Japanese Tales of Fantasy and Folklore: Ninety Stories about Ghosts, Demons and Other Supernatural Beings from the Konjaku Monogatari

by Naoshi Koriyama (translator), Bruce Allen (translator), Karen Thornber (foreword)

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan

288 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2024

About the author

Naoshi Koriyama (郡山 直 Kōriyama Naoshi?, born 1926) is a Japanese poet. Born in Kikaijima, Kagoshima Prefecture, he moved to the United States from Japan in 1950 to study English and social studies, first attending the University of New Mexico. He graduated from the New York State College for Teachers at Albany in 1954 and returned to Japan to teach and write poetry. His interest in poetry came from using it as a tool to combat his feelings of loneliness when he transferred from New Mexico to Albany in 1951. From 1967 until 1997, he was a professor at Toyo University. He has published nine collections in English, three from Japanese to English, and in 2011, he published his first volume entirely in Japanese.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Distorted Daydream]

Some of the stories were really interesting, but I was expecting more stories about yokai.

[Mick]

I wouldn't call this fantasy and folklore. It's really Japanese Buddhist parables. Very simple and not much entertainment value.

[Maxine]

Not at all what I expected, but fascinating even so.
Would shelve as a research resource.

[Paul Stevens]

Really interesting to read historical folktales, enjoyable read

[Izzati]

1.5 stars

Some old tales should not be unearthed and repeated ever again. They should remain buried and silenced forever.

I hate this compilation of 90 short stories so much and it is not just because the title is misleading. Rather than the normal folklore, these tales are Buddhist tales. As someone who has read so many folklores, especially Japanese folklores, I was expecting the normal, familiar tales where the stories often have some good lessons we can learn from. But the stories in this book are not it.

What I hate the most about these tales are how overwhelmingly misogynistic they are. Almost all of the monks or priests in these stories are rapists who could not control their "carnal desires" for "women" with the age range of 13 to early 20s. Every story began with "In olden times" and ended with "And such then is the story as it had been passed down to us." with some kind of advice or lesson. But these lessons often blame the women for men's atrocities.

The teenage girl who was healed by the priest was blamed for trusting the priest because he preyed on her afterwards. The wife who was cheated on was blamed for her jealousy, oh a grave sin indeed, compared to the infidelity of her husband. A married woman should be thankful that the person who raped her in front of her husband (who was tied to a tree) was "kind" enough to not steal her clothes too. A princess who trusted a man after being pursued relentlessly and given the green light by the emperor who said "He must be a god" was impaled with chopsticks simply for being scared after seeing his true form!

Too much violence, especially done to women, so it is not a far-fetched conclusion to say that these tales reek of misogyny. They are old stories told to control women and children by those who hate women and children. And then masked as tales of fantasy and folklore. I can probably count by fingers on one hand the stories that are more like the usual kinds of folklore.

While they were very few that I enjoyed, there is one I think still deserved to be mentioned. Story no. 88, An Old Bamboo Cutter Finds A Girl and Raises Her was a folktale I have read before. It is something like the stories of Thumbelina or Momotaro combined with the impossible demands of Puteri Gunung Ledang and some other Japanese folktales for which I have forgotten the titles of. How I wish all 90 stories were more in line with this kind of tale.

Personally I do not recommend this book for readers who are looking for Japanese tales of fantasy and folklore. There are so many others that are actually worth our time. Unless you enjoy female oppression and plotless short stories, skip this one.

[Irmina]

Synopsis:

Japanese Tales of Fantasy and Folklore is a collection of ninety stories translated from the Konjaku Monogatari, one of Japan's most important medieval collections of Buddhist and secular tales, compiled in the late Heian period. Although the title promises ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings, the stories themselves are typically only two to four pages long and place far greater emphasis on Buddhist teachings than on folklore. Many revolve around the power of faith through which ordinary people are able to save themselves or their loved ones from misfortune, temptation, or supernatural threats.

My Opinion:

This book felt like a classic case of false advertising. Judging by the title and cover, I expected a rich collection of eerie Japanese folklore, and gothic-style storytelling. Instead, I found what is, for the most part, a collection of Buddhist morality tales. Many of the fascinating supernatural beings introduced in the opening pages appear only once or twice, while the recurring focus is on the miraculous power of reciting the Lotus Sutra.

The book could have redeemed itself with richer contextual material. Japanese-style illustrations, maps showing the locations associated with the tales, or notes explaining their historical and cultural background would have transformed it into a far more engaging companion to medieval Japan. Without these additions, however, I found it to be a disappointing purchase and, ultimately, neither my time nor my money felt well spent.

[Azedenkae]

The issue is that the description is very misleading. The book focused almost exclusively on stories surrounding buddism or more mundane stories, with little to nothing that aligns with the emphasis on oni, demons, tengu, etc. that is in the description at the back of the book. Very disappointing. Despite the stories themselves being good, just not what I expected at all from the book's description.

[Rebecca]

Interesting tales, I enjoyed learning more about the Japanese culture through the tales and myths. Truly a great book, and one that I will be suggesting for those who want to learn more about Japan.

[Marcia]

It's a collection of setsuwa from Heian era Japan. These easy to read stories give the reader a sense of what a setsuwa is. For example, the location of the story is always included, as is the name and title of people in the story. Some are totally similar. Some are quite imaginative. Many involve demonic animals and people.
There is a very informative introduction which adds a lot to this book.