Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

The WerewolfAuthor: Okamoto Kidō

Original Title	人狼
Author	岡本綺堂
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a remote mountain village near Shimabara Peninsula, autumn’s chill brings more than falling leaves—a savage wolf stalks the night, leaving terror in its wake. Tahara Yasaburo, a former samurai turned hunter, vows to end the beast’s reign, yet its phantom-like elusiveness defies all traps and hunts. Whispers swirl: the wolf wears a woman’s face, desecrates graves, and vanishes like mist. Yasaburo’s wife, Oiyo, grows increasingly withdrawn, her sleepless nights shadowed by unspoken fears as villagers debate invoking foreign prayers from a Christian missionary. Meanwhile, a young monk’s chilling account and eerie encounters along moonlit paths sow doubt—is this mere beast or something darker? As tensions mount between tradition and faith, Oiyo’s fragile composure cracks, revealing secrets that threaten to unravel both family and village. With winter’s approach mirroring the encroaching dread, Yasaburo races against time—and suspicion—to confront a horror that may lurk closer than any blade can reach.