Kan Kikuchi (1888–1948)

I stumbled upon this play when skimming through an anthology of Asian literature & decided to read it with my college students. We really enjoyed reading this funny and sweet play about family, love and acceptance.

Written by Japanese playwright Kikuchi Kan, often known as the tycoon of the literary world, the plot basically revolves around a father who is concerned about his 24 year old son who climbs on the roof to watch the sunset. Dad's worried that his son is not right in the head and show more will hurt himself & embarrass the family. His brother helps Dad realize that as long as bro own't hurting himself, why not let him enjoy the sunset. In other words "a madman who is able to enjoy the beauty of a sunset is far better off then the fully sane man who doesn't." show less

Based on a true story, tells of a repentant killer who devotes his life to carving a tunnel through a mountain by hand. A rare sample in English of the work of Kan Kikuchi, who was a major writer in Japan but little known here.