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Delightfully illustrated, this collection of Japanese myths and fairy tales presents readers with a rich folk tradition. Folk Legends of Japan contains of over one hundred Japanese folk legends. These have been selected by a distinguished American folklorist, drawn from expert Japanese transcriptions of oral legends, and carefully translated in such a way as to bring out the charming, unadorned, and sometimes disarmingly frank folk quality of the originals. Each legend is carefully annotated for the student, scholar, and a full bibliography is provided. Fortunately, the scholarly attributes of the book are now allowed to intrude between the general reader and his enjoyment of the legends themselves. Anyone who loves a genuine old wives' tales, who savors firelit evenings of listening to the folk stories will find much pleasure in these Japanese stories. At the same time the folklorist will find a mine of information, and the Japanophile will discover the folk basis for many of the beliefs and customs that may have puzzled him in the past.
Myths & Legends of Japan by Frederick Hadland Davis Pdf
Pierre Loti in Madame Chrysanthème, Gilbert and Sullivan in The Mikado, and Sir Edwin Arnold in Seas and Lands, gave us the impression that Japan was a real fairyland in the Far East. We were delighted with the prettiness and quaintness of that country, and still more with the prettiness and quaintness of the Japanese people. We laughed at their topsy-turvy ways, regarded the Japanese woman, in her rich-coloured kimono, as altogether charming and fascinating, and had a vague notion that the principal features of Nippon were the tea-houses, cherry-blossom, and geisha. Twenty years ago we did not take Japan very seriously. We still listen to the melodious music of The Mikado, but now we no longer regard Japan as a sort of glorified willow-pattern plate. The Land of the Rising Sun has become the Land of the Risen Sun, for we have learnt that her quaintness and prettiness, her fairy-like manners and customs, were but the outer signs of a great and progressive nation. To-day we recognise Japan as a power in the East, and her victory over the Russian has made her army and navy famous throughout the world. The Japanese have always been an imitative nation, quick to absorb and utilise the religion, art, and social life of China, and, having set their own national seal upon what they have borrowed from the Celestial Kingdom, to look elsewhere for material that should strengthen and advance their position. This imitative quality is one of Japan's most marked characteristics. She has ever been loath to impart information to others, but ready at all times to gain access to any form of knowledge likely to make for her advancement. In the fourteenth century Kenkō wrote in his Tsure-dzure-gusa: "Nothing opens one's eyes so much as travel, no matter where," and the twentieth-century Japanese has put this excellent advice into practice. He has travelled far and wide, and has made good use of his varied observations. Japan's power of imitation amounts to genius. East and West have contributed to her greatness, and it is a matter of surprise to many of us that a country so long isolated and for so many years bound by feudalism should, within a comparatively short space of time, master our Western system of warfare, as well as many of our ethical and social ideas, and become a great world-power. But Japan's success has not been due entirely to clever imitation, neither has her place among the foremost nations been accomplished with such meteor-like rapidity as some would have us suppose.
"Myths & Legends of Japan" is one of the first western books about Japan. Although the author didn't visit the country himself, he collected the works of Lafcadio Hearn, Basil Chamberlain's "Things Japanese," researched various translations of the Kojiki and the Nihongi, and prepared one of the most thorough research pieces on the Japanese culture of the time.
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.
Gorgeous Collector's Edition. Legends of the Sea, Bells, Mirrors and Tea, Japanese mythology is delightful and enigmatic, full of spirits, gods and legendary creatures. It draws on Buddhist and Shinto traditions to explain the nature of the world of the island of Japan, the mystical Mount Fuji and the heavenly status of the long line of emperors. The warrior class of the imperial court, and the natural spirits of the countryside represent parallel and interdependent aspects of Japanese society, explored through ancient legend and folklore. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.
This extraordinary collection of stories from Japan are retellings of legends and fairy tales. You'll meet the Sea Spirit, the Moon God, the Emperor Kiyomori, Dragon Princess and many other magical characters. Amidst the stories, the beauty of Japan - its people, its animals and its landscape- is joyfully evoked.The stories include The Birth of Japan, Tales of the Heike, and the Tale of Princess Kaguya.
