Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Lafcadio Hearn (1850 - 1904)

Most of the following Kwaidan, or Weird Tales, have been taken from old Japanese books,— such as the Yaso-Kidan, Bukkyo-Hyakkwa-Zensho, Kokon-Chomonshu, Tama-Sudare, and Hyaku-Monogatari. Some of the stories may have had a Chinese origin: the very remarkable "Dream of Akinosuke," for example, is certainly from a Chinese source. But the story-teller, in every case, has so recolored and reshaped his borrowing as to naturalize it… One queer tale, "Yuki-Onna," was told me by a farmer of Chofu, Nishitama-gori, in Musashi province, as a legend of his native village. Whether it has ever been written in Japanese I do not know; but the extraordinary belief which it records used certainly to exist in most parts of Japan, and in many curious forms… The incident of "Riki-Baka" was a personal experience; and I wrote it down almost exactly as it happened, changing only a family-name mentioned by the Japanese narrator. (Summary by L. Hearn, from the Introduction to the book)

Genre(s): Short Stories

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Introduction Vilayvanh
00:06:49
Play 01 The Story of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:23:17
Play 02 Oshidori Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:03:31
Play 03 The Story of O-tei Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:08:13
Play 04 Ubazakura Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:03:39
Play 05 Diplomacy Availle
00:05:37
Play 06 Of A Mirror and a Bell Scott Carpenter
00:08:59
Play 07 Jikininki Scott Carpenter
00:09:28
Play 08 Mujina Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:05:12
Play 09 Rokuro-Kubi Scott Carpenter
00:19:10
Play 10 A Dead Secret Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:05:39
Play 11 Yuki-Onna Availle
00:10:14
Play 12 The Story of Aoyagi Availle
00:19:44
Play 13 Jiu-Roku-Zakura Scott Carpenter
00:03:11
Play 14 The Dream of Akinosuke Scott Carpenter
00:12:00
Play 15 Riki-Baka Scott Carpenter
00:04:30
Play 16 Hi-Mawari Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:05:30
Play 17 Horai Martin Geeson
00:12:04
Play 18 Insect Studies - Butterflies Availle
00:27:15
Play 19 Insect Studies - Mosquitoes Nadine Eckert-Boulet
00:07:26
Play 20 Insect Studies - Ants Scott Carpenter
00:30:12