7 h 57 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 57 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a peach holds a brave boy, and a kindness to a turtle opens a palace beneath the sea?
In Japanese Fairy Tales, Yei Theodora Ozaki brings together old stories from Japan in clear, warm English. Little Peachling emerges from a giant peach and sets out to face ogres with three animal friends. Kintaro grows up on a mountain, where his enormous strength goes hand in hand with friendship among animals.
Other tales lead into stranger, quieter wonders. Urashima Taro helps a turtle and travels to the Dragon King's palace, where Princess Otohime welcomes him. In The Tongue-Cut Sparrow, a gentle old man's care for a small bird stands against cruelty and greed. Throughout the collection, ordinary acts of kindness meet a world alive with spirits, speaking animals, and magic.
What you’ll discover
- Kindness put to the test Meet kind old couples and cruel neighbors in tales where generosity and greed bring different rewards.
- Animals with their own plans Follow badgers, monkeys, and foxes as they speak, scheme, and change shape.
- Heroes with strange beginnings Discover Little Peachling and Kintaro, boys whose unusual beginnings lead into courage and wonder.
- Wonders beneath the sea Visit the Dragon King's palace with Urashima Taro and share the wonders Princess Otohime reveals.
- A child in bamboo Meet the humble bamboo cutter who finds a tiny glowing child and raises her as his daughter.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy folk tales about clever animals, sea kings and brave heroes will love this collection. It also suits anyone drawn to Japanese customs and beliefs.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Courage and strength are noticed and rewarded
- Kindness is repaid and greed is punished
- Time moves differently in the sea palace
- Clever animals win by wit rather than strength
- Stepmothers test faithful daughters
- Wishes for what cannot be kept have a cost
- Monsters in disguise test the bravest hearts
- Imperial legends show strength guided by loyalty
- Duty to parents and promises hold many tales together
- The tales are told with a lively, clear voice
Who’s who
- HidesatoA fearless warrior who steps over a dragon on a bridge and agrees to help the Dragon King of Lake Biwa.
- Urashima TaroA kind young fisherman who saves a tortoise and is carried under the sea to the palace of the Dragon King.
- Hase-HimeA gifted young poet and musician who obeys her dying mother's wishes while a jealous stepmother watches her rise.
- MomotaroA boy who steps out of a peach and sets off with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant to fight devils.
- Princess MoonlightA glowing girl found in bamboo who sets five knights impossible tasks and gazes sadly at the moon.
- KintaroA boy of great strength raised in the mountains who befriends animals and longs to be a samurai.
- Yamato TakeA young prince who subdues his father's enemies through disguise, trickery and courage, helped by his faithful wife.
- SentaroA comfortable man afraid of death who goes in search of hermits and the Elixir of Life.
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Contes de fées japonais
by Yei Theodora Ozaki · 1908
A warrior steps over a sleeping dragon on a lake bridge, and a king of the waters begs for his help.
Medium level5–10 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if a dragon lay asleep across a bridge in your path? In the first tale of this book, a warrior simply steps over it.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Courage and strength are noticed and rewarded
The book opens with a warrior who does not flinch. Fujiwara Hidesato finds a huge serpent-dragon asleep across the bridge at Seta, near Lake Biwa. Fire and smoke curl from its nostrils. He steps over its coils and walks on without looking back.
Behind him a strange man in sea-green robes bows to the ground. He is the Dragon King of the Lake, and he took the dragon shape to test every traveler. Everyone else ran away, so Hidesato is the first he dares to ask for help. A giant centipede carries off his family one by one.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1908
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 5 h 10 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Ozaki, Yei Theodora. Japanese Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/japanese-fairy-tales.
Ozaki, Y. T. (2026). Japanese fairy tales. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/japanese-fairy-tales (Original work published 1908)
Ozaki, Yei Theodora. Japanese Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/japanese-fairy-tales.
@book{ozaki2026japanese,
author = {Ozaki, Yei Theodora},
title = {Japanese Fairy Tales},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/japanese-fairy-tales},
note = {First published 1908}
}
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What is Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki about?
It is a collection of twenty-two Japanese folk tales and legends, including Momotaro, Urashima Taro, The Tongue-Cut Sparrow and The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child, retold in clear English for young readers in the West.
When was Japanese Fairy Tales written?
Ozaki dated her dedication and preface in Tokyo in 1908. She retold the stories from modern Japanese versions by Sadanami Sanjin, after a suggestion from the folklorist Andrew Lang.
Are the stories in Japanese Fairy Tales true?
They are folk tales and legends, not history. Some, like Yamato Take and Raiko, are linked to legendary heroes, while others, like the sparrow and the monkey tales, are fables with talking animals and magic.
The author
Yei Theodora Ozaki
1870–1932 · Japanese translator and folklorist
Yei Theodora Ozaki (1870–1932) was a Japanese translator and writer. She was born in London and lived in England and Japan. She wrote in English and translated Japanese stories for English-speaking readers. Her collection Japanese Fairy Tales was published in 1903. She died in 1932.
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