Hanako and Other Writings

What does an artist see that ordinary judgment misses? In Hanako, a Japanese medical student accompanies a young performer to Auguste Rodin’s studio. While he feels uneasy about the woman he has introduced, the sculptor discovers a beauty grounded in movement, strength and the life within a body.

The Snake takes a traveler into a wealthy household where mourning, marital silence and a woman’s ceaseless speech disturb the night. Her Life Story follows a maid’s account of poverty, affection and abandonment, told to a guest whose curiosity is not as detached as he imagines.

Mori Ōgai’s collection also includes the original version of The Last Testament of Okitsu Yagoemon, together with the author’s explanation of its historical sources and revisions. All supplied entries are presented complete, with concise notes on customs, readings and period attitudes. Hanako is supplied twice as an exact duplicate and both clearly labeled positions are preserved: five collection entries, four distinct works, first published between 1910 and 1912.