The stories included in this anthology take us back to feudal Japan, a country ravaged by wars, hunger and social injustice, forming a tormented scenario in which the painful contradictions of human existence are shown to the reader with a brutality not exempt of lyrical beauty.This book, transcending the borders of time and space, is situated in its own right in the history of universal literature. His extreme sensitivity and his ability to unravel the most terrible and complex aspects of human nature, make this story a true literary gem.