The White-Haired Boy

A wandering boy with white hair carries a moon lute into a kingdom where stories do not stay on the page. A princess reads a mysterious book, a red parrot sings of things to come, and a jeweled snake turns human blood into rubies. Soon dreams, reflections, and stolen identities begin to govern waking lives.

As a fisherman’s daughter seeks a queen’s crown and a physician tries to guard an ancient secret, the boundaries between compassion and cruelty grow perilously unstable. Repeated songs reveal the world’s hidden history, while mirrors and doubles leave even the characters uncertain of who they are.

First published in 1922, The White-Haired Boy is a dark fairy tale by Sugiyama Hōen, the writer also known as Yumeno Kyūsaku. This complete English translation preserves its twenty-five chapters, extended verse passages, sudden reversals, and unsettling final image. Brief notes clarify names, traditional measures, and source details without interrupting the narrative’s strange momentum.