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Household Shinto AltarAuthor: Toyoshima Yoshio
| Original Title | 神棚 |
|---|---|
| Author | 豊島 与志雄 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the bleak chill of year-end Tokyo, a destitute man wanders rain-soaked streets, his pockets empty and hopes dwindling. Failed attempts to secure loans leave him dreading his wife Oku's reproaches and their children's hungry eyes. A mysterious household Shinto altar—neglected yet eerily potent—looms over their cramped home, its candles perpetually lit by Oku in desperate prayer to appease her deceased mother's spirit. \nDriven to recklessness, the man joins acquaintances scheming to extort money from a former colleague, their plan spiraling into violence under cover of night. Returning home bloodied, tensions erupt: Oku's fanatical devotions clash with his simmering rage until he shatters the sacred altar in a fit—revealing hidden silver coins spilling from its broken core. \nThis fractured family stands at a precipice—between destitution and fleeting salvation, between earthly struggles and otherworldly forces lingering in candle smoke. What pact with tradition or desperation forged this buried fortune? And will it sustain them through the coming storm, or unravel deeper secrets best left entombed? |
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