Oooku

A mysterious epidemic has devastated Japan's male population, shifting public authority and daily work into women's hands. When Shogun Yoshimune questions how this order began, palace records reveal a history of secrets and sacrifice reaching back to Iemitsu's reign.

In that earlier court, the monk Arikoto is forced to abandon religious life and enter the inner chambers. Discovering the truth about the ruler he must serve draws him into a world governed by succession, jealousy, and fear for the dynasty's survival. Intimate bonds develop within an institution that repeatedly places the needs of power above the wishes of its inhabitants.