It is 2071, and Mars is being slowly terraformed by many nations often cooperating in an uneasy truce that reflects tensions back on Earth. The water of the polar ice cap, the most important resource for all the Mars colonies, is jointly controlled by the US, China, Japan and Russia, and doled out to the second-tier colonizing groups (Europe, Canada, Australia, India) only grudgingly. A military build-up is under way as different groups jockey for control of this all-important resource, and then the bodies of what appear to be intellligent aliens are found under the Martian ice.
“Asamatsu Ken’s Queen of K’n-Yan is a fascinating story, and as Darrell Schweitzer states in his introduction, it is indeed a fine Cthulhu Mythos novel…”
—Brian Lumley
The mummy of a beautiful young girl from Shang Dynasty China is found in an ornate and astonishingly large underground tomb. Preliminary research shows that her cells contain reptilian DNA, and a Japanese research lab is asked to investigate further…
Kaiki: Weird Tales from Japan
A comprehensive 3-volume collection selected and with commentary by
HIGASHI Masao
Japan has a long history of weird and supernatural literature, but it has been introduced into English only haphazardly until now. This three-volume anthology will cover over two centuries of kaiki literature, including both short stories and manga, from Ueda Akinari’s Ugetsu Monogatari of 1776 to Kyōgoku Natsuhiko’s modern interpretations of popular tales in Furui Kaidan-Mimibukuro Yori. Selected and with commentary by Higashi Masao, a recognized researcher and author in the field, it will systemize and introduce the scope of the field and help establish it as a genre of its own.
Hanatsumi Nikki
The Flowers of Italy
By Masaharu ANESAKI
Translated with an introduction by
Susanna FESSLER
Masaharu Anesaki (1873-1949) was a leading member of Japan’s most interesting generation: the second generation of Meiji scholars, who lived in a highly-educated if not rarefied world that blended Japanese and Western traditions in a way that made them unique in their country’s long history.
This neglected classic of travel writing, philosophy, history, and comparative religion has been out of print in Japan for nearly a century. Its publication in English translation will open a fascinating vista for scholars and general readers, into the mind of modern Japan — as it stood at the crossroads of modernity.
Japan in Five Ancient Chinese Chronicles —
Wo, the Land of Yamatai, and Queen Himiko
by Massimo SOUMARÉ
Translated by Davide MANA
Edited by Mark HALL
For the first time in English, this work presents a comparative study of the content of famous Chinese historical texts that are fundamental in the knowledge of Japan’s ancient history. Soumaré translates documents from the Chronicle of the Wei to the History of the Song, thus providing an unparalleled resource for scholars, students, and general readers with an interest in Japanese history and culture.
Japan in Five Ancient Chinese Chronicles is a stimulating and valuable investigation into the earliest periods of Japanese recorded history. Archaeological finds from Japanese tombs can be better understood by combining Japanese historical resources such as the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki with precise dating of the Chinese dynastic histories. Massimo Soumaré’s original research sheds new light on formerly obscure aspects of intercultural exchange, and contributes to our knowledge of the whole of Eastern Asia.
Speculative Japan
Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy
Selected and edited by
Gene van Troyer
and Grania Davis
“…the stories you’ll find collected here will broaden your view of what is possible or imaginable, provoking unusual - and sometimes uncomfortable - thoughts. That is as it should be.”
- David BRIN, Preface
The first book in a planned series, Speculative Japan presents a selection of outstanding works of Japanese science fiction and fantasy in English translation… and a glimpse into new worlds of the imagination. It was first released at Nippon 2007, the 65th World Science Fiction Convention in Yokohama, Japan, and then made available worldwide.
Lairs of the Hidden Gods, Volume 4
The Dreaming God
Edited by ASAMATSU Ken
Introduced by Robert M. PRICE
This well-received collection of original stories and articles inspired by the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ created by H.P. Lovecraft was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who’s-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today, and reviews demonstrate that the Japanese taste for horror can send shivers up English-speaking spines as well!
