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Reprint of the 1908 collection of Japanese fairy tales.CONTENTS.MY LORD BAG OF RICETHE TONGUE-CUT SPARROWTHE STORY OF URASHIMA TARO, THE FISHER LADTHE FARMER AND THE BADGERTHE "shinansha," OR THE SOUTH POINTING CARRIAGETHE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOYTHE STORY OF PRINCESS HASETHE STORY OF THE MAN WHO DID NOT WISH TO DIETHE BAMBOO-CUTTER AND THE MOON-CHILDTHE MIRROR OF MATSUYAMATHE GOBLIN OF ADACHIGAHARATHE SAGACIOUS MONKEY AND THE BOARTHE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILLFUL FISHERTHE STORY OF THE OLD MAN WHO MADE WITHERED TREES TO FLOWERTHE JELLY FISH AND THE MONKEYTHE QUARREL OF THE MONKEY AND THE CRABTHE WHITE HARE AND THE CROCODILESTHE STORY OF PRINCE YAMATO TAKEMOMOTARO, OR THE STORY OF THE SON OF A PEACHTHE OGRE OF RASHOMONHOW AN OLD MAN LOST HIS WENTHE STONES OF FIVE COLORS AND THE EMPRESS JOKWA ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An amazing collection of mythology
I suppose that some of the work in this book, one of a 13 volume set written between 1916 and 1932 (reprinted in the 1960s), has been changed by more recent scholarship, but there is still nothing to equal this fantastic achievement. The set includes not only the more familiar myths such as Greek and Roman, but pretty well succeeds in its goal to include all of humanity. The text is extremely detailed but very readable; none of the turgid prose so often associated with academia. The volumes contain numerous illustrations, both in the text and as plates (mostly black & white.)

One of the most useful parts of the set is the final volume, an extremely detailed index, which allows the reader to pursue a theme, or even a topic as specific as the significance of belts, across all the volumes.The individual volumes do not have their own indices, but the tables of contents are fairly detailed.The books appear to have been issued without dust jackets.

The 1964 reprint, and I suppose the older printing of this volume, has 61 text illustrations, 54 plate illustrations (3 in color), a map and an index of Chinese terms.

In the interest of fairness, I want to reveal that I am selling some volumes, but only because I got the extremely rare opportunity to buy a complete set, making these redundant

... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Yokai are Japan's traditional creepy-crawlies. Almost always encountered in the dark of night, they were once feared throughout the land. But they're more than just myth, more provocative than pop culture--references to yokai abound in Japanese idioms, and nearly every Japanese person has at least a passing knowledge of the most famous of these captivating creatures from times of old. Now, after collecting data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including first-hand accounts and microfilms of 18th-century publications stored in the National Diet Library in Tokyo, authors Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt have produced the first English-language guide to Japans yokai monsters. Original illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential visible appearance of each yokai. And alongside each and every one are data points allowing you to take in each yokai's characteristics at a glance.
Forget Godzilla.Forget the giant beasties karate-chopped into oblivion by endless incarnations of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and the Power Rangers.Forget the Pocket Monsters. Forget Sadako from The Ring and that creepy all-white kid from The Grudge.Forget everything you know about Japanese tales of terror.Their roots may extend back to days of yore, but Yokai Attack! will convince any reader that Japan's bewitching tradition of yokai monsters is far from being history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (65)

I Used to Think it was all About Godzilla, I was Wrong
I've been faithfully studying Japanese for about a year and a half and I think I'm progressing very well. I can find the loo, a restaurant, order food, get a cab, say I where I want to go and even eat with chopsticks. I know this is true, because I took a three week vacation a few months ago in Japan and was able to make myself understood. True, I've got a way to go before I understand them back, because they speak way way fast. But I'm getting there.

However there are some words you'll never, ever learn in a Japanese language course, be it a course in college, online or via software, even the excellent Rosetta Stone and that's the words in this book. They're words I'll probably never be able to use in conversation, words like "onibaba" which is a gruesome old woman who goes about collecting the livers of unborn children.

"Funa-yurei" is another word I've learned from this book. Funa-yurei are the souls of those who have drowned at sea. The rise from the ocean at sunset, band together and hunt fishermen who are foolish enough not to be back on the land as the ocean goes dark.

