"" is a short story by

Kyōka Izumi , real name , was a Japanese people, Japanese author of novels, short stories, and kabuki plays who was active during the Empire of Japan, prewar period. Kyōka's writing differed greatly from that of the naturalist writers who dominated the li ...

. It was first published in 1895.

Plot

The story is set during the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. Countess Kibune is about to have surgery, but she refuses to receive anesthesia because she has secrets to conceal.

Movie

In 1992 a film based on this story was produced by

Genjiro Arato was a Japanese film producer, actor and director. Career In 1980, Arato produced ''Zigeunerweisen'' for director Seijun Suzuki. He was unable to secure exhibitors for the film and famously exhibited it himself in a specially-built, inflatable, ...

with the

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

studio, directed by

Bandō Tamasaburō V (born 25 April 1950) is a Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated ''onnagata'' (an actor specializing in female roles) currently on stage. He has also acted in a handful of films. Life and career Born in 1950, Shin'ichi Morita was a ...

.Gekashitsu, Japanese Movie
/ref>

Cast

Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress and activist. She has won four Japan Academy Best Actress awards, more than any other actress, and has been called "one of the foremost stars in the postwar world of film." Career Her first media appearance was in the radi ...

Masaya Kato is a Japanese actor from Nara in the Kansai region. Life and career He is currently attached to Burning Production. He stands at 183 centimeters. He practices martial arts and performs his own stunts in movies. Filmography Films *1988: ''Shiro ...

Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...

* Nakamura Kankurō V

References

1895 short stories 1992 films Japanese short stories 1990s Japanese films {{1990s-Japan-film-stub