5/5 An Intriguing Look Into The Japanese "Fantastic"
  by Adam Mann (Appleton, WI)
Kwaidan delivers chilling stories as well as eerie insight into the fantasy world of Japan. Lafcadio Hearn, who Tuttle Publishing claimed was "almost as Japanese as Haiku" provides an in depth look at the stories which he heard first hand in Japan; some of the stories have been part of the Japanese cannon for centuries deriving from Chinese tales, while others were created more recently. Hearn is careful to preface the stories with the history available and provides the reader with both an entertaining and educational reading experience.

Highly recommended for those studying Japanese culture, "pop" culture, or history. A great read for any otaku!

3/5 Kwaidan review
  by Mark J. Moore
This book is a very readable series of very short stories
of Japan, followed in the latter part of the book by some
reflections on the part of the author, a Westerner living in
Japan one hundred years ago. It is of interest to read of
such cultural diversity, mythology and relgious views.
The author's book, IN GHOSTLY JAPAN, was a much better collection of Japanese lore, in that the stories were longer
and lent themselves to greater character development and
complexity. Nevertheless, I know of no other author who translates Japanese myths, and both books are worthwhile.


5/5 Japan's most famous collection of ghost and monster tales
  by Zack Davisson (Seattle, WA, USA)
"Kwaidan" is Hearn's most famous book, and justifiably so. It is the least academic of his works, collecting together some of Japan's core ghost and monster stories into one slim volume. Much like the Brothers Grimm, Hearn did not actually create these stories but rather compiled them and put them into written form for the first time, learning them from folk tales and storytellers.

Along with famous, "Kwaidan" is Hearn's most influential book. "The Story of Mimi-nashi Hoichi" is as well-known in Japan as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is in the United States. The "Yuki Onna" has made it into a few films, including Kurosawa's "Dreams" and the filmed version of this book, "Kwaidan."

The stories themselves are of excellent quality, ranging from spooky ghost tales to humorous tales of wandering monks encountering monsters. Each story ranges from 5-15 pages long.

Along with the stories are three insect studies, the likes of which can be found in all Hearn books. These are excellent academic studies of insects in traditional Japanese folk lore, including children's songs and haiku poetry involving insects.

Included are:

The story of Mimi-nashi Hoichi
Oshidori
The story of O-Tei
Ubazakura
Diplomacy
Of a mirror and a bell
Jikininki
Mujina
Rokuro-kubi
A dead secret
Yuki-Onna
The story of Aoyagi
Jiu-Roku-Zakura
The dream of Akinosuke
Riki-Baba
Hi-Mawari
Horai

Insect Studies -
Butterfiles
Mosquitos
Ants

4/5 Kwaidan is Hauntingly Beautiful
  by Book Reader
Kwaidan, is a book of Chinese ghost stories, all of them strange and fascinating. The movie of the same title, based on this book, was one of the most beautiful works of art that I have ever seen brought to film. Kwaidan the movie, inspired me to read Kwaidan the book. Some of the stories from this book were used in the movie, but there are many more tales in the book, that are a joy to read. This book is a quick read, but I think that you should read one or two stories, savor them, put down the book, and read more stories at a later date. Kwaidan is like a fine wine, to be enjoyed slowly over time, appreciated, and come back to revisit again and again. Both the book and movie are a rare treat not to be missed, and both must be experienced to be appreciated. If your senses need something different to stimulate them, then I very highly recommend Kwaidan the book, and Kwaidan the movie, you will love them both.

3/5 Spooky Old Tales
  by A. Ross (Washington, DC)
This collection of 17 old stories from Japan was collected and translated by a well-known ethnographer, and first published in English in 1904. The tales are old folk stories (urban legends if you will) mostly dealing with ghosts and the spirit world. Many feature the theme of a spirit who takes a human form to disguise their true nature. Another common theme concerns the uneasy spirit who must be appeased in some form. They are fairly charming old-fashioned stories, which vary considerably in length. The final three sections ("Butterflies," "Mosquitoes," "Ants") are more like meditations on the three subjects and don't really fit into the ghost story theme of the rest of the book. Four of the tales were made into an excellent Japanese movie in 1964.