An Adopted Husband: Sono Omokage

By Shimei Futabatei, Buhachiro Mitsui, Gregg M Sinclair

"An Adopted Husband" (Sono Omokage) is a landmark work of modern Japanese literature that explores the stifling constraints of social and familial duty in Meiji-era Japan. The narrative centers on the 'mukoy?shi' tradition, a system where a man is adopted into a family to marry the daughter and carry on the lineage. The protagonist, Tetsuya, is a scholarly man who finds himself trapped in such an arrangement, bound by obligation to a wife he does not love and a mother-in-law who views him with disdain.

The story takes a dramatic turn when Tetsuya falls into a tragic and forbidden love with his wife's younger sister, Sayo. This conflict between personal desire and rigid societal expectations serves as the core of the novel, offering a profound psychological study of character and the human spirit under pressure. Known for its realistic portrayal of domestic life and its rejection of traditional romanticized tropes, "An Adopted Husband" captures a society caught between ancient customs and the encroaching influence of modern thought. It remains an essential read for understanding the evolution of the Japanese novel and the universal struggle for individual identity within the confines of tradition.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025259408
• ISBN13: 9781025259406
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"