The Ghost In The Tokaido Inn

The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn (1999), by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, is the first novel in the Samurai Detective young adult series, currently comprised of seven books. The novel follows Seikei, the son of a merchant who aspires to be a samurai, as he helps the judge investigate the theft of a ruby from a samurai lord. It explores the themes of Personal Ambition Versus Societal Expectations, The Deceptiveness of Appearances, and The Importance of Honor in Japanese culture. The novel was an Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist for Best Young-Adult Mystery and was also named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

This guide uses the 2005 Puffin Books paperback edition.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s depiction of ritual death by suicide, called seppuku, which was significant to Japanese samurai culture from the 12th century until its prohibition in 1873.

Plot Summary

It is 1735, a peaceful era for Japan and the age of the samurai—hereditary warriors with high social status. The Tokaido Road stretches from the emperor’s home in Kyoto to the shogun’s home in Edo, and everyone from pilgrims to samurai use it.