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House of the Lost on the Cape (The) by Sachiko Kashiwaba

Title: House of the Lost on the Cape (The)

Author: Sachiko Kashiwaba

Translator: Avery Fischer Udagawa

Illustrator: Yukiko Saito

Publisher: Restless Books (USA)

Date Published: 2023

Format: Hardback

Genre:

Book Category: Fiction

Age Range: 9-11

Original Title: First published in Japanese as Misaki no Mayoiga, Kondansha Ltd, Tokyo, Japan, 2015

Country of Origin: Japan

House of the Lost on the Cape (The)

by Sachiko Kashiwaba
Age Range: 9-11

Honor Winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award 2024

Set in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan in 2011, three generations of women come together – Yui, who is fleeing her violent husband and Hiyori, an orphan, (who does not speak as a result of recent childhood trauma) are befriended by the mysterious elderly Kiwa in a shelter in the small town of Kitsunezaki. Kiwa, (who they call Obāchan or grandma), finds them an uninhabited property – a mayoiga (lost house) at Fox Cub Cape overlooking the sea where the three of them can live together. As they adapt to their new life Obāchan regales them with local legends from a shapeshifting fox to a red-eyed demon child known as Agamé and a menacing sea snake who preyed upon the grief and fears of the townspeople, until they were able to trap the snake in an underwater cave.

The tsunami has destroyed the shrine that was built over the cave of the sea snake and when strange and sinister events begin to occur in Kitsunezaki, Obāchan fears the worst. Has the earthquake and tsunami disturbed Agamé and the evil sea snake releasing them into the world again?

“Agamé’s claws and the sea snake grow into monsters by feeding on people’s dark thoughts … Right now Kitsunezaki is full of exactly the kind of thoughts that fuel them” says Obāchan.

Obāchan, Yui and Hiyori join forces with a cheerful group of kappa cucumber-loving river spirits, a bold zashiki warashi house spirit, and Buddhist Jizö guardian statues that travel from all over Japan to save their new community and to banish Agamé and the snake once and for all.

Japanese author Sachiko Kashiwaba skilfully weaves modern-day life and the terrible effects of the earthquake and tsunami with folklore from the Töhoku region. Mythology and reality blend seamlessly in this powerful story, beautifully translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, (their winning combination won the Bachelder Award for Temple Alley Summer in 2022), and accompanied by bold black-and-white illustrations by Yukiko Saito.

Although this is a children’s book, Kashiwaba does not hold back with her descriptions of the disaster. The destruction of the town of Kitsunezaki is acutely observed. The shops have been deserted and abandoned pets become a problem. The roads are “cracked, ribbed like a washboard, or passable only on one side”. She also tackles real-life issues such as the loneliness of a young child who has recently suffered a devastating loss as well as that of domestic violence which all make up the back story.

The House of the Lost on the Cape was initially serialized in the Junior Weekly section of the Iwate Nippo newspaper from May 2014 to July 2015. Iwate Prefecture is where Kashiwaba lives and is also located in the Tohoku region.

The event on 11 March 2011 in Töhoku was a triple disaster. The earthquake triggered a tsunami that may have reached heights of up to 40 meters causing massive destruction wiping out coastal towns as well as disabling the reactor cooling systems at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant which caused a release of radiation at 10,000 the normal levels. The disaster resulted in 19,759 deaths, 6,242 injuries, and 2,553 missing persons.

A novel that has many strands and something to say to readers of any age.