Champney. Romance of Old Japan

Today's free book is Romance of Old Japan by E. W. Champney and F. Champney. You can find out more about this book in the Japanese Mythology unit of the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

This book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Books, and Google Books. There is also an edition at Kellscraft, plus a free audiobook from LibriVox.

PART I. MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND

I.   THE TRAVAIL OF THE GODS

II.  THE LABOURS OF YAMATO

III. MYTHS OF THE FLOWERY ISLES

PART II. MEDIAEVAL ROMANCE

IV.   THE LOTUS LIFE

V.     A MIKADO AND A GEISHA.

VI.   THE CLASHING OF THE CLANS

VII.  THE FOLLY OF THE KHAN

VIII. THE THREE DEVILS

IX.   THE QUEST OF LIFE

X.    THE SCARLET THREAD

PART III. LATTER-DAY TALES

XI.   THE OPEN GATE

XII.    A MODERN SAMURAI 

XIII.  THE TRIUMPH

XIV. NOTABLE EXAMPLES OF  JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE

Griffis. Stories From the Wonder-Lore of Japan

Today's free book is Japanese Fairy World. Stories From the Wonder-Lore of Japan by William Elliot Griffis. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books. You can get a free Kindle ebook from Amazon too!

I. The Meeting of the Star Lovers.
II. The Travels of Two Frogs.
III. The Child of the Thunder.
IV. The Tongue-cut Sparrow.
V. The Fire-fly's Lovers.
VI. The Battle of the Ape and the Crab.
VII. The Wonderful Tea-Kettle.
VIII. Peach-Prince and the Treasure Island.
IX. The Fox and the Badger.
X. The Seven Patrons of Happiness.
XI. Daikoku and the Oni.
XII. Benkei and the Bell.
XIII. Little Silver's Dream of the Shoji.
XIV. The Tengus, or the Elves with Long Noses.
XV. Kintaro, or the Wild Baby.
XVI. Jiraiya, or the Magic Frog.
XVII. How the Jelly-Fish Lost its Shell.
XVIII. Lord Cuttle-Fish Gives a Concert.
XIX. Yorimasa, the Brave Archer.
XX. Watanabé cuts off the Oni's Arm.
XXI. Watanabé Kills the Great Spider.
XXII. Raiko and the Shi Ten Doji.
XXIII. The Sazayé and the Tai.
XXIV. Smells and Jingles.
XXV. The Lake of the Lute and the Matchless Mountain.
... The Waterfall of Yoro, or the Fountain of Youth.
XXVI. The Earthquake Fish.
XXVII. The Dream Story of Gojiro.
XXVIII. The Procession of Lord Long-Legs.
XXIX. Kiyohimé, or the Power of Love.
XXX. The Fisherman and the Moon-Maiden.
XXXI. The Jewels of the Ebbing and the Flowing Tide.
XXXII. Kai Riu O, or the Dragon King of the World Under the Sea.
XXXIII. The Creation of Heaven and Earth.
XXXIV. How the Sun Goddess was Enticed out of her Cave.

Ozaki. Romances of old Japan

Today's free book is Romances of old Japan by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1919). For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust (I have not checked for other online sources). There's also a LibriVox audiobook.

Table of Contents

The Quest of the Sword
The Tragedy of Kesa Gozen
The Spirit of the Lantern
The Reincarnation of Tama
The Lady of the Picture
Urasato, or The Crow of Dawn
Tsubosaka
Loyal, even unto Death; or The Sugawara Tragedy
How Kinu Returned from the Grave
A Cherry-Flower Idyll
The Badger-Haunted Temple

Ozaki. Warriors of old Japan

Today's free book is Warriors of old Japan and other stories by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1909), with illustrations by Shusui Okakura and other Japanese artists. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust (I have not checked for other online sources).

(image source)

Table of Contents

1. Hachiro Tametomo, The Archer
2. Gen Sanmi Yorimasa, the Knight
3. The Story of Yoshitsune
4. The Story of Benkei
5. The Goblin of Oyeyama
6. Kldomaru the Robber, Raiko the Brave, and The Goblin Spider
7. The Story of the Pots of Plum, Cherry, and Pine
8. Shiragiku, or White Chrysanthemum
9. The Princess of the Bowl
10. The Story of Lazy Taro

Hearn. In Ghostly Japan

Today's free book is In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Sacred Texts, Hathi Trust, and Google Books. There is also a free audiobook at LibriVox. You can get a free Kindle ebook from Amazon too!

In Ghostly Japan
Furisodé
Incense
A Story of Divination
Silkworms
A Passional Karma
Footprints of the Buddha
Ululation
Bits of Poetry
Japanese Buddhist Proverbs
Suggestion
Ingwa-banashi
Story of a Tengu
At Yaidzu

Freeman-Mitford. Tales of Old Japan.

Today's free book is Tales of Old Japan by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

This book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books. There is also a free Kindle ebook, and an audiobook from LibriVox.

(Japanese Ronin)

Table of Contents

THE FORTY-SEVEN RÔNINS
THE LOVES OF GOMPACHI AND KOMURASAKI
KAZUMA'S REVENGE
A STORY OF THE OTOKODATÉ OF YEDO
THE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF FUNAKOSHI JIUYÉMON
THE ETA MAIDEN AND THE HATAMOTO
THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW
THE ACCOMPLISHED AND LUCKY TEA-KETTLE
THE CRACKLING MOUNTAIN
THE STORY OF THE OLD MAN WHO MADE WITHERED TREES TO BLOSSOM
THE BATTLE OF THE APE AND THE CRAB
THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE PEACHLING
THE FOXES' WEDDING
THE HISTORY OF SAKATA KINTOKI
THE ELVES AND THE ENVIOUS NEIGHBOUR
THE GHOST OF SAKURA
HOW TAJIMA SHUMÉ WAS TORMENTED BY A DEVIL OF HIS OWN CREATION
CONCERNING CERTAIN SUPERSTITIONS
THE VAMPIRE CAT OF NABÉSHIMA
THE STORY OF THE FAITHFUL CAT
HOW A MAN WAS BEWITCHED AND HAD HIS HEAD SHAVED BY THE FOXES
THE GRATEFUL FOXES
THE BADGER'S MONEY
THE PRINCE AND THE BADGER

Reider. Japanese Demon Lore

Today's free book is Japanese Demon Lore: Oni, From Ancient Times to the Present by Noriko T. Reider. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

This book was published very recently (2010), and thanks to the author's generosity, you can read it for free at Hathi Trust; instead of the usual copyright, the book has a Creative Commons license. Thank you to the author and Utah State University Press for making that possible!

An Overview: What are Oni? 

Origins, Etymology and Formation of Oni 

The Japanese Line 

The Chinese Line 

The Buddhist Line 

The Onmyodo Line 

Characteristics of Oni 

Cannibalism 

Transformation Power 

The Other: The Oppressed, Alienated, and Isolated 

Lightning 

Prosperity 

Shuten Doji (Drunken Demon): A Medieval Story of the Carnivalesque and the Rise of Warriors and Fall of Oni 

Legends of Shuten Doji

From Simple to Complex: Troubling the Demon  

Texts of Shuten Doji

The Shuten Doji Story 

Carnivalesque Festivities  

Shuten Doji as Other  

Origins of Shuten Doji  

The Rise of the Warrior Class and Fall of Oni  

Women Spurned, Revenge of Oni Women: Gender and Space  

Uji no hashihime (Woman at Uji Bridge)  

The Stories of Uji no hashihime  

Uji no hashihime vs. Shuten Doji

Sociopolitical Space for Gendered Oni   

Noh Kanawa: Lingering Affection of a Spurned Woman  

Yamauba, the Mountain Ogress: Old Hag to Voluptuous Mother  

Cannibalism  

Yamauba as Great Mother and Nurturer  

Image of Yamauba in the Medieval Period  

Yamauba in the Early Modern Period: Mother of Sakata

no Kintoki  

Chikamatsu's Komochi Yamauba (Mountain Ogress with a Child)  