This book is billed as "The Japanese Monster Survival Guide" and if you're a student of Japanese, as I am, then this would be a wonderful little companion. The next time I go to Japan (probably a year away), not only will my language skills be so much better, but I'll really be able to impress folks with my knowledge of Japanese monsters and folklore. Imagine, I used to think monster wise it was all about Godzilla. I was oh so wrong. Even if you're not studying Japanese, you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of this book, especially if you're into Anime. This is a nifty little book which has become my new bathroom reader as the monster descriptions are short, entertaining and good. The illustrations are nice too.

Great book detailing Japanese monsters
We love this book.My kids always look at the pictures and are interested in the back stories of all the yokai.This is a great reference book for the Japanese monster lover.My 5 year old has memorized all the names and pretends to be his favorites.I get to play the role of Futakuchi Onna!This book is fun, informative, and a big hit in our house.

Incredible!
I purchased this book for my daughter who is really interested in anything Japanese and, as she was reading it in the car and telling me about it, I decided to look at it later, when I wasn't driving.

The book is a great read and a favorite amongst not only my daughter, but her friends, myself, and my mother.

Awesome FREAKIN BOOK! Read it in one sitting
P157 Nopperabo-like mujina Hawaiian urban legend believed to date to 1959 describes a par of faceless women combing their hair in the restroom of a popular movie theater.

Which theater?

The suggested cause for the haunting of the faceless woman was the fact that the Waialae Drive-In Theater was located next to a cemetery [theshadowlands][...].

Pearl City - Kaneohe - Kam / Kamehameha Highway - In Pearl City There is a old theater where in the woman's bathroom there would be a woman that's faceless lurking within. It is believed that if you see her you will die one-week later. She can have various hair colors. She would be wearing a kimono "dress". People of Kaneohe would have also been reported a faceless woman on the streets of Kaneohe.[release-me][...].

Lacking
Although it is a very good and informative book it fails to capitolize on some of the more famous Yokai in the Japanese mythologies. The Rokurokubi and Tengu are present of course, but there is no entry for the Oni, Jorogubi, or the Yuki-Onna. The book tends to focus on the more obscure Yokai, which can make it a bit of a disappointment for those hoping to find details of the more manga and anime present yokai they may have become familiar with. Also, be forewarned that the artwork inside is absolutely horrid. Literally, the art looks like hastily-pitched out doodles then the work of an 'influental' manga artist. The art work alone dropped off a star for this book for me. ... Read more

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Making Japanese Citizens is an expansive history of the activists, intellectuals, and movements that played a crucial role in shaping civil society and civic thought throughout the broad sweep of Japan's postwar period. Weaving his analysis around the concept of shimin (citizen), Simon Avenell traces the development of a new vision of citizenship based on political participation, self-reliance, popular nationalism, and commitment to daily life. He traces civic activism through six phases: the cultural associations of the 1940s and 1950s, the massive U.S.-Japan Security Treaty protests of 1960, the anti-Vietnam War movement, the antipollution and antidevelopment protests of the 1960s and 1970s, movements for local government reform and the rise of new civic groups from the mid-1970s. This rich portrayal of activists and their ideas illuminates questions of democracy, citizenship, and political participation both in contemporary Japan and in other industrialized nations more generally. ... Read more

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Japanese Fairy Tales is the first book writtten by Yei Theodora Ozaki.It is a delightful introduction to the culture of Japan.Originally published in 1903, these tales have been translated and adapted to a western audience while keeping their original charm.Including such great stories as The Goblin of Adachigahara, The Mirror of Matsayuma, The Ogre of Rashamon, and many more.Includes the original illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Omoshiroi
The stories in this book were very interesting and I enjoyed them. However, I do think it would be nice if the free Kindle edition contained the original illustrations. The same is true for most, if not all of the free classics for Kindle. But of course it is free.

Great book
This is a graet book on this set of Japanese Fairy Tales.When I first gt the book I was impressed with the cover it made me want toread it.The stories were great and the illustrations were good to.Its nice to see a book with illustrations.After being in contact the publisher I found out that there will be more books in this series.

Kakoi!
Since it was free I didn't really know what to expect but the stories are quite nice. Not all of them are light-hearted though and even with the ones with "happy endings" you still might not want to read them to kids.

Not well formatted for the Kindle
the stories are wonderful. a few of them match some of the stoies we heard while living in Okinawa with the military.

