Today, I’m happy to review The Book of Japanese Folklore, a book published by Adams Media. I review a lot of books and other media on here, most of it on roleplaying game materials. But it’s so important to review the source material for the lore behind some of the most major inspirations for these games, as well. The book is written by Thersa Matsuura and illustrated by Michelle Wang. Let’s take a look at what this literature has to offer!
Our Review of The Book of Japanese Folklore
At first read-through, I am happy to see a ton of captivating illustrations blessing this wonderful book of Japanese folklore. As it stands, some of the illustrations, again created by the talented artist Michelle Wang, are strikingly bright. Others, such as the illustrated page for the fabled Ōkami, a wolf Yokai, are gloomy, but that’s how they should be.
Reading the contents of this book, I have but a few concerns. The back cover offers many things that the content between the covers delivers. However, I would have loved a bit more specificity about where certain folklore characters are seen in popular culture. For example, the mythological wizard Abe no Seimei has some pop culture precedent, but The Book of Japanese Folklore doesn’t actually say where. Therefore, readers looking for a source of inspiration from which to derive their own story of Abe no Seimei may be disappointed. Granted, this isn’t always the case – for example, Hitotsume-kozō has a fine entry in this regard – but it wouldn’t hurt for a bit more specificity here at times.
Furthermore, I hope there is a second Japanese Folklore entry in this specific series because Japanese myths are so widespread. I was surprised not to see Gashadokuro in this book, for example. There are obviously a few other folkloric figures I’d like to read more about, so I’m just hoping that Matsuura will be allowed to showcase her expertise again with a sequel.
But that’s where my gripes end. The Book of Japanese Folklore is very eye-opening and teaches a ton about the mythologies, spirits, and monsters of folkloric Japan. I was surprised to learn anything new about the Kappa. I knew of this creature as a turtle-shelled monkey-like creature with a beak and a bowled skull. I did not, however, know that the earliest mention of the Kappa was regarding a water snake known as the Mizuchi (I had a few nitpicks about this entry in its section on pop culture, namely how it missed Golduck when explaining similar-looking Pokémon, but I will leave that for another day.)
If you are looking for a good resource on Japanese folklore and mythology, I highly recommend picking up The Book of Japanese Folklore by Thersa Matsuura. you can find it on Simon & Schuster’s website at a price of $16.99 USD.
