Fire Gun and Other Stories

A scientist brings a terrifying discovery to a police station in an earthquake-stricken city. The object looks dangerous, his explanation sounds authoritative, and the detectives prepare to search. Yet a few ordinary questions begin to unsettle everything he has told them.

Fire Gun gives its title to five stories of misplaced certainty, wounded pride, and uneasy dependence. A prosperous farmer regards a plea for disaster relief as trouble to be sent away. A young man discovers that the friend who arranged his affair cannot stop interfering. A woman who has served her term in the pleasure quarter travels to a student’s family home, hoping to discover whether his promises can support a different life. A neglected wife seeks relief from humiliation and finds another kind of entanglement.

Tokuda Shūsei observes these lives through conversation, withheld explanations, and small changes of feeling. Written between 1896 and 1923, the stories appear complete in a new English translation, with source details and brief explanatory notes. AI-assisted translation.