Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of japan and the japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture in japanese, the term minkan densho. Nuedori nuebird described as a birdbeast, the nue lacks any avian physical features. I love how weird and wonderful they can be, how different they can. I was also very fond of the shout outs to american and nonjapanese yokai lovers, with references to english language books. Based on japanese folklore, the ninja were descendants of the tengu a being that was half man, half crow. Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of japan and the japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. You will learn about the creation myth of how the world began, the most well known deities in the culture, important creatures and spirits that are popular in japanese folklore, and even some. In this class, we will explore various myths in japanese culture and look at the folklore surrounding its illustrious history. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. The aino people of japan are very little known and where treated as savages when discovered by western travellers. A book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Way of ninja the modern ninjas howto guide to training the modern ninjas howto guide to training.
Fantasy, magical realism, mythic fiction, historic fiction, or general fiction based in japanese mythology. The book of yokai provides a lively excursion into japanese folklore and its everexpanding influence within global popular culture. The netsuke of japan, illustrating legends, history, folklore and customs by ryerson, egerton and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This is a perfect book for japanese culture lovers. Michael ashkenazis handbook of japanese mythology is an expert study that deserves a prominent place on the shelves of many japanophiles, including those devoted to religious studies and such early sources as the kojiki and nihongi, as well as those who more broadly study the roots of world myth.
Shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, red winter by annette marie, flame in the mist by renee ahdieh, kinslayer by jay. From shape shifting raccoons to oneeyed pranksters and. Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of japan. Cruel and malicious, they can, nevertheless, be converted to buddhism. The best fantastical japanese mythology books anime. May 04, 2017 posted on may 4, 2017 may 1, 2017 author elou carroll categories folklore thursday tags folklore, folklore thursday, folklorethursday, folktale, folktales, japan 2 comments post navigation previous top tips for a successful blog. Studies in japanese folklore, 1963 online research. Japans spirits, deities, and phantastic creatures by robinson, jeremy western folklore, vol.
Dec 16, 2014 the book of yokai is a fascinating and enormously informative study. An exciting japanese folktale this story is about a clever boy from a small japanese village who is too small to be of any real help working in the fields. Throughout most of japanese history, monkeys were a familiar animal seen in fields and villages, but with habitat lost through urbanization of modern japan, they are presently limited. A representative sampling of japanese folklore would definitely include the quintessential. Buddhist stories, however, cast the fox as an evil agent of possession. From shape shifting raccoons to oneeyed pranksters and haunted paraphernalia, theres sure to be something. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader. Japanese folklore the legend of eternal life xenohikawa.
Nov, 2016 folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth, common to a particular population, comprising the traditions including oral traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. See more ideas about japanese folklore, japanese art and japanese mythology. In a world thought to have been createdand nearly destroyedby the primordial gods izanagi and izanami, mythic heroes battled ferocious dragons and giant spiders, while ordinary bamboo cutters and farmers made unexpected contact with the supernatural. Analyzing ideology in a japanese fairy tale kelley the. Adaptation of a japanese tale tale about the origins of the traditional setsubun holiday, an old man whose wife used special beans to take out an ogre oni he had swallowed. Folklore, fairy tales, ghost stories and legends of the samurai mitford, a. So he is sent to a nearby monastery to become a monk. You really cant escape stories of all kinds consisting of yokai if youre bound to learn about japanese mythology.
Japanese mythology a to z, second edition is a valuable, colorful reference for anyone with an interest in mythology or japanese culture. Book this book does not require a rating on the projects quality scale. It is very influenced by shinto and buddhism, the two most important religions in the country. Jul 09, 2007 an exciting japanese folktale this story is about a clever boy from a small japanese village who is too small to be of any real help working in the fields. Buy products related to japanese folklore products and see what customers say about japanese folklore products on. Theyre just far too prevalent and deeply rooted in the culture to just go ignored in any way. Are there any good factual books on japanese history and. Oni demons and yurei ghosts have played a role in japanese culture for thousands of years, and stories of new spirits continue to be told today. Exclude ratings teen and up audiences 464 mature 254 general audiences 252 explicit 171.
Tales of old japan and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Nov 11, 2014 learn more about these mysterious, mystical and curious creatures of japanese folklore. Japanese folklore simple english wikipedia, the free. He had inherited a small fortune from his father and lived on this, spending his time carelessly, without any serious thoughts of work, till he was about thirtytwo years of age. Raccoon dogs have a long, storied history in japanese folklore. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai. The netsuke of japan legends history folklore and customs. The book reveals the origins of japans myths in the very different realms of buddhism, shinto, and folklore, and explores related mythologies of the ainu and okinawan cultures and recent myths arising from japans encounters with. The book of yokai provides a lively excursion into japanese folklore and its everexpanding influence on global popular culture. Though oni have been depicted in various ways in japanese legend and art, sometimes also.