In cooperation with Tokyo Sōgensha, the Japanese publishers, and the anthology editor, Mr. ASAMATSU Ken, we are proud to present this fourth and last volume of the series, with a new selection of eerie masterpieces to delight and chill you. Each story is accompanied by a fascinating introduction by Robert M. Price, the recognized master of the Mythos.
The cover is by Yamada Akihiro, who is already winning fans with his “four seasons” approach to the four books in this series. In addition to handling many of the covers for the Japanese-language editions of Lovecraft and other Mythos works, he has built up a loyal following in the States as well for his work.
Ōsaka Gō: A Japanese author deeply in love with Spain, guitars and flamenco
Kurodahan Press is proud to present the first English translation of “Red Star of Cadiz,” an international suspense thriller that won author Osaka acclaim as a new master of the genre in Japan. The work has won three prestigious awards: the 96th Naoki Prize, the 40th Mystery Writers of Japan Prize, and the 5th Japan Adventure Fiction Association Prize. The perfect hard-boiled introduction to Japanese crime and suspense fiction!
The Edogawa Rampo Reader
Stories and essays by EDOGAWA Rampo
Edited and translated by Seth JACOBOWITZ
With an introduction by TATSUMI Takayuki
Edogawa Rampo (pseudonym of Hirai Tarō, 1894-1965) is the acknowledged grand master of Japan's golden age of crime and mystery fiction. He is also a major writer in the tradition of Japanese Modernism, and exerts a massive influence on the popular and literary culture of today's Japan.
The Edogawa Rampo Reader presents a selection of outstanding examples of his short fiction, and a selection of his non-fiction prose. Together, they present a full and accurate picture of Rampo as a major contributor to the Japanese literary scene, helping to clarify his achievements to the English-speaking world.
Lairs of the Hidden Gods, Volume 3
Straight to Darkness
Edited by ASAMATSU Ken
Introduced by Robert M. PRICE
This well-received collection of original stories and articles inspired by the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ created by H.P. Lovecraft was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who’s-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today, and reviews demonstrate that the Japanese taste for horror can send shivers up English-speaking spines as well!
In cooperation with Tokyo Sōgensha, the Japanese publishers, and the anthology editor, Mr. ASAMATSU Ken, we are proud to present this third volume of the series, with a new selection of eerie masterpieces to delight and chill you. Each story is accompanied by a fascinating introduction by Robert M. Price, the recognized master of the Mythos.
The cover is by Yamada Akihiro, who is already winning fans with his “four seasons” approach to the four books in this series. In addition to handling many of the covers for the Japanese-language editions of Lovecraft and other Mythos works, he has built up a loyal following in the States as well for his work.
The Black Lizard and
Beast in the Shadows
by EDOGAWA Rampo
Translated by Ian HUGHES
With an introduction by Mark SCHREIBER
Edogawa Rampo (pseudonym of Hirai Tarō, 1894-1965) is the acknowledged grand master of Japan’s golden age of crime and mystery fiction. Kurodahan Press takes great pleasure in presenting the first English language translations of these two short novels.
The Black Lizard is an entertainment. Beast in the Shadows is a gem coruscating with Rampo’s virtuosity as storyteller. Both novellas, Lizard especially, read like serials, their periodical origin heightened by [Kawajiri Hiroaki’s] illustrations. You finish one chapter thirsty for the next. And satisfaction is only a turn of the page away.
—Burritt Sabin, The Japan Times
…recommended reading for any English-speaking mystery fan.
—Tom Baker, Daily Yomiuri
Lairs of the Hidden Gods, Volume 2
Inverted Kingdom
Edited by ASAMATSU Ken
Introduced by Robert M. PRICE
This massive collection of original stories and articles inspired by the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ created by H.P. Lovecraft was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who’s-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today.
In cooperation with Tokyo Sogensha, the Japanese publishers, and the anthology editor, Mr. ASAMATSU Ken, we are proud to present this second volume of the series. Here you will find new vistas of horror - some stories with shock you, others force you to look at your daily life through new eyes. Each story is accompanied by a thought-provoking introduction by Robert M. Price, the recognized master of the Mythos.
