Description
By: Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn is a captivating collection of supernatural tales and folklore from Japan. Hearn’s unique perspective as a Westerner living in Japan allows readers to see these stories through a different lens, adding an extra layer of intrigue to each one.
The stories in Kwaidan are eerie and haunting, filled with ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings. Hearn’s writing style is atmospheric and poetic, drawing readers into a world where the line between the supernatural and the mundane is blurred.
In addition to the gripping stories, Hearn also includes fascinating studies on Japanese culture and folklore, providing context and background information that enhances the reader’s understanding of the tales.
Overall, Kwaidan is a captivating and beautifully written collection of stories that will appeal to fans of both horror and folklore. Hearn’s deep appreciation for Japanese culture shines through in each story, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in the supernatural and the mysterious.
Book Description:
Most of the following Kwaidan, or Weird Tales, have been taken from old Japanese books,— such as the Yaso-Kidan, Bukkyo-Hyakkwa-Zensho, Kokon-Chomonshu, Tama-Sudare, and Hyaku-Monogatari. Some of the stories may have had a Chinese origin: the very remarkable “Dream of Akinosuke,” for example, is certainly from a Chinese source. But the story-teller, in every case, has so recolored and reshaped his borrowing as to naturalize it… One queer tale, “Yuki-Onna,” was told me by a farmer of Chofu, Nishitama-gori, in Musashi province, as a legend of his native village. Whether it has ever been written in Japanese I do not know; but the extraordinary belief which it records used certainly to exist in most parts of Japan, and in many curious forms… The incident of “Riki-Baka” was a personal experience; and I wrote it down almost exactly as it happened, changing only a family-name mentioned by the Japanese narrator.
