The Great Bodhisattva Pass, Book 20: Three Steps at the Dragon Gate

Yonetomo can no longer endure his nightly dreams of Fudō Myōō. Carrying away the image that troubles him, he searches for a way to dispose of it—only to become entangled in the fate of a lottery winner whose small mishap threatens his life. Yonetomo’s impulsive rescue reveals both his extraordinary spear skill and his willingness to bear another man’s punishment.

Elsewhere, conversation turns to politics and the changing loyalties of the age. Songs, religious chants, wandering performers, and encounters along the roads carry comedy beside unease. Familiar characters assume disguises, repeat rumors, and seek opportunities, while others struggle with faith, memory, and attachment.

This complete English translation preserves all eleven sections of the twentieth book of Nakazato Kaizan’s epic. The detailed martial passages, full songs, biwa quotations, historical digressions, and uncanny mountain scenes remain intact. The final movement toward Ryūnosuke’s confinement and uncertain vision leaves the difficult relation between spiritual darkness, flesh, and sight unresolved.