The Alluring Yamauba  

Oni in Urban Culture: De-demonization of the Oni  

The Edoites' Belief System  

De-demonized Oni  

Commercialization and Urban Culture: Oni as an

Example of Yokai  

Demonic People in Popular Culture of the Early Modern Period  

Koto no Oni (Oni of a Solitary Island): Demonic People in the Erotic-Grotesque-Nonsense Culture  

Oni and Japanese Identity: Enemies of the Japanese Empire in and out of the Imperial Army  

Reconfiguration of the Supernatural in Modern Japan  

Oni as Foreign Enemy in the Second World War  

Teito Monogatari (Tale of the Imperial Capital)  

Sex, Violence, and Victimization: Modern Oni and Lonely Japanese

Nakagami Kenji's "Oni no hanashi" ("A Tale of a Demon")  

Yumemakura Baku's Onmydji (The Yin-Yang Master)  

Oni in Manga, Anime, and Film  

Apocalyptic and Elegiac Oni  

Nagai G6's Oni  

Debiruman (Devilman)  

Shuten Doji (A Child Handed from Heaven)  

Akira Kurosawa's "The Weeping Demon"  

Modern Female Oni: Powerful, yet Compromised  

Urusei Yatsura: The Cute Sexy Oni  

Bigheaded Yamauba in Spirited Away  

Yokai and Oni Variants  

Yasha and Dog in InuYasha  

Tsuchigumo (Earth Spider) in InuYasha  

Tsuchigumo in Spirited Away  

Oni without Negatives: Selfless and Surrealistic Oni  

Kind and Thoughtful Oni: Naita Akaoni (Red Oni Who Cried)  

Oni Go to Heaven: Inoue Yasushi's Surrealistic "Oni

no hanashi" (A Story of Oni)  

Conclusion  

Appendix A: Translation of Shibukawa's Version of Shuten Doji  

Appendix B: Japanese and Chinese Names and Terms 

Griffis. Fairy Tales of Old Japan

Today's free book is The Fire-Fly's Lovers, and Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan by William E. Griffis. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at the Baldwin Project, Internet Archive, and Hathi Trust.

The Fire-Fly's Lovers

The Travels of the Two Frogs

The Child of the Thunder

The Tounge-Cut Sparrow

The Ape and the Crab

The Wonderful Tea-Kettle

Benkei and the Bell

Little Silver's Dream

The Magic Frog

How the Jelly-Fish Lost His Shell

Lord Cuttle-Fish's Concert

Raiko and His Guards

Raiko Slays the Demons

The Ambitious Carp

Lord Long-Leg's Procession

The Power of Love

The Tide-Jewels

The Grateful Crane

The Idol and the Whale

The Gift of Gold Lacquer

Ozaki. Japanese Fairy Tales

Today's free book is Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, with illustrations by Japanese artists. You can find out more about this book in the Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) unit of the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at the Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and Hathi Books. There is also a free audiobook at LibriVox, with an audio version at Lit2Go too. You can get a free Kindle eBook from Amazon, and there is also an edition at Sur La Lune Fairy Tales.

My Lord Bag of Rice
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
The Story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad
The Farmer and the Badger
The Shinasha, or the South Pointing Carriage
The Adventures of Kintaro, the Golden Boy
The Story of Princess Hase
The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish To Die
The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child
The Mirror of Matsuyama
The Goblin of Adachigahara
The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar
The Happy Hunter and the Skillful Fisher
The Story of the Old Man Who Made Withered Trees To Flower
The Jelly Fish and the Monkey
The Quarrel of Tee Monkey and the Crab
The White Hare and the Crocodiles
The Story of Prince Yamato Take
Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach
The Ogre of Rashomon
How an Old Man Lost His Wen
The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa

Ballard. Fairy Tales from Far Japan

Today's free book is Fairy Tales from Far Japan by Susan Ballard. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

Some of the illustrations are wonderful two-page spreads like this one. The illustrations are from "Japanese originals," and I have made a Flickr collection.

