Japanese ghost stories: the yokai without a face

Born on Greek island in 1850, Lafcadio Hearn was quite the traveller, living in Ireland, the U.S., and the West Indies before settling in Japan.

Lafcadio Hearn, also known as Koizumi Yakumo, was a journalist best known for Kwaidan, his book of super-spooky Japanese ghost stories.

Hearn’s ghost story “Mujina” appears in Kwaidan and features a faceless yokai he calls a mujina, also known as a noppera-bō.

“Mujina” is reproduced below…
ENJOY! And…as you read it, just remember that similar mujina sightings have been more recently reported in Hawaii!

MUJINA, from Kwaidan
by Lafcadio Hearn

On the Akasaka Road, in Tokyo, there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka, which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the Slope of the Province of Kii. On one side of this slope you see an ancient moat, deep and very wide, with high green banks rising up to some place of gardens; and on the other side of the road extend the long and lofty walls of an imperial palace.

Before the era of street-lamps and jinrikishas [rickshaws], this neighborhood was very lonesome after dark; and belated pedestrians would go miles out of their way rather than mount the Kii-no-kuni-zaka, alone, after sunset. All because of a Mujina that used to walk there.

The last man who saw the Mujina was an old merchant of the Kyobashi quarter, who died about thirty years ago. This is the story, as he told it:

One night, at a late hour, he was hurrying up the Kii-no-kuni-zaka, when he perceived a woman crouching by the moat, all alone, and weeping bitterly. Fearing that she intended to drown herself, he stopped to offer her any assistance or consolation in his power. She appeared to be a slight and graceful person, handsomely dressed; and her hair was arranged like that of a young girl of good family.

“O-jochu [young girl],” he exclaimed, approaching her, “O-jochu, do not cry like that!…Tell me what the trouble is; and if there be any way to help you, I shall be glad to help you.” (He really meant what he said; for he was a very kind man.)

But she continued to weep, hiding her face from him with one of her long sleeves.

“O-jochu,” he said again, as gently as he could, “please, please listen to me!… This is no place for a young lady at night! Do not cry, I implore you! — only tell me how I may be of some help to you!”

Slowly she rose up, but turned her back to him, and continued to moan and sob behind her sleeve.

He laid his hand lightly upon her shoulder, and pleaded: “O-jochu! O-jochu! O-jochu!… Listen to me, just for one little moment!… O-jochu! O-jochu!”

Then that O-jochu turned around, and dropped her sleeve, and stroked her face with her hand; — and the man saw that she had no eyes or nose or mouth,— and he screamed and ran away.

Up Kii-no-kuni-zaka he ran and ran; and all was black and empty before him. On and on he ran, never daring to look back; and at last he saw a lantern, so far away that it looked like the gleam of a firefly; and he made for it.

It proved to be only the lantern of an itinerant soba-seller who had set down his stand by the road-side; but any light and any human companionship was good after that experience; and he flung himself down at the feet of the soba-seller, crying out, “Ah! — aa!! — aa!!!”…

“Kore! kore! [Here, here]” roughly exclaimed the soba-man. “Here! what is the matter with you? Anybody hurt you?”

“No — nobody hurt me,” panted the other, “only… Ah! — aa!”

“Only scared you?” queried the peddler, unsympathetically. “Robbers?”

“Not robbers, not robbers,” gasped the terrified man… “I saw… I saw a woman — by the moat; — and she showed me… Ah! I cannot tell you what she showed me!”

“Ha! Was it anything like THIS that she showed you?” cried the soba-man, stroking his own face —which therewith became like unto an Egg

… And, simultaneously, the light went out.

Oooooooo! Spooky!

Interested in scary and strange Japanese mythology? You might also enjoy these posts:

Selective genetics or ghosts reborn? Legend of the Samurai crabs

Enma Daio, Datsue-ba, and one great reason to die with your clothes on

Japanese yokai memory game: test your memory, learn some Japanese and spook yourself out!

Do you love yokai and Japan? Searching for games, activities or cool Japan-related teaching resources? If your answer is YES, check out these free resources. Have fun!

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Snugglepot and Who-dlepie?

You know how sometimes you have a belief in something, a something so basic it helps you make sense of the world…

Well don’t count on it.

The awful truth…

I’ve just had a tiny faith ripped away, a belief so set-in-concrete I took it for granted, something that needed no champion because it was so blindingly obvious.

Or at least, I thought it was.

This thing was my belief in the global love of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

***Never heard of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie?
Read on because you’re missing out!

I have always assumed that everyone must know of May Gibbs‘ Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Such a fabulous wondrous storybook must surely have sailed through the hurdles of culture and language to be loved all over the world.

This was certainly the case for us. My sisters and I grew up on a green New Zealand farm, far from the sunburnt country of my Australian mother’s childhood.

