(In Alphabetical Order)
Where present, Japanese characters’ surnames precede their given names, in the Japanese style. Western surnames follow the characters’ given names, in accordance with Western convention.
Ana – Father Mateo’s housekeeper
Akechi Hidetaro – brother of Akechi Hideyoshi
Akechi Hideyoshi – a retired samurai general
Akechi Nobuhide – son of Akechi Hideyoshi
Akechi Sato – wife of Akechi Hideyoshi
Akechi Yoshiko – daughter, and eldest child, of Akechi Hideyoshi
Ashikaga Yoshiteru* – the shogun of Japan
Father Gaspar Vilela* – The senior Jesuit, and head of the Portuguese mission, in Kyoto
Father Mateo Ávila de Santos – a Christian priest from Portugal, currently working in Kyoto
Gato – Hiro’s cat
Ginjiro – a sake brewer; owner of Ginjiro’s brewery
Hattori Hiro – a shinobi (ninja) assassin from the Iga ryu, hired by an anonymous benefactor to guard Father Mateo
Izumo – a Japanese acolyte, and Christian convert, who works for the main Jesuit mission in Kyoto
Kazu – a shinobi from the Iga ryu, working undercover as a clerk at the shogunate
Luis Álvares – a Portuguese merchant whose weapon sales finance Father Mateo’s work
Magistrate Ishimaki – a judge appointed to oversee justice in Kyoto
Matsunaga Hisahide* – a samurai ambassador working on behalf of the Miyoshi clan.
Mayuri – a retired entertainer; owner of the Sakura Teahouse
Oda Nobunaga* — a samurai warlord
Okiya – an an entertainer (geisha) working at the Sakura Teahouse; mother of Riko
Riko – an entertainer (geisha) working at the Sakura Teahouse; daughter of Okiya
Sayuri – a teenaged entertainer (geisha) working at the Sakura Teahouse
Suke – a Buddhist monk who frequents Ginjiro’s brewery
Tomiko – Ginjiro’s adult daughter
Umeha – a prostitute in Kyoto’s Pontocho pleasure district
Yoko – an an entertainer (geisha) working at the Sakura Teahouse
* Denotes a real historical figure, though all characters are fictionalized for purposes of this novel.
