The Pagoda

This novel is a landmark in Japanese literature, widely known, read, and beloved. Sometimes known as "The Five-Story Pagoda," it tells the story of Jubei, a carpenter and craftsman, who dreams of building a pagoda for the Abbot of the Kannoji Temple. Despite his poverty, low station, and poor reputation-he is known as "the slouch"- Jubei's determined and uncompromising allegiance to his own vision bring him the possibility of raising a great work for the ages ... but will it stand against the howling demons of a tropical typhoon? Rohan Koda's The Pagoda (Gojunoto, ) first appeared in installments in 1891-1892. This first English translation was published in 1909. Sakae Shioya, the translator, was the author of When I Was a Boy in Japan (1906).
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