Kwaidan
Lafcadio Hearn · 1904
This book is rated Ages 10+. It isn't available on your library card.
Ghost stories from old Japan, retold by Lafcadio Hearn: a blind minstrel who sings for an audience of the dead, a snow woman on a winter night, a mountain inn of flying heads, a willow-tree bride, and a man who lived a whole life in an afternoon dream.
Quiet, eerie ghost stories; frightening moments are implied, never shown in gruesome detail.
Characters
Hōïchi
A blind young biwa player whose song of the Heiké's last sea battle is so moving that even goblins are said to weep.
Kwairyō
A former samurai turned traveling priest who boldly seeks out haunted places no other priest dares to visit.
Tomotada
A handsome, gifted young samurai who is sent on a winter errand and finds a mysterious girl at a lonely cottage.
Akinosuké
A thoughtful soldier-farmer who dozes off one summer afternoon beneath an old cedar in his garden and has a wondrous dream.
Minokichi
An honest young woodcutter caught with his old master in a fierce snowstorm, sheltering in a lonely ferryman's hut.
Aoyagi
A shy, willowy country girl of rare beauty and grace whose gentle charm wins a young samurai's heart.
The Woodcutter
A courteous mountain woodcutter who offers the wandering priest shelter in his remote cottage, though his watchful eyes reveal little.
The Priest of the Amidaji
A kindly old priest who takes Hōïchi into his temple and worries deeply about the blind singer's mysterious nights.
The Samurai
A stern, commanding warrior who appears at midnight to summon Hōïchi to sing for his high-ranking lord.
O-Yuki
A fair, gentle young traveler whom Minokichi meets on the road, whose warmth soon brightens his humble home.
The Princess of Tokoyo
A graceful, radiant young princess of a far-off realm whose court welcomes Akinosuké with astonishing honour.
Mosaku
Minokichi's tough old master, a seasoned woodcutter who crosses the wide river each day to work in the forest.
About the story
Kwaidan is a collection of Japanese ghost stories and folk tales retold in English by Lafcadio Hearn and published in 1904. Hearn heard many of them from his wife, Setsu Koizumi, and other storytellers after he settled in Japan. The tales take place in old Japan: lonely temples, mountain forests, snowy riversides and haunted shores. In them, ordinary people meet the dead and the supernatural. A blind musician is called out at midnight to sing for a mysterious noble household. A fearless wandering priest spends the night with strangers in the mountains. A young woodcutter is caught in a winter storm and makes a promise he must keep for years.
The stories deal with loyalty, keeping promises, the power of art and the thin line between the living and the dead. Their horror is quiet and strange rather than gory, and they often mix dread with sadness, beauty and humor.
Kwaidan is one of the best-known Western books about Japanese folklore. It brought tales such as the snow woman and the flying-headed goblins to readers around the world. Its stories still shape how ghost stories are told in books, film and anime, and Masaki Kobayashi's 1964 film is based on them.
This picture-book edition condenses a selection of the stories into 114 illustrated pages with about 28 minutes of synthetic-voice narration. The pictures are AI illustrations drawn for this edition. Hearn's full original text is free in the public domain and well worth reading too.
Adapted from Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn (1904), public domain.
Questions
What is Kwaidan about?
Kwaidan is a collection of traditional Japanese ghost stories and legends, retold by Lafcadio Hearn. In each one, people in old Japan come face to face with spirits, goblins and the restless dead.
Which stories are in this edition?
This edition retells some of the best-known tales. They include the story of Hōïchi, the blind biwa player, the priest Kwairyō and the Rokuro-Kubi goblins, and Yuki-Onna, the woman of the snow.
Is Kwaidan suitable for children?
This edition is rated 10+. The stories are eerie and have some frightening moments and brief violence, but they are not graphic. Most older children and teens who like spooky stories will enjoy them.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
The narration runs about 28 minutes over 114 illustrated pages, so it works well for a single sitting.
Is this the full book?
No. This is a condensed picture-book retelling of selected stories. The full original Kwaidan, with all its tales and Hearn's essays on insects, is in the public domain and free to read.
Stories
- The Story of Mimi-nashi-hōïchi27 pp · 7 min
- Rokuro-kubi29 pp · 7 min
- Yuki-onna13 pp · 3 min
- The Story of Aoyagi26 pp · 6 min
- The Dream of Akinosuké19 pp · 4 min
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
