Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
Three MadmenAuthor: Osaka Keikichi
| Original Title | 三狂人 |
|---|---|
| Author | 大阪 圭吉 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | Nestled on a desolate hill near M City, Dr. Akazawa’s crumbling mental hospital harbors three patients shrouded in eerie peculiarities: a man obsessively tapping his foot, a cross-dressing singer mimicking encores, and a bandage-swaddled recluse claiming phantom injuries. As the asylum decays—its staff dwindling, rooms gathering dust—the director’s fraying sanity manifests in violent outbursts toward his charges. One stifling dawn, the facility plunges into chaos: the patients vanish, and Akazawa is discovered brutally murdered, his skull hollowed out. Panic erupts as authorities scramble to hunt the escaped madmen, fearing their unpredictable violence. Yet clues—a shattered bottle, drag marks, and a trail of dried blood—hint at darker machinations beneath the surface. Amid the manhunt, unsettling revelations emerge: a witness spots a bloodied figure clutching a gelatinous mass, while cryptic medical insights suggest a twisted logic behind the crime. As shadows deepen over the asylum’s tragic legacy, questions fester—what drove the lunatics’ flight, and whose madness truly sealed their fate? |
← Return to List← Return to TOP