Japanese fairy tales. Read Japanese Folk Tales for Kids Scary Japanese Tales

Snow is falling quietly. Large white flakes silently fall to the ground. The humpbacked bridge across the mountain river is no longer visible, the branches of an old pine tree are bent under the weight of snow. It seems the world has stopped. He is enveloped in silence and cold ... But no. Embers are merrily flashing in the brazier, and you can move even closer to the hearth, feel the warmth of the hot New Year's fire and, with bated breath, listen and listen to fairy tales ... The storyteller's voice is farther away, he is invitingly calling for him. And now you are already there, where the mischievous badger guards the traveler on the mountain path, where the beautiful young man, the daughter of the Sea King, is waiting in the abyss of water, where the fool Saburo is punished for his slowness, and two foolish frogs from Osaka and Kyoto again and again go to long way...

Funny and sad, crafty and edifying, Japanese fairy tales- the soul and conscience of the people, the source of their inspiration and the measure of their cultural achievements.

From time immemorial in Japan, fairy tales have been passed from mouth to mouth as an invaluable heritage of ancestors, as the most important sacred relic. After all, it was not for nothing that fairy tales were told in Japan both among the family, and with a large gathering of people on holidays, and during the performance of the most significant rituals associated with the magic of fertility.

Time has made its own adjustments to the old traditions. And Japanese folklore experienced a continuous process of renewal and transformation. The realities of the new time firmly entered the life of the Japanese fairy tale, and the original concepts often faded into the background. It can be said that the fairy tales known from modern records captured the life and customs of Japan in the period of late feudalism, but at the same time retained the features of more early eras. IN modern times signs of modernity naturally and firmly invaded the everyday life of the Japanese fairy tale. And no one is surprised by the fact that the fox is fooling the driver, turning into an oncoming train, and the crafty badger is chatting on the phone.

The geographical position of Japan as an island state, its history as a country almost closed to outside world during the 17th–19th centuries, contributed to the creation of a unique cultural reserve on the Japanese islands. Today, however, it is regrettable to say that ritual culture, song and narrative folklore, which has nourished the traditional life of the Japanese since ancient times, is in danger of being forgotten. dominance mass culture, the urbanization of society, the rapid change of schools and trends in art have put not only Japan, but also many other countries of the world in front of the need to protect and preserve an invaluable cultural heritage - folk art.

The folklore heritage of the Japanese is huge. The works of narrative folklore, diverse in form and content, are especially numerous. characteristic feature of Japanese fairy tales and legends is their difference both in the historically established form of existence and in the degree of modern perception; they seem to be divided into three large groups. The most tenacious and stable are the so-called "great fairy tales". They are known to everyone. Without these fairy tales, the childhood of any child is inconceivable; more than one generation of Japanese has been brought up on their morality. For these tales in Japanese folklore, there is even a peculiar term - dare de mo shitte iru hanashi ("tales that everyone knows"). And such of them as "Momota-ro", "Cut Tongue Sparrow", "Mount Kachikati", "Grandfather Hanasaka" (in this collection titled "Ashes, fly, fly!") and "Uri-hime and Amanojaku" rightfully entered the world treasury of fairy tales.

A remarkable feature of the existence of Japanese fairy tales can be considered the fact that over the centuries in each region, city, town or village, its own own representation about the story, about its plot and characters. The tales of each prefecture in Japan are a kind of folklore world with their own laws and canons. And therefore, the Osaka tales, splashing with enthusiasm and cunning, can never be confused with the exquisitely romantic tales of Kyoto, and the ingenuous tales of the southern Ryukyu Islands with harsh and strict tales. northern island Hokkaido.

And finally, among Japanese fairy tales, a significant group of local fairy tales stands out, which could conditionally be called temple tales, since they are often known only in a small village or temple. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that, despite the preservation of the external fairy-tale form (i.e., the recognition that the action takes place in some unknown place with rather abstract characters), these fairy tales are deeply tied to the locality that gave birth to them. The story of the werewolf badger is necessarily associated by the listener with the badger that is believed to live in the temple grove, and the old man and the old woman are the very ones who once lived at the foot of a nearby mountain.

Other genres of Japanese narrative folklore are subdivided according to the same principle: legends, legends, blades of grass, etc.

Japanese fairy tales are diverse not only in the form of existence and perception, but also in genres. The modern genre division of fairy tales, adopted in Japanese folklore, bears the features of ancient differentiations. narrative works. It is based on meaningful understanding of the text. Tales about fools, klutzes, cunning people and deceivers are combined, as a rule, into the warai-banashi genre (“ funny tales"). The genre of o-bake-banashi (“werewolf stories”) includes all scary tales: about ghosts, mysterious disappearances, about night incidents on a mountain road or in an abandoned temple. The fusagi-banashi genre (“about what is unusual”) includes stories about various miracles - good and not very good, but always striking in their originality and emotional depth. A number of fairy tales are also united in the genre of chie no aru hanashi (“about what is smart”). These are a kind of didactic fairy tales-parables, often with a transparently expressed morality. In their content, they are very close to fairy tales belonging to the genre of dobutsu no hanashi (“stories about animals”). In didactic Japanese fairy tales, the most frequent ups and downs occur with animals. Thus, in Japanese folklore, both animal tales and didactic tales most clearly express universal morality: don't be greedy, don't be envious, don't be evil.

The popular tonari-no jisan-no hanashi (“neighbor stories”) can be distinguished. Diverse in plot and social orientation, fairy tales about neighbors are a complex of everyday narratives, sometimes growing into folk stories.

Popular in Japan are all kinds of joke tales known as keishiki-banashi (lit. "tales only in appearance"), for example, the so-called nagai hanashi ("long stories"), in which chestnuts falling from a tree or jumping into frog water until the listener yells "Enough!" Joke tales also include mijikai hanashi (“ short stories”), in fact - boring tales, which sometimes cooled the ardor of annoying listeners, endlessly demanding new and new stories. In Nagasaki Prefecture, for example, there was such a form of self-defense of the storyteller: “In the old days it was. A-an. There were many ducks swimming on the lake. Here comes the hunter. A-an. He took aim with his gun. A-an. To tell more or not to tell?” - "Tell!" - “Pon! He fired, all the ducks flew away. The story is over."

In the Japanese folklore tradition, all the listed varieties of fairy tales are united by a single term - "mukashi-banashi", which literally means "tales of antiquity".

Apparently, the definition of fairy tales as mukashi-banashi is a truly folk phenomenon and quite ancient, unlike other terms denoting genres of Japanese folklore, since it retained the original Japanese phonetic sound (in contrast, for example, from the term "legend" - " densetsu, whose origin is connected with the Chinese term "chuanshuo", which has a similar meaning).

In this section of our fairy tale portal, you can find Japanese fairy tales that are filled with all national characteristics this country rising sun.

Japanese genre folk art and his narratives convey a special, reverent attitude adopted in this country towards their loved ones and relatives, the older generation. Reading Japanese folk tales, children learn to distinguish good from evil, understand how important it is to always remain a real person and help their family and friends.

Much attention in Japanese narratives is given to beautiful nature, which can only be found here is cherry, the national tree of Japan, cherry blossoms.

Today, many Japanese fairy tales for children have become favorites. animated films, served as the basis for the creation of educational and entertaining computer games which not only children, but also adults are so fond of.

Japanese fairy tale "Issumboshi"

The beautiful Japanese fairy tale "Issumboshi" tells how one boy really wanted to become a great man and did everything for this - he worked, helped other people, even went on a long journey - to the capital of his state. He got a job at the palace and became friends with the minister's daughter. And then one day, he went with her to the temple, but on the way they met two features,

Japanese fairy tale "Strawberries under the snow"

The beautiful Japanese fairy tale "Strawberries under the Snow" is a variant of the beloved Russian fairy tale "Twelve Months", only here the stepdaughter evil stepmother sent in a cold and harsh winter to the forest for a basket of ripe strawberries. In this fairy tale, one old man helped a sweet girl, who immediately realized that he had a very kind and sympathetic soul in front of him, always helping all people and repaying with kindness.

Read the Japanese folk tale "Crane Feathers"

The beautiful Japanese fairy tale "Crane Feathers" tells how important it is to love your neighbors and trust them, to help in everything. Many Japanese folk tales "Crane Feathers", including, are inhabited by the main characters who appear to us in the form of cranes - this bird is considered one of the symbols of this country of the Rising Sun and has been loved and revered since ancient times. One

How the villagers brought God back to life

In very ancient times, very rich people lived in one village. Why were they considered rich? The whole point was that the inhabitants of the village were in a very good relations with the mountain god himself. So he helped them in harvesting, in the fight against harmful insects, and drove away dark enemies. IN autumn time every year, the god of the mountains went to his domain and looked after the village from the mountain peaks.

Revenge of the crab

Once upon a time there lived a crab and a monkey. One fine day, they decided to take a walk together. They walked and walked and they met a persimmon seed lying on the ground. The monkey was the first to pick it up and, pleased with itself, went on with the crab. They came to the river, the crab found a rice ball there. Picked it up in a claw and showed the monkey: -Look what I found here! -And I just found such a grain a little earlier,

It's winter, and from the cloudy sky

Beautiful flowers fall to the ground...

What's behind the clouds?

Didn't it come again

Spring, going to replace the cold?

Kiyohara no Fukayabu

How are fairy tales born? This amazing shape creativity arises in all peoples in the same way. Their external form depends on the “place of birth” and is conditioned by the special spirit of each nation. But there is only one reason for creating a fairy tale - this is a universal human desire to “bite toughie"of the surrounding world, to understand it, and if you can't get to the bottom of the truth, then endow this world with your" decoding ". And here the most amazing quality inherent in man comes into play - fantasy, which blurs the lines between the living and the inanimate; between man and the rest of the animal world; between the visible and the invisible. Space begins to live a special life and interact: nature speaks to man and shares its secrets with him, fears come to life, miraculous transformations occur, boundaries disappear and everything becomes possible.

Today we are talking about Japanese fairy tales - funny and sad, crafty and instructive, as befits fairy tales, which reflect the soul and conscience of the people, the priceless heritage of ancestors, ancient traditions. But that's why they are fairy tales, that time is not a hindrance for them: modern world intrudes into the fabric fairy tales, and no one is surprised that the fox is fooling the driver, turning into an oncoming train, and the cunning badger is chatting on the phone.

Three groups of Japanese fairy tales

A characteristic feature of Japanese fairy tales and legends is their difference in historical form and in the degree of modern perception. They are divided into three large groups. The most tenacious are the so-called "great fairy tales". They are known to everyone. Without these fairy tales, the childhood of any child is inconceivable; more than one generation of Japanese has been brought up on their morality. For them, in modern Japanese folklore, there is even a peculiar term - Dare de mo sitte iru hanashi(“fairy tales that everyone knows”). Many of them entered the world treasury of fairy tales.

Their peculiarity can be considered the fact that over the centuries each region, city, town or village has formed its own idea of ​​a fairy tale, its plot and characters. The tales of each prefecture in Japan are a kind of folklore world with their own laws and canons. And therefore, the tales of Osaka, splashing with enthusiasm and cunning, can never be confused with the exquisitely romantic tales of Kyoto, and the ingenuous tales of the southern islands of Ryukyu with the harsh and strict tales of the northern island of Hokkaido.

And finally, among Japanese fairy tales, a significant group of local fairy tales stands out, which could conditionally be called temple tales, since they are often known only in a small village or temple. They are deeply attached to the locality that gave birth to them. The story of the werewolf badger is necessarily associated by the listener with the badger that is believed to live in the temple grove, and the old man and the old woman are the same ones who once lived at the foot of a nearby mountain.

Japanese fairy tales are also diverse in genres.

Tales about fools, klutzes, cunning people and deceivers, as a rule, are combined into the genre warai-banashi("funny stories"). To the genre o-bake-banashi(“werewolf tales”) includes all terrible tales: about ghosts, mysterious disappearances, about nightly incidents on a mountain road or in an abandoned temple. Genre fusagi-banashi(“about what is unusual”) includes stories about various miracles - good and not very good, but always striking in their originality and emotional depth. A number of fairy tales are combined into a genre chie no aru hanashi(“about what is smart”). These are a kind of didactic fairy tales-parables, often with a transparently expressed morality. They are close to the genre dobutsu no hanashi("stories about animals"). You can select popular tonari no jisan no hanashi("Stories about neighbors").

Popular in Japan and all sorts of fairy tales, jokes, known as casey-banashi(“fairy tales only in appearance”), for example, the so-called nagai hanashi(“long stories”), in which chestnuts falling from a tree or frogs jumping into the water can be counted monotonously until the listener shouts: “Enough!” Fairy tales and jokes include mijikai hanashi("short stories"), in fact, these are boring tales that cooled the ardor of annoying listeners who demand more and more new stories. In Nagasaki Prefecture, for example, there was such a form of self-defense of the storyteller: “In the old days it was. Ah-ah. There were many ducks swimming on the lake. Here comes the hunter. Ah-ah. He took aim with his gun. Ah-ah. To tell more or not to tell?” - "Tell!" - “Pon! He fired, all the ducks flew away. The story is over."

All of the listed varieties of fairy tales are united by a single term - " mukashi-banashi”, which literally means “tales of antiquity”.

How to tell Japanese fairy tales

Despite the closeness of fairy tales and legends, both genres in Japan originally developed independently, and the differences between them were felt from the very first words of the story. The tale has always had a traditional opening: "In the old days" ( "mukashi") or "A long time ago" (" mukashi-o-mukashi"). Further, it was necessary to tell about the place of what was happening, most often indefinite: “in one place ...” (“ aru tokoro ni...") or "in a certain village.." (" aru mura ni...”), and then a short explanation followed: at the foot of a mountain or on the seashore ... And this immediately set the listener in a certain fairy-tale mood.

If the action takes place on the seashore, then the adventures of the heroes will necessarily be associated with sea spirits, underwater kingdoms, good or treacherous inhabitants. sea ​​element; if the village is somewhere in the mountains, then we will probably talk about incidents in a rice field, on a mountain path or in a bamboo grove.

The Japanese fairy tale and legend also differed in their ending. The fairy tale, as a rule, had a happy ending: good conquers evil, virtue is rewarded, greed and stupidity are mercilessly punished.

Japanese fairy tales have also been enriched by oral art other peoples of Japan: the legends of the Ainu people, now living on the northern island of Hokkaido, and the Ryukyuans - the original inhabitants of the southern part of the country - the Ryukyu archipelago.

Japanese fairy tale as an instrument of good

The Japanese fairy tale is deeply poetic. Poetry and fairy tales have always been revered in Japan as an instrument of goodness and justice, capable of taming the hearts of people and the fury of the elements. Those heroes of fairy tales who are endowed with the great gift of a poet always command respect, love and compassion. The one who creates cannot be a source of evil... And therefore the bride, who knows how to put together a beautiful poem to the point, takes precedence over her envious rivals. Badger furtively drags scrolls with verses from someone else's house and selflessly recites them in a clearing lit by moonlight. And the robber named Red Octopus ascends the scaffold, giving people his last gift, simple and majestic - poetry.

In the Japanese fairy tale, art lives on. The statue of the goddess becomes the poor man's wife. The black raven, flapping its wings, leaves the piece of canvas forever.

And the fairy tale has its own melodic pattern: thunder peals and the rustling of autumn leaves, the sound of spring rain and the crackling of bamboo stems in the New Year's fire, the grumbling of an old crab and the purring of a cat are heard in it. Descriptions of numerous holidays and rituals are woven into the plots of fairy tales.

The Japanese fairy tale loves a witty play on words, riddles as a test of the mind, a funny use of consonances: the peasant Jinshiro decided to ask the magic mallet for pantries, full of rice (« kome kura”), but he stumbled, so the blind dwarfs fell out of the bag (“ ko-makura»).

Heroes of fairy tales are looking for answers to eternal questions trying to discover the world around you. Wanderers cross many mountains one after another, marveling at their number. earthworms in a Ryukyuan fairy tale, they cry bitterly, deciding that in the whole universe they are alone on their small island.

Transformation of Buddhist deities

In this regard, one cannot fail to mention the influence of Buddhism (it began to spread in the 6th century), thanks to which a new pantheon of gods was formed in the Japanese fairy tale.

