Modern Japanese Short Stories: Twenty-Five Stories by Japan’s Leading Writers

Modern Japanese Short Stories is a remarkable collection of Japanese stories from the pioneers of contemporary Japanese literature. This volume’s twenty-five stories by as many authors display a wide range of style and subject matter—offering a revealing picture of modern Japanese culture and society.

The stories in this anthology include:

“Tattoo” by Junichiro Tanizaki—a large spider tattooed on the back of a young woman results in unexpected changes
“Autumn Mountain” by Ryunosuke Akutagawa—vivid memories of a beautiful painting leads a man to wonder if the it ever actually existed
“The Priest and His Love” by Yukio Mishima—a Buddhist priest finds his path to enlightenment challenged after falling in love
“The Moon on the Water” by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata—a young woman who cared for her ailing first husband through most of their marriage regrets remarrying after his death

Featuring a new foreword by Japanese literary scholar Seiji Lippit and striking woodcut illustrations by Masakazu Kuwata, the stories are translated by the editor, Ivan Morris, and Edward Seidensticker, George Saito, and Geoffery Sargent. This collection of short stories shows why Japanese literature is so highly valued today—it teaches not only about Japan, but about the human condition and the possibilities of art.