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

| Original Title | 有喜世新聞の話 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岡本 綺堂 |
| Genre | Detective & Mystery |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In Meiji-era Tokyo, a peculiar report surfaces: a letter pouch addressed to “Mr. ○nosuke” is found inside a mullet caught near Tsukiji. The cryptic note, signed “Fude,” hints at a hidden tale of entangled fates. Years earlier, Ofude—a displaced samurai’s daughter—arrives at Dr. Mizoguchi’s home after a chance accident. Her quiet grace masks a web of secrets as she intertwines herself with the household: O-Chō, the doctor’s sheltered daughter; Tomonosuke, a clerk drawn to Ofude’s mystique; and Yoshinosuke, a medical student harboring his own affections. Whispers of forbidden meetings and manipulated desires spiral into tragedy—a suicide, two mysterious deaths, and Ofude’s sudden disappearance. Shadows of jealousy and betrayal linger in Banchō’s desolate streets, where vacant estates guard unspoken truths. Decades later, the mullet’s letter remains the sole thread to a story of love, vengeance, and vanishing lives. What became of Ofude? The river holds its silence, leaving only echoes of a woman who slipped through time like a ghost, her legacy etched in ink and blood. |