Hungry Ghosts – Finding The Past In Modern China

“Resolutely prevent not believing in Marx and Lenin and believing in ghosts and spirits.” – The Central Committee of the Communist Party, Opinions on strengthening the Party’s political construction, Xinhua News, February 27th, 2019   Above an ancient kiln, dating back over a thousand years, was the incongruous shape of a smokestack. Below at the...

Prayer of the Oni 6: The Storeroom

It was all behind her and she was back in the courtyard with the shrine gate and compared to the hell beneath the earth, which still clung to her through the stench of the dead on her skin and the blood on her face, it was almost beautiful. She entered it through the hole in...

Prayer of the Oni 5: The Bottom of the Well

Now she found herself in a fully-enclosed corridor with solid wooden walls on both sides, a kind of transitory area that led north and south and east as well. It was sparse in decoration, with only a few lanterns and a window above to let the moonlight in, it was as well thick with dust...

Prayer of the Oni 4: The Tunnels

In her dreams she saw that face from the wooden pendant that was the face of the oni grinning at her with its demonic countenance set in a snarl. It made no sound but watched her in the dark. Its teeth were fangs and its eyes were crimson and it would not let her escape....

Prayer of the Oni 3: The Courtyard

They came to the estate in what she supposed was within the Hour of the Rooster when it was dark but not yet midnight and the streets were quieting and great Heian-kyo was coming to rest with lanterns dimmed and doors closed, all voices behind wood and only the drunk and the dead out in...

Prayer of the Oni 2: Wisteria Tree Lane

2: Wisteria Tree Lane It was the first time that she had ever bathed indoors. She washed herself in a wooden tub with water taken from the hot spring beneath the inn they were staying at, and the water was warm and welcoming and while in the bathroom of the inn the girl did not...

Prayer of the Oni 1: The Market

“The reason why sinners are deceived by their own minds to suffer these cycles in this hell is because of their wrongful passions. The wardens scold the sinners by chanting a verse: ‘’Tis not another who acted evil; ‘tis not another who’ll receive its retribution. One reaps the fruits of one’s one actions; so it...

The End of the Holy Fools? – Abe, Bojo, And Populist Strongmen On The Brink

To state the very, very obvious – in Japan it sure looks like Shinzo Abe era is over. His shocking assassination by a lone wolf killer with a homemade shotgun is one hell of a news story – compared at once to the killing of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 and the murder of Socialist Party...

Short Fiction: The Rat Samurai in…”Chinese Takeout”

(a note: the first adventure of Sophie Samson can be found here) With the gun in its shrine in the corner cleaned and with purification seals all across it she went to her punching bag and practiced for a bit and then, stinking of sweat, crossed the abyssal wasteland of her apartment's water-damaged floorboards, strewn...

Short Fiction – The Rat Samurai

For a moment - just a moment - after waking, there was the bliss of life without sentience. Here she existed as a perfect being in accord with nature and with the myriad kami of the existing world who dwelt in all places and gave life to all things who in themselves were pure without...