Books with author A. B. Mitford

Compiled by a British diplomat and published in 1871, "Tales of Old Japan" is an anthology of short stories that makes earlier centuries of Japanese life vibrantly immediate to the contemporary reader. They focus on various facets of everyday existence in ancient Japan, from numerous rituals, like hara-kiri and marriage, to sermons and fairy tales indicative of desirable traits and warnings needed in that time. From tales of samurai revenge to the plots of Noh theatre plays, "Tales of Old Japan" was regarded as an authoritative text on Japanese culture and literature and greatly influenced Western perceptions of Japanese history and society for many years. Today, this compilation is still valuable for its accessibility and absorbingly entertaining view of ancient Japan.

Compiled by a British diplomat and published in 1871, "Tales of Old Japan" is an anthology of short stories that makes earlier centuries of Japanese life vibrantly immediate to the contemporary reader. They focus on various facets of everyday existence in ancient Japan, from numerous rituals, like hara-kiri and marriage, to sermons and fairy tales indicative of desirable traits and warnings needed in that time. From tales of samurai revenge to the plots of Noh theatre plays, "Tales of Old Japan" was regarded as an authoritative text on Japanese culture and literature and greatly influenced Western perceptions of Japanese history and society for many years. Today, this compilation is still valuable for its accessibility and absorbingly entertaining view of ancient Japan.

This text about Japan was written by A.B. Mitford and originally published in 1871. Ever since its publication it has become a classic on Japanese history and culture. From the amazing story of the Forty-Seven Ronin to an eyewitness account of Hara-Kiri (ritual Japanese suicide) this text covers many Japanese stories and traditions unknown to the West at that time. "The recent revolution in Japan has wrought changes social as well as political; and it may be that when, in addition to the advance which has already been made, railways and telegraphs shall have connected the principal points of the Land of Sunrise, the old Japanese, such as he was and had been for centuries when we found him eleven short years ago, will have become extinct. It has appeared to me that no better means could be chosen of preserving a record of a curious and fast disappearing civilization than the translation of some of the most interesting national legends and histories." -Tales of Old Japan 1871

The author relates in English various Japanese tales, providing with it commentary on Japanese society and culture. Contents: 47 Ronins; Loves of Gompachi and Komurasaki; Kazuma's revenge; Story of the Otokodate of Yedo; Wonderful adventures of Funakoshi Jiuyemon; Eta maiden and the Hatamoto; Fairy tales; Ghost of Sakura; How Tajima Shume was tormented by a devil of his own creation; Concerning certain superstitions; Japanese sermons; Appendices.

Excerpt from Tales of Old JapanIn the introduction to the story of the Forty-seven Rônins, I have said almost as much as is needful by way of preface to my stories.Those of my readers who are most capable of pointing out the many shortcomings and faults of my work, will also be the most indulgent towards me; for any one who has been in Japan, and studied Japanese, knows the great difficulties by which the learner is beset.For the illustrations, at least, I feel that I need make no apology. Drawn, in the first instance, by one Odake, an artist in my employ, they were cut on wood by a famous wood-engraver at Yedo, and are therefore genuine specimens of Japanese art. Messrs. Dalziel, on examining the wood blocks, pointed out to me, as an interesting fact, that the lines are cut with the grain of the wood, after the manner of Albert Dürer and some of the old German masters, - a process which has been abandoned by modern European wood-engravers.It will be noticed that very little allusion is made in these Tales to the Emperor and his Court.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.