A stock boy is found to have made an expensive Matsusaka cow vanish from the cattle house right before shipment. But the question remains: How and why did the boy make a 700kg cow disappear?

Jukichi is a seasoned fisherman who can row a fishing boat with proficiency and catch an abundance of fish in the traditional way – until he comes across “naméso,” a sea beast. What will be the fate of the old fisherman, who has been on the sea for 80 years?

With its bright red pincers kept high above its head, a crab called Aka moves slowly along the highway. Can Shinichi, a lonely boy, help Aka reach the sea?

Irako, a cruel and heartless woman, murders a philandering and neglectful doctor by radiation exposure, thereby sealing her own fate. In her dying days, an unusual group of animals gather around Irako to provide solace as she fades away. Can their uncanny companionship transform her demon heart?

“Lost Souls, Sacred Creatures” features four stories written by award-nominated author Juko Nishimura.

Juko Nishimura is a popular and prolific Japanese writer from Kagawa. His debut novel “Inuwashi” (Golden Eagle) was given an honorable mention in the All Yomimono Prize for New Writers in 1969, and he has been nominated for several awards, including the Japan Mystery Writers’ Association Prize and the Naoki.

Jeffrey Hunter has worked as a translator and editor for 25 years, specializing in religion, philosophy, art, architecture, and both modern and Edo-period literature.