Folktales

Folktales

Here follows a list of Japanese Folktales (昔話) currently on our website. There will be more over time, so please bear with us for the time being.

Festivals

• Ōtoshi no Kyaku. The New Years Eve Visitor. A collection of tales around mysterious New Years visitors who will give great gifts.

Grateful Creature Motif

• The Bewitched Tea-Kettle (分福茶釜 or 文福茶釜) A grateful Tanuki performs for the man who saved him, making him very wealthy.
• My Lord Bag of Rice (俵藤太) The story or Fujiwara Hidesato and the killing of the Giant Centipede Seta at the behest of The Dragon King.
• The Tongue Cut Sparrow (舌切り雀) The story of an old man and his cruel wife who cuts the tongue out of a Sparrow as she grows jealous of how her husband feels about the bird.
• Urashima Taro the Fisher Lad (浦島 太郎) The story of Urashima Tarō who saves a turtle and marries the Daughter of the The Dragon King.

Hero/Heroine Motif

• The Clever Boar and Monkey. An old monkey who was going to be killed saves his life by saving a kidnapped baby.
• Momotarō. Folktale about a man with the same name, as well as a Dog, Monkey and Pheasant and their journey to the island of Onigashima to stop the Oni.
• Princess Glory. A lonely old couple find a baby in a Bamboo Grove and raise her. She later is revealed as The Immortal Lady of Mount Fuji.

Longlife

• Longevity. Story of an old man who wished to live forever.

Mourning

• The Mirror of Matsuyama. A girl missing her mum, thinks she can find her by looking in a mirror.

Punishment Motif

• Kachi-Kachi Yama (かちかち山) Also known as The Farmer and the Badger. The story of a Rabbit seeking revenge on a Badger for killing an old woman.
• The Monkey and the Crab. The son of a crab who was killed by his apparent friend the Monkey gets revenge on his fathers murderer.

Sacrifice Motif

• Shippeitaro – Story of the Dog Shippeitaro and the Warrior who save a maiden from being sacrificed.

Unfinished Business Motif

• Banchō Sarayashiki – Okiku is killed after breaking one of ten heirloom plates, and thrown down a well. Her ghost returns each night trying to count and find the tenth plate she broke.

Yōkai Motif

• Hagoromo (羽衣) Story of a celestial nymph who is forced to marry a fisherman.
• How an Old Man Lost is Wen – Story of a man who dances for some Oni and tricks them into taking the wen growing on his face.
• Rashōmon no oni. Story of an Oni  who is fought by Watanabe no Tsuna.
• The Melon Princess (瓜子姫) Story of a childless couple, who find a melon floating down river. Upon cutting it open a baby girl is found inside.
• The Nightingale’s Coin. A man is gifted with a ‘never ending’ coin after looking after a woman house for one year, without open a ‘forbidden door.’ Later, another man comes hoping for the same reward, but opens this forbidden door.
• The Oni of Adachigahara. A monk seeks shelter in an old womans home only to find out she is an Oni.
• Shōjōji no Tanuki Bayashi. The story of a group of Tanuki and their wild drum parties.

Tales of China

• The Elixir of Life. Story of a Chinese Emperor who believes the Elixir of Life is on Mount Fuji.
• The Shinansha. The story of Emperor Kotei killing the rebel Shiyu after inventing The Shinansha (Artefact).
• The Stone of the Five Colours and the Empress Jokwa. Empress Jokwa saves her country.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
	Find the website useful? Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.