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A Robe of Feathers: And Other Stories
In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living.When a child playing near a river fails to return home, it is whispered that she was swept away by an adzuki arai, or Bean Washer. When a man boarding a ship hears the ringing of an unseen insect, it is announced that a funadama (Boat Spirit) is present and so the auspicious harbinger of smooth seas and abundant catch is celebrated. Even something as innocuous as waking up to find your pillow at the foot of your bed is thought to be the trick of a makura gaeshi, otherwise known as a Pillow Turner. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Your neighbor isn't merely an eccentric old woman—she might very well be a shape–shifting, grudge–harboring Water Sprite.The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2009
9 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Thersa Matsuura
19 books110 followersMy name is Thersa Matsuura. I’m a Clarion West 2015 graduate and recipient of the HWA’s Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship. My most recent publications are Black Static, Dark Regions Press’ Madhouse Anthology, and the Fortean Times. I have a story forthcoming in Alessandro Manzetti’s THE BEAUTY IN DEATH anthology. My short story collection (A ROBE OF FEATHERS AND OTHER STORIES) was published by Counterpoint LLC.
I’m a long-term expat and have lived half my life in a small fishing town in Japan. I'm fluent in Japanese and use this to research parts of the culture that are unfamiliar to a western audience. I then spin this information into my own short fiction.
I also have a podcast: http://www.uncannyjapan.com/
And a Patreon page:https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura
I’m a long-term expat and have lived half my life in a small fishing town in Japan. I'm fluent in Japanese and use this to research parts of the culture that are unfamiliar to a western audience. I then spin this information into my own short fiction.
I also have a podcast: http://www.uncannyjapan.com/
And a Patreon page:https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 9, 2018
Take one-part lesser known monster from Japanese folklore, add one part sympathetic human protagonist, sprinkle liberally with believable side characters and spice with thoughtful prose throughout; what you have is a recipe for stories that illuminate and surprise. This is Matsuura's first collection of stories, but you'd be forgiven for thinking it was her 10th outing. What I'm trying to say is, she can write. I'm not a big fan of horror or fantasy, but in Matsuura's hands those labels feel inadequate to describe what she crafts. My personal favourites were stories where the endings were left hinted at but unsaid, like the suitcase of friendly spirits successfully rescued from a house scheduled for demolition - the words have finished and the plot is complete -- but you know the story continues.
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Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X - and receive my monthly newsletter with book recommendations galore for the Japanophile/crime fiction/English teacher in all of us.
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February 12, 2010"A Robe of Feathers" is a collection of short stories by Thersa Matsuura, an American living in Japan. By their nature, short story collections are difficult to review as a totality. That said, I'll try to give an overall impression and some insight into individual tales.
Matsuura uses urban fantasy in Japanese settings to great effect in "Robe," which is her first book. There are a few instances when it would have been helpful for me, a westerner, to be more familiar with the folkloric creatures she uses: Ojizo, Kappa, Tenjo Sagari, etc., but that knowledge was not always necessary. For instance, the first story, "A Robe of Feathers," is a modern day version of the folktale which is also told within the context of the story. The "nymph" is never even given a Japanese name and the tale flows toward its beautiful, tragic conclusion. I thought the strongest of her offerings was the story with the greatest proliferation of creatures, "Sand Walls, Paper Doors."
It's told from the viewpoint of an American student in Japan. She's lonely, but too shy to reach out to the strange population and culture around her. Then she's transplanted into a haunted mansion where she finds spirits who are equally alien and lonely in modern Japan. The ensuing story moved me so much I wept for joy at the end. I can think of only one other short story that's ever elicited that response. For me, the entire book's brilliance culminated in that tale, though there are other excellent stories.
Many of Matsuura's stories, for instance, both "Hate and Where It Breeds," and "Ganguro and the Mountain Witch," felt unfinished but conveyed a sense of impending horror; that this was not the end, but the beginning. For me, this was as if an oni had turned on the theme to "Jaws" while I read and my mind continued to follow that musical cue. I can get nightmares from five minutes of Hitchcock, which is why I can't say I loved all of Matsuura's stories. I can appreciate the skill it took to achieve the effect she weaves through "A Robe of Feathers."
