Kwaidan
Summary
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850 - 1904), was an Irish writer known also by the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo. His book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, comprises two parts, the first being the "Kwaidan Proper" and the second, "Insect-Studies", which consists of an essay each on ants, butterflies and mosquitos. According to the author, most of the folk tales and ghost stories in the first part were translated from old Japanese texts. The themes encompass resurrection, sacrifice, magic, and the realm of dreams. The story titled Riki-Baka is partly based on a personal experience of Hearn's, while Hi-Mawari is set in Wales and appears to be an account of a childhood experience. The three aforementioned essays in part two of the work examine the meaning of the insects and their imagery in art, literature and religion.
Public Domain (P)2020 Museum Audiobooks
Bushido: The Soul of Japan
Summary
Bushido: The Soul of Japan is a seminal study on the way of the samurai by the Japanese educator Inazo Nitobe. From 1868, the beginning of the Meiji Era, Japan rapidly transformed itself from an isolated feudal society into a modern, industrialised nation state, influenced by Western philosophical and scientific ideas. Nitobe wrote Bushido in English to explain the samurai way to a western audience; it was later translated into Japanese. In the book, he explained the principles of the bushi (warrior) and do (way) and positioned Bushido in the historical paradigm of knighthood and chivalry. Using a combination of western and oriental thought, he illustrated the virtues of courage, benevolence, politeness, honor, self-control, and loyalty with reference to Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shintoism, as well as modern western philosophy and classical ideas from the Bible and Greco-Roman civilization. The book was a best seller and became an enduring classic. Generations of scholars have consulted it to gain an understanding of the character of the Japanese people.
Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks
The Tale of Genji
Summary
The Tale of Genji is an exquisitely crafted classic work of Japanese literature written in the 11th century. Some consider it to be the world's first novel, or the first modern or psychological novel. The narrative of 54 chapters is embellished by hundreds of little poems spread like a string of pearls through the prose. The story recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of an ancient Japanese emperor and a concubine. Removed from the line of succession, Genji pursues a series of love affairs and a career as an imperial officer. The plethora of characters is impressively well-rounded while the setting of the Heian era in the 10th and 11th centuries is magnificently portrayed.
Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks
The Book of Tea
Summary
The Book of Tea (1906) by Okakura Kakuzo is a long essay which examines the role of chado (Teaism) in the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. The author explains Teaism as a philosophy founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. Originally written in English for a western audience, the essay deals with the spiritual traditions of Zen and Taoism, as well as the secular side of tea in Japanese life. The author shows how tea as a metaphor inspired the elegant simplicity which characterizes - inter alia - the art and architecture of Japan. According to the philosopher Tomonobu Imamichi, Martin Heidegger's concept of Dasein was inspired by Kakuzos expression being-in-the-worldness for the philosophy of Zhuangzi who composed a foundational text of the Tao. Kakuzó concludes that Teaism in itself serves as a universal remedy for promoting peace and tranquillity.
Public Domain (P)2019 Museum Audiobooks
The Kojiki
Summary
Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850-1935) was a professor of Japanese at Tokyo Imperial University. This is his translation of the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), which was compiled in AD 712 by O no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei. One of the two primary sources of the Japanese national religion of Shinto, The Kojiki is a collection of myths, early legends, songs, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts. Starting with a creation story, the narrative shifts from mythology to historical legends and concludes with a chronology of the early Imperial line. It includes supernatural episodes and tales of romance, passion, and murder.
Public Domain (P)2018 Museum Audiobooks