Japanese Fairy Tales

by Yei Theodora Ozaki

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Genres: Fantasy, Japan, Classics, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Fiction, Mythology

159 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 17, 1903

About the author

Yei Theodora Ozaki was an early 20th century translator of Japanese short stories and fairy tales. Her translations were fairly liberal but have been popular, and were reprinted several times after her death.

According to "A Biographical Sketch" by Mrs. Hugh Fraser, included in the introductory material to Warriors of old Japan, and other stories, Ozaki came from an unusual background. She was the daughter of Baron Ozaki, one of the first Japanese men to study in the West, and Bathia Catherine Morrison, daughter of William Morrison, one of their teachers. Her parents separated after five years of marriage, and her mother retained custody of their three daughters until they became teenagers. At that time, Yei was sent to live in Japan with her father, which she enjoyed. Later she refused an arranged marriage, left her father's house, and became a teacher and secretary to earn money. Over the years, she traveled back and forth between Japan and Europe, as her employment and family duties took her, and lived in places as diverse as Italy and the drafty upper floor of a Buddhist temple.

All this time, her letters were frequently misdelivered to the unrelated Japanese politician Yukio Ozaki, and his to her. In 1904, they finally met, and soon married.

Reviews

[Taro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I learnt from Japanese Fairy Tales
-Never trust a monkey.
-Never trust a stepmother.
-Never trust a stepmother with your monkey.
-Almost every boy in Japan is named Taro, or a variant of that name: Kintaro, Urashima Taro, Momotaro...
-If an old man wants to wrestle your teenage son in the woods (because the old man was watching the boy earlier and saw that he was big and strong), it's perfectly fine to send your son to the capital alone with the old man.
-Take care of your elders.
-Something somewhat absent from Western Fairy Tales (unless I'm mistaken), but evil people can change their ways and become good, through character building. Really the dichotomy of good and evil isn't as black and white.
-The Dragon King of the Sea lives beyond the sea in a beautiful underwater palace that somehow has air and fish attendants and no monkeys.
-When someone with magical powers tells you not to open a box, for the love of Buddha don't open it!
-Anything can walk and talk. Even a mortar.
-The jellyfish lost his spine because he trusted a monkey.

The translation is interesting. It is clearly written for an early 20th century western audience, who would be only vaguely familiar with Japanese customs. The author's history is an interesting note, she's pretty much precisely half-English half-Japanese, in both genetics and upbringing. She was born to an English mother and Japanese father, who separated soon after birth, so she spent her formative years in England, her teenage years in Japan, and the rest of her life in all place in between. Her marriage story is interesting : She kept on getting some other guy's mail in Japan who had the same last name as her, they eventually met and married. Cute.

I'm not a fan of the bracket translations of common Japanese words, not only are they unhelpful (maybe to a 21st century adult reader though), I mean, Samurai? But they are also strangely inconsistent. In "The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher" we have "Mikoto" translated as "Augustness" (yea, a kid would totally that) almost every time. So the first few times she writes the term she then translates it in brackets, then a few times alone, then goes back to translation. I think we got it the first time!

But all in all, entertaining. It's neat to see folk stories from the other side of the world, and see how different yet how similar they all are. Definitely getting dated, but aren't all fairy tales supposed to be dated?

[J.L. Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off slow, but the way the stories echoed each other made them more interesting and gave them a certain rhythm I enjoyed. Some of the later tales (The Goblin of Adachigahara, The Ogre of Rashomon and How an Old Man Lost his Wen) were also interesting to me as they dealt with more magic/mythological themes:

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something delightful, something childish, something absolutely necessary about fairy tales. The further I travel into adulthood, the more I feel I need the simple delights of warriors and princesses fighting monsters in the mountains.

Fairy tales often also bring much needed moral clarity. That's why I think that stories that feature adults or children and have them travel to fantastical worlds that have parallels to their own work so well (Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, Spirited Away, or even comics like Joe the Barbarian). Fairy tales work really well when their simple structure makes clear the moral dynamics of the world we live in.

For all the simple fun of the stories in this collection, I didn't always feel that the moral message was clear in the stories. I often felt like they were just stories told to pass the time and that the action and violence were the real draws for the reader (not unlike modern-day comic books). Some of them perhaps did have messages that I just couldn't tease out of them.

For me, the best story was "The Bamboo Cutter." If you read it now, you might find some similarities with Superman and Cinderella.

