These stories offer us an introduction to the complex oral traditions of the varied civilizations of one of the world's most fascinating regions. Exotic, clever

When a series of fires in Japan's capital points to foul-play, the famous samurai Judge Ooka puts 14-year-old Seikei on the case to discover who's behind them.

In eighteenth-century Japan, young Seikei becomes involved with a ninja as he helps Judge Ooka, his foster father, investigate the murder of a samurai.

In the aftermath of World War II, Kuki Kyūzō, a Japanese youth raised in the puppet state of Manchuria, struggles to return home to Japan. What follows is a w