Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

Turbulent TimesAuthor: Kikuchi Kan

Original Title	乱世
Author	菊池寛
Genre	Historical Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	Amidst the chaos of Japan’s Boshin War, a feudal domain reels from crushing defeat. As imperial forces close in, leaders clash over resistance or surrender, their fate decided by a sacred lottery. Yet dissent simmers among lower-ranking samurai, torn between loyalty and survival. Among them is a young warrior haunted by visions of his wife and consumed by dread. When thirteen soldiers are marked as scapegoats for defying the emperor, desperation fractures their unity. One man’s panicked flight triggers a relentless manhunt, exposing the brutal cost of honor in a nation upheaved. His tragic end becomes a grim spectacle—a severed head displayed on scaffolds meant for others—while comrades survive through cruel twists of fate. This tale weaves political intrigue and intimate human frailty against the backdrop of war’s merciless machinery, where fear blurs duty and a single misstep seals destinies. Will submission spare the domain, or will pride ignite its downfall?