Kwaidan - Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects. Most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts. The author also states that one of the stories - Yuki-onna - was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and his was apparently the first record of it. Riki-Baka is based on a personal experience of the author. Table of Contetns: The Story of Mimi-nashiH?ichi Oshidori The Story of O-Tei Ubazakura Diplomacy Of a Mirror and a Bell Jikininki Mujina Rokurokubi A Dead Secret Yuki-Onna The Story of Aoyagi Jiu-Roku-Zakura The Dream of Akinosuke Riki-Baka Hi-Mawari H?rai In the last half of the book, Hearn lists collected Chinese/Japanese superstitions and his own personal thoughts on various members of the insect world. Butterflies: Personification of the human soul. Mosquitoes: Karmic reincarnation of jealous or greedy people in the form of Jiki-ketsu-gaki or 'blood-drinking pretas'. Ants: Mankind's superior in terms of chastity, ethics, social structure, longevity and evolution.

Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) was a Japanese writer of Greek-Irish descent. He is best remembered for his books about Japanese culture, especially his collections of legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.