A myth more real than history. A false past obscuring the truth. As Yui Akiko crisscrosses Japan, watching for signs of the gods' return, she recalls the days before the Great Spirits' ancient imprisonment and the war that almost destroyed the world.
Keith Yatsuhashi was born in 1965 in Boston, MA. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1989 and is currently the Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Keith was a competitive figure skater for ten years, winning the U.S. National Junior Dance Championships in 1984, a bronze medal in the 1983 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and a silver medal in 1984. In addition to his love of writing, Keith enjoys many hobbies such as golf, reading, and playing football and hockey with his sons. Keith currently lives in Norfolk, MA with his wife, Kathleen and three children.
One of the questions readers asked me the most about Kojiki was a variation on: "what does Kojiki mean?" To avoid such questions with Torii, I open the book with the text you see beside this 'author insight'. Doing so gave me the opportunity to let the reader understand what a torii gate is and how it fits into the overall story. Mix in a little urgency and mystery, and you have the hook that will hopefully pull the reader in.
Book Excerpt
Torii A Kojiki Prequel
“From the beginning, Japan’s torii gates were always equal parts door, marker, and warning: a door to the spiritual world; a marker to where the kami, Earth’s Great Spirits, are locked away; and a warning of their eventual return. Sooner or later—later if we are lucky—the torii will fail, and the kami and their unfinished war will escape to torment the world one last time.” —Takeshi Akiko
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