If you are Japanese or if you are more familiar with Japanese folklore and culture than I am, this book will engross you. Matsuura's style is spare, but fluid. She effortlessly grounds the reader in Japan's modern cities and countryside. Even with unfamiliar terms and place names thrown in, I had no problem understanding her plots, though appreciating character motivations and goals derived from a foreign mindset was sometimes difficult.
Giving a score on a collection of short stories seems unfair as one has to "grade" on a curve. However, if you enjoy fantasy in alternative settings or you just love Japanese literature, I recommend this collection.
Matsuura uses urban fantasy in Japanese settings to great effect in "Robe," which is her first book. There are a few instances when it would have been helpful for me, a westerner, to be more familiar with the folkloric creatures she uses: Ojizo, Kappa, Tenjo Sagari, etc., but that knowledge was not always necessary. For instance, the first story, "A Robe of Feathers," is a modern day version of the folktale which is also told within the context of the story. The "nymph" is never even given a Japanese name and the tale flows toward its beautiful, tragic conclusion. I thought the strongest of her offerings was the story with the greatest proliferation of creatures, "Sand Walls, Paper Doors."
It's told from the viewpoint of an American student in Japan. She's lonely, but too shy to reach out to the strange population and culture around her. Then she's transplanted into a haunted mansion where she finds spirits who are equally alien and lonely in modern Japan. The ensuing story moved me so much I wept for joy at the end. I can think of only one other short story that's ever elicited that response. For me, the entire book's brilliance culminated in that tale, though there are other excellent stories.
Many of Matsuura's stories, for instance, both "Hate and Where It Breeds," and "Ganguro and the Mountain Witch," felt unfinished but conveyed a sense of impending horror; that this was not the end, but the beginning. For me, this was as if an oni had turned on the theme to "Jaws" while I read and my mind continued to follow that musical cue. I can get nightmares from five minutes of Hitchcock, which is why I can't say I loved all of Matsuura's stories. I can appreciate the skill it took to achieve the effect she weaves through "A Robe of Feathers."
If you are Japanese or if you are more familiar with Japanese folklore and culture than I am, this book will engross you. Matsuura's style is spare, but fluid. She effortlessly grounds the reader in Japan's modern cities and countryside. Even with unfamiliar terms and place names thrown in, I had no problem understanding her plots, though appreciating character motivations and goals derived from a foreign mindset was sometimes difficult.
Giving a score on a collection of short stories seems unfair as one has to "grade" on a curve. However, if you enjoy fantasy in alternative settings or you just love Japanese literature, I recommend this collection.
June 5, 2009
Fascinating and Darkly Brilliant Collection from a Master Story Teller
Thersa Matsuura’s: ‘A Robe of Feathers – And Other Stories’ is undoubtedly the most insightful, thought provoking and realistically frightening books I have ever read.
When the fusion of Japanese folklore, superstitions and supernatural phenomena combine, I was immediately drawn into each of the seventeen superbly crafted stories. Each story features the Youkai (bewitching apparition) and is brought to life by the author.
‘A Robe of Feathers’ has indeed a long lasting affect which will stay with you long after the book is read. An intelligent, outstanding achievement that I recommend as a must read for all.
Thersa Matsuura’s: ‘A Robe of Feathers – And Other Stories’ is undoubtedly the most insightful, thought provoking and realistically frightening books I have ever read.
When the fusion of Japanese folklore, superstitions and supernatural phenomena combine, I was immediately drawn into each of the seventeen superbly crafted stories. Each story features the Youkai (bewitching apparition) and is brought to life by the author.
‘A Robe of Feathers’ has indeed a long lasting affect which will stay with you long after the book is read. An intelligent, outstanding achievement that I recommend as a must read for all.
March 10, 2010
In Japanese culture the line between reality and myth is blurred. Superstitions are passed down through the generations and people still openly practice appeasement of spirits and protection against oni, or demons. The short stories in this collection tell some of these myths and folk legends quite beautifully, but with subtlety. In some of the stories you won’t even see the supernatural, but you will get it.
