New Books in Japanese Studies

Thersa Matsuura, "The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth" (Adams Media, 2024)


Listen Later

Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan.

Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth (Adams Media, 2024): a fascinating journey through Japan’s folklore through profiles of the legendary creatures and beings who continue to live on in pop culture today.

From the sly kitsune to the orgrish oni and mischievous shape-shifting tanuki, learn all about the origins of these fantastical and mythical creatures. This gorgeous package is complete with stained edges and stunning four-color illustrations. With information on their cultural significance, a retelling of a popular tale tied to that particular yokai, and how it’s been spun into today’s popular culture, this handsome tome teaches you about the stories and histories of the beings that inspired characters in your favorite movies, animes, manga, and games.

Thersa Matsuura is an American expat who has lived in Japan for over thirty years. Her fluency in the language allows her to explore her favorite part of Japanese culture: all the myths, legends, folktales, and superstitions. Thersa retells these Japanese folktales and ghost stories on her popular podcast Uncanny Japan. Thersa has also published two short story collections, including A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories and The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales, a collection of horror stories inspired by Japanese folktakes, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in 2017.

Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channelTwitter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/japanese-studies

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

New Books in Japanese StudiesBy Marshall Poe

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

9 ratings


More shows like New Books in Japanese Studies

View all
On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,131 Listeners

Philosopher's Zone by ABC listen

Philosopher's Zone

207 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,951 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

864 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

292 Listeners

History of Japan by Isaac Meyer

History of Japan

662 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

580 Listeners

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker: The Writer's Voice - New Fiction from The New Yorker

2,107 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

111,864 Listeners

The Week in Art by The Art Newspaper

The Week in Art

199 Listeners

Why Theory by Why Theory

Why Theory

565 Listeners

Post Reports by The Washington Post

Post Reports

5,436 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,034 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,237 Listeners

Ones and Tooze by Foreign  Policy

Ones and Tooze

346 Listeners