A retelling of the traditional Japanese tale about a poor sail maker who gains a beautiful but mysterious wife skilled at weaving magical sails.

"WA' () is a Japanese word that describes, or encompasses, the "essence" of what it is to "be Japanese". This spirit is intricately woven throughout these stories as fantastic creatures, fearsome monsters, animals that are all too human, and people that are, well, all too human too, make choices and fateful decisions that take each character on journeys that are terrifying and miraculous, whimsical and thought-provoking, mysterious, magical and uniquely...

A collection of nine enchanting stories from Japanese folklore.

Presents favorite tales of Japanese children that speak of the virtues of honesty, humility, kindness, and good humor.

Twenty-two tales drawn from two Japanese masterpieces, the Konjaku Monogatari and the Tsurezure Gusa, by Kenko Yoshida, of the Heian and Kamakura periods.

A stonecutter wants to be everything he is not and has to learn the hard way that what he really wants to be is exactly who he is.

An engrossing array of stories, this entertaining volume chronicles an ancient culture. The book provides grisly accounts of revenge and knightly exploits, a fascinating eyewitness account of a hara-kiri ceremony, tales of vampires and samurai, Buddhist sermons, and the plots of four No plays. 38 illustrations.

"Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of Japan. Broadly labeled 'yokai,' these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories....

Young Tom of Warwick is sent to live in a castle so that he can learn about knighthood and chivalry. There, kindly Master William, the armorer, tells stories about knights from all around the world. Through their courage, honor, strength, wisdom, patience and humility, the knights in these stories illustrate to Tom what it takes to be a great knight.

"Seventeen-year-old Kira Fujikawa has never had it easy. She's bullied by the popular girls in school. Her parents ignore her. And she's also plagued with a secret: She can see yokai, the ghosts and demons that haunt the streets of Kyoto. But things accelerate from bad to worse when she learns that Shuten-doji, the demon king, will rise at the next blood moon to hunt down an ancient relic and bring the world to a catastrophic end. Not exactly skilled...