The Mountain Road and Other Writings

A traveler on the road to Daibosatsu Pass listens as his companions argue about fiction, religion, science, and the mysteries of belief. Around this mountain conversation, fourteen other works open different paths through Japanese literary life: a hopeful political preface, a poet’s candid letter, revolutionary songs, memories of the shogunate’s final years, mahjong deception, and a strange journey among yellow flowers.

Kimura Kaishū remembers Fukuzawa Yukichi through a friendship spanning more than forty years, while Murayama Kaita watches Kyoto’s lamps and river in a twilight of wonder. Five prose pieces by Ogata Kamenosuke turn from poetry and publishing to household rules, separation, money, and the care of a young daughter.

First published or preserved in the supplied editions between 1887 and 1930, these fifteen complete works retain their distinct voices and forms. Brief reader notes explain references, source anomalies, uncertain names, and historical assumptions. AI-assisted translation, prepared and edited by Valentin Sarić.