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

| Original Title | 霊感 |
|---|---|
| Author | 豊島 与志雄 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a quiet temple cemetery stands an ancient monument to Miroku, a forgotten ascetic, overgrown and ignored until Eguchi Widow and her daughter begin bowing to it out of habit. When misfortune shadows their lives, Eguchi confides in A Woman—a reclusive widow rumored to possess spiritual insight. Through cryptic rituals and whispered warnings, A Woman channels Miroku’s presence, averting a fire that nearly consumes Eguchi’s crowded home. The incident sparks reverence for Miroku as a guardian deity, though skepticism lingers among neighbors. \nA Woman’s hidden gifts draw others seeking solace: Murao, whose daughter’s family is plagued by illness tied to cursed land, and Koizumi, entangled in a restaurateur’s ambitions to revive a neglected shrine. Each encounter reveals fragmented truths—abandoned deities, restless spirits, and the weight of postwar neglect. Yet A Woman treads cautiously, balancing her mystical role with mundane life, wary of being reduced to a fortune-teller. \nWhispers of miracles intertwine with quiet struggles, painting a world where faith and doubt collide beneath the shadow of old stones and older secrets—a tapestry of resilience, mystery, and the unseen threads binding community to tradition. |