[Nourhan Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

للأسف أنتهت هذه الرحلة الخيالية بسرعة كبيرة.
قضيت وقتاً ممتعاً ورائعاً مع هذه الحكايا اليابانية الشعبية.
مازالت الثقافة اليابانية تجذبني أكثر يوماً بعد يوم.
وهذه القصص الأسطورية كانت مميزة بطريقتها الخاصة.
لقد كانت القصص مليئة بالحكم والدروس القيمة التي يتجاهلها الكثير في زمننا الحاضر, ولكن مازالت اليابان تتمكن من ترسيخ قيمهم النبيلة جيل بعد جيل في طريقة ذكية وممتعة.

كانت القصص منوعة في مواضيعها, مابين السحر والخيال, والأساطير القديمة, والمحاربين الشجعان, وحيل بعض الحيوانات تجاه بعضهم البعض, تتنوع حكايا هذا الكتاب بشكل شائق ومثير للأعجاب.

لقد تمكنت من أنهاء الكتاب في جلستين فقط, لشدة جمال وسلاسة القصص التي كتبت.
وكانت الترجمة مذهلة بصراحة, المفردات التي أستعملت كانت موفقه, وتم شرح كل أسم وكل أسطورة ذكرت في الهامش.
لهذا كانت رحلتي مع هذا الكتاب اللطيف والممتع, جميلة للغاية.

أنصح كل محبين الأدب الياباني والقصص الكلاسيكية في قراءة هذا الكتاب الشيق.

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Japonya’da Muromachi döneminde (14.–16. yy) yazılmış Otogizōshi, çoğu kısa anlatılardan oluşan, farklı elyazmalarında bir araya getirilmiş yaklaşık 350–500 civarında masalı kapsayan bir edebiyat türü/derleme, bir külliyatın adıdır. Bu kitapta yer alan masalların bir kısmı (8-9 tanesi) da, bu el yazmalarında yer alan masallar. Diğerleri Halk Masalı olarak adlandırılıyor.

Yei Theodora Ozaki tarafından derlenen ve bu baskısından önce biri Macidegül Batmaz çevirisi (22 masal) ile Maya Kitap tarafından, diğeri Servin Sarıyer çevirisi (11 masal) ile Karakarga Yayınları tarafından basılan iki ayrı Japon Masalları kitabını da okudum. Karakarga Yayınlarınca basılan 11 öykü, Maya Kitap baskısında da yer alıyor. İthaki tarafından basılan bu baskıda da Maya Kitap baskısında yer alan tüm masallar yer alıyor. Her üçü de masal mutluluğunu veren çevirilerdi.

Masal okumayı sevdiğim için mi bilemiyorum ama harika masallar. Elbette batı masalları ile benzer temalar içeriyor. Ama benim özellikle dikkatimi çeken, denizin -doğal olarak- masallarda çokça yer alması ve çocukların ailenin geleceğinin sorumluluğunu taşıdığının çokça vurgulanması.

Çok beğendim.

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yei Theodora Ozaki tarafından derlenen ve biri Macidegül Batmaz çevirisi (22 hikaye) ile Maya Kitap tarafından, diğeri Servin Sarıyer çevirisi (11 öykü) ile Karakarga Yayınları tarafından basılan iki ayrı Japon Masalları kitabını okudum. Karakarga Yayınlarınca basılan 11 öykü, Maya Kitap baskısında da yer alıyor. Her ikisi de masal mutluluğunu veren çevirilerdi.

Masal okumayı sevdiğim için mi bilemiyorum ama harika masallar. Elbette batı masalları ile benzer temalar içeriyor. Ama benim özellikle dikkatimi çeken, denizin -doğal olarak- masallarda çokça yer alması ve çocukların ailenin geleceğinin sorumluluğunu taşıdığının çokça vurgulanması.

Her iki kitapta da yer alan “Prenses Hase’nin Hikayesi/Öyküsü Prens Fujiwara ile Murasaki’nin hikayesi. İsim benzerliği dikkatimi çekti, hoşuma gitti.

“...Bir yerde düzen olunca düzenbaz olmaz. ...”, Maya Kitap, sf; 205.

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yei Theodora Ozaki tarafından derlenen ve biri Macidegül Batmaz çevirisi (22 hikaye) ile Maya Kitap tarafından, diğeri Servin Sarıyer çevirisi (11 öykü) ile KaraKarga Yayınları tarafından basılan iki ayrı Japon Masalları kitabını okudum. KaraKarga Yayınlarınca basılan 11 öykü, Maya Kitap baskısında da yer alıyor. Her ikisi de masal mutluluğunu veren çevirilerdi.

