Pathway to Japanese Literature

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Chronicle of the Bewitching ApparitionAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō

Original Title	艶妖記
Author	山本周五郎
Genre	Popular Fiction
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	In feudal Japan’s chaotic dawn between warring clans and shifting power, Yaosuke—a boy cursed with lameness, blindness, and a hunched spine—bears the weight of his family’s desperation. His parents broker a ruinous marriage pact with Gonemon, a rapacious village lord, trading gold for security. Betrayed by servants and stripped of everything, Yaosuke wanders a lawless world where bandits and corrupt officials prey on the weak. Driven to despair, he confronts a neglectful deity in a crumbling shrine, demanding retribution. Miraculously granted the power to reshape reality itself, he returns transformed—his body whole, his resolve unyielding—to reclaim his home from Gonemon’s clutches. But divine gifts come at a cost: as Yaosuke rebuilds his legacy, shadows of greed and vengeance converge, threatening to unravel both his triumph and the fragile order of a society teetering between light and darkness. A tale where broken bodies harbor unthinkable power, and gods watch indifferently as mortals rewrite fate.