But never too far: Mum always read to us of naughty koalas, bad-tempered puddings and, of course, brave and hilarious and exciting and utterly delightful gumnut babies.

Snugglepot and Cuddle-who?

But…at a writers’ event in the UK, I realised (right in the middle of my talk) that when I spoke of big bad Banksia Men and Little Ragged Blossom, no one had the foggiest idea what I was talking about.

And the attendees weren’t just ordinary people; they were librarians! And still they had never heard of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie!?!

Surely not???

I was dumbstruck, dumbfounded, open-mouthed, gob-smacked.
What’s going on!?!?!

As kids, alongside our Australian and New Zealand adventures we’d also read of Paddington Bear and Peter Rabbit and Ratty and Mole and Winnie the Pooh; surely British kids must have been reading of the Muddle-headed Wombat and Mrs Snake and Mr Lizard and Bunyip Bluegum and the Noble Society of Puddin’ Owners?

And so the question:

What’s with this one-way flow of stories, UK people? I thought we were part of the glorious Commonwealth, and that having the Queen on the back of my pocket money meant she was looking our way, at least occasionally.  (What’s it like in the US? Anyone there heard of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie?)

When our kids grow up and get backpacks and working holiday visas, they’ll be cruising the world and experiencing new places and meeting new people. Why make them wait till then?

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Steve Tasane and Fly Kids

I’ve been getting into performance poetry lately, so who better to feature next than Steve Tasane, an awesome poet specialising in fast and funky word-twisting for children. Steve is another of the writers shortlisted in the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices book award for his book Fly Kids.

Steve’s website calls him “the master of tongue-twisting, mind-boggling alternative poetry” and a quick shop around the web (for example, check out Steve’s poems for the Battersea Dogs Home including the YouTube vid at the bottom of this post) or some of Steve’s children’s poems, proves him entirely right. Steve will be performing at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival in Kidz Field, where they reckon “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood, to to enable someone else to”…how fab! And isn’t that why so many of us write for children?

More on Fly Kids…

So what’s Fly Kids all about? It’s a mix of the harsh reality (refugees, immigration, xenophobia) and wild fiction (woo hoo! who hasn’t wished they could fly?). In a nutshell: Riki and his brother can fly – but only in their bedroom. Riki’s father was a refugee. Uncovering details of his father’s flight to the UK, Riki realises that not everybody is so happy about people’s differences. The Ministry of Safety and Health (MOSH) begin investigating families rumoured to have flying children. Then Riki’s younger brother is forcibly taken by MOSH. Riki and his friends must undertake a daring rescue mission, confronting the agents at MOSH and endeavouring to let the world see – and celebrate  – the fact that there are those amongst us who are not the same.

Excerpt…
My titchy little brother Mikk has a special gift. And I believe in him.  True, he is always borrowing my things without asking, and managing to bust them. He always has food smudged all over his face, and sticky fingers, and he picks his nose too much. He is a first-class pest. But he really does have a special gift. I’ve seen him with my own eyes. I’ve watched him bouncing on his bed. I mean, really really really bouncing. I swear he bounces higher than anyone could ever jump. And it takes a little too long for him to drop back down. He is magic.

And a quick interview with Steve, courtesy of Seven Stories, host of the Diverse Voices awards night…

What do you usually write about and who do you write for?
Usually I write performance poetry, sometimes for children, sometimes for adults. I believe poetry is something to be enjoyed in schools and at festivals, clubs, on TV and the internet – everywhere! I like my poems to celebrate language and also to encourage us to live better lives. My poems are about our world today, and all the people who share its space.

Why do you write?
I love the sounds of words and I like to imagine them dancing out of my mouth. I think of my poems as representing different types of music – soul, party anthems, hip hop, and pop. I think about what I enjoy reading and hearing, and try with my writing to capture this for others. Often, I write because some things make me angry – like greed and bullying – and I like to make my opinions heard.

Where and when do you write?
I write a lot of my poems when out walking, and often when I’m lying awake in bed at night. I wrote my children’s novel entirely longhand, on trains travelling to and from children’s poetry workshops.

What inspired you to enter the Diverse Voices Award?
An actual dream – about flying – and a dream of having my own voice heard.

What was your favourite book as a child?
Superhero books!

Who is your favourite children’s author either writing today or from the past?
Philip Pullman

What does the future hold for you and your writing?
I’m presently working on short stories for submission for other children’s anthologies, and preparing for appearances in the kid’s fields at both Glastonbury and Big Chill festivals. I work primarily as a performance poet, and as an Associate Artist for the Live Literature Consortium I’ve been commissioned to produce a set of polyvocal poetry. So I’m presently exploring possibilities for doing the same with my children’s poems.

