Mrs. Yasui and Other Writings

What does a life of devotion seek in return? In Mrs. Yasui, Mori Ōgai follows the marriage of a brilliant but disfigured scholar and a beautiful young woman whose choices puzzle everyone around her. Their household history opens into a question that public success cannot answer.

Four further writings explore the limits of appearances and judgment. An official approaches the legendary monks Hanshan and Shide with imposing titles and misplaced reverence. An essay compares German and Japanese words for ambition, indignation and making oneself ridiculous. A restaurant worker’s familiar story leads from winter darkness to a terrible discovery.

The collection closes with The Letter Courier, in which a Japanese officer attending Saxon military maneuvers becomes the confidant of a noblewoman seeking escape from an arranged marriage. First published between 1891 and 1916, these five complete works bring historical biography, Buddhist humor, cultural criticism and fiction together. Concise notes explain names, customs and supplied inconsistencies while keeping Ōgai’s questions open.