But the historically false conceit that certain Taira clan generals survived and remain in hiding is central to the plot, and the kitsune (fox-spirit) character Genkurō is of course also invented.
As well as historical novels such as Araki Mataemon and Odoriko Gyojoki, Naoki wrote biographies of historical figures — including Kusunoki Masashige, Ashikaga Takauji, and Genkuro Yoshitsune — and contemporary social fiction, including Nihon no Senritsu ("Japan Shudders") and Hikari: Tsumi to Tomoni ("Light: With Crime").