Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
← Back
Footprints of a BearAuthor: Tokutomi Roka
| Original Title | 熊の足跡 |
|---|---|
| Author | 徳冨 蘆花 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the wake of a fierce storm, a family embarks on a journey through Meiji-era Japan’s untamed landscapes. From rain-soaked fishing villages to mist-shrouded mountains, their path winds past ancient pines swaying in Pacific winds and over precarious suspension bridges above roaring rivers. They traverse Hirakata’s fish-scented shores, where crumbling checkpoints whisper of samurai lore, and rest at secluded inns where mosquitoes swarm and bathwater chills. In Hokkaido’s wilderness, they encounter desolate peatlands ablaze with autumn hues, sulfurous hot springs echoing with river thunder, and coastal towns where steamships trace horizons under ash-gray volcanoes. A child marvels at “white crows”—seagulls—while adults ponder fleeting human traces against nature’s permanence: stone monuments weathered by centuries, cherry saplings planted where ballads once scattered petals. Through encounters with drunken monks, woodcutters, and farmers chasing laden horses, the travelers glimpse lives intertwined with land and sea. From Tsugaru’s apple-laden orchards to Kushiro’s fogbound plains, each vista blends harsh beauty and quiet resilience, inviting readers to wander a world where history lingers in pine winds and every sunset etches impermanence into the soul. |
← Return to List← Return to TOP