Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts
Japanese Legends and Folklore invites English speakers into the intriguing world of Japanese folktales, ghost stories and historical eyewitness accounts. With a fascinating selection of stories about Japanese culture and history, A.B. Mitford—who lived and worked in Japan as a British diplomat—presents a broad cross section of tales from many Japanese sources. Discover more about practically every aspect of Japanese life—from myths and legends to society and religion.

This book features 30 fascinating Japanese stories, including:
  • The Forty-Seven Ronin—the famous, epic tale of a loyal band of Samurai warriors who pay the ultimate price for avenging the honor of their fallen master.
  • The Tongue-Cut Sparrow—a good-hearted old man is richly rewarded when he begs forgiveness from a sparrow who is injured by his spiteful, greedy wife.
  • The Adventures of Little Peach Boy—a tale familiar to generations of Japanese children, a small boy born from a peach is adopted by a kindly childless couple.
  • Japanese Sermons—a selection of sermons written by a priest belonging to the Shingaku sect, which combines Buddhist, Shinto and Confucian teachings.
  • An Account of Hara-Kiri—Mitford's dramatic first person account of a ritual Samurai suicide, the first time it had been reported in English.

Thirty-one reproductions of woodblock prints bring the classic tales and essays to life. These influential stories helped shape the West's understanding of Japanese culture. A new foreword by Professor Michael Dylan Foster sheds light on the book's importance as a groundbreaking work of Japanese folklore, literature and history.
1145029635
Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts
Japanese Legends and Folklore invites English speakers into the intriguing world of Japanese folktales, ghost stories and historical eyewitness accounts. With a fascinating selection of stories about Japanese culture and history, A.B. Mitford—who lived and worked in Japan as a British diplomat—presents a broad cross section of tales from many Japanese sources. Discover more about practically every aspect of Japanese life—from myths and legends to society and religion.

This book features 30 fascinating Japanese stories, including:
  • The Forty-Seven Ronin—the famous, epic tale of a loyal band of Samurai warriors who pay the ultimate price for avenging the honor of their fallen master.
  • The Tongue-Cut Sparrow—a good-hearted old man is richly rewarded when he begs forgiveness from a sparrow who is injured by his spiteful, greedy wife.
  • The Adventures of Little Peach Boy—a tale familiar to generations of Japanese children, a small boy born from a peach is adopted by a kindly childless couple.
  • Japanese Sermons—a selection of sermons written by a priest belonging to the Shingaku sect, which combines Buddhist, Shinto and Confucian teachings.
  • An Account of Hara-Kiri—Mitford's dramatic first person account of a ritual Samurai suicide, the first time it had been reported in English.

Thirty-one reproductions of woodblock prints bring the classic tales and essays to life. These influential stories helped shape the West's understanding of Japanese culture. A new foreword by Professor Michael Dylan Foster sheds light on the book's importance as a groundbreaking work of Japanese folklore, literature and history.
14.99 In Stock
Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts

Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts

Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts

Japanese Legends and Folklore: Samurai Tales, Ghost Stories, Legends, Fairy Tales and Historical Accounts

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Overview

Japanese Legends and Folklore invites English speakers into the intriguing world of Japanese folktales, ghost stories and historical eyewitness accounts. With a fascinating selection of stories about Japanese culture and history, A.B. Mitford—who lived and worked in Japan as a British diplomat—presents a broad cross section of tales from many Japanese sources. Discover more about practically every aspect of Japanese life—from myths and legends to society and religion.

This book features 30 fascinating Japanese stories, including:
  • The Forty-Seven Ronin—the famous, epic tale of a loyal band of Samurai warriors who pay the ultimate price for avenging the honor of their fallen master.
  • The Tongue-Cut Sparrow—a good-hearted old man is richly rewarded when he begs forgiveness from a sparrow who is injured by his spiteful, greedy wife.
  • The Adventures of Little Peach Boy—a tale familiar to generations of Japanese children, a small boy born from a peach is adopted by a kindly childless couple.
  • Japanese Sermons—a selection of sermons written by a priest belonging to the Shingaku sect, which combines Buddhist, Shinto and Confucian teachings.
  • An Account of Hara-Kiri—Mitford's dramatic first person account of a ritual Samurai suicide, the first time it had been reported in English.

Thirty-one reproductions of woodblock prints bring the classic tales and essays to life. These influential stories helped shape the West's understanding of Japanese culture. A new foreword by Professor Michael Dylan Foster sheds light on the book's importance as a groundbreaking work of Japanese folklore, literature and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9784805315019
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Publication date: 03/05/2019
Pages: 320
Sales rank: 398,585
Product dimensions: 5.12(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

A.B. Mitford (Lord Redesdale) was a British author and diplomat. He was attache at the British legation in Edo (Tokyo) at the beginning of Japan's turbulent Meiji Restoration and was witness to Japan's opening to the West. His writings were hugely popular and helped shape the West's understanding of Japanese culture.

Michael Dylan Foster is Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore (2015), Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai (2009), and numerous articles on Japanese folklore, literature and media.

Table of Contents

Foreword 4

Preface 9

The Forty-Seven Ronins ($$$) 11

The Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki ($$$) 32

Kazuma's Revenge ($$$) 52

A Story of the Otokodate of Edo ($$$) 68

The Wonderful Adventures of Funakoshi Juemon ($$$) 111

The Eta Maiden and the Hatamoto ($$$) 136

Fairy Tales ($$$) 156

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow ($$$) 156

The Accomplished and Lucky Tea-Kettle ($$$) 158

The Crackling Mountain ($$$) 160

The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Blossom ($$$) 162

The Battle of the Ape and the Crab ($$$) 165

The Adventures of Little Peach Boy ($$$) 167

The Foxes' Wedding ($$$) 169

The History of Sakata Kintoki ($$$) 170

The Elves and the Envious Neighbor ($$$) 172

The Ghost of Sakura ($$$) 174

How Tajima Shume was Tormented by a Devil of His Own Creation ($$$) 209

Concerning Certain Superstitions ($$$) 214

The Vampire Cat of Nabéshima ($$$) 215

The Story of the Faithful Cat ($$$) 221

How a Man Was Bewitched and Had His Head Shaved by the Foxes ($$$) 223

The Grateful Foxes ($$$) 227

The Badger's Money ($$$) 234

The Prince and the Badger ($$$) 238

Japanese Sermons ($$$) 241

The Sermons of Kyuo, Sermon I ($$$) 247

The Sermons of Kyuo, Sermon II ($$$) 257

The Sermons of Kyuo, Sermon III ($$$) 266

Appendices 276

Appendix A An Account of the Hara-Kiri ($$$) 276

Appendix B The Marriage Ceremony ($$$) 304

Appendix C On the Birth and Rearing of Children ($$$) 312

Appendix D Funeral Rites ($$$) 317

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