Pathway to Japanese Literature
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| Original Title | 鳥羽家の子供 |
|---|---|
| Author | 田畑 修一郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a rural Japanese household strained by secrets and societal pressures, Matsune Toba navigates motherhood amidst failing health and her husband’s rumored infidelity with Ikku, a reserved restaurateur. Her eldest daughter, Toshiko, grapples with whispers of scandal while witnessing her mother’s quiet unraveling—a woman once sharp and commanding, now diminished by illness and unspoken grief. After Matsune’s death, Ikku enters the fractured family as a second wife, sparking resentment among the children, particularly Gunji, the youngest. Born frail and motherless, Gunji clings to Ikku’s care yet rebels against her presence, his identity torn between loyalty to his late mother and dependence on this outsider. As financial ruin and disgrace engulf the Tobas following the patriarch’s embezzlement and suicide, Gunji’s turbulent adolescence mirrors the family’s collapse—a legacy of buried tensions, societal judgment, and fragile bonds. Amidst decaying traditions and whispered betrayals, each generation confronts the weight of duty and the corrosive cost of silence. |
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