Torikaebaya Monogatari: A Japanese Tale of Gender-Swapped Siblings

Torikaebaya monogatari is a twelfth-century Japanese tale like no other. As suggested by its title, which literally translates to "if only I could exchange them" (torikaebaya) "story" (monogatari), it follows the complications that arise when a nobleman has his two children swap genders—his son living as a woman, and his daughter living as a man. What unfolds is a tale of tragicomedy, familial love, and oblique social commentary as the two siblings embark on their secretly gender-crossed adult lives, subverting and satirizing literature of the period—most notably The Tale of Genji. In more recent times, the tale has sparked intellectual debate and creative inspiration in Japan, with its reception over time reflecting the ever-shifting views of gender and sexuality in that country. First published in English under the title The Changelings in 1983, this reissued edition of the translation by Rosette F. Willig, with an illuminating new introduction from Gustav Heldt, makes this enduring and inventive landmark of Japanese literature available to readers for the first time in decades.