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The People Who Created a GodAuthor: Sakaguchi Ango
| Original Title | 神サマを生んだ人々 |
|---|---|
| Author | 坂口 安吾 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a seaside hot spring town, Dr. Ōmaki—a harried physician—encounters a charismatic restaurateur named Anfukuken, who offers him refuge at a secluded inn after all lodgings are booked. The peculiar establishment, nestled beneath a cliff, houses a hauntingly beautiful widow whose vacant dignity unnerves Ōmaki. Seduced by Anfukuken’s theatrics and the woman’s enigmatic allure, the doctor spends a night entangled in their shadowy scheme, only to flee at dawn when confronted by her desperate plea to escape servitude. \nA year later, Anfukuken reappears with the widow, now deranged and claiming divine authority. Manipulated by a shrewd fabric clerk turned cult leader, she becomes the center of Anira-sama—a burgeoning religion blending mysticism and exploitation. As devotees flock to her “healing palms,” Ōmaki uncovers layers of greed and delusion: Anfukuken’s cynical pragmatism clashes with believers’ fervor, while the widow’s vacant nobility transforms into a conduit for both miracles and manipulation. \nDrawn back to the hot spring, Ōmaki confronts a surreal world where faith blurs with fraud, and those who orchestrate devotion remain immune to its spell. Yet lingering questions haunt him: Is her power mere suggestion, or does madness mask something transcendent? And in a game of gods and fools, who truly holds the reins? |
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