No. 17.
1904. KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.—Lafcadio Hearn, Lecturer on English Literature in the Imperial University of Tōkyō, Japan (1896-1903). Honorary Member of the Japan Society, London. (Japanese Characters.) Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, MDCCCCIV. (Published April, 1904.)
12mo., 6 p. 1., pp. 240, illustrated, 2 plates, dark green cloth, decorated, gold lettering, gilt top.
(1) Introduction by Publisher:—
(3) Prefatory Note:—
Most of the following Kwaidan, or Weird Tales, have been taken from old Japanese books,—such as the Yasō-Kidan, Bukkyō-Hyakkwa-Zenshō, Kokon-Chomonshū, Tama-Sudaré and Hyaku-Monogatari. Some of the stories may have had a Chinese origin: the very remarkable "Dream of Akinosuké," for example, is certainly from a Chinese source. But the Japanese story-teller in every case, has so recoloured and reshaped his borrowing as to naturalize it.... One queer tale, "Yuki-Onna," was told me by a farmer of Chōfu, Nishitamagōri, in Musashi province, as a legend of his native village. Whether it has even 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.
Tōkyō, Japan, January 20, 1904. L. H.
(4) Contents:—
Kwaidan
The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hōichi (Atlantic Monthly, August, 1903)
Oshidori
The Story of O-Tei
Ubazakura
Diplomacy
Of a Mirror and a Bell
Jikininki
Mujina
Rokuro-Kubi
A Dead Secret
Yuki-Onna
The Story of Aoyagi
Jiu-Roku-Zakura
The Dream of Akinosuké (Atlantic Monthly, March, 1904)
Riki-Baka
Hi-Mawari
Hōrai
Insect-Studies
Butterflies
Mosquitoes
Ants
(5) Notes on the Illustrations