Pathway to Japanese Literature

Inside Asakusa’s Nio Gate hung a large, unlit lantern. The lantern gradually rose upward and came to overlook the bustling Nakamise shops. However, only the lower part of the Large Lantern remained unextinguished. Countless pigeons fluttered before the gate.

2

Nakamise shops stretched lengthwise from Kaminarimon Gate. In the far distance ahead stood the Nio Gate. Every tree stood dead.

3

One side of the Nakamise shops. A man in an overcoat was strolling through the Nakamise shops with a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy. The boy let go of his father’s hand and occasionally stopped in front of toy shops. Of course, the father did not fail to occasionally scold such a boy. But on rare occasions, he himself would gaze at hat shop display windows as if forgetting the boy’s presence.

4

The upper bodies of such a parent and child. The father was a man who looked every bit the country person, with an unkempt beard. The boy had a face that was delicate rather than cute. Behind them was the bustling Nakamise shops. They were walking this way.

5

A toy shop seen at an angle. The boy stood rooted in front of this shop, gazing at a toy monkey climbing up and down a rope. No one was visible inside the toy shop. The boy’s figure was visible up to his knees.

6 A monkey climbed up and down a rope. The monkey had the tail of a tailcoat hanging down and wore a silk hat turned upward. Behind this rope and monkey lay only deep darkness.

7 One side of the Nakamise shops where this toy shop stood. The boy, who had been watching the monkey, suddenly noticed his father’s absence and began looking around restlessly. Then he spotted something in the distance and dashed off in that direction.

8

The back of a man who appeared to be his father. However, this too was visible only up to his knees. The boy clung to this man and firmly grasped the sleeve of his overcoat. The face of the man who turned around in surprise was, unfortunately, not that of his rural-looking father. He was a gentleman who looked every bit the city person, with a neatly groomed mustache. The boy’s face was filled with expressions of disappointment and bewilderment that came and went. The gentleman left the boy behind and briskly walked away.

The boy stood vacantly alone, the distant Kaminarimon Gate behind him.

9 Once again, a figure resembling his father from behind. However, this time it was the upper body. The boy caught up to this man and timidly looked up at his face. Ahead of them stood the Nio Gate.

10 The man’s forward-facing face. He had a face closer to an animal than a human, with a mask covering his mouth. A smile that gave off a sense of malice.

11

One side of the Nakamise shops. The boy lingered watching the man leave, standing as if at a loss. No matter where he looked, his father’s figure remained frustratingly out of sight. The boy paused briefly in thought, then began wandering aimlessly. Two girls in Western-style dresses glanced back at him, but he appeared not to notice their gaze.

12

The display window of the eyeglass shop. Amidst the array of near-sighted glasses, telescopes, binoculars, magnifying glasses, microscopes, and dust-proof goggles sat the head of a Western-style doll wearing spectacles, its cheeks smiling. The back figure of the boy stood before that window. Yet only his upper body was visible, seen obliquely from behind. The doll’s head transformed of its own accord into a human’s head. Not only that—it spoke to the boy. ——

13 “Buy glasses and put them on. To find Father, wearing glasses is the only way.” “My eyes aren’t sick, you know.”

14

The display window of the artificial flower shop seen obliquely. The artificial flowers were all blooming in bamboo baskets and ceramic pots. Among them, the largest was the tiger lily on the left. The plate glass of the display window began to reflect the boy’s upper body. It was dimly visible, like a ghost.

The boy’s upper body, separated by artificial flowers through the display window’s plate glass.

The boy’s upper body, separated by artificial flowers through the display window’s plate glass. The boy pressed his hand against the plate glass. Before long, perhaps due to his breath hitting it, only his face grew faintly clouded.

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The tiger lilies in the display window. But the back was dark. The buds hanging beneath the tiger lilies too had gradually begun to open.

17

“Behold my beauty.” “But you’re an artificial flower, aren’t you?”

18

The tobacco shop’s display window viewed from the corner. Amidst the array of cigarette tins, cigar boxes, pipes, and the like, a single sign hung diagonally. What was written on this sign was: “Tobacco smoke is the gate to heaven.” Smoke rose slowly from the pipe.

19 The front of the smoke-filled display window. The boy stood to the right of this display window. However, here too he was visible only up to his knees. In the smoke, three castles began to float dimly. The castles were akin to three-dimensional renditions of the Three Castles trademark.

