Pathway to Japanese Literature
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Seven Days and Seven NightsAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 七日七夜 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Modern Short Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In Edo-period Japan, Honda Shōhei, the disdained fourth son of a samurai family, endures years of neglect—relegated to copying scandalous manuscripts for meager pay while his siblings hoard wealth and status. Denied even warm meals, his simmering resentment erupts when he confronts his cruel sister-in-law at swordpoint, seizing hidden dowry funds to flee his suffocating home. Naively plunging into Shin-Yoshiwara’s pleasure quarters, he’s swiftly swindled of his stolen gold by cunning courtesans, then descends into a haze of drink and destitution. Half-frozen and starving, he stumbles into a humble tavern where strangers show him unprecedented kindness: drying his clothes, sharing food, and nursing him through illness. Their compassion unravels his hardened defenses, revealing a world beyond familial scorn. As Shōhei grapples with shame and gratitude, a chance for redemption emerges—not through samurai honor, but through the warmth of ordinary people who see his humanity beneath the tattered robes. Will this fractured outcast embrace a new life, or remain haunted by the ghosts of his past? |
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