Kiyohimé or the Power of Love
Kiyohimé was written down around 1887 and contains dated language and spellings. This period brought many stories from Japan to the West. I left the language unchanged; I find the language charming. A...
View ArticleThe Child of the Thunder
In among the hills of Echizen, within sight of the snowy mountain called Hakuzan, lived a farmer named Bimbo. He was very poor, but frugal and industrious. He was very fond of children though he had...
View ArticleYuki, The Snow Woman
In a village of Musashi Province, there lived two woodcutters: Mosaku and Minokichi. At the time of which I am speaking, Mosaku was an old man; and Minokichi, his apprentice, was a lad of eighteen...
View ArticleThe Endings of Japanese Folk Tales
If you read Japanese folklore, you notice how different the endings seem against Western stories. In most Japanese folktales, people die in the end. Happily-ever-after endings stand out because of...
View ArticleThe Fisherman and the Moon Maiden
Pearly and lustrous white, like a cloud in the far-off blue sky, seemed the floating figure of the moon maiden, as she flew to earth. She was one of the fifteen glistening virgins that wait attendant...
View ArticleWatanabe Cuts Off the Oni’s Arm
To celebrate October (one of my favorite months), I will be posting Japanese folklore in their original English versions. You can find modernized versions of these and other stories in my compilation...
View ArticleWatanabe Kills the Great Spider
This week continues spooky October with another Watanabe and Raiko monster adventure. You can find modernized versions of these and other stories in my compilation “Tales from Old Japan.” During the...
View ArticleThe Procession of Lord Long Legs
Let’s take a break from monsters and look at how insects are said to have lived in yet another of William Griffis’s collected tales from Japan. Lovely and bright in the month of May, at the time of...
View ArticleKai Riu O, The Dragon King of the World Under the Sea
This week, we finish this folklore series with one more from William Griffis. This time we meet a dragon. As before, this version retains Griffis’s original text. I also included Griffis’s commentary....
View ArticleAncient Appreciation for Objects: A Lesson for Modern Life
Recently, I cleaned out my wardrobe. I pulled two large garbage bags of clothes to donate. I don’t need...
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