Pathway to Japanese Literature
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The Count's HairpinAuthor: Izumi Kyoka
| Original Title | 伯爵の釵 |
|---|---|
| Author | 泉 鏡花 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a drought-scorched city cradled by rivers and ancient castles, renowned actress Murasaki Gyokuyū lingers after her troupe’s triumphant performances. Seeking respite from adoring crowds, she wanders incognito through sun-baked streets, her beauty veiled yet magnetic. A chance encounter with an enigmatic shrine child—begging for water at a desolate temple—hints at deeper mysteries tied to the land’s parched agony. Later, a disheveled monk, reeking of decay, demands she use her treasured platinum hairpin—a gift from a smitten noble—to cure his festering tooth, leaving her haunted by its lingering foulness. When the hairpin resurfaces in the belly of a miraculous carp, Murasaki is thrust into a ritual to summon rain, only to face public humiliation as the promised storm never comes. Yet beneath the city’s cracked surface lies a realm of dragon deities and prophetic visions, where Murasaki’s fate intertwines with forces older than the drought itself. Whispers of transformation linger—will her artistry quench the land’s thirst or drown her in its hidden depths? |
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