Scholar Lafcadio Hearn made it his life's work to study the world's supernatural superstitions, with a particular focus on Asian cultures. This volume brings together a series of traditional Japanese ghost stories, as well as several first-hand accounts of unusual occurrences in the country. A must-read for fans of comparative mythology.
After making remarkable works in America as a journalist, he went to Japan in 1890 as a journey report writer of a magazine. But as soon as he arrived in Yokohama, he quit the job because of a dissatisfaction with the contract. After that, he moved to Matsué as an English teacher of Shimané Prefectural Middle School. In Matsué, he got acquainted with his lifelong friend Nishida Sentarô, a colleague teacher, and married Koizumi Setsu, a daughter of a samurai. In 1891, he moved to Kumamoto and had taught at the Fifth High School for 3 years. Kanô Jigorô, the president of the School of that time, is known as the man who spread judo to the world.
