Description
Book SynopsisMonsters, Animals, and Other Worlds is a collection of twenty-five medieval Japanese tales of border crossings and the fantastic, featuring demons, samurai, talking animals, amorous plants, and journeys to supernatural realms. With images from the original scroll paintings, it illuminates a rich world of literary, Buddhist, and visual culture.
Trade ReviewThis volume offers translations of exciting, important Japanese tales that traverse the other worlds of monstrous and animal beings. From hungry ghosts to flesh-eating demons, the characters here are not just the oft-sung heroes of history or familiar gods of religious traditions—they are part of narratives that serve as imaginative touchstones of the medieval Japanese. Illustrations of key scenes, drawn from well-preserved scrolls and booklets, breathe further life into the stories, and an authoritative introduction puts the tales as a genre in their literary and artistic contexts. Each story is a polished gem, with generous notes to bring the social, spiritual, and material culture of medieval Japan into view. -- Linda Chance, University of Pennsylvania
As leading scholars in their fields, Kimbrough and Shirane provide a well-organized, extensively illustrated work that will appeal to general readers and students alike. -- Joshua Mostow, University of British Columbia
A timely collection. . . . Beyond the mysteries and intrigue found in each story, the tales are also endearing and hopeful. As a student of both art history and literature, I found the collection an exciting and illuminating read. -- Zeny May Dy Recidoro * Cha: An Asian Literary Journal *
This volume provides a clear window into medieval Japanese culture and world view. Highly recommended. * Choice *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction, by Haruo Shirane
Monsters, Warriors, and Journeys to Other WorldsHaseo and the Gambling Stranger (Haseo sōshi)
The Tale of the Dirt Spider (Tsuchigumo zōshi)
The Demon Shuten Dōji (Shuten Dōji)
The Demon of Ibuki (Ibuki Dōji)
The Tale of Tawara Tōda (Tawara Tōda monogatari)
The Origins of Hashidate (Hashidate no honji (Bontenkoku)
The Palace of the Tengu (Tengu no dairi)
Yoshitsune’s Island-Hopping (Onzōshi shima-watari)
The Tale of Amewakahiko (Amewakahiko sōshi)
The Origins of the Suwa Deity (Suwa no honji)
Buddhist TalesThe Tale of the Fuji Cave (Fuji no hitoana sōshi)
Isozaki (Isozaki)
The Tale of the Handcart Priest (Kuruma-zō sōshi)
Origins of the Statue of Kannon as a Boy (Chigo Kannon engi)
Little Atsumori (Ko-Atsumori)
The Crone Fleece (Ubakawa)
Interspecies AffairsThe Tale of the Mouse (Nezumi no sōshi)
The Chrysanthemum Spirit (Kiku no sei monogatari [Kazashi no himegimi])
The Tale of Tamamizu (Tamamizu monogatari)
The Tale of a Wild Goose (Kari no sōshi)
The Stingfish (Okoze)
Lady Tamamo (Tamamo no mae sōshi)
The Tale of the Clam (Hamaguri no sōshi)
The War of the Twelve Animals (Jūnirui kassen emaki)
The Sparrow’s Buddhist Awakening (Suzume no hosshin)
English-Language Secondary Sources
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