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Audiobook edition · 7 h 24 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a gentle stranger comes from the sea, and even the stars cannot keep two lovers together?
In Japanese Fairy Tales, Grace James gathers old stories of Japan into a world where spirits and animals cross into human life. Fox spirits, cranes, cats and water creatures share these tales with brave warriors and women from the sky or sea. Small creatures hold powers that their size does not suggest.
The collection moves through folk tales, warrior legends and myths, exploring nature, duty and love. Samurai face the demands of courage and loyalty. A weaver and a herdsman, the star lovers, live apart across the River of Heaven, allowed to meet only once a year. Their longing gives the distant sky a deeply human feeling.
What you’ll discover
- Stories rich in wonder Discover old tales of Japan where nature, duty and love meet the powers of spirits.
- Spirits close to home Meet beings from sky and sea whose paths cross with human lives.
- Small creatures, great powers Encounter fox spirits, cranes and cats in stories where size does not measure power.
- The demands of honour Explore samurai legends that place courage, duty and faithfulness to a master at their heart.
- Love across the stars Follow the longing of a weaver and herdsman separated by the River of Heaven.
Who will love it
For readers who love folklore, myths, or bedtime tales with a thoughtful edge, and anyone curious about Japanese culture. Meet samurai tested by duty, spirit maidens, animal helpers and lovers parted by the stars.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Old stories carried by many voices
- Spirits and animals cross into human life
- Samurai, honour and loyalty
- Star lovers and the soul of the myths
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- Large print hardcover
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Read and hear Japanese Fairy Tales in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Japanese Fairy Tales
by Grace James · 1910
Samurai face tests of duty, spirits take human shape, and lovers are parted by the sky in Japan's folk tales.
Easy read5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Japanese Fairy Tales gathers old stories of Japan, retold in English by Grace James, a writer of the early twentieth century. The tales come from a long tradition of spoken folk stories, written legends and myths, and they reached English readers at a time of wide curiosity about Japan.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Old stories carried by many voices
Japanese fairy tales did not begin as books. They were told aloud in villages, in farm houses and at temple gates, and each teller shaped them a little. Over the centuries some were written down in court tales, in collections of strange events, and in the early chronicles that record the myths of the islands.
By the time Grace James came to them, a few English writers had already begun to retell such stories for readers abroad. Her collection belongs to that moment. It aims to give the flavour of the tales in clear English, so that a reader with no knowledge of Japan can still follow and enjoy them.
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What is Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace James about?
It is a collection of Japanese folk tales and legends retold in English. The stories feature samurai, spirit maidens, animal helpers and star lovers, and they show how Japanese tradition sees duty, love and the natural world.
Are Japanese fairy tales true stories?
No. They are folk tales and legends passed down over many centuries, first by word of mouth and later in writing. Some echo older myths and festivals, but they are tales told for wonder, comfort and instruction.
When was Japanese Fairy Tales written?
Grace James retold these tales in the early twentieth century, when English readers were keen on Japanese art and stories. The tales themselves are far older and come from a long Japanese oral and written tradition.
The author
Grace James
1882–1965 · English folklorist and children's writer
Grace James (1882–1965) was an English writer born in Tokyo, Japan. She spent her childhood in Japan before moving to England. Her collection Japanese Fairy Tales appeared in 1910, with illustrations by Warwick Goble. She also wrote the John and Mary series of books for children.
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