Pathway to Japanese Literature

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

Scissors Cloth and PatternsAuthor: Kusaka Yōko

Original Title	鋏と布と型
Author	久坂葉子
Genre	Modern Short Fiction
Author Type	Female Author
Summary	In a cluttered studio strewn with fabric and scissors, a haunting encounter unfolds between Sawako Tanigawa, a meticulous dressmaker, and an uncanny mannequin that stirs to life. When a client’s ill-fitting suit sparks Sawako’s defensive pride—her measurements could never be wrong—the mannequin mocks her certainty, its inhuman voice dissecting human frailty: weight fluctuations, aging, love’s fleeting joys, and death’s inevitability. As their debate escalates, the mannequin becomes a merciless mirror, exposing Sawako’s fragile self-image as an acclaimed artist and wife clinging to illusions of control. Shadows of doubt creep in—is her talent a sacred gift or a hollow pose? The studio’s eerie music pulses as reality blurs, fabrics twist into metaphors of impermanence, and the mirror reflects not just bodies but crumbling identities. Who truly measures worth: the artisan crafting beauty or the lifeless figure unmasking her vanity? A chilling dance between creation and decay lingers long after the curtain falls.