In 1956, shortly after his debut, Umezu Kazuo published this mystery novel as a new book from Osaka publisher Mishima Shobo. It was the first in a series of rental books starring the boy detective Misaki Ichiro. Even during the heyday of hard-boiled manga, the story is already overflowing with the supernatural, and the seeds of the author's later works can be seen. Misaki Ichiro appears unexpectedly in a rainy town, where he meets a strange old man known as the town's lord. The old man has taken out a photograph Ichiro had been carrying, and there is something spider-like in the photograph... *The e-book version does not include the "Forest Brothers and Sisters" and "Bottomless Town" Readers.