Momotaro, or, The Peach-Boy
The Old Man who Made the Trees Blossom
Kachi Kachi Mountain
The Man with the Wen
The Magic Mirror
The Lucky Hunter and the Skillful Fisher
The Sword of the Assembled Clouds of Heaven

Here are some more:

Hasegawa. Japanese Fairy Tale series

You can read more about Hasegawa's Japanese Fairy Tale series at Wikipedia. Not all of the books are online, but you will find many of them at Internet Archive, which is also the best way to read these books, looking at the two-page spread so you can appreciate the gorgeous illustrations. Below are the links to the editions you can enjoy online at Internet Archive, and here's an example of one of the books embedded:

1 Momotaro, or Little Peachling

2 The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

3 Battle of the Monkey and the Crab

4 The Old Man who Made the Dead Trees Blossom

5 Kachi-Kachi Mountain

6 The Mouse's Wedding

7 The Old Man and the Devils

8 Urashima, the Fisher-Boy

9 The Serpent with Eight Heads

10 The Matsuyama Mirror

11 The Hare of Inaba

12 The Cub's Triumph

13 The Silly Jelly-Fish

14 The Princes Fire-Flash and Fire-Fade

15 My Lord Bag O' Rice

16 The Wonderful Tea Kettle

17 Schippeitaro

18 The Ogre's Arm

19 The Ogres of Oyeyama
(not at Internet Archive, but I found a version at BaxleyStamps.com)

20 The Enchanted Waterfall

Series Two:

1. The Goblin Spider

2 The Wonderful Mallet
(I cannot find this one online.)

3. The Broken Images

(I cannot find this one online.)

Rinder. Old-World Japan

Today's free book is Old-World Japan: Legends of the Land of the Gods by Frank Rinder with illustrations by T. H. Robinson. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

The Birth-time of the Gods
The Sun-goddess
The Heavenly Messengers
Prince Ruddy-plenty
The Palace of the Ocean-bed
Autumn and Spring
The Star-lovers
The Island of Eternal Youth
Rai-taro, the Son of the Thunder-god
The Souls of the Children
The Moon-maiden
The Great Fir Tree of Takasago
The Willow of Mukochima
The Child of the Forest
The Vision of Tsunu
Princess Fire-fly
The Sparrow’s Wedding
The Love of the Snow-white Fox
Nedzumi
Koma and Gon

Greey. Legends of Japan

Today's free book is The Golden Lotus and Other Legends of Japan by Edward Greey. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

Legend of the Golden Lotus
The Toad of Tomioka
The Hanashika: Professional Story-Teller
Legend of Lu-wen, The Wood-Cutter
A Japanese Delicacy
A Legend of the Kain
Street Scenes in Tokio
A Visit to a Japanese Theatre
Legends of the God-Fox
No Gaku: Ancient Opera of Japan
Legend of the Dead Ass

Nixon-Roulet. Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales

Today's free book is Japanese Folk Stories and Fairy Tales by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

The Choice of the Princess
The Mirror of the Sun Goddess
The Sworded Falcon
The Phantom Cats
The Sword of the Clustering Clouds of Heaven
The Boastful Bamboo
The Angel's Robe
The Moon and the Cuckoo
The Hang-The-Money-Up Tree
The Goddess of Green-growing Things
The Knightly Waste-paper Man
The Hunter and the Priest
The Princess Moonbeam
The Single Lantern of Yamato
The Soul of the Samurai
The Dream of the Golden Box
The Princess of the Sea
The Firefly of Matsui
The Mountain Rose
The Evil One and the Rat
The Painter of Cats
The Coming of Benten Suma
The Waterfall Which Flowed Sake
The Boy and the Spirits of Things
The Daughter of a Samurai
The Fishes of the Boiling Spring
The Inao of the Ainu
The Goblin Tree
The Man Who Became a Serpent
The Laughing Dumpling
The Sacrifice to Kompira
The Two Brothers
The Princess and the Fox Baby

Whitehorn. Wonder Tales of Old Japan

Today's free book is Wonder Tales of Old Japan by Alan Leslie Whitehorn and illustrated by Shozan Obata. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust and Google Books.

