Pathway to Japanese Literature

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The Gate of Evening FacesAuthor: Yoshikawa Eiji

Original Title	夕顔の門
Author	吉川英治
Genre	Popular Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a secluded samurai household shadowed by unspoken regrets, Oichi navigates a life bound by duty and haunted by a forbidden past. Six years after her scandalous elopement attempt with Genkishin—a lover who vanished into darkness—she endures a loveless marriage to Sogabe Hyōgo, a stoic falconer more devoted to his hawks than his wife. Their fragile peace shatters when a bloodied stranger collapses at their gate: Genkishin, now a fugitive pursued by vengeful retainers. As Hyōgo defies tradition to shelter his wife’s former lover, long-buried wounds resurface. Oichi confronts agonizing choices—between familial honor and reckless passion, loyalty and liberation—while Hyōgo’s cryptic compassion hints at deeper motives. Amid moonlit gardens tangled with evening glory vines, secrets unravel like fraying silk. Whispers of betrayal clash with samurai codes as past and present collide, threatening to drown all in a riptide of vengeance and sacrifice. Will mercy or retribution claim the final blow? The answer lies where love and duty draw their blades.