The study of mythology and folklore is a peculiar one to the extent that we are looking into things which are generally regarded as untrue yet critically important to a culture. We are also taking on the study of the "lore of the folk," and this faces us with the question of exactly which folk we are talking about. Japan, of course, is a single nation, but its origins are so old and often so fragmented that unified mythology and folklore can be difficult to point to. Still, in all, there are some key texts, tales, and characters we can focus on which will give us a pretty good sense of Japanese mythology.

In this book, you'll discover stories of mystery, horror, and romance while simultaneously learning about the Japanese culture.

Within this book, you'll find the following Japanese myths and topics covered

• The Creation Stories
• The Myths of Origins
• The Journey to the Underworld
• The Wanderings of Susano-o
• The Birth of Amaterasu, Trukuyumi, Susawono, and the Leech-Child
• The Story of the Comb and the Curse
• Amaterasu and Susanowo
• The Contract of Amaterasu and Susawono
• Stories of the Three Most Evil Yokai of Japan
• Stories of Helpful Yokai
• My Lord Bag of Rice
• The Story of Urashima Taro
• The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Kaguya hime
• The Legend of Yamato Takeru
• Contemporary Versions of Japanese Mythology
• And more