Japanese Myths & Legends

Gorgeous Collector's Edition. Japanese mythology is delightful and enigmatic, full of spirits, gods and legendary creatures.

Japan's mythology is alive with gods, spirits and monsters. The warrior class of the imperial court, and the natural spirits of the countryside represent parallel and interdependent aspects of Japanese society, explored through ancient legend and folklore in this fascinating new book in the Flame Tree Myths and Legend series.

It draws on Buddhist and Shinto traditions to explain the nature of the world of the island of Japan, and the heavenly status of the long line of emperors. The warrior class of the imperial court, and the natural spirits of the countryside represent parallel and interdependent aspects of Japanese society, explored through ancient legend and folklore in this fascinating new book in the Flame Tree Myths and Legend series.

Jun'ichi Isomae (introduction) is Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan. He specializes in Religious Studies and Critical Theory, including the concept of the divine. His books include Japanese Mythology: Hermeneutics on Scripture (2010) and Religious Discourse in Modern Japan: Religion, State, and Shinto (2014).

Hiroshi Araki (introduction) is a Professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto, Japan. His books include Konjaku Monogatarishu: Tracing its Composition and Representation of the World Outside Japan (2021), Kojidan, Zoku, Kojidan (2005) and Projecting Classicism: The Futurology of Japanese Classics (2020).

Gouranga Charan Pradhan (translator of the new introduction) is a Research Fellow at Nichibunken, Kyoto, where he researches the global circulation of Japanese classical literature and Japan's cultural-intellectual interactions abroad with a focus on the late-nineteenth to the early-twentieth century. His first monograph Sekai Bungaku toshite no Ho jo ki (in Japanese) is scheduled for a February 2022 launch.