Japanese Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn

For this is a book as much about specific stories of Japanese folklore as it is about the nature and purpose of folklore, regardless of where it has come from. What this provides, however, which wouldn’t be available otherwise, is Hearn’s attempt to understand these stories. These aren’t, at least at the start of the book, short stories based on Japanese folklore – they feature Hearn as the narrator, describing encounters he has had with the people and customs of Japan, within which he recounts stories he has been told. Hearn was born in Greece to a Greek mother who abandoned him aged 10 and perhaps his interest in classical Greece was in part an attempt to become closer to her.Īlthough there are footnotes throughout the book providing explanations where necessary – of romanised Japanese words, for example – there is a lack of context to the “stories” which means you don’t quite know how they should be read at first. Hearn is best remembered for his writings on Japan and not only in the West – his books and the stories he collected have been translated back into Japanese and are now read in Japanese schools.īut evident even in this collection, Japanese Ghost Stories, extracts from his books between 1894-1905, is Hearn’s familiarity with folklore and myths from across the world, referencing Norse mythology in one story and frequently alluding to those of classical Greece. He captured the stories of life and folklore in Japan that he was exposed to and actively sought out. Hearn’s interest in ghost stories was fostered at an early age whilst living with a wealthy relative in Dublin, whose house contained a library of many old books, but he didn’t fully embrace the ghost story as a writer until his final 15 years in Japan, where many of his childhood fears came back to haunt him. Hearn spent those years teaching at Tokyo University and then Waseda University, and writing books aimed largely at an American audience. If we look back on Hearn’s career and works, it is a recording of folklore and local customs that stands out most clearly. Born in Greece, raised in Ireland, educated in England, and a writing career forged in America – perhaps it is Lafcadio Hearn’s lack of a permanent home that resulted in his openness towards and interest in other cultures.

Japanese Ghost Stories by Lafcadio Hearn