Shirei

死霊

Shirei dates from the earliest period of Shirato Sanpei's career, appearing a year after his 1957 debut, Kogarashi Kenshi. It is notable for having never been reprinted, even as many of his earlier works have been reissued over the years. While the cover bears the title Shirei, the frontispiece is titled Noroi no Kage. Set in Showa-era Japan in the period immediately following the end of the Pacific War, the story portrays a father and son tormented by vengeful spirits of the dead that attack them again and again, along with their struggle to face these forces. The exact reason why it has remained out of print for so long since its original publication is uncertain, but the vivid depictions of the military oppressing innocent civilians in the South Pacific during the war—presented through the protagonist's father's flashbacks in the first half of the story—and the weight of the subject matter are thought to be factors behind the delay in its reissue.

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