Masal okumayı sevdiğim için mi bilemiyorum ama harika masallar. Elbette batı masalları ile benzer temalar içeriyor. Ama benim özellikle dikkatimi çeken, denizin -doğal olarak- masallarda çokça yer alması ve çocukların ailenin geleceğinin sorumluluğunu taşıdığının çokça vurgulanması.

Her iki kitapta da yer alan “Prenses Hase’nin Hikayesi/Öyküsü Prens Fujiwara ile Murasaki’nin hikayesi. İsim benzerliği dikkatimi çekti, hoşuma gitti.

“...Bir yerde düzen olunca düzenbaz olmaz. ...”, Maya Kitap, sf; 205.

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful read. This is an English translation of twentytwo fairy tales replete with ogars, gobblins, sea monsters, princes and princesses. They are very fun to read and they keep young ones inthrawled. I read it with my little second cousin.
I recommend this book to all ages.
Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond

[Kozmokitap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farklı kültürlerin kitaparlını okumaktan hoşlanıyorum. Yirmi iki masaldan oluşan kitabı zevkle okudum.

[Jordi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to these tales while working out, and they were really entertaining. I guess what this book gave me was kind of an awakening into Japanese culture, somewhat. I say somewhat because many aspects of these stories do not reflect anything about the way modern Japan is, but many other aspects explain the anime, the manga, the hello kitty peace ambassadors, the still sexist image of women, and many other things.
The more fairy tales I read, the more I see in common between different nations and cultures; fairy tales seem to all stem from the same root, and most of the time they are unfair to women and to some animals.

Here are some of my findings:

1- The Dragon King is a pretty nice guy for what he is, but do not cross him.
2- all step mothers are evil.
3- all neighbors are evil.
4- women who are smart and don't wanna be servants are evil.
5- good women are docile and servant-like.
6- white means pretty.
7- if you have no children you're miserable and have nothing to live for.
8- creepy old men who seem to like your children are not creepy at all; they just want to get your kids to serve the emperor.
9- the original people of the land who demand their independence from the Empire are evil demons who should be killed.

Fairy tales are not really, fair. But that's just how they are.

[Aida · Rating 3 out of 5]

پایان: ۱۴۰۴/۴/۱۳
نمره: ۲/۵ یا ۳

کتاب بدی نبود لیکن عالی هم نبود.
چند قصه از چین هم بود بنظرم نویسنده اصلا نباید اون چندتا رو می‌آورد. اگر نیاز بود داستان چینی بخونم، کتاب قصه‌های چینی میخریدم، نه ژاپنی.

قصه‌ها جالب بودن در یکسری از مسائل متوجه نمیشدم که بن‌مایه چی هست و اصلا هدف آموزشی داستان چیه.
یکسری از قصه‌ها زیبا بودن و طریقه بیان جالبی هم داشتن.

[۰ ۪۫ Maja Haber ۪۫ ۰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

To było naprawdę ciekawe spotkanie z baśniami japońskimi. Przede wszystkim dlatego, że jako europejka wychowałam się na mitologii greckiej, gdzie zawistni i samolubni bogowie wysługiwali się ludźmi i traktowali ich jak pionki w grze. Sytuacja zupełnie inaczej ma się w japońskim folklorze. Baśnie Japończyków obfitują w historie bogów szczerze sympatyzujących z ludźmi. Bogowie ci chętnie przybywają z wybawieniem, gdy wzywa się ich imienia, a nieraz, nie dwa, to człowiek staje się pomocą dla jakiegoś bóstwa. Jeżeli bohatera spotyka kara, to tylko dlatego, że sam ją na siebie ściągnął własną chciwością i głupotą, nie ma zaś mowy o tym, żeby to któryś z bogów takową karę wymierzył, nie mówiąc o manipulacji ludzkim losem. To zaskakujące i... bardzo sympatyczne. Bogowie Japońscy są na wskroś poczciwi i dobroduszni. Polecam przeżyć ten mały, ale jakże przyjemny szok kulturowy.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable collection of Japanese fairy tales translated by Yei Theodora Ozaki. These stories are not literal translations. These stories were originally written with the intention of introducing young Western readers to the Japanese kind of fairy tales/folk tales. These stories have similarities with Western fairy tales but are also quite unique, both in their content and in the moral lessons they provide us with. And this is without a doubt the selling point of this book in particular. These are all quite short and simple stories but can nonetheless pack a punch when it comes to the values they try to teach the audience. And this book manages to do this in a very interesting and entertaining way.