One of my favorite stories is MRS. MISAKI’S EYES about the town gossip who is a sweet woman, but is ridiculed by the local “rich woman”, Sachiko. When Mrs. Misaki’s son dies, our storyteller attends the funeral and Sachiko explains to her the rituals involved, including a small packet of salt that keeps any spirits from following you home. When our storyteller leaves the funeral, she sees that the spirit of Mrs. Misaki’s son is already haunting Sachiko.
Another favorite of mine is TARO’S TASK, in which a crippled boy has been given the job of carrying his old grandmother into the mountains that surround their village and leaving her there to die. The old grandmother has become senile and therefore a burden on the family. Taro carries her up the mountain trail that leads to a flat plain where “burdens” are brought to die. Turns out, the crippled boy may have in fact been the burden left to die, as the old grandmother is really a mountain witch.
Some other standouts for me include HATE AND WHERE IT BREEDS about a man who is so humiliated on a train full of netherworld inhabitants that he commits murder; THE SEED OF THE MISTAKE about a young man who is taken under the wing of an oni (demon), only to discover too late that he’d been tricked; WHAT THE CAT KNEW about an old woman whose cat has somehow been with her for over thirty years, since the death of her husband, and saves the woman’s life during an earthquake; and TIP OF THE NOSE, a very sweet tale about a woman who is brought back to her childhood home and is reunited with her lost love.
I loved the stories in this collection. The only real issue I had was that there were a few things I didn’t fully understand, and thought Ms. Matsuura could have explained them a little more for her non-Asian readers. I give it four out of five stars, however, hardcore horror fans probably will not like A ROBE OF FEATHERS.
March 30, 2014
Horror, much like humor, has different nuances in other cultures. Being able to capture and translate those nuances without losing any of their potency is no easy feat. Thersa Matsuura not only captured the strangeness of Japanese folklore beautifully, but framed it in an easy to understand modern setting.
Like a delicious box of assorted chocolates these vignettes provide many different flavors of Japanese culture. The stories alternate in tone and style showing off Matsuura's deft way with words while giving a layered richness to the entire book. Each tale is steeped in emotion interwoven beautifully with the narrative: "Sand Walls, Paper Doors" has the bittersweet nostalgia for a way of life being destroyed in the name of progress; "Her Favorite" is filled with the pain and heartbreak of old age; Anger--from shame or embarrassment--is at the heart of "The Bean Washer" and "Hate and Where It Breeds". That's just scratching the surface of this great book. The last time I read a short story collection with such textures and emotions was Clive Barker's Books of Blood.
The quality of these stories elevates the level we're used to seeing our horror. I only wish more authors put this kind of effort into their work. To those looking for more than just cheap scares or pointless gore, I highly recommend this book.
Like a delicious box of assorted chocolates these vignettes provide many different flavors of Japanese culture. The stories alternate in tone and style showing off Matsuura's deft way with words while giving a layered richness to the entire book. Each tale is steeped in emotion interwoven beautifully with the narrative: "Sand Walls, Paper Doors" has the bittersweet nostalgia for a way of life being destroyed in the name of progress; "Her Favorite" is filled with the pain and heartbreak of old age; Anger--from shame or embarrassment--is at the heart of "The Bean Washer" and "Hate and Where It Breeds". That's just scratching the surface of this great book. The last time I read a short story collection with such textures and emotions was Clive Barker's Books of Blood.
The quality of these stories elevates the level we're used to seeing our horror. I only wish more authors put this kind of effort into their work. To those looking for more than just cheap scares or pointless gore, I highly recommend this book.
March 13, 2010
A strong collection of stories, some realist, most blending fantastic elements from Japanese folklore with everyday life and well-drawn characters. What I loved about this book, apart from the strength of the writing, was all the little details of Japanese life - customs, beliefs, food, objects. And the fantasy elements are frightening and wondrous. Fans of Hayao Miyazaki's films will love this but so will anyone who likes a good short story.
April 11, 2010
Fantastic modern fantasy.
Thersa Matsuura has done her homework when it comes to Japanese monsters and culture. As a fellow American expat, I am impressed by A Robe of Feathers -- it's an alluring, ethereal collection of human emotion and tragedy. Shakespearean in scope, Japanese in depth and imagination.
Thersa Matsuura has done her homework when it comes to Japanese monsters and culture. As a fellow American expat, I am impressed by A Robe of Feathers -- it's an alluring, ethereal collection of human emotion and tragedy. Shakespearean in scope, Japanese in depth and imagination.
