Debut author, Keith Yatsuhashi, brings a wildly original fusion of Japanese myth, culture, and history to a heart-pounding epic of warring gods and gigantic beasts that’s unlike any book currently on the market.

“Kojiki is my homage to the anime shows I loved growing up. I wanted to infuse it with as much adventure and heroic moments as I could, everything from supernatural powers to giant, unstoppable beasts all wrapped into one big operatic story,” says Yatsuhashi. “It’s also a very intimate story of friendship, loyalty, love, loss, and redemption. For all the action, I wanted the characters to be front and center.”

When eighteen-year-old Keiko Yamada’s father dies unexpectedly, he leaves behind a one way ticket to Japan, an unintelligible death poem about powerful Japanese spirits and their gigantic, beast-like Guardians, and the cryptic words: “Go to Japan in my place. Find the Gate. My camera will show you the way.”

Alone and afraid, Keiko travels to Tokyo, determined to fulfill her father’s dying wish. There, beneath glittering neon signs, her father’s death poem comes to life. Ancient spirits spring from the shadows. Chaos envelops the city, and as Keiko flees its burning streets, her guide, the beautiful Yui Akiko, makes a stunning confession--that she, Yui, is one of a handful of spirits left behind to defend the world against the most powerful among them: a once noble spirit now insane. Keiko must decide if she will honor her father’s heritage and take her rightful place among the gods.

“Kojiki captures Japanese themes: family, honor, loyalty– but it has a bit of a spin in that most of the characters being tested by these themes are female,” adds Yatsuhashi. “I also infused a strong element of personal responsibility…about what happens when we do what we want instead of what we should, what it means, and how we live with what we’ve done. I believe that’s a great draw for readers of all ages.”