The cover is by Yamada Akihiro, who handled the cover of Vol. 1 of the series, “Night Voices, Night Journeys,” and many of the covers for the Japanese-language editions of Lovecraft and other Mythos works. He has built up a loyal following in the States as well for his work.
Kara Monogatari: Tales of China
By Wade GEDDES
The second work in our collaborative publishing program with the Center for Asian Studies at Arizona State University, this work includes a study and a complete, annotated translation of the late twelfth- or early thirteenth-century Japanese tale collection, the Kara monogatari (Tales of China).
Lairs of the Hidden Gods, Volume 1
Night Voices, Night Journeys
Edited by ASAMATSU Ken
Introduced by Robert M. PRICE
This massive collection of original stories and articles inspired by the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ created by H.P. Lovecraft was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who’s-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today.
In cooperation with Tokyo Sogensha, the Japanese publishers, and the anthology editor, Mr. ASAMATSU Ken, we are proud to present these dark visions of the Mythos as interpreted by Japanese authors. You will find some stories that return like old friends, carrying on the Lovecraft tradition, while others will shock you with totally new and unexpected vistas of horror. Each story is accompanied by a thought-provoking introduction by Robert M. PRICE, the recognized master of the Mythos.
The cover is by YAMADA Akihiro, who has handled many of the covers for the Japanese-language editions of Lovecraft and other Mythos works, and has established a name for himself in the States as well.
Akutagawa and Dazai: Instances of Literary Adaptation
By James O'BRIEN
The first work in our collaborative publishing program with the Center for Asian Studies at Arizona State University, containing translations of three short stories by Dazai Osamu and six by Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
Herbert A. Giles and China:
Two Early Classics of Modern Sinology
by Herbert A. GILES
Modern sinology--the study of things Chinese--may trace its roots back centuries to Marco Polo, Byzantium and even Imperial Rome, but to a great extent it was built on foundations laid and extended by Herbert Giles, a consul for the United Kingdom in China and later a professor at Cambridge University. Even after his 26-year tour in China was completed and he returned to his native England, he continued to author a large number of scholarly works and translations on China and the Chinese.
Two of these, Chinese Sketches (1876) and The Civilization of China (1911), are now available in a single volume, revealing once again his piercing observations and a glimpse of a very different China.
Administrator, or Shiseikan in Japanese, took the Japanese SF community by storm when first published in 1974. Unlike traditional space opera, it pushed technology into the background to present a compelling portrait of colonial governors, the Administrators, trapped between the conflicting demands of Federation government, native inhabitants, and Terran colonists.This collection of four novelettes, the first volume of an extensive series of works set in the same universe, touches on key stages in the development of the Administrator system and the robots designed to support and protect it.
This important work of Japanese science fiction presents the story of Yūichi, a youth who escapes the regimented world of Japanese society for the beauty and freedom of Aphrodite, a floating island city built by the visionary Mr. Caan. Excited by the seemingly limitless potential of Aphrodite and confident of his own future, Yūichi encounters a new world: friendship, responsibility, love, and growing up.
Seen through the pattern of Yūichi’s life, however, is the evolution and development of the true heroine of the work: the island city Aphrodite--ever beautiful, ever filled with the limitless energy of creation. And as the global economy spirals downward, leaving Aphrodite a deserted slum slated for destruction, perhaps Yūichi is the only person who can save her…
Ideal for young adult readers, but with a philosophical depth to make it a thought-provoking and rewarding book for adult readers as well.
Kuunmong - literally “Nine Cloud Dream” or “The Cloud Dream of the Nine” - has been an immensely popular work in Korea for centuries. Originally written in about 1689, it is hailed as one of the earliest works of literary prose fiction to emerge from the Korean cultural background. Although this classic novel remains in print in many editions in Korea, China, and Japan, it has long been out of print in the English language. We are proud to make this monumental work available again.
In addition to the complete text translation by James S. Gale, Susanna Fessler of the State University of New York at Albany provides an introduction to the novel, and Francisca Cho of Georgetown University contributes a detailed literary analysis of the work. We also reproduce the original introduction and notes, and numerous illustrations, from the first English edition of the Gale translation.