Japanese Tales [Paperback]

Two hundred and twenty tales from medieval Japan—tales that welcome us into a fabulous faraway world populated by saints, scoundrels, ghosts, magical healers, and a vast assortment of deities and demons. Stories of miracles, visions of hell, jokes, fables, and legends, these tales reflect the Japanese civilization. They ably balance the lyrical and the dramatic, the ribald and the profound, offering a window into a long-vanished culture.

With black-and-white illustrations throughout
Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore LibraryACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvi
 
A NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION xvii
 
INTRODUCTION xix
 
OAK, MELON, GOURD, ANGEL, FLEA
1. The Giant Oak 3
2. Melon Magic 3
3. The Sparrow’s Gifts 4
4. The Maiden from the Sky 7
5. The Flea 9
 
SURPRISES
6. The Little Spider 9
7. A Flash in the Palace 10
8. Salt Fish and Doctored Wine 10
9. The Tapeworm’s Bad End 14
10. A Toad to Reckon With 15
 
HAUNTS
11. Better Late Than Early 16
12. The Ravenous Storehouse 17
13. The Grisly Box 18
14. The Bridge 19
15. The Rooted Corpse 22
16. An Old, Old Ghost 23
 
MONK JOKES
17. Syrup 24
18. Not Quite the Right Robe 25
19. The Nose 25
20. Two Buckets of Marital Bliss 27
21. Home in a Chest 29
 
BUDDHIST BEGINNINGS
22. The Emperor’s Finger 30
23. Japan’s Finest Gold 31
24. Gyōgi and Baramon 33
25. The Old Mackerel Peddler 34
26. Kōbō Daishi 35
27. The Kannon in the Pine 37
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