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Sasaki TakatsunaAuthor: Okamoto Kidō
| Original Title | 佐々木高綱 |
|---|---|
| Author | 岡本 綺堂 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the waning days of 12th-century Japan, renowned warrior Sasaki Takatsuna grapples with the ghosts of ambition. Once celebrated for battlefield valor that secured Minamoto Yoritomo’s rise, he now broods in his Ōmi manor, haunted by an old sin—the murder of an innocent horseman whose son, Kinosuke, now tends his stables. As cherry blossoms fall like unkept promises, political storms gather: Yoritomo’s lavish procession nears the province, demanding fealty Takatsuna refuses to give. His nephew pleads for pragmatism; his daughter frets over his volcanic temper; while Kinosuke’s vengeful sister sharpens her blade in the shadows. \nTakatsuna’s disillusionment festers—the shogun’s forgotten vows, the sycophancy of allies, the hollowness of honor. When a wandering monk arrives during a memorial for his victim, long-buried regrets surface. As familial tensions erupt and ancient grudges threaten bloodshed, the once-proud samurai faces a reckoning that could shatter his legacy or redeem his tormented soul. Amidst whispering plum blossoms and tolling temple bells, a warrior’s defiance collides with karma’s inexorable tide. |
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