Doctor Twister and Other Writings

A newspaper reporter asks a celebrated philosopher for his views—and receives a magnificent lecture explaining almost everything by spirals. The more the professor demonstrates his universal theory, the harder it becomes to separate revelation from sheer boasting. In another register, the wandering monk Saigyō confronts an emperor’s vengeful spirit and later encounters the wife he left behind, whose anguish tests the meaning of religious renunciation.

This collection brings together four contrasting works by Kōda Rohan, one of the distinctive literary voices of modern Japan. Alongside the comic extravagance of “Doctor Twister” and the fierce Buddhist dialogues of “A Tale of Two Days,” “Old Tales of India” offers stories of brotherhood, compassion, and the wisdom of elders. “Flowers in Their Varieties” turns from arguments to the garden, discovering human character in blossoms, fragrance, thorns, and the changing seasons.

A complete new English translation preserves the differences between these voices: witty and insistent, grave and disputatious, gently instructive, or lyrical and contemplative. Short notes clarify selected names, allusions, and wordplay.