20 One of those castles. At this castle’s gate stood a single soldier holding a rifle. Beyond the iron-barred gate, several palm trees swayed.

21

Above this castle’s gate. Beside it, such text had begun to float unnoticed. —— “Those who enter this gate shall become heroes.”

22

The figure of the boy walking this way. The previous tobacco shop’s display window stood diagonally behind the boy. The boy glanced back briefly, then briskly resumed walking away. 23

The interior of the bell tower, where only the hanging bell was visible. The bell clapper, pulled by someone’s hand on the rope, slowly began to toll the bell. Once, twice, thrice—outside the bell tower stood nothing but pine trees.

24 The shooting gallery seen obliquely. The target area had cigarette boxes stacked at the back and Hakata dolls arranged in front. A row of air rifles lined up in foreground. One of the dolls was a Western woman wearing a dress and holding a fan. The boy timidly entered the shop, picked up an air rifle, and aimed haphazardly at the target. The shooting gallery stood empty. The boy’s figure showed only up to his knees.

25 A Western woman doll. The doll quietly spread open her fan and completely hid her face. Then came the cork bullet that struck this doll. The doll, of course, fell backward. Behind the doll too, there was nothing but darkness.

26 The previous shooting gallery. The boy picked up the air rifle again and this time aimed earnestly at the target. Three shots, four shots, five shots—but not a single target fell. The boy reluctantly took out a silver coin and left the shop.

At first, in the dimness, only a square shape could be seen.

At first, in the dimness, only a square shape could be seen. Within it, this square object appeared to suddenly light up, and beside it these words began to float: above, "Park District 6," below, "Night Watch Station." The upper sign was white within black, the lower one red within black.

28

The upper rear of the theater. A single window with a lit fire was visible.

On the wall with a straight rain gutter were traces of various peeled-off posters.

29

The lower rear of this theater. The boy stood there motionless, making no move to go in either direction for some time. Then he looked up at the high window. But no one was visible in the window. A sturdy bulldog passed by the boy’s feet. It sniffed at his scent as it went.

30

The upper rear of the same theater. In the illuminated window, a dancer appeared alone and gazed indifferently at the street below. Of course, due to the backlighting, the silhouette's face was not clearly visible. However, it eventually revealed a lovely face resembling the boy’s. The dancer quietly opened the window and threw a small bouquet down.

31

At the feet of the boy standing in the street. A small bouquet fell. The boy’s hand picked it up. No sooner had the bouquet left the street than it transformed into a bundle of thorns.

32

A single black bulletin board. The bulletin board displayed the characters “North wind, clear” in carved letters. But it blurred and transformed into first “South wind is likely to be strong,” then changed again to “Rainy weather.”

The stall of a sign shop, seen at an angle; under the awning, samples were lined up bearing names such as Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ninomiya Sontoku, Watanabe Kazan, Kondo Isami, and Chikamatsu Monzaemon. These names too turned into commonplace ones before one knew it. Not only that, but beyond those signs, a pumpkin field faintly emerged…

34

Several movie theaters lined up across the pond. In the pond, countless reflections of electric lights were cast, of course. The upper body of the boy standing to the left of the pond. The boy’s hat was suddenly blown into the pond by the wind. After much flustering, the boy turned this way and began to walk. He bore an expression verging on despair.

35

The café’s display window. Beyond a sugar tower, fresh sweets, and a glass of soda water with a wheat-straw pipe, several shadowy figures moved. The boy passed by this display window and came to a halt to its left. His figure was visible up to his knees.

36 The exterior of this café. A middle-aged man and woman who appeared to be a couple entered through the glass doors. The woman was holding a child wearing a coat. Before long, the café turned by itself, revealing the back of the cook’s room. Behind the cook’s room was a single chimney. There, two laborers were also diligently moving their shovels. With one lantern lit. ……

37

The child before the table showed their upper body on the children's chair. The child beamed while shaking their head and raising their hands. Behind the child, nothing could be seen. There roses began falling one by one in silence.

38

An automatic calculator visible at an angle. In front of the calculator, two hands were moving incessantly. Of course, they were undoubtedly a woman’s hands. And then, the drawer was constantly being opened. Inside the drawer were nothing but coins. 39

The previous café’s display window. The boy’s figure remained unchanged. After a while, the boy slowly turned around and walked briskly this way. But when only his face was visible, he stopped for a moment and looked at something. It bore an expression verging on surprise.

