Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects. Most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts. The author also states that one of the stories – Yuki-onna – was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and his was apparently the first record of it. Riki-Baka is based on a personal experience of the author.
Table of Contetns:
The Story of Mimi-nashi Hōichi
Oshidori
The Story of O-Tei
Ubazakura
Diplomacy
Of a Mirror and a Bell
Jikininki
Mujina
Rokurokubi
A Dead Secret
Yuki-Onna
The Story of Aoyagi
Jiu-Roku-Zakura
The Dream of Akinosuke
Riki-Baka
Hi-Mawari
Hōrai
In the last half of the book, Hearn lists collected Chinese/Japanese superstitions and his own personal thoughts on various members of the insect world.
Butterflies: Personification of the human soul.
Mosquitoes: Karmic reincarnation of jealous or greedy people in the form of Jiki-ketsu-gaki or ‘blood-drinking pretas’.
Ants: Mankind’s superior in terms of chastity, ethics, social structure, longevity and evolution.
About the author
Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) was a Japanese writer of Greek-Irish descent. He is best remembered for his books about Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.
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