Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
The SorceressAuthor: Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
| Original Title | 妖婆 |
|---|---|
| Author | 芥川 竜之介 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the bustling modernity of 1920s Tokyo—where electric lights and streetcars define progress—an unsettling undercurrent pulses beneath the city’s surface. Strange phenomena haunt its streets: ghostly whispers in paper whirlwinds, phantom passengers halting empty trams, and shadows that defy logic. Amid this uncanny backdrop, a young man named Shinzō seeks answers about O-Tami, a vanished maid entwined with his heart. His search leads him to O-Shimabaasan, a sorceress dwelling in a damp, willow-shrouded hovel, whose powers blur the line between divine and monstrous. Through rituals steeped in eerie mysticism, she binds O-Tami to her will, invoking ancient forces that twist reality itself. As Shinzō confronts this malevolent crone—aided by a cunning friend—he unravels a web of curses and spectral machinations threatening both their lives. But in a city where daylight never fully banishes darkness, can mortal resolve outwit a foe who commands the unseen? The answer lies where logic drowns and nightmares wade ashore, whispering through rain-soaked nights. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP