Japanese Fairytales

Yoto Says: Discover timeless Japanese folktales filled with brave heroes, clever creatures, and unexpected twists that bring classic themes to life in new and magical ways. Their authors valued family, duty, patience, and heroism. They longed for children in their old age and rejoiced when they saw cruelty and envy punished, wrongs righted, and kindness and bravery rewarded. These ideas are recognized the world over. What makes the stories different is partly the characters: the brave samurai, the evil wizards; the fantastical creatures—goblins, dragons, demons, fairies; the cunning talking animals—not only sparrows, badgers, and rabbits, but crocodiles and jellyfish too. You may feel you know what is coming when the hero is told not, under any circumstance, to open the box—or when the doting father takes a second wife, a wicked stepmother. There is even one tale where the new wife sends a servant to take the daughter into the woods and dispose of her (sound familiar?). Though the ideas are tried and trusted, the journey is fresh and new. Not only because the heroes ride on paper cranes or tortoises that swim under the sea but also because the destination may not be what you expect. There is even more than one story where the wicked woman repents her evil ways and goes on to live a good and kind life. Tracks included: The Tongue-Cut Sparrow The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad The Farmer and the Badger The Shinansha, or the South Pointing Carriage The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy The Story of Princess Hase, a Story of Old Japan The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child The Mirror of Matsuyama, a Story of Old Japan The Goblin of Adachigahara The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees to Flower The Jelly Fish and the Monkey The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab The Story of Prince Yamato Take Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach The Ogre of Rashomon How an Old Man Lost his Wen