Japanese Tales [Paperback]

 

 

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By using his extensive knowledge in the Japanese literature, Royall Tyler collected and translated Japanese stories into English and into one volume entitled "Japanese Tales." This book drives the readers to experience the enchanting Japanese folklore and ancient short stories of spirits, demons, monsters, gods, monks, heroes, snakes, robbers, foxes, love, and families. There are 220 tales in this book, which are grouped into sets of four to six tales with each having its own theme or heading. In addition to the sets of the book, there is an introduction which describes the history of Japanese lore and mythology; and the culture of Japan including the capital, provinces, the emperor, ministers, houses, the manners of the Japanese people, and the religion during the period of 9th to 13th centuries. Throughout the selected sets of "Japanese Tales," one can understand the Japanese culture from 9th to 13th centuries by looking at the influences of Buddha and Lotus Sutra, the interferences of gods and goddesses, and the stories of snakes and foxes.

"Japanese Tales" explores the influences of Buddha and Lotus Sutra in the medieval Japanese culture as seen in the sets of 'Monk Jokes,' 'Beyond the Rules,' and 'Parent and Child.' Since the religion of Buddhism officially came to Japan in the mid-sixth century, large temples were built and respected monks were scattered across Japan in which people viewed them as saints, frivolous, worldly, and rich (p. xxxvi - xxxvii). However, the tales in the set of 'Monk Jokes' demonstrated as a way of insult to the Buddhist monks because of their sexual behavior, and this set has a twist and humorous end. But the religion of Buddha also had great positive influences on the Japanese people as their view of life and death. The best example of this is a tale of 'The Stinking Hut' in a set of 'Beyond the Rules.'

The important part of the Buddha religion is its scriptures called the sutras, and Lotus Sutra was the only important sutra in Japan which was a "basic of great many monks" and its powerful spiritual merit was copying the text (p. xxxvii, xliv - xlv). The mention of Lotus Sutra appeared throughout the selected sets as a chant or a benefit for someone in need. A good example of the Lotus Sutra can be seen in a tale of 'Hell in Broad Day' in a set of 'Parent and Child.' The religion of Buddha and the Lotus Sutra made strong impacts upon the rich culture of Japan, as evidenced in the living folklore and tales.

The interferences of gods and goddesses in the tales appeared to be of a great importance for the Japanese people because of hope, prayers being answered, and their roles in the vast universe. The religion of Buddhism has many gods and goddesses which appear or are mentioned in the Japanese Tales as part of the Japanese culture. In a sense, the tales would teach the new Japanese generations about the roles of the gods and goddesses and the lessons from their seen or unseen actions. Like a shocking story of 'Buckets of Marital Bliss,' tales that involved gods or goddesses would seem to have important lessons for the readers or listeners during the period of 9th to 13th centuries. The lessons that were demonstrated to the mortal people in the stories would have included the morals, relationships, virtues, and characters. The interferences of gods and goddesses in the "Japanese Tales" played an important role in a traditional society which formed a moral root of the Japanese culture.

The stories of the "Japanese Tales" consisted of many symbols and hidden meanings as related to the conditions of human beings. There are two major creatures of human conditions that appeared in many of the tales, and these were the snakes and the foxes. The snakes in the tales can "embody sinful" conditions including lust, forbidden desires, and evil while the foxes were tricksters for their own sexual desire, love, family, and they were also messengers of gods (p. xlvix - li.). Like in other foreign stories such as the Genesis story in the Bible, the snakes in the "Japanese Tales" represented evil and the actions of the dark side of all human beings, such as lust and forbidden desires. Foxes, on the other hand, do not represent evil, but they represent something between good and evil. Since they were not viewed as good creatures, the foxes can be tricky in such a way that they can be manipulative in love and family. The fox would change its appearance into a woman to get attention from a man, to feel appreciated and loved. Sometimes, a fox can be a messenger of a god appearing in dreams. These 'messenger' foxes would sometime play a divinity role for Japanese people as they would become important creatures of Japan, while the "manipulative" foxes can be the most annoying yet tricky creatures. While they appeared often in the tales, the snakes and the foxes were important figures for the readers or the listeners as they are the representations of major human conditions in Japan.

In Tyler's "Japanese Tales," one can understand the Japanese culture from 9th to 13th centuries by looking at the influences of Buddha and Lotus Sutra, the interferences of gods and goddesses, and the stories of snakes and foxes from the selected sets. The rich culture of Japan was formed by the impact of the religion of Buddha and the Lotus Sutra which affected Japanese folklore and tales.

A well-written book of tales with an accessible source of traditional Japanese society, Royall Tyler's "Japanese Tales" gave a fascinating picture of the Japanese culture and its people during the period of 9th to 13th centuries. For those who love folklores and legends, this book is most recommended.

Overall, the book a very good general introduction to Japanese folk tales and mythology. The book is aimed at giving just enough information to orient the reader in Japanese culture, and then letting the tales do the rest of the telling. This is both good and bad. It puts the various stories deservedly at the center, but it also leaves the backround very undeveloped for use in research. People looking for a good reference book might want to search elsewhere. People looking for some really entertaining stories will find them here.

Superbly compiled and translated by Japanese scholar Royall Tyler, this eloquent anthology presents a great deal of diversity as far as materials are concerned. Ranging from exploits of shinto dieties, mythological monsters and animals, playful to erotic tales about samurai, courtesans and ladies, Particularly interesting are the religiously-oriented tales involving various Boddhisattvas and dieties, most notably Kwannon (the buddhist diety of compassion) This book is an inexpensive, accessible and entertaining source to anyone interested in Japanese traditional society

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