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Moonlit Pine HillAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 月の松山 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a rural Edo-era estate shadowed by pine-covered hills, swordsman Takaya Soujou receives a devastating prognosis: a terminal illness leaves him mere months to live. As acting heir to the Monzen dojo’s legacy, he conceals his decaying body and fractured spirit, pushing protégé Taijirou through brutal training for an upcoming martial tournament while coldly distancing Katsura—the daughter of his bedridden mentor and his intended bride. Yet whispers of betrayal swirl as Takaya vanishes nightly, his erratic behavior fueling rumors of illicit affairs. Beneath stoic resolve simmers a deeper turmoil: a clandestine feud with corrupt landowner Tsubota Yohee and the specter of a fated duel. When violence erupts at dawn on mist-shrouded Pine Hill, loyalties fracture and buried truths surface. Takaya’s final act—a desperate gambit to shield Katsura and secure the dojo’s future—unravels a web of sacrifice, leaving allies to grapple with the cost of honor in a world where life flickers as briefly as cherry blossoms. |
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