ABSTRACT
As I peruse the galley proofs in front of me, I find myself beset by a mixture of emotions; I am at once happy and sad, and a bit anxious as well. I am delighted to see my third book in print, but when I think that with the publication of this book I will have brought to a conclusion many years of research on karayuki-san, I cannot help but feel sad. Then, when I consider that the publication of this work may bring about some unexpected inconvenience to those who assisted me or of whom I wrote, I feel quite uneasy.