April 11, 2012
LOVE this book (and not just because the author is a good friend!) If you like fantasty mixed with traditional Japanese folk tales, this is the book for you! Everything from scary/creepy to laugh you butt off funny....
September 20, 2009
Japanese short stories meets The Twilight Zone.
July 26, 2012
What an amazing, original collection of stories. This is definitely a keeper and one I'll read over and over again
April 1, 2014
A great collection of ancient Japanese fairy tales told with a modern tilt.
July 9, 2019
Very pleasant collection of short stories. Starts off with stories having jarring endings, in a good sense, and ends with haunting nostalgia. Writing is crisp. There’s some humor in the stories too. I’ve logged it as horror, and there are definitely scary elements, but none of it seems gratuitous. Some would even say the stories are true.
August 4, 2022
Short stories drawing on Japan's rich tradition of myth and superstition, in which the creatures of folklore and the powers of the spirits move in the real world. My favourite is probably "Sand Walls, Paper Doors," in which a lonely foreigner studying in Japan makes friends with the spirits haunting the house she rents.
I first became aware of the author through her podcast Uncanny Japan, and the information she shares there informs these stories in interesting ways. If you're interested in Japanese culture or folk beliefs, I recommend it.
I first became aware of the author through her podcast Uncanny Japan, and the information she shares there informs these stories in interesting ways. If you're interested in Japanese culture or folk beliefs, I recommend it.
June 25, 2017
Modern urban fantasies with a serving of traditional Japanese monsters, most with tragic or ambiguous endings. Now for something completely different ;) not a Western fantasy.
July 20, 2022
I discovered Theresa Matsuuras Podcast; Uncanny Japan on Spotify. Having ocd, i have to obviously start from episode 01 and heard over and over again about the books she wrote.
Since I absolutely love and enjoy her podcast, aswell as her friendly personality. I decided to look up the books she wrote and give them a go. Needles to say I am glad I did because this book is an absolute gem and I'm sure I will be rereading this very soon again.
I truly enjoy reading a Chapter before bed similiar to her bedtime stories on patreon and sometimes on spotify too.
I loved how every Chapter was a different Story. They were very well written and extremely addictive to read. As a japan fan I can honestly recommend this to anybody.
Since I absolutely love and enjoy her podcast, aswell as her friendly personality. I decided to look up the books she wrote and give them a go. Needles to say I am glad I did because this book is an absolute gem and I'm sure I will be rereading this very soon again.
I truly enjoy reading a Chapter before bed similiar to her bedtime stories on patreon and sometimes on spotify too.
I loved how every Chapter was a different Story. They were very well written and extremely addictive to read. As a japan fan I can honestly recommend this to anybody.
May 31, 2018
I'd recommend this to anyone who lives or has lived in Japan, and anyone who fancies a taste of Japanese life and folklore. The stories themselves are a mix of eerie, sinister, sorrowful and fun, and all open up a pocket of Japanese life or myth. In each tale there was something, maybe just a quick mention or an aside, that gave me the urge to head to an onsen, go out for some soba or walk between rice fields. The prose feels like it was written with great care and thought, and readily conjures up images of daily life in Japan. Gorgeous front cover to boot!
June 21, 2023
Exactly what I was looking for! Short stories which incorporate ancient Japanese myths with a modern twist. And it's written very well.
As the author puts it on her website:
"In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living."
As the author puts it on her website:
"In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living."
December 14, 2015
I gave this one 4/5 stars. I borrowed this one from one of my professors at the end of the semester. I enjoyed the stories, but some more than others. "The Devils Outside" was one that I enjoyed more, for example. As I'm not familiar with Japanese myths or traditions/customs, I think I missed some of the impact that modern retellings of myths would have. I found that since I'm unfamiliar with the traditional, I found the stories with clearer roots in myths more enjoyable. I haven't stopped thinking about this one since I read it though, so I would recommend it to those who like short stories, especially those rooted in myths.
December 4, 2009
The stories start out well enough, but the endings let them down.
June 5, 2016
Each story is unique unto itself, yet the entire work is certainly held together by a commonality.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews