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

| Original Title | 勧善懲悪 |
|---|---|
| Author | 織田 作之助 |
| Genre | War & Social Literature |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the shadowed alleys of Osaka, a man clawed his way from destitution through cunning and audacity. Kawanashi Tanzō—once a rickshaw puller shivering in threadbare kimonos—dreams of wealth, weaving schemes as flimsy as the summer robes he layers against winter’s bite. With a partner’s sharp mind and sharper tongue, he builds empires of ink and illusion: newspapers peddling scandal, moxibustion tours masquerading as piety, and lung tonics brewed from lies. Yet every triumph drips with betrayal—abandoned allies, lovers traded like currency, and fortunes hoarded behind gaudy facades. As his name blazes across slanderous headlines and recovery photos staged for profit, the line between ambition and ruin thins. But karma coils in the alleys he fled, whispering through the coughs of cheated patients and the silence of discarded friends. When frostbite gnaws at his borrowed finery, will his ledger of sins freeze him solid? A tale of poisoned ambition, where every coin gleams with the sweat of the swindled—and retribution wears a familiar face. |