A young man from a once-wealthy family wanders destitute outside a bustling capital. A mysterious, one-eyed old man appears and instructs him to mark the spot of his shadow in the setting sun; by returning at midnight to dig there, he discovers vast amounts of gold. This miraculous method repeatedly restores his fortunes whenever he falls into poverty. Initially, he enjoys extravagant banquets and lavish luxuries, and countless acquaintances flock to him during his brief periods of wealth. However, as his riches vanish, so does the loyalty of those around him, leaving him bitterly disillusioned with humanity’s superficiality. In despair over this fickleness, he declares that he no longer desires money. The old man reappears offering not more wealth but the chance to become his pupil in the mystical arts. Accepting the offer, the young man embarks on a magical journey, riding a bamboo stick that soars into the sky toward the mystical mountains. Upon arriving at a remote rock formation high on the mountains of Emeishan, the master instructs him to observe strict silence—a necessary condition for mastering magic. Alone in the harsh wilderness, the pupil encounters a series of supernatural ordeals. He endures ominous signs—a sudden thunderstorm, confrontations with a fierce tiger and a gigantic white snake, and inexplicable phenomena that threaten his life. His silence is further tested when a towering, armored war god appears, demanding answers. Despite the war god’s anger and lethal threats, the young man maintains silence as decreed. When the deity finally kills him with a spear, his mortal life ends on the rock. His soul then embarks on a grim descent into the underworld, crossing a dark, icy passage to a magnificent infernal palace. Here he faces countless tortures by cruel devils, who subject him to physical and spiritual torment across horrific landscapes—the Mountains of Swords, the Pond of Blood, the Valley of Flames, and the Sea of Ice. In a particularly agonizing trial, his parents—diminished and transformed into suffering horses—are brought before him. The underworld king orders their punishment to force him to break his vow of silence. Unable to withstand the unbearable grief elicited by their pain, he finally cries out for his mother. This utterance, though born of deep emotional anguish, marks his failure to adhere to the silent path required to become a true magician. The old master reproaches him for breaking his silence, yet recognizes the profound internal change the torment has wrought upon him. Rejecting the empty pursuit of magic and the cycling fortunes of wealth, he declares his intent to lead an honest, humane life. In a final gesture of compassion, his mentor grants him a home with surrounding lands at the foot of a great mountain, urging him to settle in repose among blooming peach trees. Thus, the tale follows a cyclical rise and fall—a journey through fleeting riches, mystical instruction, and a harrowing descent into an infernal realm—that ultimately leads the protagonist to reject vanity and insincerity in favor of a life grounded in genuine human decency.
By Akutagawa Ryūnosuke · First published 1918 · Genre: Fantasy, Mythology, Magical Realism · 5 chapters