Modern Japanese Short Stories is a remarkable collection of Japanese stories from the pioneers of contemporary Japanese literature. This volume's twenty-five stories by as many authors display a wide range of style and subject matter—offering a revealing picture of modern Japanese culture and society.
The stories in this anthology include:
- "Tattoo" by Junichiro Tanizaki—a large spider tattooed on the back of a young woman results in unexpected changes
- "Autumn Mountain" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa—vivid memories of a beautiful painting leads a man to wonder if the it ever actually existed
- "The Priest and His Love" by Yukio Mishima—a Buddhist priest finds his path to enlightenment challenged after falling in love
- "The Moon on the Water" by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata—a young woman who cared for her ailing first husband through most of their marriage regrets remarrying after his death
Featuring a new foreword by Japanese literary scholar Seiji Lippit and striking woodcut illustrations by Masakazu Kuwata, the stories are translated by the editor, Ivan Morris, and Edward Seidensticker, George Saito, and Geoffery Sargent. This collection of short stories shows why Japanese literature is so highly valued today—it teaches not only about Japan, but about the human condition and the possibilities of art.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNDER RECONSTRUCTION by Ogai Mori
ORDER OF THE WHITE PAULOWNIA by Shusei Tokuda
HYDRANGEA by Kafu Nagai
SEIBEI'S GOURDS by Naoya Shiga
TATTOO by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
ON THE CONDUCT OF LORD TADANAO by Kan Kikuchi
THE CAMELLIA by Ton Satomi
BROTHER AND SISTER by Saisei Muro
THE HOUSE OF A SPANISH DOG by Haruo Sato
AUTUMN MOUNTAIN by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
THE HANDSTAND by Mimei Ogawa
LETTER FOUND IN A CEMENT-BARREL by Yoshiki Hayama
THE CHARCOAL BUS by Masuji Ibuse
MACHINE by Riichi Yokomitsu
THE MOON ON THE WATER by Yasunari Kawabata
NIGHTINGALE by Einosuke Ito
MORNING MIST by Tatsuo Nagai
THE HATEFUL AGE by Fumio Niwa
DOWNTOWN by Fumiko Hayashi
A MAN'S LIFE by Taiko Hirabayashi
THE IDIOT by Ango Sakaguchi
SHOTGUN by Yasushi Inoue
TIGER-POET by Ton Nakajima
THE COURTESY CALL by Osamu Dazai
THE PRIEST AND HIS LOVE by Yukio Mishima
