There are so many ghost tales floating around Japan that it's somewhat surprising there's any space left over in bookstores here for actual accounts of the living. In "Tales of the Ghost Sword," horror novelist Hideyuki Kikuchi presents nine bloodcurdling historical stories that depict the pathos of lower-class samurai who live for — and are held captive by — the sword. There's "Shadow Wife," the tale of a cantankerous swordsman who unwittingly helps a pair of young lovers take revenge on a skilled samurai who had murdered them.