Featuring short stories “Shadow Wife,” the tale of the vengeful swordsman prodigy Hisama Sakakibara, and “The Crawler,” the story of stubborn treasury official Genbei Chitsugi, this masterpiece collection of historical ghost stories depicts the pathos of lower-class samurai who live for and are held captive by the sword.

Hideyuki Kikuchi is a Japanese science fiction and horror novelist from Chiba. His debut novel, “Makai toshi: Shinjuku” (Demon City Shinjuku), brought him widespread notoriety in the supernatural fiction genre in Japan, drawing comparisons with Baku Yumemakura. He has published both novels and guide books for horror movies.

Ian MacDonald is a prize-winning translator. He holds a PhD in Japanese from Stanford University and specializes in Edo-period art and literature.