This collection of short stories, including many new translations, is the first to span the whole of Japan's modern era from the end of the nineteenth century to the present day. Beginning with the first writings to assimilate and rework Western literary traditions, through the flourishing ofthe short story genre in the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the Taisho era, to the new breed of writers produced under the constraints of literary censorship, and the current writings reflecting the pitfalls and paradoxes of modern life, this anthology offers a stimulating survey of the development ofthe Japanese short story.Various indigenous traditions, in addition to those drawn from the West, recur throughout the stories: stories of the self, of the Water Trade (Tokyo's nightlife of geishas and prostitutes), of social comment, love and obsession, legends and fairytales. This collection includes the work of two Nobelprize-winners: Kawabata and Oe, the talented women writers Hirabayashi, Euchi, Okamoto, and Hayashi, together with the acclaimed Tanizaki, Mishima, and Murakami.The introduction by Theodore Goossen gives insight into these exotic and enigmatic, sometimes disturbing stories, derived from the lyrical roots of Japanese literature with its distinctive stress on atmosphere and beauty.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Sansho the Steward, Mori Ogai
The Third Night, Natsume Soseki
The Bonfire, Kunikida Doppo
Separate Ways, Higuchi Ichiyo
The Peony Garden, Nagai Kafu
Night Fires, Shiga Naoya
Aguir, Tanizaki Jun'Ichiro
Blowfish, Satomi Ton
Portrait of an Old Geisha, Okamoto Kanoko
In a Grove, Akutagawa Ryunosuke
The Bears of Nametoko, Miyazawa Kenji
Spring Riding in a Carriage, Yokomitsu Riichi
Carp, Ibuse Masuji
The Izu Dancer, Kawabata Yasunari
Lemon, Kajii Motojiro
The Accordian and the Fish Town, Hayashi Fumiko
The Flower-Eating Crone, Enchi Fumiko
Blind Chinese Soldiers, Hirabayashi Taiko
In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom, Sakaguchi Ango
Passage to Fudaraku, Inoue Yasushi
Merry Christmas, Dazai Osamu
The Expert, Nakajima Atsushi
The Rifle, Kojima Nobuo
Unzen, Endo Shusaku
The Bet, Abe Kobe
Three Policemen, Yoshiyuki Junnosuke
Onnagata, Mishima Yukio
Toddler-hunting, Kono Taeko
Mr Carp, Mukoda Kuniko
The Duel, Kaiko Takeshi
Prize Stock, Oe Kenzaburo
A Very Strange, Enchanted Boy, Tsushima Yuko
The Elephant Vanishes, Murakami Haruki
Desert Dolphin, Shimada Masahiko
Dreaming of Kimchee, Yoshimoto Banana
Biographical Notes
Filmography
Publisher's Acknowledgements