Here is a book based on a true, if almost forgotten, incident in California history: the story of the Wakamatsu colony, a Japanese society near Sacramento founded by exiles from the wars that wracked Japan and devoted to growing tea and cultivating mulberry for silkworms.
The year is 1869 and young Koichi dreams of becoming a samurai like his father. But when their clan is defeated along with the Shogun in a fierce battle, he suddenly finds himself going to America to become a farmer. Even there Koichi and his father cannot escape confrontation, however, as hostile miners bring tragedy to Wakamatsu. It is impossible not to get caught up in Koichi’s own hopes, fears, and joys as he makes a difficult decision worthy of the noblest samurai.
