A Record of Heaven

Kimi and Shūzō arrive in Tokyo hoping to remain together. Instead, their attachment becomes the means by which a network of brokers, proprietors, shopkeepers, and doctors holds them captive. Every apparent refuge carries another price, and every debt opens the way to further exploitation.

First published in 1930, Shimomura Chiaki’s A Record of Heaven exposes the machinery of a world where women’s bodies are traded, earnings are seized, and escape is met with surveillance and violence. Its sharply drawn alleys, cramped rooms, and hospital wards form the setting for a relationship that persists under increasingly destructive pressure. The title’s heaven is set against the earthly hell described by the characters themselves.

This complete English translation preserves all twelve sections, the opening verse, the source’s censored passages, and its uncompromising ending. Explanatory notes clarify historical terms, uncertain names, monetary inconsistencies, and the narrator’s medical and social claims. No passages are replaced with summaries. AI-assisted translation.