Japanese folktales are an important cultural aspect of japan. The book is easy to read, and at the same time immensely informative on the complicated and varied ways yokai have existed throughout japanese history. The netsuke of japan legends history folklore and customs by. Folklore is the body of expressive culture, including tales, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, material culture, and so forth, common to a particular population, comprising the traditions including oral traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. Issunboshi is a superb example of this japanese tale as it exemplifies japanese cultural practices and depicts japanese thought. Broadly labeledyokai,these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, fromtengumountain goblins andkappawater spirits to shapeshifting foxes and longtongued ceilinglickers. Cultural experience in japanese death legends by michiko iwasaka. The best history books are the cambridge history of japan series. The following is a list of demons, ghosts, yokai, obake, yurei and other legendary creatures that are notable in japanese folklore and mythology.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. These articles are in the folklore category of way of ninja. It usually includes humorous or strange characters and situations. Old man of the sea atui koro ekashi, the old man of the sea, is briefly mentioned in tales from the ainu of hokkaido, japan.
Here is the book list, in all its glory, and we will continue to add as many of your recommendations as possible each week, covering topics from creation myths, to the history of. Wikipedia books are maintained by the wikipedia community, particularly wikiproject wikipedia books. Monkey deities are common among japanese religious beliefs, including shinto, notably sanno shinto, koshin, and japanese buddhism in ancient shinto tradition, sarutahiko okami, lit. Folklore, fairy tales, ghost stories and legends of the samurai. Common types of primary sources include works of literature, historical documents, original philosophical writings, and religious texts. The book reveals the origins of japans myths in the very different realms of buddhism, shinto, and folklore, and explores related mythologies of the ainu and. Nature, beauty, japanese aesthetic, mukashibanashi, japanese folklore. The story, however, is quite a celebrated one, referred to in many japanese books. The japanese macaque japanese nihonzaru, characterized by browngrey fur, red face, red buttocks, and short tail, inhabits all of the islands in the japanese archipelago except northernmost hokkaido.
Japanese folklore mythology often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations, and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings dragons, and animals with supernatural powers. Stories and studies of strange things by lafcadio hearn, shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, tales of moonlig. Welcome to mother nature network, where curiosity rules and living well is the goal. Ancient tales and folklore of japan forgotten books. In order to bring the ideology to the surface, an educator would need to underscore explicitly how the specific elements portray japanese culture. Wikipedia books can also be tagged by the banners of any relevant wikiprojects with classbook. The aim of the present paper is to observe how the concept of nature is. Handbook of japanese mythology handbooks of world mythology. The admixed imposters are literate written pieces, dating back to the muromachi period 14th16th centuries or even earlier times in. The academic study of folklore is known as minzokugaku. Very heavily influenced by both shinto and buddhism which are the two primary religions in the country. It invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. Having encountered manga and anime, ive often encountered passing references to stories such as hachikos dog, izanagi, amaterasu to name the most significant widely known as far as i. Michael ashkenazi is a professional writer and the author of numerous scholarly and encyclopedia articles on japanese religion and culture.
This is a wikipedia book, a collection of articles which can be downloaded electronically or ordered in print. Japans kitsune is a trickster fox renowned for his mischievous metamorphic abilities. Studies in japanese folklore, 1963 online research library. My exposure to japanese mythology and folklore actually began when i was in grade school. This is easiest to see in terms of geography, as these women are found at rivers, common markers of boundaries i think also of the. A captivating guide to japanese folklore, myths, fairy tales, yokai, heroes and heroines explore captivating myths of japanese deities, yokai, heroes and heroines the study of mythology and folklore is a peculiar one to the ext. Ancient tales and folklore of japan, by richard gordon smith, 1918, at.
It covers more material than both earlier works and covers all provinces of japan. Abumiguchi a furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted military commander who worked for. Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shapeshifting foxes and longtongued ceilinglickers. Oni, in japanese folklore, a type of demonic creature often of giant size, great strength, and fearful appearance. Aug 30, 2017 long, long ago there lived a man called sentaro. Posts about japanese folklore written by abookofcreatures. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in. You will learn about the creation myth of how the world began, the most well known deities in the culture, important creatures and spirits that are popular in japanese folklore, and even some folktales that have been passed down from generation to generation in japan.
The story of kumawaka, a teenage ninja, is one of the most interesting stories known about the ninja. An introductory guide to the mythology of japanone of the most pervasive yet least understood facets of japanese culture. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. He is regarded in shinto lore as the messenger who ensures that farmers pay their offerings to the rice god. Its one of those thursdays where i read a folktale that ive never read before and relay it for your enjoyment, mostly marvelling at the ridiculousness of it all. Learn more about these mysterious, mystical and curious creatures of japanese folklore. Im a 20 year old college student who studies narrative and game design as well as japanese language. Read the topic about animesmangas about japanese folkloremythology. What are the best books in english about japanese mythology. Mysterious creatures of japanese folklore by foster.
It also includes many supernatural creatures, such as kami gods and revered spirits, yokai monsterspirits like oni, kappa, and tengu, onryo, dragons, and animals with supernatural. The book of yokai is a fascinating and enormously informative study. In commonplace usage, they signify a certain set of wellknown classic tales, with a vague distinction of whether they fit the rigorous definition of folktale or not among various types of folklore. Handbook of japanese mythology makes it easy to travel this vast yet littleknown mythological landscape. A primary source is a work that is being studied, or that provides firsthand or direct evidence on a topic. In addition, she has gone through japanese literature and has found early versions of tales. They are generally considered to be foreign in origin, perhaps introduced into japan from china along with buddhism. Enemies of the japanese empire in and out of the imperial army. Read aino folklore the people and myths of northern japan by basil hall chamberlain available from rakuten kobo. A mustread book for anybody interested in yokai or japanese folkloric traditions.
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