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A review by otterno11
Strange Tales from Japan: 99 Chilling Stories of Yokai, Ghosts, Demons and the Supernatural by Keisuke Nishimoto
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
In Strange Tales from Japan, American translator William Scott Wilson combines two collections of Japanese folklore compiled in the 1970s by folklorist Nishimoto Keisuke, traditional stories (densetsu) and strange tales (kaidan). Beginning with a slightly questionable introduction by Wilson discussing how such tales serve as a way to see the “real Japan” and what is meant by the terms kaidan and densetsu in Japanese folklore, Nishimoto’s collection includes a wide variety of tales, from the grim and disturbing to the comic, often both in the same story. As a whole, these tales are a little rawer than the more picturesque tales often retold in English collections of Japanese legends.
Whether devious kitsune and mujina, self-defeating kappa, or how one can use profanity to save your baby from being devoured by a floating head, the 99 stories chosen by Nishimoto depict the uncertain but lively experiences of common people. Aside from the stories, the collection includes woodcut prints from artists like Yoshitoshi expressing various themes included in them, though aside from a few footnotes and the specific source for each story, there is little context provided.
I discuss other works recently published in English on Japanese folklore at Harris’ Tome Corner- Narrating the Strange: Kaidan of Yokai and Yurei in Japanese Folklore.
Whether devious kitsune and mujina, self-defeating kappa, or how one can use profanity to save your baby from being devoured by a floating head, the 99 stories chosen by Nishimoto depict the uncertain but lively experiences of common people. Aside from the stories, the collection includes woodcut prints from artists like Yoshitoshi expressing various themes included in them, though aside from a few footnotes and the specific source for each story, there is little context provided.
I discuss other works recently published in English on Japanese folklore at Harris’ Tome Corner- Narrating the Strange: Kaidan of Yokai and Yurei in Japanese Folklore.