Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
The Laughing Mute WomanAuthor: Yumeno Kyūsaku
| Original Title | 笑う唖女 |
|---|---|
| Author | 夢野 久作 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a remote Japanese village, a joyous wedding celebration unfolds for Sumio, a revered young doctor, and his bride Hatsue. The air brims with rustic merriment until an unearthly shriek pierces the revelry—a disheveled, mute woman appears at the threshold, her swollen belly and wild gestures demanding attention. Ohan, an outcast with a haunting past, fixates on Sumio with unsettling familiarity, her guttural cries unraveling his composure. Whispers of her tragic history—abandonment, a father’s suicide—hint at darker secrets as villagers scramble to dismiss her as a mad nuisance. Yet her desperate grip on Sumio’s robes and accusatory gestures ignite unspoken fears. Beneath his polished demeanor, Sumio battles a gnawing dread: this woman, once a fleeting shadow from his past, now threatens to expose a sin he buried deep. As moonlight bathes the estate, tensions crescendo—bridal bliss clashes with spectral reckoning, and the line between guilt and innocence blurs. Will tradition’s facade hold, or will primal truths shatter this fragile new beginning? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP