Money and a Pistol and Other Tales

A thief and a miser try to outwit each other over a pistol and a thousand yen. Two boastful men discover that their strength can serve someone else’s purposes. A noisy insect ruins a concert, while a lonely child receives a telescope capable of carrying him to the moon.

These twelve tales by Yumeno Kyūsaku combine comic reversals, fantastical journeys, and sharp observations of greed, vanity, kindness, and trust. Some end with a joke; others turn unexpectedly dark. A horsefly repays a little girl’s help, a cat mistakes appetite for appreciation, and a farmer’s son promises a reward to a doll that might bring desperately needed rain.

First published in Kyūshū Nippō between 1923 and 1925, the stories reveal a playful and sometimes unsettling side of a writer celebrated for imaginative fiction. Their direct storytelling and memorable voices give each small episode a distinct character.