Kokun volume 1, p.1
Kokun, Volume 1, page 1
KOKUN
Nahoko Uehashi
KOKUN
Volume One
The Girl from the West
Translated from the Japanese
by Cathy Hirano
Europa Editions
27 Union Square West, Suite 302
New York NY 10003
www.europaeditions.com
info@europaeditions.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events,
real people, or real locales are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2022 by Nahoko Uehashi
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published by Bungeishunju Ltd., in 2022
First publication 2026 by Europa Editions
Translation by Cathy Hirano
Original title: (KŌKUN Vol. 1. Nishi kara kita shojō)
Translation copyright © 2026 by Cathy Hirano
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction
in whole or in part in any form.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data is available
ISBN 979-8-88966-158-0
Uehashi, Nahoko
The Girl from the West
Cover design by Ginevra Rapisardi
Map by Yukiko Saito / Bungeishunju Ltd.
Cover illustration by mia
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE: BLUE FLOWERS
CHAPTER I
FIRST ENCOUNTER
1 LITARAN
2 ODORLESS POISON
3 HIRIN, ICE WEED
4 SCENT VOICES
5 OHALEH RICE
6 BEARER OF FRAGRANT BLUE GRASS
CHAPTER II
OLIE
1 THE KOKUN’S PALACE
2 OLIE
3 THE SECRET OF THE FERTILIZER
4 A FIGURE IN THE MOONLIGHT
5 OLIE AND AISHA
6 THE HIDDEN ROOM
7 OLIE AND MASYU
CHAPTER III
OUTLANDERS
1 LIFE AT YUGINO LODGE
2 THE YUKIOMI TREE
3 THE WEST FIELD
4 EXPOSED
5 BREAKFAST
6 A TRAVEL JOURNAL
7 ORIGINS
8 THE ROAD THE EMPEROR TRAVELED
9 THE RICE OF JOY AND SORROW
10 EVENING BREEZE
11 THE KOKUN’S WORLD
CHAPTER IV
OGODA’S SECRET
1 GIANT YOMA
2 THE PRAYER PIGEON PROPHET
3 KIDNAPPED
4 THE CHASE
5 TAKEN ALIVE
6 THE ROYAL MOTHER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KOKUN
LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS
AISHA KELUAHN: A young woman with the gift of reading scents. Granddaughter of the former lord of West Kantal.
MASYU KASHUGA: An imperial inspector. Son of Yuma Kashuga, who was the younger brother of the previous head of Kashuga Lai, the New House of Kashuga.
OLIE: The Kokun. Daughter of minor aristocrats from the Rigdal protectorate.
RAOH KASHUGA: Head of Kashuga Oi, the Old House of Kashuga, Chief Koshi (scent emissary) who supervises all other koshi.
MIJIMA OLU KASHUGA: A senior koshi who works at the Kokun’s palace. Raoh’s second daughter.
IILU KASHUGA: Head of Kashuga Lai, Minister of Wealth.
YUGIL KASHUGA: Iilu Kashuga’s son.
YUMA KASHUGA: Masyu’s father. Has been missing since Masyu was seven.
AMIL KASHUGA: The man who, with the first emperor, brought back the first Kokun from Ohaleh Mazula, home of the gods.
KING KELUAHn: Aisha’s grandfather. Former king of West Kantal who was driven from power by his own people.
MILUCHA KELUAHN: Aisha’s younger brother.
UCHAI: Faithful retainer of King Keluahn. He raised Aisha and Milucha as their foster father and guardian. They call him Jiiya.
TAK: Raoh’s cousin who lives in Yugino Lodge with his wife Laina and their twin sons.
URAILi: An imperial protectorate inspector and Masyu’s colleague.
OLAM: A senior koshi related to Kashuga Lai.
OLOKI MUA: A dog handler who works for Masyu.
ALIKI: Former Chief of Pest Control. Highly trusted by Raoh, she continues to research insects.
OILA: Chief of Pest Control who studied under Aliki.
MILIA: Royal Mother of Ogoda, mother of Agua, lord of Ogoda.
JOOKUCHI: Lord of West Kantal.
ODOSEN: Crown prince of the Umal Empire, who succeeds his father Orulan as emperor.
PROLOGUE: BLUE FLOWERS
The wind whistled in Aisha’s ears and whipped at her hair. A passing shower had swept through in the early afternoon, dampening the ground below and making the cliff face to which her hands and feet clung as cold as ice.
“Aisha!”
A patter of soil followed the shrill cry. Aisha jerked one hand off the cliff and reached up to steady her brother’s boot where it gleamed palely in the fading light. As her palm found his heel, her body swayed, and her other hand almost slipped. She fought to retain her grip, barely managing to right herself. She let out a deep breath, and her legs began to tremble.
If we fall, we’re dead.
Clenching her jaw, she supported her brother’s foot until he managed to wedge it into a hollow in the stone. Even once she knew he was alright, Aisha remained frozen in place. She waited for the dizziness to pass, gasping for breath.
There was probably no future for them even if they made it to the top. She’d known that for a while now. The pungent smells of leather, iron, and sweat rolled down from the clifftop, making her gag. She’d been told that this route wasn’t well known. If there were warriors lying in wait, it could only mean that Jiiya had been caught. She couldn’t believe their elderly guardian, who had acted as a decoy so she and her younger brother could escape, would have given them away. Clearly the warriors had anticipated which route they’d take and were heading them off.
Maybe I should just let go . . .
She caught sight of her brother’s muddy boots above her. Recalling how he’d beamed with joy when he first got them, her face twisted.
The wind parted the clouds, and the world around them suddenly brightened. The last rays of the sun as it sank behind the shadowed mountains illuminated the rock face. In that unexpected light, Aisha spotted a plant rooted in a crack just above her handhold. The wind tugged at its small blue flowers, but couldn’t tear them off.
Its scent spoke to her, faint but sure, riding the wind like a thread. In time, an insect would pick up that voice and weave between gaps in the wind, following the thread to the flower.
Once again, she heard her brother call out. “Aisha . . .”
On the icy wind, she smelled his fear, a scent like a cowering puppy.
“Milucha! Pull yourself together!” she shouted. “Grip the rocks and climb! If you start to slip, I’ll help you!”
They were almost at the top. Her brother started climbing again, and she inched up the cliff after him.
CHAPTER I
FIRST ENCOUNTER
1
LITARAN
The light of the torches, which just a short while ago had been invisible, stood out clearly in the blue twilight. Countless tents had been set up in the camp. The wind that had set them flapping noisily had lessened, and smoke rose above them, wavering and dissolving into the night sky. The aroma of food cooking wafted faintly on the air.
“The foot soldiers will eat sooner than us tonight,” Uraili grumbled into his beard. He was sitting on a folding chair in the company of several rugged-looking men.
Masyu glanced at his companion and laughed. “You could leave, you know. One observer is surely enough.”
Uraili looked like he was about to make a flippant retort, then cast his eyes toward the plain. “If only I could,” he muttered.
Pine torches flickered in the hands of a dozen or so horsemen who were galloping across the grassy plain toward the camp. Behind them, the majestic Tenro Mountains sank into dusk.
Uraili craned his neck to look at a man standing behind him. “Oloki,” he said. The hunting dog at the man’s feet perked up its ears, as if it thought it was being addressed.
“Yes?” Oloki said, placing a hand on the hound’s head.
“The boy’s about eight and the girl’s fifteen or sixteen, right?”
“The heir is nine years old, and his older sister is fifteen.”
Uraili nodded and sighed. “What’s the point in capturing them?” he muttered. “Why can’t Jookuchi just leave them alone?”
He looked up at Masyu. “Don’t you agree? It’d be different if someone were trying to use them to take over West Kantal, but they’re descendants of Keluahn—a ruler so despised that his own people drove him from the throne! His grandchildren don’t have any power. Why else would Jookuchi have left them alone up to now? What made him change his mind? And why now, in the middle of a war?”
Masyu kept his gaze fixed on the approaching horsemen. Ignoring Uraili’s question, he murmured, “So they are coming from that direction.”
Uraili frowned. “Who is?”
“The horsemen. If they’re coming from that direction, it means their prisoners—Keluahn’s grandchildren, wer
Uraili rose and stood beside Masyu. “Sounds like you expected them to come from there. You guessed that?”
Masyu flicked Uraili a quick glance. “Because it’s the only way to escape.”
“Surely not. They were hiding in the forest, right? It would be a lot easier to flee east than to take that treacherous mountain route.”
“Despite the risks, they must have believed fleeing into the mountains would give them a better chance at survival.”
“Why?”
“As you pointed out, Keluahn was despised by his own people, but even so, there’re some in those mountains who didn’t hate him.”
Uraili’s expression turned grim. “I’ve never heard that before. Some clan living in the Tenro Mountains? Which one?”
Masyu continued to gaze at the horsemen, who were now clearly visible. “You aren’t the only one who didn’t know,” he said. “In fact, few people do.”
Uraili’s eyes narrowed. “When did you find out?”
Masyu shifted his gaze to Uraili. “Me?” he said quietly. “I’ve known since I was a boy.”
A man emerged from the large tent that served as the field office of Lord Jookuchi, ruler of West Kantal. It was one of Jookuchi’s aides. He peered through the twilight, as though searching for someone. Catching sight of Masyu and Uraili, he moved purposefully toward them. “Inspectors,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest and bowing deeply. “The prisoners are expected to arrive soon, and Lord Jookuchi humbly requests your presence in the main tent.”
Masyu nodded. “We’ll be happy to comply,” he said.
The aide bowed once more, then turned to lead the two men toward the large tent.
Imperial inspectors served as the emperor’s eyes and ears in the four outlying protectorates of the Umal Empire. The Umalese word for “protectorate” was rachi, meaning to enclose and guard. All four had once been independent kingdoms, and they retained some degree of autonomy even after joining the empire. Their borders now represented the empire’s frontiers, and in exchange for protecting these, their rulers were given some control over affairs within their own territory. None of them, including Lord Jookuchi, was permitted to hide anything from imperial inspectors such as Masyu and his companion.
