FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
Isla MacKenzie: A young Scottish woman with a Japanese grandfather, Isla travels to Kagoshima City in Kyushu Prefecture during her year abroad to research her ancestors’ history.
Yoshitomo Kuroki: Isla’s grandfather. Originally from Kyushu, he moved to Scotland and married a Scottish woman, much to the dismay of his parents.
Keiichirō Maeda: a low-ranking samurai who fights in the Satsuma Rebellion.
Kana Maeda: Keiichirō’s younger sister. She lives with him and her daughter, Yura.
Yura Maeda: A toddler and Kana’s daughter.
Toramasa Mori: Keiichirō’s best friend and a samurai at the shi-gakkō. He is in love with Uhei Ikeda.
Nene Nakamura: A young Japanese woman who helps Isla work and train with the unmarried women.
Aiko Hirayama: Nene’s best friend.
Hanzō Taguchi: A Shimazu Clan samurai and a member of the shi-gakkō school. He holds a grudge against the Maeda family for the death of his brother, Gorō.
Hisakichi Kuroki: Isla’s third-great-grandfather, a young man during the Satsuma Rebellion. Isla travels to Kyushu to find out more about him.
Uhei Ikeda: A skilled samurai at the shi-gakkō, a lover of Toramasa Mori.
Tatsuzō Maeda: Keiichirō’s cousin and a samurai.
Saki Maeda: Tatsuzō’s wife, originally from Fukushima Prefecture, though she hides this as best she can.
Jun Maeda: Tatsuzō and Saki’s first son.
Haru Maeda: Tatsuzō and Saki’s second son.
Keisuke Maeda: A barista and medical student.
Kono: A middle-aged samurai of Satsuma and a friend of Keiichirō.
Murakami: A young samurai of Satsuma and a friend of Keiichirō.
REAL CHARACTERS
Saigō Takamori: The leader of the Satsuma Rebellion. Once a general for the Imperial Army, he was brought reluctantly out of retirement when a plot was uncovered to assassinate him.
Toshiaki Kirino: Saigō’s close friend who fought alongside him in the Restoration War. He commanded battalions during the Satsuma Rebellion and was with Saigō until the end.
Hisa Kirino: Toshiaki’s wife. She led the female auxiliary troops in the march. She survived the war and lived until 1920.
Shinsuke Beppu: A samurai of the Satsuma Domain who cut off Saigō’s head after he died.
Shinpachi Murata: A retainer of the Shimazu Clan and a close friend of Saigō. They fought together during the Meiji Restoration.
Hisao Nakahara: A spy captured by Shimazu Clan samurai who admitted to spying on the shi-gakkō. He was involved in a plot to assassinate Saigō, and was severely tortured and forced to write a confession. He was rescued by an Imperial delegation.
Toratarō Saigō: Takamori Saigō’s twelve-year-old son, who pleaded with him not to leave. It was the last time they saw each other.