NOTE

These tales and legends have been collected from many sources. Some of them have been selected from the Ko-ji-ki, or Record of Ancient Matters, which contains the mythology of Japan. Many are told from memory, being relics of childish days, originally heard from the lips of a school-fellow or a nurse. Certain of them, again, form favourite subjects for representation upon the Japanese stage. A number of the stories now gathered together have been translated into English long ere this, and have appeared in this country in one form or another; others are probably new to an English public.

Thanks are due to Marcus B. Huish, Esq., who has allowed his story, “The Espousal of the Rat’s Daughter,” to be included in this collection; and to Mrs. T. H. James for permission to use her version of “The Matsuyama Mirror.”

CONTENTS

PAGE
1.[Green Willow]1
2.[The Flute]10
3.[The Tea-Kettle]17
4.[The Peony Lantern]25
5.[The Sea King and the Magic Jewels]37
6.[The Good Thunder]50
7.[The Black Bowl]56
8.[The Star Lovers]65
9.[Horaizan]71
10.[Reflections]78
11.[The Story of Susa, the Impetuous]89
12.[The Wind in the Pine Tree]101
13.[Flower of the Peony]108
14.[The Mallet]116
15.[The Bell of Dōjōji]127
16.[The Maiden of Unai]134
17.[The Robe of Feathers]142
18.[The Singing Bird of Heaven]148
19.[The Cold Lady]153
20.[The Fire Quest]161
21.[A Legend of Kwannon]165
22.[The Espousal of the Rat’s Daughter]171
23.[The Land of Yomi]180
24.[The Spring Lover and the Autumn Lover]185
25.[The Strange Story of the Golden Comb]191
26.[The Jelly-Fish takes a Journey]204
27.[Urashima]209
28.[Tamamo, the Fox Maiden]215
29.[Momotaro]223
30.[The Matsuyama Mirror]228
31.[Broken Images]233
32.[The Tongue-cut Sparrow]238
33.[The Nurse]243
34.[The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo]250
35.[Hana-Saka-Jiji]258
36.[The Moon Maiden]264
37.[Karma]270
38.[The Sad Story of the Yaoya’s Daughter]276

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS