Japanese Gothic Tales

Contents

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Introduction: The Familiarity of Strange Places

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pp. 1-10

The comparison can be misleading, but it is a useful one to make for those who are unfamiliar with the general contours of Japanese literature: in the way that American scholars have had to ponder the stature of Edgar Allan Poe, readers of Japanese literature have had to wonder about how best to understand the accomplishments of Izumi Kyōka (1873–1939), another writer...

The Surgery Room (Gekashitsu, 1895)

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pp. 11-20

The surgery was to take place at a certain hospital in the Tokyo suburbs, and the Countess Kifune was the patient on whom my dear friend Doctor Takamine was to perform the operation. Driven by curiosity, I imposed upon Takamine to allow me to attend. In order to...

The Holy Man of Mount Kōya (Kōya hijiri, 1900)

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pp. 21-72

“I knew it wouldn’t do much good to take another look. But because the road had become unimaginably difficult, I lifted the sleeves of my kimono, made hot to the touch by the sun’s rays, and reached in for the ordinance survey map that I had brought with me. “There I was on an isolated byway...

One Day in Spring (Shunchū and Shunchū gokoku, 1906)

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pp. 73-140

“Who, me?” The still of the spring day, no doubt, had made it possible for the reply to come so quickly, like an echo to the wanderer’s “Excuse me, sir.” How else could it be? The old man, wearing a loosely fitting headband on his wrinkled forehead, had...

Osen and Sōkichi (Baishoku kamonanban, 1920)

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pp. 141-158

I’m embarrassed to say that the first thing that caught his eye was the scarlet of her crepe undergarment, bright as flame and dappled with cinnabar. Her skirts weren’t folded back but hiked up high and held between her knees, allowing the crepe slip to flow softly down, hugging her white ankles, which were apparently being spared the kimono’s unpleasant wetness. On her bare feet,...

Afterword: A Discussion of the Tales

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pp. 159-202

Kyōka’s first published work was Crowned Yazaemon (Kanmuri Yazaemon), which appeared serially in the literary column of the Kyoto Morning News (Kyōtō hinode shinbun). Beginning its run on October 1, 1892, it turned out to be far from the great success for which Kyōka had hoped. In fact...