“Book Descriptions: Japanese literature is well known for its unusual, disturbing, or downright scary stories, and Kyusaku Yumeno––a classic author whose name means “the eccentric dreamer”––personifies these dark elements.
The Spirit Drum, Yumeno’s debut work that gained him fame in the eye of the public, is the fateful tale of how a seemingly harmless musical instrument manages to bring ruin to a pair of families over several generations, a ruthless form of revenge for an ancient wrongdoing.
Influenced by Noh theater, the oldest form of traditional Japanese drama still performed in the modern day, The Spirit Drum is a memorable work of early 20th century Japanese literature, resplendent with that era’s culture and rich with an otherworldly atmosphere.” DRIVE