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The Young Lord's Amorous MisadventuresAuthor: Yamamoto Shūgorō
| Original Title | 若殿女難記 |
|---|---|
| Author | 山本 周五郎 |
| Genre | Popular Fiction |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | Amidst unrelenting rains along the Tokaido highway, Kanaya’s red-light district thrives with stranded travelers. Among them is a strikingly handsome samurai, his lavish spending and crude charm captivating courtesans at the Osome teahouse. Yet his boisterous laughter and peculiar tics—rubbing his nose with a fist—clash with his noble appearance. A vigilant retainer shadows him, curtailing his escapades with sharp rebukes. Behind closed doors, a cabal of high-ranking Mori clan retainers plots: this samurai, Dengiku, is no mere reveler but a pawn in their scheme to replace the clan’s exiled heir. As floods trap travelers, whispers of impersonation and political betrayal swirl. The conspirators drill Dengiku to mimic aristocratic poise, threatening death for any misstep. Yet his nightly visits to Osome risk exposing the ruse. When masked assailants ambush him, a cryptic abduction hints at darker forces at play. With the real heir’s fate uncertain and Edo’s power balance at stake, every drunken jest and shadowed encounter teeters between farce and catastrophe—a dance of deception where one slip could unravel an empire. |
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