Horror Tales of Japan: 21 Japanese folktales not to be read to children, coupled with (mostly) uplifting cultural commentary

The chilling consequences of greed, supernatural, wrath, and innocent mistakes... horror tales and yokai stories have been passed down orally to warn the Japanese people against overstepping their bounds in the realms of morality and the divine. Journey through the most powerful narratives that have captivated the Japanese people and shaped their worldview, each story enriched with cultural and historical insights by storyteller Kyota Ko.

The folktales included are:

六部殺し - The Murderer of Rokubu

歌い骸骨 - The Singing Skull

佐吉船 - Sakichi's Boat

飯降山 - Mount Iburi

古寺の化け物 - The Monster of the Weathered Temple

牡丹灯籠 - The Peony Lantern

加茂湖の主 - The Goddess of Lake Kamo

死神 - Death

猫山の話 - The Story of Neko-yama

牛方と山姥 - The Cowherd and the Yamamba

導き地蔵 - Michibiki Jizō

吉作落とし - Kissaku's Plunge

おいてけ掘 - Leave it at the Moat

羅生門の老婆の話 - The Tale of the Old Woman at Rajōmon

十六人谷 - Sixteen-men Valley

安珍清姫 - Anchin and Kiyo-hime

夜中のお弔い - The Funeral at Midnight

番町皿屋敷 - The Saucher Mansion at Banchō

百物語 - A Hundred Ghost Stories

三本枝のカミソリ狐 - The Razor Fox of Sanbon-eda

あの世の入り口 - The Entrance to the Underworld