Pathway to Japanese Literature

Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.

'Chickweed'Author: Yamamoto Shūgorō

Original Title	やぶからし
Author	山本周五郎
Genre	Detective & Mystery
Author Type	Male Author
Summary	On a snow-dusted wedding night, sixteen-year-old Suzu clings to fragile hope: the Hosogai family’s warmth might finally replace the icy detachment of her childhood as an orphan. Yet her groom, Genjiro, reveals himself not as a protector but a tormented soul—a self-proclaimed libertine whose cruelty shatters her innocence. Disowned and exiled, he leaves Suzu adrift in a household that embraces her as their own. Years later, stability blooms—a loving second marriage, children, and purpose—until Genjiro resurfaces, gaunt and desperate, threatening to unravel her hard-won peace with extortion and violence. Suzu’s resolve is tested as shadows of the past collide with her devotion to family. Set against a backdrop of rigid Edo-era traditions, this haunting tale traces a woman’s journey from vulnerability to quiet strength, where buried secrets and a dagger’s cold weight hint at sacrifices yet to come.