Moonlight and The Genius of the Future

A summer retreat beside the sea becomes a source of fear for Shizuo. Swimming, stories of sea monsters, and a moonlit encounter with Toshiko leave images he cannot shake, even after he returns to Tokyo. His sister’s concern only deepens his confusion, until an overheard conversation brings his distress into the open.

In the second story, a young painter receives an unexpected five-hundred-yen gift from his uncle. Delighted by the banknotes themselves, he buys new paints and canvases, dreams of painting Shizuko, and makes increasingly extravagant plans. A foggy walk brings a declaration of love; a pearl ring and a bolt of cloth lead him into a disconcerting interview with her father.

First published in 1921, these complete stories by Toyoshima Yoshio explore the strange proximity of happiness, anxiety, desire, and self-deception. This new English translation preserves their shifting moods and unresolved endings, with concise notes on names, period customs, artistic references, and the original texts’ irregularities.