Suwa and her father live alone on the slopes of Horsebare Mountain, eking out the most meager of existences. During the warmer months the beautiful waterfall brings a few sightseers, but when winter comes there is only solitude. Suwa would do anything to escape the life to which her father has resigned himself. And the lure of the river is strong...
This early classic from the author of Japan’s greatest modern novel is a dark, elliptical tale of hopelessness that weaves the folklore of the mountains into an anti-coming-of-age story as vividly relevant today as it was when it was written nearly a hundred years ago.
Osamu Dazai (1909-1948) was one of the leading lights in Japan’s immediate postwar literary scene, thanks in particular to the stunning semi-autobiographical novel No Longer Human. His success was cut short, however, when Dazai drowned himself just shy of his 39th birthday.
Nekosuke (Art): Originally from Tottori Prefecture, Nekosuke illustrates book covers, games, CD jackets and more. Publications include Soirée: Collected Artworks, The Moon Over the Mountain (by Atsushi Nakajima), and Red Dragonfly (by Nankichi Niimi).
Suwa and her father live alone on the slopes of Horsebare Mountain, eking out the most meager of existences. During the warmer months the beautiful waterfall brings a few sightseers, but when winter comes there is only solitude. Suwa would do anything to escape the life to which her father has resigned himself. And the lure of the river is strong...
This early classic from the author of Japan’s greatest modern novel is a dark, elliptical tale of hopelessness that weaves the folklore of the mountains into an anti-coming-of-age story as vividly relevant today as it was when it was written nearly a hundred years ago.
Creators
Osamu Dazai (1909-1948) was one of the leading lights in Japan’s immediate postwar literary scene, thanks in particular to the stunning semi-autobiographical novel No Longer Human. His success was cut short, however, when Dazai drowned himself just shy of his 39th birthday.
Nekosuke (Art): Originally from Tottori Prefecture, Nekosuke illustrates book covers, games, CD jackets and more. Publications include Soirée: Collected Artworks, The Moon Over the Mountain (by Atsushi Nakajima), and Red Dragonfly (by Nankichi Niimi).
