[HEARN, LAFCADIO]. In Ghostly Japan. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, M DCCCCV. [1905].
Reprint. Cloth-bound. Hardcover. Octavo (190 x 120 x 30 mm). Pp. [12], 241, [4 advertisements]. Bound in publisher's original blue cloth, spine with gilt titles, flower decoration stamped to upper cover, half-title, 4 full-page illustrations including a frontispiece, 5 illustrations in the text, footnotes. Condition: VERY GOOD. Binding tight and secure, covers clean, very slight bumping to spine ends, interior fresh and clean, previous owner name and date to fep. Scarce.
Notes: Fourteen tales, drawing from elements of Japanese folklore, by famed author Lafcadio Hearn - the fascinating stories incorporate deathless ghosts and yokai, local folklore and haunted places, as well as Buddhist traditions. Stories included are: "Fragment"-A young pilgrim encounters a mountain of skulls and is shown a terrible truth"Ingwa-banashi"-On her deathbed, a dying wife bequeaths to her young rival a sinister and horrific gift. "A Passional Karma"- A spectral beauty transcends death to return for her handsome samurai lover. "Story of a Tengu" - A priest saves the life of a Yokai monk and is granted a wish, but the outcome is not as expected While some stories contain spine-tingling imagery, others offer looks into Japan's rich culture and folklore. "Bits of Poetry" offers an engaging study on the nation's fascination with verse, "Japanese Buddhist Proverbs" explains the meaning of several traditional Zen Buddhist sayings and "Incense" examines its use in rituals to summon and banish spirits.
