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The Register of a Hundred LipsAuthor: Nomura Kodō
| Original Title | 百唇の譜 |
|---|---|
| Author | 野村 胡堂 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In the twilight of Edo’s rigid social order, two cousins defy convention: Mayumi, a radiant beauty betrothed to a dutiful samurai, and Chiyonosuke, a charming wastrel whose poetic soul masks reckless desires. Their childhood bond blooms into forbidden passion, heedless of familial duty or Mayumi’s impending marriage. A stolen moment—a lipstick imprint pressed to paper—ignites jealousy, violence, and betrayal, severing their fragile world. Chiyonosuke flees into dissolution, weaving through Edo’s demimonde as an actor and libertine, collecting women’s kisses like trophies in a ledger. Years later, a mysterious nun with crimson lips draws him into a final, fatal reckoning. Meanwhile, Mayumi and her steadfast fiancé navigate a love haunted by ghosts of loyalty and shame. As Chiyonosuke’s obsession nears its hundredth conquest, past sins resurface in a crescendo of blood and revelation, where sacred vows clash with profane yearnings. A tale of beauty’s peril and desire’s ruin unfolds beneath cherry blossoms and temple bells, where every kiss is a requiem. |
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