Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
The Woman Whose Shadow Was Stepped OnAuthor: Okamoto Kidō
| Original Title | 影を踏まれた女 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岡本 綺堂 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the twilight of Edo-era Tokyo, a chilling tale unfolds around Oseki, a gentle merchant’s daughter whose life unravels after a seemingly harmless childhood game. On a crisp autumn night, a group of boisterous children trample her shadow during their moonlit revelry—a local custom believed to bring misfortune. Though dismissed as superstition by her family, Oseki becomes consumed by an inexplicable dread, convinced her trampled shadow foreshadows doom. Her terror deepens as even daylight torments her: every silhouette cast by sun or lantern feels like a target. Desperate, her parents consult a cryptic ascetic, whose rituals reveal unsettling visions—a skeletal shadow clinging to Oseki’s form. As her fiancé Yōjirō struggles to reconcile logic with growing unease, Oseki’s fragile psyche fractures further, isolating her in darkness. On the anniversary of that fateful night, a moonlit stroll beneath the Thirteenth Night’s glow culminates in a horrifying encounter, blurring the line between superstition and destiny. Whispers of curses, spectral shadows, and a society gripped by unseen fears weave a haunting tapestry of psychological unraveling—where the weight of tradition and the fragility of the human spirit collide under an unrelenting moon. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP