Pathway to Japanese Literature
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DadAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | ちゃん |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a cramped Tokyo tenement, Jūkichi clings to fading traditions as a master artisan of ornate Gokiri braziers, once revered but now dismissed as relics in a rapidly modernizing world. His stubborn devotion to craftsmanship leaves his family destitute—his wife Onao sews late into the night, eldest son Ryōkichi peddles fish at dawn, and even three-year-old Oyoshi scolds his drunken despair. Friends urge him to abandon his principles for profitable trends, but Jūkichi’s pride festers into self-loathing as debts mount and humiliation deepens. Yet amid nightly benders and stolen coins, flickers of tenderness endure: a daughter’s laughter, a wife’s quiet resolve, a son’s fierce loyalty. When a stranger’s betrayal cracks Jūkichi’s resolve, the family’s collective plea—*“We’d rather starve together”*—forces him to confront an impossible choice between legacy and survival. Shadows of a past connection with Ochō, a tavern keeper haunted by her own struggles, linger at the edges of this fragile world, where love and futility collide beneath paper lanterns and unyielding pride. |
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