HOWEVER, I cannot give the Kindle version a 5 star like I would like to, because the formatting is absolutely horrendous.

A Child's Treasury of Japanese Fairy Tales
Originally published in 1903,Yei Theodora Ozaki's translation of Sadanami Sanjin's collection of Japanese fairy tales has been the introduction of many a young child into the legends and fables of old Japan across the years.Definitely not a scholarly reference or valuable research tool for folktale researchers, Ozaki unabashedly re-crafted some of the stories, translating loosely and adding in elements of unrelated tales, in order to make them more enjoyable and understandable for Western children.She even gave Urashimataro a happy ending!

There is something delightfully romantic about translations from this era, due to the unfamiliarity with Japanese culture at the time.Terms that would not be translated today, like "oni" and "samurai", are rendered as "ogre" and "knight" and other English equivalents.While unauthentic, this makes the stories more approachable by young children who have a mind for fantasy but haven't yet graduated to Japanese Studies.

While far from a picture book, artist Kakuzo Fujiyama contributed 66 beautiful drawings to illustrate the 22 tales. Unfortunately, all the illustrations are reproduced in black-and-white, instead of the original color plates included in the original pressings.

Many of the stories here are familiar with anyone even slightly interested in Japanese folklore."Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach, "The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad", "Kintaro the Golden Boy" and "The Ogre of Rashomon".Along with these, there are rarer tales that I haven't seen in any other Japanese fairy tale collection."The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa", "The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar" and "How and Old Man Lost his Wren" were all new to me. ... Read more

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This book examines the haunting, sad, and lovely depths of the Japanese soul by studying their idiosyncratic figures: terrible women who eat people, obscene escapes from the Oni monsters, brother-sister bonds, undersea dragon palaces, movements between "worlds". We learn why so few tales end in a "happily-ever-after" marriage, and why the female figure best represents the culture's ego and possible future.

Prof. Kawai, the first Jungian analyst in Japan, has received many honors including distinguished literary prizes for this book. He now holds a most senior position in the Ministry of Culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Disappointment
This book is one of the very few works available in English that discusses the psychological meaning of Japanese fairy tales. In fact, there are very few works in Japanese that look at these stories from a Jungian standpoint.

All in all, I am hard pressed to find what many others have found so praiseworthy. Psychological insight is surprisingly lacking in this work. While Kawai-san (1928-2007) takes care to summarize (which for most tales is unnecessary as they are included in an appendix), and sometimes resummarize these tales, he never goes into depth regarding what particular elements within a tale might mean. What is the meaning of the symbol and why is it there? What does the presence of that symbol imply about the Japanese psyche? These are the questions one would naturally ask in a work of this type. Unfortunately, almost all of these questions remain unanswered. What Kawai-san does do is list variations, draw correspondences with other Japanese and Western tales, and include comments he found notable from other sources. Then he discusses another tale, and the process begins again: summary, correspondences, notable thoughts from the outside. At times I felt like a frustrated professor overseeing an intelligent but otherwise unpromising graduate student. Yes, Mr. Kawai, but do you have any insights of your own to offer?

This book has many problems. I will list three short ones here, hoping they will suffice. Page 21: "Modern people are so far detached from this kind of [folk] wisdom that something which is essentially needless, the interpretation of fairy tales, becomes necessary." This sentence displays a fundamental lack of understanding of how fairy tales function. They function via the unconscious. Modern man is no less capable of receiving their message than "less modern" man. Interpretation is never required for these tales to have an effect on the listener (or reader). Interpretation is the means by which depth psychologists translate symbols into psychological concepts and gain understanding about how the psyche is structured.

Page 22: "We can interpret or analyze, without any other resources, the Western's story's complete form; but if we treat a Japanese fairy tale as an object in itself, separate from the subjective feelings in the reader's mind, its structure will confound any analysis." Really? Any analysis? I cannot imagine Marie-Louise von Franz making such a foolish statement. Granted, very few people have the appropriate quality and quantity of insights that would allow them to write an interpretative, psychological book. But if one does in fact write such a book, please don't tell the reader that a proper self-contained analysis cannot be conducted.

