| Description |
224 pages : illustrations, maps ; 20 cm |
| Contents |
What are the Japanese myths? -- The age of the gods -- The imperial mythos -- Living Kami and divine humans -- Canon foreigners: the Japanese Buddhist pantheon -- A world flush with spirits -- The new mythologies of modern Japan. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 216-219) and index. |
| Summary |
An illustrated guide to the fantastic world of Japanese myths: retelling the stories and exploring how Japanese mythology has changed over time, as new gods, heroes, and spirits have entered the canon. |
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Many modern fans of Japanese film, anime, manga, literature and popular music thrill to the images of gods and monsters in the shrouded valleys and craggy peaks of the islands. Yet few in the West understand the long history of Japanese mythology that underpins them. Frydman explores the tapestry of religion, philosophy, imperial propaganda and regional folklore, and considers their place within Japanese religions, culture, and history. -- adapted from jacket |
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"How many modern fans of Japanese cinema, anime, mange, literature or popular music thrill to the images of gods and monsters in the shrouded valleys and craggy peaks of the islands? Yet few in the West understand the long history of Japanese mythology that underpins them--a tapestry of Shinto, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, imperial propaganda and regional folklore. From the earliest recorded legends of Izanagi and Izanami, their divine offspring and the creation of Japan, to medieval tales of legendary emperors and empresses, sorcerers, mountain hermits and vengeful ghosts, and the modern reincarnation of ancient deities as the heroes of anime, mythology remains a living, evolving part of Japanese society. This volume not only retells these ancient stories but also considers their place within the patterns of Japanese religions, culture and history. The ways in which the people of Japan understand their myths are very different today than they were a century ago, let alone over a millenium. Joshua Fyrdman takes the very earliest written myths in the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki as his starting point, and from there traces Japan's mythology through to post-war State Shinto, the rise of the manga industry in the 1960s, J-horror and iconic video games such as Ōkami. For anyone interested in Japan and its exports, this smart, accessible and compelling guide to its myths shows both ancient and contemporary Japanese culture in a new light."-- Publisher's description, page [2] of jacket. |
| Subject |
Mythology, Japanese.
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Gods, Japanese.
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Folklore -- Japan.
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SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology.
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HISTORY / Asia / Japan.
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HISTORY / Social History.
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Folklore. (OCoLC)fst00930306
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Gods, Japanese. (OCoLC)fst00944284
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Mythology, Japanese. (OCoLC)fst01031838
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Japanese mythology.
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| Genre/Form |
Folk tales. (OCoLC)fst01921662
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Myths. (OCoLC)fst01922484
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Myths.
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Folk tales.
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| Added Author |
Thames and Hudson, publisher.
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| ISBN |
9780500252314 (hardcover) |
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0500252319 (hardcover) |
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