Myths and Legends of Japan

By F. Hadland Davis, Evelyn Paul, Frederick Hadland Davis

Book Overview

"Myths and Legends of Japan" is an expansive and beautifully rendered collection of the tales that have defined the spiritual and cultural landscape of the island nation. F. Hadland Davis brings together a diverse range of stories, from the divine origins of the Japanese archipelago to the heroic deeds of legendary warriors and the mysterious world of spirits and supernatural beings. This work explores the deep-rooted influence of Shinto and Buddhist traditions, weaving together narratives that reflect the values of honor, nature, and the afterlife.

Within these pages, readers will find the stories of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the dragon kings of the sea, and the poignant legends of the cherry blossom. The collection also includes folk tales that illustrate the humor and wisdom of everyday life in traditional Japan. By providing both the stories themselves and scholarly insights into their origins, "Myths and Legends of Japan" remains a seminal resource for understanding the poetic and imaginative heart of Japanese culture. This volume is an essential addition for anyone seeking to explore the timeless folklore of one of the world's most fascinating civilizations.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025375769
• ISBN13: 9781025375762
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 490 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Myths & Legends of Japan

This is a good if somewhat dated compilation of Japanese myths & legends. Most of it was new to me, although there were a few that I had run across in my reading before. Mr. Hadland wrote well, although one can detect some condescenion in the text. The stories illuminate the Japanese character in a way that other cultural artifacts do not. I recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in Japanese culture.

Tales of Olde from a Hidden Country

When this book was written, in 1913, Japan was still a country shrouded in mystery. Mathew Perry and his Black Ships had forced the treaty in 1858, an event that was still very much in living memory. Lafcadio Hearn had published his books on ghostly Japan only a few years earlier, and information was slowly pouring in to a hungry public. F. Hadland Davis pulled from Hearn's works, from Basil Chamberlain's "Things Japanese," from various translations of the Kojiki and the Nihongi, and from all of the new research available to create a single volume detailing the "Myths and Legends of Japan." He did an amazing job, and this is really an astoundingly comprehensive volume, with creation myths, magical creatures, ghost stories, Buddhist lessons and everything else under heaven. Davis has categorized the stories in an interesting and romantic way, such as "Concerning Tea" and "Dolls and Butterflies." All 31 categories have about four or five stories apiece, giving you an idea of how many gems are in the book. The writing style of the book is very old fashioned, and people unaccustomed to a more scholarly style might find it a bit thick. Hadland often sumarizes the tales, rather than giving them a storytelling flair. The focus of the book is educational over entertaiment, introducing the myths and legends of an unknown country to his readers. Also included is a glossary and index, to help in the absorbtion of the many, many tales. Writing aside, the biggest shame of this edition is the illustrations. While lovely, they have been reproduced in black and white instead of the original color plates. I know it keeps the costs down on a book almost 100 years old, but the original images must have been something to see!

I wish I had found this sooner!

This book is exactly what I had been looking for to quench my thirst for knowledge of Japanese mythology. Each of the 31 chapters covers a different subject and does so very well. My favorite chapters were: V. Fox Legends, IX. Legends of Mount Fuji, XXII. Animal Legends, XXIII. Bird and Insect Legends, XXVII. Legends of the Sea, XXVIII. Superstitions, and XXIX. Supernatural Beings. I highly recommend this to the mythology buff as well as the casual reader looking for something interesting to read.

Very enjoyable and informative.

Of course I am not an expert on "Myths and Legends of Japan", so I cannot judge the accuracy of the book, but nevertheless I do think that this is an absolutely fantastic read. First published in 1913, and thanks to one of my favourite publishing companies, Dover, made available again in 1992. It's not just a collection of (translated) stories of myths and legends in Japan, the author also gives some background information and further explanations.The range of topics covered is huge: from the Gods to heroes and warriors to foxes to legends in Japanese art to the sacred Mount Fuji to flowers and gardens, mirrors, insects, fans, thunder, superstitions, supernatural beings, Kintaro... to give you just a few examples!I must admit that at first I found it difficult to get into this book, but after about 30 pages I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down. Some of the stories are very moving, some breath-taking, others just sweet... Since common myths and legends of a people do say quite a bit about it, one can only be blown-away by just what a nation Japan must be!

Myths and Legends of Japan Review

I found this book to be a well of information. I loved this book tremendously. I originally used it for a project on myths and legends in japan but as I discovered more about this topic (which this book had helped to release) I became more and more fascinated with the subject. This book revealed many myths and legends in depth than you can find in or on many resources (especially over the internet). I highly recommend this book for the readers enjoyment and information.