This compilation of twenty-one favorite fairy tales introduces the rich world of Japanese fantasy, a world of ghouls, goblins, and ogres; sea serpents and sea kings; kindly animals and magic birds; demons and dragons; princes and princesses. In "My Lord Bag of Rice" goldfish dancers and carp musicians delight the brave warrior Hidesato; in "The Mirror of Matsuyama" a lonely daughter endures her fate with the help of a "shining disc" given by her departed mother; "The Jellyfish and the Monkey" explains how that sea creature lost its bones; and the hero of "Momotaro," a tale familiar to every child in Japan, is born from a peach that washes up on a riverbank. Settings and characters vary from tale to tale but the effect of each story in this volume is the same—to transport the reader, young or old, to mysterious shores, magical kingdoms, and mythical lands. The Japanese Fairy Book is a wondrous introduction to Japan's rich fantasy tradition.
