Jinpū, a spy for the Mongol army, infiltrates Hakata but is abandoned along with his comrades after the main force withdraws. Now on the run, the group falls under the spell of Rinhoa, a priestess who serves the malevolent deity Kyūki. The mysterious beast that arrived during the Mongol invasion shifts its form: sometimes calmly observing, other times moving with haunting menace. An outstanding work of dark fantasy.
(Translator: ChatGPT with editing and adjustments by pm215)
I liked this a lot. It’s four vaguely linked short stories in the 怪談 ghost story kind of vein (and reminded me a bit of きつねのはなし, though it’s not exactly the same kind of linkage). The author has written horror novels, and although I wouldn’t classify this as horror and nor did the publisher, it does have some of those “ominous and deteriorating situation” vibes going on. Toward the end of at least two of the stories I found myself reading late into the night to find out how they would end.
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