Pathway to Japanese Literature
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CormorantAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 鵜 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a secluded river valley, Fuse Hansaburou—a brooding, tempestuous samurai exiled to the countryside—discovers a hidden pool shrouded by cliffs. Obsessed with fishing yet releasing every catch, he seeks solace in its isolation until a spectral figure disrupts his ritual: a naked woman drifting downstream, her ethereal beauty searing his mind. She returns daily, calling herself Tadako, her laughter echoing through the gorge as they swim in forbidden intimacy. But Tadako guards secrets—her true name, her ties to a powerful clan, and the crimson cloths that veil her past. As their bond deepens, Hansaburou’s defiance of social order clashes with her fragile double life, while whispers of surveillance and violence ripple beneath their idyll. When Tadako vanishes after a fateful rendezvous, Hansaburou’s desperate search unravels a web of honor, desire, and tragedy that threatens to drown them both. What price will the river demand for their stolen moments of freedom? |
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