Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

LegsAuthor: Yoshikawa Eiji

Original Title	脚
Author	吉川英治
Genre	War & Social Literature
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a feudal village ravaged by famine and exploitation, Hikota, a hot-tempered young man, is thrust into the heart of peasant unrest. Pressured by desperate villagers to lead a revolt against crushing taxes and corrupt officials, he grapples with the futility of past uprisings—bloody failures that left rivers red and lives unchanged. Torn between duty and survival, Hikota’s fiery spirit clashes with the grim reality of a system designed to crush dissent. When his childhood friend Yosuke returns as a samurai advocating modernization and loyalty to distant political struggles, Hikota’s world fractures further. Fleeing rural despair, he ventures to Edo, trading ancestral fields for a chance to reinvent himself. Amidst the city’s chaotic blend of decadence and upheaval—where stray dogs feast while peasants starve—he navigates shady deals, swordsmanship dojos, and a hollow marriage brokered for social status. Yet whispers of rebellion persist: foreign warships loom, loyalists plot revolution, and the ghosts of his village’s suffering haunt every step. Hikota’s journey becomes a visceral dance between survival and sacrifice, as he confronts whether to ignite flames of change or be consumed by them.