On page 80, in the story of the "Elder Sister and the Younger Brother," a story from Oki-no-erabu island, Kawai-san misapplies the trickster and savior archetypes. In this story the sister tricks her brother's tormentors into eating poisoned food after the brother ate such food and died. However, just because she tricked them doesn't mean she is an example of the Trickster archetype (who is not fundamentally motivated by revenge). And the fact that she ultimately saves her brother doesn't mean that she embodies the Savior archetype (who has an impulse to save much more than just his or her blood relations). This lack of a good grasp of the concept of archetypes is disturbing in a Jungian analyst and author.

The lack of an index is another disappointment.

In retrospect my readings of works by Jung, Marie-Louise von Franz, James Hillman, Edward Edinger and Joseph Campbell set my expectations rather high; I was looking forward to meaty insights and depth of understanding and sensitivity. For readers with some familiarity with Jungian concepts, any of von Franz's interpretations of fairy tales are highly recommended. Those looking to purchase this book are strongly cautioned; they will find little here to deepen their understanding of Japanese fairy tales.

Exploring the Japanese people through Fairy Tales
Much of a culture's beliefs and character are expressed in its fairy tales.They are the stories everyone learns from childhood, and the motifs teach children society's moral code in easily understandable and enjoyable parables.We can all remember the legends, the handsome princes and beautiful princess, the monsters and heroes.

For most Westerners, Japan's fairy tales, called mukashibanashi or "Tales of Long Ago", are entirely perplexing.They don't end the way we think they should, the morals are not easy to understand, and the characters behave in a bizarre fashion.Often, the moral of the story seems to be "don't look in the box".In fact, "don't look in the box" is the first theme discussed in Hayao Kawai's "The Japanese Psyche: Major Motifs in the Fairy Tales from Japan".

All in all there are nine individual themes in Japanese fairy tales identified by Kawai.For each one, she discusses the ramifications of the theme, and presents several stories that exemplify the theme.The themes are along the lines of "The Laughter of an Oni" and "The Woman of Endurance", using exploring an archetypal and reoccurring character of myth.

She often compares them with Western fairy tales, especially the rarity of a Japanese fairy tale ending with a wedding, as so many Western tales do.It is also interesting how the majority of major characters in Japanese fairy tales are women, with men playing a smaller role.This is a great contrast to Japanese society itself, and is an interesting topic of discussion.

This is a serious academic study, including graphs and charts, and isn't really a good book if you just want to read some cool fairy tales.It is an excellent resource, however, for thoselooking to explore Japanese fairy tales on a deeper level.I am very happy that this book was translated.

Intelligent, thoughtful critique of Japanese fairy tale archetypes
This translation, introduced by poet Gary Snyder, offers fantastic insights into Japanese culture as informed by Japanese myth and fairy tale. Ferociously intelligent, Hayao Kawai discusses the impact of ancient religion and the female-centered nature of many Japanese tales - figures such as the disappearing woman, the changeling wife, and the self-sacrificing older sister - will intrigue anyone who has wished to understand the phenomenon of strong female-centric anime or Manga, for instance, in a culture that has often been described as opressively patriarchal by those outside looking in. Also includes several translated versions of hard-to-find Japanese fairy tales. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A Good collection of mystery stories from Japan
If you're a fan of mystery and crime fiction who's looking for something a little different, this book is worth picking up.My only major complaint is that it's a little short.

Contents:

Foreword by James Melville
Introduction by John L. Apostolou
"The Psychological Test" by Edogawa Rampo. (Trans. James B. Harris and Edogawa Rampo)
"The Red Chamber" by Edogawa Rampo. (Trans. James B. Harris and Edogawa Rampo)
"The Razor" by Naoya Shiga (Trans. William F. Sibley)
"Han's Crime" by Naoya Shiga (Trans. Ivan Morris)
"The Thief" by Junichiro Tanizaki (Trans. Howard Hibbett)
"In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Trans. Takashi Kojima)
"The Affair of the Arabesque Inlay" by Tatsuzo Ishikawa (Trans. Makoto Momoi and Jay Gluck)
"Black Market Blues" by Haruto Ko (Trans. Grace Suzuki and Jay Gluck)
"The Secret Alibi" by Seicho Matsumoto
"The Woman who Took the Local Paper" by Seicho Matsumoto
"Rain" by Shotaro Yasuoka (Trans. Karen Wigen Lewis)
"The Dream Soldier" by Kobo Abe (Trans. Andrew Horvat)
"The Pawnshop Murder" by Shizuko Natsuki
"The Sole of the Foot" by Shizuko Natsuki ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

