Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things features several Japanese ghost stories and a brief non-fiction study on insects. Most of these stories were translated from old Japanese texts. The author also states that one of the stories – Yuki-onna – was told to him by a farmer in Musashi Province, and his was apparently the first record of it. Riki-Baka is based on a personal experience of the author.

Table of Contetns:

The Story of Mimi-nashiHōichi

Oshidori

The Story of O-Tei

Ubazakura

Diplomacy

Of a Mirror and a Bell

Jikininki

Mujina

Rokurokubi

A Dead Secret

Yuki-Onna

The Story of Aoyagi

Jiu-Roku-Zakura

The Dream of Akinosuke

Riki-Baka

Hi-Mawari

Hōrai

In the last half of the book, Hearn lists collected Chinese/Japanese superstitions and his own personal thoughts on various members of the insect world.

Butterflies: Personification of the human soul.

Mosquitoes: Karmic reincarnation of jealous or greedy people in the form of Jiki-ketsu-gaki or "blood-drinking pretas".

Ants: Mankind's superior in terms of chastity, ethics, social structure, longevity and evolution.