Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

Brain SurgeryAuthor: Unno Juza

Original Title	大脳手術
Author	海野十三
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a dimly lit room, a man contemplates his emaciated legs—once admired for their beauty—as his friend Narumi confronts him about rumors of a shadowy clinic, Geishunkan, which buys human limbs for exorbitant sums. The man cryptically defends Dr. Wakamiya, a surgeon whose miraculous transplant procedures promise rejuvenation to the wealthy elite. Seduced by the allure of youth and financial gain, he sells his legs, replacing them with crude prosthetics, and spirals into a reckless existence fueled by vanity and desperation. His lover Tamako, initially enthralled by his transformation, vanishes mysteriously, leaving him consumed by suspicion and rage. As he sells more body parts—arms, organs, even his face—his identity erodes, yet his obsession to reclaim what he’s lost drives him to increasingly deranged acts. Haunted by visions of betrayal and a faceless rival, he descends into a nightmarish quest for vengeance, unaware of the grotesque truth lurking beneath his fractured reality. A chilling exploration of ethics, identity, and the cost of immortality.