40

A grain merchant stood in the center of the crowd. He stood among the spread-out silk fabrics, waving a single obi sash as he earnestly called out to the crowd.

41 The single obi sash in his hand. The obi sash was swung back and forth and side to side, revealing one end by two or three shaku. The pattern on the obi sash was magnified snowflakes. The snowflakes gradually spun while beginning to fall, spiraling beyond the obi as well.

42

A knitwear vendor’s street stall. Underneath the hung shirts and underpants, an old woman was warming herself alone at a foot warmer. In front of the old woman as well were knitwear items. Knitted wool items were not entirely absent among them. At the hem of the foot warmer, a black cat occasionally licked its front paws.

43 A black cat sat at the hem of the foot warmer. To the left, the boy’s lower body was also visible. The black cat, too, remained unchanged at first. But eventually, it wore a Turkish hat with long tassels on its head.

44

“Young master, why don’t you buy a sweeeater?” “I can’t even buy a hat.”

The upper body of the seemingly exhausted boy, with the knitwear vendor’s stall behind him.

The upper body of the seemingly exhausted boy, with the knitwear vendor’s street stall behind him. The boy began to shed tears. But finally regaining his composure, he looked up at the lofty sky and started walking this way once again.

46 An evening sky faintly aglow with stars. There, a large face spontaneously began to float hazily into view. The face resembled the boy’s father. Though filled with affection, it was an expression somehow infinitely sorrowful. However, after a while, this face too vanished somewhere like mist.

47

A street viewed lengthwise. The boy walked along this street with his back turned this way. The street was not busy with people. A man walked from behind the boy. This man turned slightly and revealed his masked face. The boy did not look back even once. 48 The exterior of a lattice-door house seen at an angle. In front of the house, three rickshaws were parked facing backward. There still weren’t many people passing by. A bride wearing a traditional hood exited through the lattice door alongside several people and quietly boarded the front rickshaw. Once all three rickshaws had loaded their passengers, they departed with the bride leading the way. Following them was the boy’s retreating figure. The people standing before the lattice-door house naturally did not so much as glance at the boy.

49

A rectangular board inscribed with “XYZ Company Specialty Product, Lost Child, Literary Film.” This too transformed into a sandwich man carrying the board front and back. The sandwich man was old yet resembled a city gentleman who had been walking through the Nakamise shops. Behind him, foot traffic grew heavier than before along the street lined with various shops. The boy happened to pass by and took one of the advertisements the sandwich man was handing out before moving on.

50

The street ahead viewed lengthwise. A disabled soldier using crutches walked slowly alone off into the distance. The disabled soldier had at some point turned into an ostrich. However, after walking on for a while, he turned back into a disabled soldier. At the corner of the alley stood a postbox.

51

Hurry. Hurry. I could die at any moment.

52

A postbox stood at the street corner.

The postbox had at some point turned transparent, revealing the cylindrical interior layered with countless letters. But in the blink of an eye, it reverted to an ordinary postbox as before. Behind the postbox, there was only darkness.

53

The geisha district seen at an angle. Two geisha heading to banquet rooms emerged from a lattice door adorned with lit sacred lanterns and walked quietly toward him. Neither showed any expression. After the geisha passed by, there remained only the figure of the boy walking into the distance. The boy glanced back slightly. His expression grew even lonelier than before. He gradually shrank into the horizon. Then from that direction, a short-statured ventriloquist who had been standing afar began approaching alone. When seen up close around the eyes, there was no part of him that did not resemble the boy.

54 A large wire ring hung all around with numerous strands of false hair. Among them dangled a tag inscribed "Forelock Comb with Integrated Thinning Hair." These strands of false hair had transformed unnoticed into a barber pole. Behind the pole too lay only darkness.

55

The exterior of the barbershop. Beyond the large glass window, several men and women moved about. The boy happened to pass by there and peeked inside.

56 A man’s profile as he cut hair. After some time had passed, this too transformed into several strands of false hair hung from a large wire ring. Within the false hair hung a single tag. On the tag was now written "Hairpiece."

57 A hospital built in Secession style. The boy approached from this direction, climbed the stone stairs, but no sooner had he seemed to enter through the door than he immediately came back down the stairs. After the boy went to the left, the hospital quietly approached this way, until finally only the entrance remained. A nurse pushed open the glass door and came outside. The nurse stood still in the entrance, gazing at something distant.