[Magrat Ajostiernos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuentos cortitos y curiosos, todos fábulas de la mitología japonesa.

[Rıdvan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japonlarin Dede Korkut hikaleleri. Guzel.

[aljouharah · Rating 4 out of 5]

وانتهت هذه الرحلة الممتعه مع واحد وعشرين قصه من القصص الشعبية اليابانية المعروفه ..
بالطبع كُنت أعرف بعضاً من هذه القصص لكني تمتعت جداً بالإستماع إليها مكتوبة بصيغة مبسطه كهذه تجعل حتى الغير مهتمين بالحضارة اليابانيه يفهمون مُصطلحاتها ..

قصه الرجل ذو الندبة على خده لا تنفك أبداً على إضحاكي !
حتى لإنها كانت موضوع أحد أقدم أفلام الأنمي القصيره بالعالم لكن بدلاً من أن يجد نفسه بحضور عصبة من الشياطين “ oni” وجده نفسه بين مجموعه من غربان الآلهة kras ..
القصص ممتعه جداً وجميله، وكعادة كُل القصص الشعبية فهي تحمل مضامين مهمة تُنشئ القروي على إحترامها، كالعمل الجاد وإحترام من هم أكبر منك منزلة و العطف على الحيوان ..
كما أنها تحوي تقريباً بكل القصص نفس الرسالة “ لا تتكبر على منزلتك الإجتماعيه وأرضى بها، وإن أردت التحسب فصل للآلهة أن يرزقوك بولد شجاع يصبح مقاتلاً للملكه” ..

قصص ممتعه، ممتعه جداً، وإن أراد أحد المهتمين بالتزود بالمزيد من القصص الشعبيه فبإمكانه متابعة هذا الأنمي “مسلسل كارتوني” يتحدث بشكل أساسي عن القصص الشعبيه ويعرض ثلاث قصص في كُل حلقة :
Folk tales from japan

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories were retold and adapted. rather than translated, and this was done with Western readers in mind.

These stories show the influence of both Shintoism and Buddhism. There is emphasis on non-violence in some stories, while in others, those who have been wronged exact fearsome revenge. Fantastic creatures can take various forms. The undersea world and the Chinese empire exert a strong fascination.

But what interested me were the similarities to stories which are more familiar to us in the West. The hero of "Kintaro" has an isolated childhood and undergoes an apprenticeship for knighthood rather like Sir Percival of Arthurian legend. "Urashima Taro" is somewhat similar to Washington Irving's "Rip van Winkle." "The Goblin of Adachigahara" has a frightening discovery scene reminiscent of the one in "Bluebeard." And "The Mirror of Matsuyama" has an evil stepmother like--and yet unlike--the one in "Cinderella."

These stories provide a quick, enjoyable read.

[Carolina]

Mis ganas de leer este libro son inversamente proporcionales al dinero que suelo tener para comprarlo y al tiempo que tendría para leerlo. Por suerte voy a empezar a trabajar dando inglés y las navidades se acercan, por lo que puedo pedírmelo para Reyes aunque seguramente me lo acabe comprando antes porque se trata de literatura japonesa, de historias japonesas.

28-12-17: POR FIN ES MÍO :D Como se me crucen los cables mucho me lo empiezo en pocos días.

[Hafsa Sabira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure whether it was the translation or something else, the stories seemed to have a lot of western influence. One thing for sure though, some things are common in fairy tales from all over the world. Step mother is evil, old women are often bad, never break an oath, there's a kingdom underwater, such traits seem to be common in all the fairy tales.

[RKanimalkingdom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't hate this book. On the contrary, the collection had a vast array of interesting tales but they are just fairy tales. There is only so much you can obtain from them.

Review Continued Here

[Eva Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

No esperaba gran cosa de este librito, pero me ha sorprendido gratamente.
Se trata de una selección de cuentos sobre doncellas, como bien dice su título, que bailan entre lo simbólico, la tradición y la realidad. Son cuentos muy cortos y muy agradables de leer, a la manera de los clásicos cuentos de hadas.
Muy bonito.

[Mewa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kobiety z baśni japońskich to piękne lalki lub brudne dusze. Nic pomiędzy. Ech. Czy jestem zaskoczona? Ale. Bardzo przyjemny zbiorek.

