Japanese Tales from Times Past

In olden times, Japan was filled with wily individuals who could transform themselves into snakes and foxes, as well as a tremendous number of demons, devils, and sundry evil spirits. Believing in, and reciting, the Lotus Sutra with all your heart was of utmost importance. And Buddha regularly - almost unfailingly - swooped in to save those of pure heart, whatever their trouble might be. (And the trouble was usually snakes, foxes, or evil spirits/demons.) Or so this collection of fantasy and folklore proclaims.

Clearly, these stories, such as they have been handed down, are not meant to be taken literally. Most are moral lessons; a few are simply confusing. All speak to the Japanese virtues of honor and humility that so define the culture today. Most readers, frankly, will not be interested in Japanese Tales from Times Past. At best they are repetitive, a sort of Japanese Aesop's fables. At worst, they are mind bending puzzles, filled with too many monks to count. They are each Japanese to the core, though, from the virtues they proclaim to the word choice and cadence of the translation, courtesy of Naoshi Koriyama and Bruce Allen.

This is a book for a niche, niche audience. It is exactly as the cover states, a collection of folkloric tales, and offers an unusual window into Japanese culture.