And below, check out Steve’s hilarious and sweet tribute to the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home:

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Folake Idowu: Gbenga and the reticent chromosome

At the ceremony for the Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices award I was lucky enough to meet several of the other shortlisted writers. In all there were ten of us: what were the other writers like? What were their projects? Why did they write? Luckily, these questions were answered in a questionnaire produced by the Seven Stories children’s literature centre, host of the awards night. With the permission of Seven Stories, and of the shortlisted writers, I plan to showcase these writers in this blog. Each of us is very different, each writes with a different voice, but together, we are united by a love of writing and creating stories and characters that bring reading to life.

Fola Idowu: Gbenga and the reticent chromosome

Artwork by Fola Idowu

Our first featured author is Fola Idowu, a writer and artist from Nigeria whose book Gbenga and the reticent chromosome reflects her interest in “fantastical stories and the idea of children having to adapt to foreign situations,” plus a desire to include some Nigerian culture in her book. The book is about a boy named Gbenga who loses his only sister unexpectedly and, given the dangers of Lagos, is sent to live in England in the hope he will have a better future. Unfortunately, his relatives are not kind and after a fall, he ends up in hospital where he meets his guardian angel who tells him he has special powers but it is up to him to discover what they are. However, it comes with the proviso that he can only use them for good.

Excerpt…
…..somewhere between the nurse’s scream and the endless series of tests to determine how he could possibly have healed a sprained  ankle and a broken arm in the span of one night, Gbenga had no time to think about superheroes.

“How did you take the cast off so neatly?” they asked him. Gbenga didn’t know what to tell them. He couldn’t exactly lie and say he didn’t know, neither could he tell them that a strange…fairy or spirit called Kalikola had miraculously healed his arm. They would probably do a brain test and try to keep him for longer.

What do you usually write about and who do you write for?
Hi. I usually write about anything that catches my interest but to be more specific, I think I like to write about fantastical things like superheroes or forgotten heroes or even normal people with extraordinary gifts. I think I mainly write for myself first. I like to laugh when I am writing about strange incidents or people. However, as it is quite hard to write a whole book for oneself, I have recently turned my attention to writing stories for children and young adults but I also like to think I write for everyone, both young and old. I hope my books are not ageist!

Why do you write?
I write because I must. I have an irresistible urge to write stories. Corny as it may sound, telling stories is also something I have done since I was a child. I love stories! They have helped me grow and understand the world. I also write because I am a storyteller who is fascinated by people and I love sharing my imaginary world.

Artwork by Fola Idowu

Where and when do you write?
I generally write at home, in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. This is not strange as I snatch whatever time I can get since I work long hours in an office. I used to be more consistent and would get up to write every morning between 6am and 8am when I knew I had a deadline to meet. I am a bit more haphazard nowadays but I will get more consistent again when I fix a deadline to finish my next book.

What inspired you to enter the Diverse Voices Award?
I am from Nigeria. I was lucky that I grew up reading books with African characters. This is not to say I did not love reading books like the Hardy Boys and others. My point is that today, those books, be they African or otherwise, are more of a luxury than a necessity. I was thus very excited that the Diverse Voices competition shows an open support for foreign voices as it is sadly difficult, especially in Nigeria today for that voice to be heard or published, especially in children’s fiction.

What was your favourite book as a child?
That’s a tough one! I had phases. Winnie the Pooh (by A.A. Milne) will always hold a favourite place in my heart but I loved Enid Blyton and Gerald Durrell (Beasts in my belfry) books for several. If I was really forced to choose though, I think that off the top of my head I would say Matilda as it really marked me for life.

Who is your favourite children’s author either writing today or from the past?
Roald Dahl. He can be terribly rude about adults in his books!! I adore that.

What does the future hold for your writing and your book?
I have put plans for the book on hold as it requires a great deal of editing. I can’t face it at the moment so I have turned my attention to the other books I am writing. As I have recently been accepted for a Masters in Writing programme in the UK, I have to re-evaluate my writing and make plans in preparation for the course (you have to have a project in hand). Additionally, I am also an artist, so I am working on other projects including work for exhibitions later this year and next year so I am quite busy during my free time.

Thanks Fola, and good luck! We look forward to reading and hearing more about your art and writing!

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American writer in Japan: Suzanne Kamata on diversity, writing and winning the Indie Book Awards

My first introduction to Japan came as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, or JET to its fans. This is an incredible opportunity for young people all over the world to live and work in Japan, to experience Japanese culture from the “inside” (as much as is possible), and to form a life-long connection with Japan. As you can tell from Takeshita Demons, that connection is still strong for me (I’ve just been delivered a package from the Japan Centre: okonomiyaki ingredients, instant miso soup, canned green tea without the sugar: does it get any better than this?).