[Mert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puanım 4/5 (%81/100)

"Sentaro gibi ölümden delicesine korkan insanların aksine buradaki insanların hepsi ölümü arzu edilecek sevinçle karşılanacak bir olay gibi düşünüyorlarmış."

İçinde 11 tane birbirinden güzel masal bulunan harika bir kitap olmuş. Masalları okurken kendimi gerçekten tekrar çocuk gibi hissettim. Hikayeler sizi merak ettiriyor ama sonunda da önemli bir mesaj veriyor. Kısa kısa her masal neyden bahsediyor anlatmaya çalışacağım ve her birini ayrıca puanlayacağım.

1.Lord Pirinç Çuvalı: Güçlü bir savaşçı ve maceracı olan bir adamın Ejderha Kralı'nı dev gibi bir çıyandan kurtarması ve bu olay sonucunda da Lord Pirinç Çuvalı olarak anılmasını anlatıyor. 3.5/5

2.Kesik Dilli Serçe Kuşu: Kocasının çok sevdiği fakat kendisinin bir türlü sevemediği serçenin dilini kesen bir kadın var. Bu olay kadının başına çok kötü şeyler açıyor ve hikayede onurlu ve erdemli olmanın önemi anlatılıyor. 3/5

3.Genç Balıkçı Urashima Taro'nun Öyküsü: Urashima adlı bir balıkçı çocuklar tarafından zarar gören bir kaplumbağayı kurtarır. Fakat kaplumbağa sıradan bir kaplumbağa değildir ve adamın bu cömert davranışı karşısında onu ödüllendirir. Fakat Urashima kendi kasabasına döndüğünde hiçbir şey eskisi gibi olmaz. 4/5

4.Çiftçi ile Porsuk: Karısı bir porsuk tarafından öldürülen bir adam tavşan tarafından yardım alır ve karısının intikamını almayı başarır. Tavşan ile mutlu bir şekilde yaşamaya devam eder. 2/5

5.Güneyi Gösteren Araba, Shinansha: Aslında daha çok Çin mitolojisi ve kültürüyle alakalı olan ve ejderha barından ilginç bir hikaye. 2.5/5

6. Altın Çocuk Kintaro'nun Maceraları: Diğer masallara göre biraz daha uzun olan, oldukça eğlenceli bir hikaye. Çocukluğundan beri güçlü olan Kintaro'nun maceralarını ve onun nasıl en güçlü samuray olduğunu anlatan bir hikaye. Aile değerlerine verilmesi gereken önemi de vurguluyor. 3.5/5

7. Prenses Hase'nin Öyküsü: Külkedisi tadında bir masal. Kibar ve erdemli olan annesi ölen Hase'nin üvey annesi gaddar ve acımasızdır. Fakat ne kadar kötülük yaparsa yapsın hepsi ters teper. Bunlara rağmen Hase hiçbir zaman iyilikten şaşmaz. İyiliğe karşı kötülüğün savaşının işlendiği eğlenceli bir masal. 4/5

8. Ölmek İstemeyen Adamın Öyküsü: 3. hikayeye benzerlik gösteren ve çok beğendiğim bir masal. Yaşı ilerledikçe ölümden korkan ve ölümsüzlük arayışına çıkan bir adamı anlatıyor. Ölümsüzlüğü bulduğunda ise ölümü isteyen kararsız bir adam var ortada. Bilge birisi sayesinde yola koyuluyor ve böylece masalda insanların er ya da geç öleceğini, ölümü güzel bir şekilde, bu dünyada bolca iyilik yapmış bir şekilde karşılamalarını öğütlüyor. 4.5/5

9. Bambu Kesici ile Ay Çocuk: Kitapta benim en çok sevdiğim hikaye oldu. Kintaro'nun hikayesi bu da oldukça uzun bir masal. Bir türlü çocuğu olmayan bambu kesici bir gün mucizevi bir şekilde bir kız çocuğu bulup onu evlatlık edinir. Fakat bu çocuk aydan gelmiştir ve normal bir insan değildir. Prenses Ay Işığı'nın başından geçenleri anlatan çok zevkli bir masal. 5/5

10. Matsuyama'nın Aynası: Hasta olan annesinden bir ayna alan küçük ve masum bir kızın öyküsü anlatılıyor. Üzerine çok düşünülcek bir şey olmayan basit ve okuması kolay bir masal. 2.5/5

11. Adachigahara'nın Cüce Cini: Adachigahara adlı vadide bulundukları söylenen efsanevi cüce cinleri anlatan bir masal. Yaşlı bir kadının evinde konaklamak isteyen bir rahibin bu cinlerden birisiyle karşılaşmasını anlatan güzel bir masal. 4/5

[Jelena · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a child I was never too keen on classic fairy tales. I took me many years to take interest in them for their common, archetypical elements and anthropological and social subtext. That is what I wanted from “Japanese Fairy Tales” as well: to compare them to my expectations as a reader more familiar with the Western fairy tale canon.

