Pathway to Japanese Literature
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'Nōin Hōshi'Author: Okamoto Kidō
| Original Title | 能因法師 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岡本 綺堂 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the autumn hills beyond the capital, the reclusive poet Nōin Hōshi devises an audacious scheme to elevate his latest masterpiece. For months, he has hidden in his hermitage, baking his face black under the sun while spreading rumors of a pilgrimage to distant Michinoku—all to fabricate authenticity for his verse about Shirakawa Barrier’s winds. His long-suffering disciple Ryōin juggles absurd lies to protect the ruse, but their theatrics unravel when visitors arrive: the shrewd nobleman Setsushin sees through Nōin’s charade, while the ambitious poetess Kaga schemes to launch her own fame by staging a tragic romance. As deceptions collide—pitch-black faces peer from windows, yin-yang masters brandish ritual wands, and lovers quarrel over poetic glory—the hermitage becomes a stage for vanity and farce. Between sunbathing monks and lovers trading verses like weapons, autumn’s tranquility gives way to uproarious chaos, where every whispered secret risks exposure… and every poem hides a calculated gamble. |
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