Pathway to Japanese Literature
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PolytheismAuthor: Izumi Kyoka
| Original Title | 多神教 |
|---|---|
| Author | 泉 鏡花 |
| Genre | Fantasy & Sci-Fi |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the mist-shrouded mountains of Mino-Mikawa, a remote shrine pulses with primal energy as villagers rehearse sacred kagura dances for an impending festival. Amidst swirling maple leaves and darting dragonflies, tension crackles when Ozawa—a pale, enigmatic woman with disheveled beauty—emerges from ancient cedars clutching forbidden ritual tools. The priests, guardians of purity, recoil at her straw effigy studded with rusted nails, branding it a lover’s curse meant to kill. Yet as they prepare brutal punishment, divine intervention fractures reality: Himegami, an ethereal deity with snow-white robes and a crimson arrow in her hair, descends to arbitrate mortal passions. Whispers of drowned bridges, phantom horses, and owl-possessed villagers blur the line between sacred wrath and human frailty. Ozawa’s desperate plea—to save her child or destroy her betrayer?—hangs unresolved as the mountain itself seems to breathe judgment through falling snow and tolling temple bells. In this realm where masks reveal truths and gods walk disguised, every choice ripples toward an inexorable, unseen reckoning. |
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