The Box Man

novel by Abe Kōtō

Also known as: “Hako otoko”

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

The Box Man, avant-garde satiric novel by Abe Kōbō, published in Japanese in 1973 as Hako otoko. A bizarre commentary on contemporary society, The Box Man concerns a man who relinquishes normal life to live in a “waterproof room,” a cardboard box that he wears on his back. Like a medieval Buddhist monk, the man observes society’s goings-on but disdains any interaction with the world he has abandoned as a mad place.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.