This novel stirred up a sensation in the literary circles and journalism in those days, because the content intentionally exagerated the desire and sexuality in its description; for example, there is a scene at the end of this novel that the main male character smelled the linging scent of his female disciple left on her futon.
末尾において主人公が女弟子の使っていた蒲団の匂いをかぐ場面など、性を露悪的にまで描き出した内容が当時の文壇とジャーナリズムに大きな反響を巻き起こした。