These twenty-two Japanese tales open to Western readers the world of fantasy in the legendary literature of Japan—a world of ogres, monkeys, goblins, and priest, of spelling-casting and rescuing people. Rich in variety, Legends of Japan includes tales of the supernatural, magic, and deities, as well as tales of romance and intrigue. The vividness and aesthetic appeal of these stories is enhanced by twenty-two woodblock prints from the studio of modern Japanese illustrator Masahiko Nishin. The tales are drawn from two Japanese masterpieces of the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1192-1333) periods. The earlier and main source is 31-volume Konjaku Monogatari, a collection of tales of Japanese, Chinese and Indian origin. The other source is the miscellany Tsurezure Gusa, by Kento Yoshida, a monk of noble birth who was well versed in Japanese and Chinese literature. A reader's delight, these little books distills the color and charm, the wisdom and humor of two great treasuries of classical Asian literature.
Boldly illustrated and superbly translated, Folk Legends from Tono captures the spirit of Japanese peasant culture undergoing rapid transformation into the modern era. This is the first time these 299 tales have been published in English. Morse’s insightful interpretation of the tales, his rich cultural annotations, and the evocative original illustrations make this book unforgettable. In 2008, a companion volume of 118 tales was published by Rowman & Littlefield as the The Legends of Tono. Taken together, these two books have the same content (417 tales) as the Japanese language book Tono monogatari. Reminiscent of Japanese woodblocks, the ink illustrations commissioned for the Folk Legends from Tono, mirror the imagery that Japanese villagers envisioned as they listened to a storyteller recite the tales.The stories capture the extraordinary experiences of real people in a singular folk community. The tales read like fiction but touch the core of human emotion and social psychology. Thus, the reader is taken on a magical tour through the psychic landscape of the Japanese “spirit world” that was a part of its oral folk tradition for hundreds of years. All of this is made possible by the translator’s insightful interpretation of the tales, his sensitive cultural annotations, and the visual charm of the book’s illustrations. The cast of characters is rich and varied, as we encounter yokai monsters, shape-shifting foxes, witches, grave robbers, ghosts, heavenly princesses, roaming priests, shamans, quasi-human mountain spirits, murderers, and much more.
Japanese Myths, Legends & Folktales by Yuri Yasuda Pdf
Here, beautifully illustrated and presented in both English and Japanese, are 12 of the best Japanese folktales--shared with generation after generation of Japanese children. These charming tales engage your imagination as you're carried on turtle-back rides, brought to the underwater palace of the dragon princess, and discover a temple with a "tea kettle" that is really a cunning badger in disguise. Stories include: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow The Strong Boy The Marriage of a Mouse The Fisherman and the Tortoise The Luminous Princess The Peach Boy The Kachi Kachi Mountain The Old Men With Wens The Old Man Who Made Trees Blossom The One-Inch Boy The Lucky Cauldron The Monkey and Crab Fight These stories are all richly illustrated, with 98 color illustrations by two of Japan's foremost children's books illustrators. Executed with great skill and imagination, they bring to life the charming characters of these heartwarming tales of old Japan. The tales were originally written in English by author Yuri Yasuda based on her interpretations of traditional Japanese stories. Here they are fully bilingual--each one accompanied by Japanese text. The Japanese versions of each tale include simple kanji with furigana pronunciations to help learners recognize the characters. Japanese Myths, Legends & Folktales is accessible to both English and Japanese-speaking children, as well as to older language learners who wish to enhance their reading ability. This multicultural children's book will entertain, inspire, and educate in equal measure.
Japan's mythology is alive with gods, spirits and monsters. It draws on Buddhist and Shinto traditions to explain the nature of the world of the island of Japan, and the heavenly status of the long line of emperors. The warrior class of the imperial court, and the natural spirits of the countryside represent parallel and interdependent aspects of Japanese society, explored through ancient legend and folklore in this fascinating new book in the Flame Tree Myths and Legend series. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.
