Pathway to Japanese Literature
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| Original Title | 蓬生 |
|---|---|
| Author | 与謝野 寛 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the shadow of Kyoto’s decaying Monto Temple, young Mitsugi navigates a world steeped in ancestral curses and familial strife. Once a revered institution, the temple now lies in ruin, its grounds overrun by weeds and whispered legends of a serpent deity lurking in the nearby swamp. Mitsugi’s father, Rōzen—a radical priest turned bureaucrat—neglects his family for grand ambitions, while his mother, Kazue, grapples with guilt and illness, haunted by rumors that her difficult childbirth summoned ancient vengeance. Their third son, Akira, born with unsettling double pupils, grows into a rebellious figure entangled in theft and vanity, further fracturing the household. As Mitsugi witnesses his brother’s mysterious confinement and encounters omens in the temple’s forsaken halls, he confronts a legacy of darkness binding his family to the land. Amidst crumbling walls and stifling secrets, the boy’s innocence clashes with a reality where faith falters, curses linger, and escape seems as elusive as the white serpent slithering through their shared fate. |
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