But I digress!
My purpose here is to introduce Suzanne Kamata, a JET from 1988-90 in Tokushima-ken, and a prolific writer heavily inspired by her experiences in Japan. Suzanne married a Japanese man and lives and writes in rural Japan with her “bicultural” twins. In addition to writing her own stuff, Suzanne is editor of LiteraryMama. This week Suzanne won several prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards (congratulations!!). She took some time-out from celebrating to answer some of my questions:

Interview with Suzanne Kamata – on diversity, writing and winning the Indie Book Awards

Me: What kind of stuff do you write?
Suzanne: My first love is fiction, so I mostly write short stories and novels, often with a multicultural theme. I write for both children and adults.  I also occasionally write essays, mostly when someone asks me to.

Me: Why did you start writing?
Suzanne: I’ve always written.  I started as a child, and never stopped.  I think that writing is fun and challenging. It’s sort of like golf, in that there is always room for improvement.

Me: Your novel Losing Kei describes the experience of an American woman living as a “fish out of water” in Japan. How much of your writing is inspired by your own experiences as a “gaijin” or foreigner living in Japan?
Suzanne: A lot of it.  I find it harder and harder to write stories set in the United States, where I was born and raised. People always say “write what you know,” and I guess being a “fish out of water” is now what I know best. Having said that, Jill, the narrator of my novel, is not me. But her surroundings and some of her experiences – the visit to the art gallery to see the paintings of Yamashita Kikuji, for example – are based on mine.

Me: Your recent anthology, Call me Okaasan – Adventures in  Multicultural Mothering, just won two prizes in the 2009 Indie Book Awards. What inspired you to create this book?
Suzanne: I’m pleased to report that it was also a Grand Prize winner of nonfiction overall!  This book was inspired by my becoming a mother. I read several books by children of multicultural backgrounds in an effort to understand what my Japanese/American children would be going through, but I always wondered about the mothers.  Since I couldn’t find any memoirs from the mothers’ point-of-view, and since attitudes toward raising multicultural children have changed in the past generation, I thought it was time for such a book.

Me: The Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices book award was introduced to encourage more diversity in children’s literature, and to promote social and cultural tolerance. Do you think there’s i) a need or ii) a market for children’s books that acknowledge and embrace multiculturalism?
Suzanne: Definitely!  My own children are so thrilled when they find books featuring bicultural children or children with disabilities doing normal, fun things. I think it’s very important for kids to be exposed to kids with diverse backgrounds in this way. More and more families are multicultural these days, so there is more and more of a market for multicultural books, although not all publishers seem to understand this.

Me: What has been the response of Japanese people and press to your efforts as an American writing about Japan and Japanese culture?
Suzanne: Because my writing is in English and none of my books have been translated into Japanese, the Japanese press (including the local newspaper) has ignored my books. My Japanese friends, however, have shown a great interest in my work, and when I read a translation of my picture book, Playing for Papa (which features a bicultural family in Japan, and a child with a disability engaged in normal, fun activities), to a group of Japanese children, they listened raptly.
Expatriates and the English-language press in Japan, on the other hand, have responded very enthusiastically and favourably.

Me: Who do you write for? Who do you hope will read your books?
Suzanne: I guess I write for people like myself – expatriates, or English-speakers with an interest in other cultures.  Also, for children like mine – kids from bicultural families, and kids with disabilities.  But I hope that all kinds of kids will read my children’s stories and thereby become exposed to diversity.

Me: Favourite part of being a writer?
Suzanne: Having someone say that they enjoyed or were moved by something I’ve written.

Me: Least favourite part of being a writer?
Suzanne: Having someone trash my work on the Internet!

Me: One bit of advice to new writers?
Suzanne: Join a critique group.  There are very few writers at any level who dash off a perfect first draft. We all need input.

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Should children’s books be more multicultural?

Geraldine Brennan’s article, Should children’s books be more multicultural?, is featured on the front page of the Times today and drawing a number of comments from people addressing all sides of the debate.  The diversity (and force) of the various reactions really highlights the need to talk about these questions.

I think diversity is as much about celebrating our “sameness” as celebrating our “difference”. I love to discover new ways of doing things, new languages, cultures, foods, ways of thinking…all this colour and variety adds a tremendous depth to my life. And at the same time, while discovering and sharing this difference, I get a thrill from realising that these people, who at first seem so different, are in fact very much the same. Regardless of language or culture or country, we share many similar things: we all have hopes, fears, we all celebrate love, we all have dreams.

In writing Takeshita Demons, I didn’t set out to write a multicultural book. I set out to write an adventure story, where ordinary children have extraordinary exploits and fight supernatural monsters. That Miku, the lead character, is Japanese, doesn’t change the book from a romping good read into a didactic preaching. It just adds colour, difference and excitement.

So should children’s books be more multicultural? Yes. But they should still be great books with gripping stories and living characters. Being “multicultural” doesn’t preclude great writing and a book kids can’t put down. These are the things I want in a good book for my children (when finally arrive; we put up the cot this morning ) and all children. And that is why I write.

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