Discusses the mythology of Japan, its origins in Shintoism and Buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories.
MYTHS & LEGENDS OF JAPAN - over 200 Myths, Legends and Tales from Ancient Nippon by Anon E. Mouse Pdf
In Seas and Lands, Sir Edwin Arnold gave us the impression that Japan was a real fairyland in the Far East. And he was correct. Herein you will find over 200 magical myths, legends, tales and fables of Japanese deities from the time before the world was brought into being. F. Hadland Davis has categorised these stories, tales and fables into 31 chapters. These are accompanied by 32 glorious full-page colour plates by Evelyn Paul, quite unlike any others we have seen in children’s illustrated books. Herein are stories like: * Ama-Terasu And Susa-No-O, * The Divine Messengers, * Yorimasa, * The Goblin Of Oyeyama, * The Triumph Of Momotaro, * "My Lord Bag Of Rice", * The Coming Of The Lady Kaguya, * The Legend Of The Golden Lotus, * How Tokutaro Was Deluded By Foxes, * The Significance Of Jizō, * The Treasure Ship, * Sentaro's Visit To The Land Of Perpetual Youth, * A Woman And The Bell Of Miidera, * The Snow-Bride; and, oh, so many more exquisite tales like these. Ama-terasu is the central figure in Japanese mythology, for it is from the Sun Goddess that the Mikados are descended, and it is here where this volume starts. Early heroes and warriors are always regarded as minor divinities, and the very nature of Shintōism, associated with ancestor worship, has enriched those of Japan with many a fascinating legend. The Chinese called Japan Jih-pén, "the place the sun comes from," because the archipelago was situated on the east of their own kingdom, and our words Japan and Nippon are corruptions of Jih-pén. Marco Polo called the country Zipangu, and one ancient name describes it as "The-Luxuriant-Reed-Plains-the-land-of-Fresh-Rice-Ears-of-a-Thousand-Autumns-of-Long-Five-Hundred-Autumns." We are not surprised to find that such a very lengthy and descriptive title is not used by the Japanese to-day; but it is of interest to know that the old word for Japan, Yamato, is still frequently employed. Yamato Damashii signifying "The Spirit of Unconquerable Japan." Then, again, we still hear Japan referred to as The Island of the Dragon-fly. We are told in the old Japanese Chronicles that the Emperor, in 630 B.C., ascended a hill called Waki Kamu no Hatsuma, from which he was able to view the land on all sides. He was much impressed by the beauty of the country, and said that it resembled "a dragon-fly licking its hinder parts," and the Island received the name of Akitsu-Shima which translates as "Island of the Dragon-fly" - and so it has remained for millennia. To-day we hear a good deal about the New Japan, and we are too prone to forget the significance of the Old upon which modern Japan has been founded. This volume will give you an insight as to why modern Japan is like it is. So, we invite you to download and curl up with this unique sliver of Eastern culture not seen in print for over a century; and immerse yourself in the tales and fables of yesteryear for we are certain that once picked up, you won’t be able to put it down. 10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. ---------------------------- KEYWORDS/TAGS: fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, children’s stories, children’s stories, bygone era, fairydom, fairy land, classic stories, children’s bedtime stories, fables, Old world, japan, oriental, east, Japanese deities, Period Of The Gods, Izanagi, Izanami, Ama-Terasu, Susa-No-O, Serpent, Grandchild, Palace, Sea God, Hoderi, Hoori, Heroes, Warriors, Yorimasa, Benkei, Taira, Yoshitsune, Oyeyama, Raiko, Prince Yamato Take, Sacrifice, Ototachibana, Adventures, Momotaro, Triumph, Lord, Bag Of Rice, Bamboo-Cutter, Moon-Maiden, Lady Kaguya, Begging-Bowl, Lord Buddha, Jewel, Mount Horai, Flameproof, Fur Robe, Dragon's Head, Royal Hunt, Celestial, Robe of Feathers, Buddha, Golden Lotus, Crystal Of Buddha, Fox, Inari,