Leaving their personal guards behind, Masyu and Uraili strolled toward the bright entrance of the large tent, a slice of light that stood out in the blue darkness.
* * *
The tent was more spacious inside than it appeared from the outside. A large smoke vent opened in the ceiling, and a hearth glowed red in the center of the floor. Lanterns had been placed here and there, illuminating the expressions of the vassals and clan chiefs who sat along the walls of the tent.
An altar beautifully adorned with vermillion, blue and gold stood at the far end facing the entrance. Sitting in a large chair with his back toward the altar was Lord Jookuchi. He was talking in a low voice to his advisers who sat on either side of him, but when Masyu and Uraili walked in, he rose and greeted them, beckoning them to sit in chairs off to one side.
Despite the chill wind outside, the interior was hot and steamy. A small table had been placed before each guest with a bowl of fermented mare’s milk to slake their thirst and a plate of nuts and dried fruit to satisfy their hunger.
Soon after Masyu and Uraili had taken their seats, a gong announced the arrival of the prisoners. The murmur of voices stilled, and the tent grew silent.
Jookuchi took his seat and, taking a cloth from an attendant, wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck. He was a large man, well-toned and darkly tanned, with thick arms and legs, but it was his big round eyes and thick eyebrows that were particularly arresting. His penetrating gaze could unsettle the most intrepid men.
Although royal blood ran in his veins, it was only from some distant collateral branch. He was, however, gifted with a keen instinct for military strategy. After Keluahn was driven from power, Jookuchi had borrowed imperial troops with the promise that he would defend the empire’s borders when called upon. He’d used them to overthrow Keluahn’s successor, who had failed to control the skirmishing clans. In this way, Jookuchi had become the lord of West Kantal.
Although one clan continued to resist, Masyu was sure that if Jookuchi kept on the way he was going, it wouldn’t be long before he subdued that last clan and gained control over the entire region. The emperor hoped he would bring West Kantal under his sway as soon as possible, and so did Masyu.
The cold night air swept into the tent as the flaps covering the entrance were raised to either side. Cloaked in a gust of wind, two powerful warriors strode through, each grasping a prisoner—a boy and a slender young woman—by the arm. Neither prisoner was bound, but the warriors’ grip held them fast.
One of the men placed an arm across his chest in salute. His voice rang through the tent. “We have brought the descendants of Keluahn, as commanded.”
Jookuchi nodded. After thanking them, he motioned for them to withdraw, but the men stayed put, their expressions uneasy.
“What is it?” Jookuchi asked. “I said you can release them.”
“By your leave, my lord,” one of them responded. “The girl refuses to show due respect. We cannot be sure what she might do should we set her free.”
Jookuchi cocked a bushy eyebrow. “I see. I guess I’ll have to be careful then. Let them go.”
The men bowed and released their grip. Although they stepped back a pace, they watched the girl, ready to seize her at any moment. But she didn’t budge, not even the twitch of an eyebrow. She simply stood staring at Jookuchi, her eyes as black and motionless as stone.
Returning her gaze, he said, “So, you’re Keluahn’s grandchildren, Milucha and Aisha?”
“I have no name to give a usurper,” the girl responded, her voice hoarse, yet firm.
Jookuchi sighed. “I see what they mean. You lack due respect.”
He rose slowly and glared down at her. From the stand beside him, he pulled a long sword, scabbard and all, and struck the floor sharply with the end of the sheath.
The men assembled in the tent started, and the two children flinched. The boy’s face crumpled, and he began to sob.
“Look. Your brother’s crying,” Jookuchi said, glowering at the girl. “You should consider your situation more carefully before opening your mouth. How you behave will determine whether I lop off your brother’s head before your eyes.”
The girl’s face paled, and she glared up at him. “That’s . . . a lie,” she gasped faintly.
Jookuchi raised his thick brows. “A lie?”
She nodded. “That how I behave will determine our fate.”
Jookuchi’s eyes widened. He looked at her intently, then the corner of his mouth twitched. “If not that, then what?”
Masyu thought she would need time to answer, but she replied instantly. “Whether it’s to your advantage or not.”
A murmur spread through the assembly. Masyu shifted his gaze from the girl to Jookuchi. Let’s see how he responds to that, he thought.
Jookuchi regarded the girl silently for some time, then heaved a sigh. “Whether it’s to my advantage, huh? Well, I suppose you’re not far off.”
He sat down heavily in his chair. Grasping a bowl adorned with gold lacquer from a side table, he gulped down the milk liquor. An attendant offered him a cloth, and he dabbed his lips with it, then used it to wipe the sweat from his face and neck.
Turning back to the girl, he said, “You’re not far off, but you’re not right either. It’s not me you pose a threat to but the empire.”
The boy looked up at his sister questioningly, but she kept her eyes fixed on Jookuchi.
“You were heading for the Tenro Mountains, weren’t you? Or, more accurately, for Tohula Ila, the great ravine.”
Seeing the look on her face, he added, “Don’t get me wrong. The old man didn’t confess. He’s admirably loyal. He resisted with a strength that made it hard to believe his age. But we were warned from the outset he might be a decoy and split our men into two parties.”
