Beyond the Werefox Whistle
Written by Uehashi Nahoko
Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai
Afterword to the Paperback Edition
A barren field in the early evening twilight in spring. The scent of plum blossoms wafts through the clear air. Cherry blossoms swirl like pale pink clouds.
Such images evoke something within me that is difficult to describe.
I know the smell of the mountains from my childhood, which I spent in my mother’s hometown on the shore of Lake Nojiri. I later moved to Tokyo, but I’ve carried the environment of my childhood with me for my entire life. I spent my summer vacations there while was a student, so I was able to experience the overwhelming horror of the pitch-black dark nights away from cities.
The barren fields of the past are not part of my childhood memories, but I can easily see tall silver grass rippling in the wind with crimson-dyed sunset clouds above it in my mind’s eye.
As I wrote in the afterword of the hardcover edition of this book, Beyond the Werefox Whistle’s setting isn’t specific to any part of Japan, nor is it set in a specific time period. The setting and the details all belong solely to my imagination.
What I wanted to write was a story where the characters emerged fully from the setting. The fields of silver grass existed before Nobi did, and Nobi and the other characters could not exist without them.
***
Incidentally, this is the first time Beyond the Werefox Whistle has been published in a paperback edition. I was deeply moved when I saw the publisher’s name and logo on the cover. I remember standing in front of bookshelves in bookstores as a child and choosing a book that felt like a treasure. Now this story has joined the ranks of those beloved books.
The hardcover edition of this book is a well-crafted work of art. This paperback edition is less luxurious, but more portable: a little friend that you can carry in your pocket. I sincerely hope that my readers enjoy both versions of the book.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Miyabe Miyuki and Kanehara Mizuhito, who assisted me greatly. Please send a thank-you email to these two on my behalf. I feel truly blessed to have received such a wonderful book at the end of this long process! It warms my own heart to read it.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Chiho Makino, who created the illustrations. The pictures just ooze ambiance, making me feel like I’m about to be sucked through a door to the dark world. Thank you as well to the people at Shinchosha who carefully produced this book.
Nobi has been given new life thanks to the support of so many people. May he run through the fields to his heart’s content, for as long as he desires.
Abiko
October 20, 2006
Uehashi Nahoko
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