Pathway to Japanese Literature
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| Original Title | 身毒丸 |
|---|---|
| Author | 折口 信夫 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a world where sacred rituals and earthly desires collide, a young Dengaku performer navigates a life bound by ancestral curses and spiritual rigor. Born into a troupe of itinerant monk-performers, Mendokumaru’s childhood is marked by his father’s mysterious disappearance—a man consumed by a hereditary affliction and forbidden passions. Now seventeen, Mendokumaru’s striking beauty and unshaven head set him apart, drawing admiration and envy alike. Under the watchful eye of Master Gennai, he endures grueling ascetic practices to purify his tainted bloodline, transcribing sutras in blood while battling haunting visions of women who threaten his devotion. \nAs the troupe traverses mist-shrouded mountains and sunlit rice fields, Mendokumaru’s fragile resolve is tested by forbidden encounters and a perilous dance that awakens dangerous longings. Whispers of his father’s fate—a man who vanished into shadows—linger like a warning. Between sacred chants and moonlit rituals, Mendokumaru grapples with a legacy of sin and salvation, where every step toward enlightenment risks unraveling into desire. Will he escape the cycle of suffering, or succumb to the same temptations that doomed his bloodline? The answer lies in the liminal space between devotion and defiance. |
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