The building bricks were mostly the same: brave and strong princes, obedient daughters, stepmothers, quests for fortune, kind old people and their other-worldly foster children, animals with their specific character traits. The structure though was relatively uncommon: Where I would have expected a plot twist, a turn of events, a dramatic conflict or a retardation of the narrative, mostly nothing came. Somehow everything was just too easy – e.g. no double failure before succeeding the third time, no spokes in our heroes’ wheels, no one to challenge them in spite of their fame and glory. Every potential conflict dribbled away into nothing. Maybe exactly that is the reason why I soon grew tired of the repetitiveness and an overly linear pattern.

After my shortly developed boredom came irritation. Most of the tales strongly focus on very few or one dominant character trait (like cunningness or humbleness). Still, the very same reoccurring features like arrogance, cruelty and selfishness are fatal faults for the antagonists, yet the source of great honour and respect to positively marked characters. Like there is no true obstacle for the hero, there is also no penance or repercussion for their immoral and inhumane actions. And for my taste too many of those grand idols display capricious malice and are rewarded for it.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started listening to this collection of twenty-two folktales from Japan as I thought it was on my list of 1001 Children's Books You Must Read. Yet when I finished, it seems not to be on this list. It should be, I think.

The stories in this audiobook were gentle in comparison to other stories from other cultures that I have read. The endings are generally nonviolent, and bad guys in the stories generally end up being changed into good people. The stories seemed more dreamlike, with characters taking actions that are unexpected and with events taking place that are unexpected.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting collection of Japanese fairy tales and my favorite story in the collection was My Lord bag of Rice though they all were good to read. Check it out.

[꧁lee_felix꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,25 very fun🧡✨🧚🏻🫶🏻🇯🇵

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku ini berisikan cerita-cerita rakyat, mitos dan legendanya. Nyaris semuanya ceritanya fantasy dan ada unsur-unsur moral ceritanya juga.

Favorit saya adalah cerita kera yg berseteru dgn kepiting, dimana si kera membunuh ayah kepiting krn keserakahan buah kesemek. Kemudian anak kepiting menyusun pembalasan dendam atas kematian ayahnya. Krn kera ini sangat licik, maka digunakan siasat dan penyerangan yg sudah disusun terencana. Jadi mirip spt cerita mafia saja.

Folklore Jepang lebih mengutamakan pada nilai-nilai keberanian dan kesetiaan. Pada kisah Pangeran Yamato Take, istrinya yakni Ototachibana yg selama ini setia dan disia-siakan oleh si pangeran, malah membalas dgn mengorbankan diri menceburkan diri ke laut sehingga si pangeran malah selamat.

Orang yg punya rasa iri hati yg tinggi selalu mendapatkan ganjaran yg setimpal dgn perbuatan jahatnya, banyak folklore Jepang yg menampilkan cerita spt ini. Intinya, sia-sia saja dikau sirik kalau hatimu busuk, karma gak pernah salah orang, cuy. Sedangkan orang yg baik hati, tulus dan jujur selalu mendapatkan buah dari kebaikannya.

[Neli Krasimirova]

Elime bir İngilizce versiyon geçmiş, ha şimdi ha yarın derken bir türlü fırsat yakalayamamıştım.
Sesli kitap olarak bulunca oradan değerlendireyim dedim.
Her anane masal derlemesi gibi kültürü yakalamaya yardımcı ancak çocuklar için değil :)
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Birçok konuda Japonlarla ortak payda bulabilsek de ben dikkatimi çeken bir farklılığa değinerek bitirmek istiyorum: Japon kültüründe tilki çok efsunlu, çok değişik bir yerde olduğundan bizdeki tilkinin yerini orada maymun olarak görüyoruz.

[Niloufar M.]

به صورت کتاب صوتی شد همراه من برای قبل خواب شب‌هایی که کمی جادو لازم داشتم. خیلی جالب بود و شاید یه روز نسخه خواندنی‌ش رو هم امتحان کنم.