The nurse’s hands were folded on her lap. On her left hand resting in front was fitted a single engagement ring. However, the ring suddenly fell down by itself.

A concrete wall leaving a sliver of sky.

A concrete wall leaving a sliver of sky. This too spontaneously turned transparent, revealing several monkeys clustered behind iron bars. Then, the entire wall transformed into a puppet theater stage. The stage was by all means a Western-style room. There, a Western-style doll was timidly glancing about. Seeing that it wore a mask, it seemed to be a thief who had sneaked into this room. In one corner of the room stood a single safe.

60 A Western-style doll prying open a safe. However, several of the thin strings attached to this doll’s limbs were clearly visible.…

61

The concrete wall ahead seen at an angle. The wall was no longer showing anything. The shadow of the boy passing by that spot. Then came the shadow of a hunchback following behind.

62

The street viewed diagonally from ahead. On the street, a single fallen leaf was blown around in circles by the wind. There, another fallen leaf—smaller than the one before—danced down. Finally, a single sheet of paper that appeared to be a magazine advertisement also fluttered down. The paper, unfortunately, appeared to have been torn. But what was clearly visible was the large headline typeface reading *“Seikatsu*, New Year’s Issue.”

63

A bench beneath a large evergreen tree. What was visible beyond the trees seemed to be part of the previous pond. The boy walked over and sat down with a disappointed air. Then he began wiping his tears. Then one of the earlier hunchbacks came and sat on the bench too. The evergreen tree behind them swayed occasionally in the wind. The boy suddenly stared at the hunchback. But the hunchback did not even turn around. Moreover, he took out a roasted sweet potato from his pocket and began devouring it ravenously.

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The face of the hunchback eating a roasted sweet potato.

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A bench in the shade of the previous evergreen tree. The hunchback was still eating a roasted sweet potato. The boy finally stood up, hung his head, and walked off somewhere.

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A bench viewed diagonally from above. On the bench with spaced slats lay a single purse. Then someone’s hand quietly took up that purse.

67

A bench in the shade of the previous evergreen tree. However, this time it was angled. On the bench, a single hunchback was examining the inside of a purse. Gradually, hunchbacks began appearing around him on both sides, until finally the bench was filled with nothing but hunchbacks. Moreover, they were all earnestly examining the inside of the purse in the same manner. While talking among themselves about something.

68

The photo studio’s display window. Several photographs of men and women hung framed in each of their own borders. But those men and women’s faces too eventually turned into old people. However, among them only one—a half-body portrait of an old man in a frock coat adorned with medals and bearing a beard—remained unchanged. Only that face had unnoticed become the face of the previous hunchback.

69

Kannon Hall seen from the side. The boy walked beneath it. Above Kannon Hall was a crescent moon.

70

A section of Kannon Hall’s front facade. However, the door was shut. In front of it, several people were worshiping. The boy walked up to them and, keeping his back turned this way, glanced up at Kannon Hall. Then he suddenly turned this way and briskly walked off at an angle.

A large rectangular water basin viewed diagonally from above.

A large rectangular water basin viewed diagonally from above. In the water where several ladles floated, the flickering shadows of fire were also reflected. Reflected there once more was the face of the utterly exhausted boy.

72

The lower part of a large stone lantern.

The boy sat down there, hid his face in both hands, and began to cry.

73

Behind the lower part of the previous stone lantern. A man stood alone, listening intently to something.

74

The upper body of this man. However, only his face was not turned this way. But when he turned around quietly, it was the masked man from before. Not only that—after a while, his face changed into that of the boy’s father.

75

The upper part of the previous stone lantern. The stone lantern, leaving its pillars behind, spontaneously turned into flames and burned up. After the flames subsided, a single chrysanthemum flower began to bloom there. The chrysanthemum flower was larger than the stone lantern’s cap.

76

The lower part of the previous stone lantern. The boy was no different from before. There, a policeman with his hat pulled down over his eyes approached alone and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. The boy startled and stood up, said something to the policeman. Then, still being led by the hand by the policeman, he walked quietly away.

Behind the lower part of the previous stone lantern. This time, there was no one there anymore.

Behind the lower part of the previous stone lantern. This time, there was no one there anymore.

78

The large lantern of the Nio Gate. The large lantern gradually rose upward and came to overlook the Nakamise Shops as before. However, only the lower part of the large lantern remained unextinguished. (Showa 2, March 14, 1927)