Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Poetic Drama 'Narcissus and the Wooden Fish'Author: Miyoshi Juro

See Author Details Here：Wiki (Miyoshi Juro)

Original Title	詩劇「水仙と木魚」
Author	三好十郎
Genre	Modern Short Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a quiet temple nestled beside a bamboo grove, seventeen-year-old Mitsuko lies bedridden, her world confined to the rhythms of her priest father’s wooden fish and the whispered rustle of swaying bamboo. Her days are marked by pain and isolation, softened only by visits from Shō, the kind-hearted son of a neighboring flower farmer. He brings her books and blooms, their friendship a fragile bridge between two households locked in a generations-old feud over a sliver of land. Each morning, the temple’s sacred chants clash with the acrid stench of manure stirred by Shō’s father—a bitter ritual of mutual provocation. As tensions simmer, Mitsuko’s heart aches for peace, caught between her father’s unyielding pride and Shō’s determination to defy inherited grudges. When a sudden fire erupts in the town, long-buried resentments flare, threatening to consume fragile bonds. Through Mitsuko’s observant eyes, a tale unfolds of quiet resilience, clashing traditions, and the delicate hope that even the deepest divides might heal.