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Historical Japan

4 free-to-read stories tagged “Historical Japan”

Another Girl Under the Iron Bell

Angela Liu Uncanny 2024 Novelette Fantasy 9,679 words

"There is no limit to the number of curses in the world. For each one the monks try to exorcise, ten more take its place. We are not here because we enjoy it though. Please don’t misunderstand. As you dip into steaming bath waters, entwine your bodies...

Fairy Tale RetellingBodily AutonomyHistorical Japan

Content warnings 4

cannibalismsexual-violencesuicideviolence

The Stone Played at Tengen

R.H. Wesley Clarkesworld 2025 ShortStory Science Fiction 6,510 words

"The moon was full that night in the summer of Meiji 29 when three hundred and sixty new stars appeared in the sky. Glowing even brighter than the capital’s newly installed electric lamps, they formed a nineteen-by-nineteen grid. My wife, Tsuru, and I were...

First ContactMentorshipHistorical Japan

Content warnings 1

illness-and-pandemic

The Feast of Baku & the Yume no Seirei

Cheri Kamei Uncanny 2024 ShortStory Fantasy 1,758 words

"The women of Dejima Island could never pinpoint when their dreams began to change, but they knew it had something to do with the tradesmen’s tales. The foreigners who arrived at the docks were hard men, chiseled by salt and wind and all the horrors of two...

Folk HorrorDiasporaHistorical Japan

The Fox's Daughter

Richard Parks BCS 2021 ShortStory Fantasy 4,945 words

"When the messenger arrived at my Kamakura estate, I knew he wasn’t human, and that meant trouble. I read the letter three times, as if repetition would lead to better understanding. Foolish of me, as Lady Kuzunoha’s direct nature would not allow for...

Historical FantasyMentorshipHistorical Japan