Abstract: There are three incest stories in Shiga Naoya's A Dark Night's Passing, of which the narrative is ethical in its nature from the perspective of ethical literary criticism. Kensaku's incest with his grandfather's concubine not only results from ethical chaos, but also results in worsening of ethical chaos. His mother's incest with her father-in-law by marriage makes him face the crisis of ethical identity. His wife's incest with her brother by blood results in the ethical tragedy of their family again. The incest destroys social normal ethical order and moral relations, because of which Kensaku falls into ethical dilemma. Only when he returns to the nature does, Kensaku get ethical salvation.

Key words: Shiga Naoya, A Dark Night's Passing, incest narrative, ethical dilemma, ethical salvation