Chapter I: Front Matter

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JAPANESE FAIRY TALES

by

GRACE JAMES

Illustrations by Warwick Goble

TO MISS ETSUKO KATO

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 DOJOJI 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

The Moon Maiden _Frontispiece_

FACE PAGE

The Flute 10

The Peony Lantern 25

The Sea King and the Magic Jewels 45

The Star Lovers 65

The Story of Susa, the Impetuous 99

The Bell of Dojoji 127

The Singing Bird of Heaven 148

A Legend of Kwannon 165

The Espousal of the Rat's Daughter 171

The Strange Story of the Golden Comb 191

The Matsuyama Mirror 228

The Nurse 243

The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo 250

Karma 270