Nightsong of Splendor

The narrative is set in the old Tokyo in August to September 1923. (Showa 12). The city is currently a combination of extremes: the past and the present, the wealthy and the impoverished, the good and the bad. In this metropolis, we witness both horse-drawn carriages and automobiles, swords and handguns, aristocrats and businesspeople. An upper-class woman from an affluent family is drawn to Taka, a charming young man. He and his younger brother appear to be allies with some of the city's criminal underworld, possibly not totally voluntarily (Yakuza). When the lady's attractive young maidservant, Sara, also sees him, a fight breaks out that can only result in tragedy, lust, and shame. But as time goes on and the days pass, the spectator notices that a tragic date is drawing near: September 1, 1923, at 11:58, when the Great Kanto Earthquake and tidal wave slammed Tokyo, killing approximately 100,000 people and making history's worst catastrophe.