveil the mysteries behind a mythical white fox that has caused trouble in the valley. The 2 protagonists have their own unique personalities that worked really well together. Definitely worth a read.

[Allen Tseng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was one of my childhood favorites. Great storytelling and suspense.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an elegantly written book with compelling characters, an engaging mystery and a solid capturing of life in feudal Japan.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over all the book was really good, and easy to read. I would recommended it to any one who wants a laid back and yet somehow exciting story. The book is set in Japanese culture, however there is a lot of American ideas and concepts added into it. such as the naginata (the traditional pole arm in japan) constantly being called a spear, or the lack of respect given to Busuke whose position should have given him the right to kill any non-samurai without question. The ending of the book was fantastic, and left an air of wonder.

[Suddhakaka D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling and fascinating! I wonder how Namioka blended all things together. This book is just great.

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

This was great series especially as I was interested in Japanese culture and history. I remember being sad when I read the last book in the series.

[Zouagie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very great book.