The Moon Mirror

A watchman is poisoned by a stranger with a flask of “fine sake.” His widow sells herself into the Yoshiwara as a courtesan, to stand at the lattice and watch for the killer’s face. Elsewhere in Edo, a rōnin’s devoted daughter is branded a thief, throws herself into the river, and later begs in the snow—while her father is dragged before the magistrate for the same poisoning.

San’yūtei Enchō’s courtroom tale is told in the voice of the stage: digressions, cliffhangers, and the dry authority of two famous city magistrates who must untangle what the characters themselves cannot. Complete and unabridged in all ten original chapters, with concise notes and a documented source record.

A New English Translation in the series Japanese Classics in English Translation.