Momotaro, or the Little Peach Child
A Wonderful Tea-Kettle
Why the Jelly-Fish Has No Shell
A Wonderful Bell
The Idol and the Whale
The Great Queen
The Mirror of Matsuyama
The Story of the Monkey and the Crab
The Cunning Monkey and the Boar
The White Rabbit and the Crocodiles
The Story of Urashima, the Fisher Boy
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Kachi-Kachi Yama, or The Crackling Mountain
The Old Man who Made Withered Trees to Bloom
The Old Man with the Wen
The Story of Lazy Taro
The Story of Kintaro, The Strong Boy
Hidesato of the Rice Bale
The Travels of Two Frogs
Tamanoi, or The Jewel Spring
The Story of Princess Hotaru

Peltier. A Japanese Garland

Today's free book is A Japanese Garland by Florence Peltier. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Hathi Trust and Google Books.

Yone's Gift
The Pine-Tree and Yuki Daruma
The Bamboo
Plum Blossoms
Battledore and Shuttlecock
A Little Peach Bud
Cherry Blossoms
Tora's Fete-Day
Kite-Flying
Wistaria, Peony, and Iris
The Lotus
Chrysanthemums and Maple Leaves

Pasteur. Gods and Heroes of Old Japan

Today's free book is Gods and Heroes of Old Japan by Violet M. Pasteur with illustrations by Ada Galton. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Google Books.

The Story of the Making of the Mirror
The Story of the Finding of the Sword
The Story of Fire-Shine and Fire-Fade
The Story of Yamato-Dake The Hero
The Story of the Good Emperor
The Story of the Perfect Knight
The Story of the Loyal Samurai

Mackenzie. Myths of China and Japan

Today's free book is Myths of China and Japan by Donald Mackenzie. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Internet Archive.

I. The Dawn of Civilization
II. A Far-travelled Invention
III. Ancient Mariners and Explorers
IV. The World-wide Search for Wealth
V. Chinese Dragon Lore
VI. Bird and Serpent Myths
VII. Dragon Folk-stories
VIII. The Kingdom under the Sea
IX. The Islands of the Blest
X. The Mother-goddess of China and Japan
XI. Tree-, Herb-, and Stone-lore
XII. How Copper-culture reached China
XIII. The Symbolism of Jade
XIV. Creation Myths and the God and Goddess Cults
XV. Mythical and Legendary Kings
XVI. Myths and Doctrines of Taoism
XVII. Culture Mixing in Japan
XVIII. Japanese Gods and Dragons
XIX. Rival Deities of Life and Death, Sunshine and Storm
XX. The Dragon-slayer and His Rival
XXI. Ancient Mikados and Heroes

Joly. Legend in Japanese Art

Today's free book is Legend in Japanese Art: a description of historical episodes, legendary characters, folk-lore, myths, religious symbolism, illustrated in the arts of old Japan by Henri L. Joly.

This is an astounding encyclopedia, organized alphabetically. It does not give full versions of the stories, just brief summaries — but it is an excellent reference work. The book is available at Hathi Trust and at the Internet Archive.

I have embedded the Internet Archive edition here so you can see how the encyclopedia part of the book is set up:

James. Japanese Fairy Tales

Today's free book is Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace James with illustrations by Warwick Goble. For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image.

The book is available at Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive, and Hathi Trust.

Green Willow
The Flute
The Tea-Kettle
The Peony Lantern
The Sea King and the Magic Jewels
The Good Thunder
The Black Bowl
The Star Lovers
Horaizan
Reflections
The Story of Susa, the Impetuous
The Wind in the Pine Tree
Flower of the Peony
The Mallet
The Bell of Dōjōji
The Maiden of Unai
The Robe of Feathers
The Singing Bird of Heaven
The Cold Lady
The Fire Quest
A Legend of Kwannon
The Espousal of the Rat’s Daughter
The Land of Yomi
The Spring Lover and the Autumn Lover
The Strange Story of the Golden Comb
The Jelly-Fish takes a Journey
Urashima
Tamamo, the Fox Maiden
Momotaro
The Matsuyama Mirror
Broken Images
The Tongue-cut Sparrow
The Nurse
The Beautiful Dancer of Yedo
Hana-Saka-Jiji
The Moon Maiden
Karma
The Sad Story of the Yaoya’s Daughter