superb
Finally, a book about Indian myths that I can understand!!! ... Read more

Product Description
This book is intended to assess the significance of kaidan, specifically its multi-dimensional reflection of an impact on Japanese culture in the Edo period. The legacy of Japan's cultural efflorescence in the late eighteenth century was far-reaching, its fruits often seen as epitomizing the entire Tokugawa period. In the years between the Kan'en era (1748-1751) and the chilling effects of the Kansei Reforms (1790), there was no dearth of innovative belletristic expression, but in the area of fiction, the yomihon of Ueda Akinari (1734-1809) eclipse all else. Professor Reider's outstanding study treats this unusual scion of a remarkable age, contextualizing his work from a unique perspective. Under various noms de plume, Akinari authored significant works in several genres of both poetry and prose, but his greatest opus is incontrovertibly his Ugetsu monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain), a collection of nine stories that revolutionized tales of the supernatural, elevating the genre to unprecedented levels of style and sophistication.Such a work deserves - and has duly received - ample critical attention from scholars on both sides of the Pacific, resulting in a plethora of secondary literature, to which contribution of a truly original piece of scholarship constitutes no small challenge. Professor Reider's study not only fills numerous lacunae, but presents many interpretations that will be new to English-speaking audiences. Among these are her astute analysis of the role of "obsession" (shunen) in the stories, and her recognition of Akinari's bunjin portrayal of an ideal world in which social justice ultimately prevails as mirroring a strong social consciousness. Throughout, Professor Reider's arguments are presented in cogent terms. Tzvetan Todorov maintains that literature of the fantastic - which includes tales of the supernatural - succeeds as art only to the extent that it is able to present events and characters to the reader suspended in a state of uncertainty whether all is a product of illusion or of reality, for "once we choose one answer or the other, we leave the fantastic for a neighboring genre, the uncanny or the marvelous."The attainment of this state is no mean stylistic feat for a writer, but its efficacy depends on a readership capable of entertaining such a temporary suspension of judgment. It must be a readership whose imagination is hobbled neither by a crude credulousness nor by a sterile positivism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

One of the best resources on kaidan ever published
I first encountered these articles in the academic journal of Asian Folklore Studies, when I was writing my Master's thesis on yurei, the Japanese ghost.The two main articles, "The Emergence of Kaidan-shu" and "The Appeal of Kaidan" formed the backbone of my research, and I am thrilled to see them collected here in book form.

Noriko T. Reider probably knows more about kaidan, Japanese strange stories, than any other person around.When I was doing research for my MA, I read through literally hundreds of books, both in English and Japanese, and it was Reider's articles that I kept coming back too.She has a way of writing that is concise and readable, academic without drowning in its own language like books like Civilization and Monsters: Spirits of Modernity in Meiji Japan which is so dense as to be almost unreadable.

"Tales of the Supernatural in Early Modern Japan, Kaidan, Akinari, Ugetsu Monogatari" has four chapters, each with a different focus."The Emergence of Kaidan-shu" is a history lesson on from its beginnings in early folktales to the kaidan-boom of the Edo period.Next, "Belief in the Supernatural in the Edo Period" discusses the attitudes towards the supernatural in Edo period Japan and how they created the atmosphere in which the kaidan genre could arise."The Appeal of Kaidan" discusses people's fascination with gory and grotesque stories, and what is it that drives people to tales of the unknown.The last chapter, "Akinari and Kaidan Ugetsu Monogatari" discusses in depth Ueda Akinari, author of Tales of Moonlight and Rain, possibly the best kaidan book ever written.

While the pure history of the first few chapters is interesting, Reider's focus on the concept of obsession and the role it plays in Akinari's celebrated book brings her collection to a higher level.She clearly has a passion for Akinari's work, and it shows as she dissects the nine tales in Akinari's book, looking into the driving nature of each character to focus on and pursue what obsesses them.

There is a dearth of good material writing on the fascinating world of Japanese kaidan, and it is a real shame.But of what is available, Reider's work is definitely the cream of the crop, and if I was a professor grading a paper that discussed Japanese supernatural in any way, and Reider's name and "Tales of the Supernatural in Early Modern Japan, Kaidan, Akinari, Ugetsu Monogatari" was not in the bibliography, you would need a pretty good excuse to get a passing grade. ... Read more