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'Tale of the Moonless Night'Author: Hisao Jūran
| Original Title | 無月物語 |
|---|---|
| Author | 久生 十蘭 |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In 12th-century Kyoto, under Emperor Go-Shirakawa’s reign, a rare execution shocks a society shaped by Buddhist mercy and lenient laws. At its heart are Koushi and Hanayo—mother and daughter—condemned for conspiring to kill Fujiwara no Yasufumi, a man whose cruelty defies era and ethics. A high-ranking noble with a penchant for brutality, Yasufumi’s reign of terror extends to his family: he abandons his children, manipulates power, and subjects his wife and daughter to unspeakable violations. Driven to desperation, Koushi and Hanayo plot his demise, their crime born of survival rather than malice. Yet their defiance against a tyrant collides with rigid legal traditions, where even patricide cannot justify breaking imperial taboos. Amid whispers of vengeful spirits and political intrigue, their trial becomes a spectacle—a clash between justice and mercy, sin and sacrifice. As their fates intertwine with court machinations and whispered legends, the women’s haunting beauty and tragic resolve etch themselves into history, leaving readers to ponder: in an age of shadows, can virtue bloom from violence? |
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