Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

Those Who Lie in the WildernessAuthor: Murō Saisei

Original Title	野に臥す者
Author	室生犀星
Genre	Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In a moonlit estate shrouded in secrets, a mother’s unsettling claim of a midnight trespasser ignites suspicion. Tsuneyuki, her son, dismisses her visions—until clues point to Hagino, a servant whose allure pulses with restless energy. Her clandestine movements through frost-laden gardens hint at forbidden trysts, drawing Tsuneyuki into a web of rivalry with his half-brother Sadaaki, a dissolute outcast dwelling in the estate’s shadowed northern wing. Tensions erupt in violent clashes as loyalty frays: Hagino’s defiance blurs lines between desire and betrayal, while Sadaaki’s simmering resentment threatens the family’s fragile order. When both vanish into the wilderness, whispers of their festering desperation—starvation, theft, a life pared to survival—reach Tsuneyuki’s ears. As vengeful villagers conspire to purge the land with fire, he confronts a choice between duty and redemption. Amid roaring flames and choking smoke, bonds of blood and passion unravel, leaving smoldering questions of sacrifice and what it means to truly belong—or burn.