The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi ; And, Arrowroot

"The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi and Arrowroot reflect Tanizaki's preoccupation with man's sexual and psychological nature. Both novellas stem, in the fashion of Stendhal, from a purported historical investigation. The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi is the bizarre, outrageous, and maliciously comic tale of a sixteenth-century warrior lord's fixations; Arrowroot describes one man's search for truth and legend in a small Japanese village. Written in lyrical prose, yet with a firm sense of humor and the absurd, these two powerful novellas illustrate why Tanizaki is esteemed by many as Japan's greatest modern writer."--Back cover.