Myth-Folklore Unit: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki)

Overview. Yei Theodora Ozaki, as you can guess from her name, was of mixed heritage: her mother was English, and her father was Japanese. She grew up in England and later moved back to Japan, making her an ideal person to retell these Japanese Fairy Tales for an English audience. This unit contains such famous stories as Kintaro, the super-strong "golden boy" and future samurai, along with tales of warriors who battle supernatural monsters such as the "Goblin of Adachigahara" or the "Ogre of Rashomon." There is also the lovely story of Princess Hase who endures her stepmother's cruelty with great bravery, along with the tale of the virtuous Tawara Toda and the origin of his name, which means "My Lord Bag of Rice" or "Rice-Bag Toda."

Language. The book is written in contemporary English, so the language used should not pose any problems.

Story Length. These are all multi-page stories, mostly three or four pages in length, for a total of six different stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki). Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. My Lord Bag of Rice
2. My Lord Bag of Rice (cont.)
3. My Lord Bag of Rice (end)
4. The Adventures of Kintaro, The Golden Boy
5. The Adventures of Kintaro (cont.)
6. The Adventures of Kintaro (cont. again)
7. The Adventures of Kintaro (end)
8. The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die
9. The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die (cont.)
10. The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die (end)

READING B:

1. The Goblin of Adachigahara
2. The Goblin of Adachigahara (cont.)
3. The Ogre of Rashomon
4. The Ogre of Rashomon (cont.)
5. The Ogre of Rashomon (end)
6. The Story of Princess Hase
7. The Story of Princess Hase (cont.)
8. The Story of Princess Hase (cont. again)
9. The Story of Princess Hase (end)

(Hase temple)