Buddhist deities in fairy tales existed in two forms. These were widely known deities who were worshiped everywhere, and at the same time, some of them continued to exist at the local level, gradually becoming purely local deities in the perception of the Japanese.

So it was, for example, with the god Jizo (Skt. Ksitigarbha). Known in China as the Bodhisattva who relieves suffering and danger, Jizo has gained particular popularity in Japan as the patron of children and travelers. According to popular belief, Jizo does many good deeds: saves from a fire ( Hikeshi Jizo), helps in field work ( Taue Jizo), guarantees longevity ( Emmei Jizo).

scary tales

The “evil spirits” of Japanese fairy tales are strictly differentiated according to their habitat and domination: part of it belonged to the mountain, forest “evil spirits”, and the other to the water element. The most common demon of forests and mountains is tengu. According to legends, he lives in deaf thickets and lives on the highest trees.

This is not a man, not a bird, not an animal - the face is red, the nose is long, there are wings on the back. Tengu can, if he wants, send madness on a person, his strength is terrible, and if the traveler does not have ingenuity and intelligence, he will surely faint his mountain tengu. The most remarkable wealth of the demon is his magic fan. He has a special power: if you slap on the nose with the right side of the fan, the nose will grow until it reaches the clouds; if you slap with your left, your nose will become small again. Over time, the magic tengu fan becomes a kind of moral criterion for fairy tale characters: the good ones will definitely become happy with the help of the fan, the evil ones will be punished by them.

Werewolves occupy a special place in fairy tales. The ability to reincarnate is possessed by birds, animals and various objects - purses and teapots, worn shoes and brooms. But since ancient times, foxes were considered the most unsurpassed masters of transformations ( kitsune) and badgers ( tanuki).

The tricks of the fox and the badger were often crafty and harmless, but sometimes a real insidious demon was hiding behind the outwardly cute animal. The fox most often took the form of a young girl and appeared on a mountain path in front of a belated traveler. Woe to those who do not immediately recognize the tricks of the cunning fox.

The badger turned into any household utensils, for example, into a pot for boiling water.

Such a badger was a kind of brownie, sometimes capricious, and then there was no life from him in the house, and sometimes economic and thrifty.

It happened that badgers turned into bouquets of chrysanthemums and into little girls. There are many fairy tales about how foxes and badgers helped people, that by marrying a fox, you can find happiness, and by making friends with a badger, you can become rich.

Virtue in Japanese fairy tales

A significant place is occupied by fairy tales about bird-maidens: a crane, a nightingale, a swan. These heroines are endowed with mercy and kindness, they are able to come to the rescue and sacrifice themselves. Bird-maidens are not only unchanging beauties, but also bearers of the highest virtues.

The images of those heroes whose birth is associated with plants appear just as complex and ambiguous: the brave Momotaro is born from a peach, and the captivating Urihime is born from a melon.

Fishermen and sailors had their own beliefs. Each ship had its own guardian spirit, called in most fairy tales " funadama"("treasure of the ship"), " fune no kami"("ship deity") or " fune no tamasii"("the soul of the ship"). Of course, evil spirits also live in the depths of the sea.

In the Japanese fairy tale, the idea of ​​community is strong: a village or a tribal community. Survive in the fight against the beautiful, but harsh nature Japanese islands it is possible only together: to plow the land on the spurs of the mountains and irrigate the rice fields. Loyalty to the community, the ability to sacrifice oneself for the sake of others is a duty and the ultimate dream.

Truth in fairy tales late medieval When the Japanese community is no longer united, but split into rich and poor, even within the same family, confrontation appears.

Poverty is terrible: the poor man goes to the mountains to ask the wolf to eat him. Work in a fairy tale is revered, but no one expects wealth from him. It is either an incredible accident, or a predestination of fate.

Live in magical world- this is a continuous struggle between light and dark, good and evil. This is a constant choice, a search for a path for the hero, a test of his moral essence and the truth of his aspirations.

What Japanese fairy tales have you read? Are there any of your favorites? Write about it in the comments!

Behind the cemetery at the temple of Shotsaniyi, in the suburbs of the capital, there once stood a lonely small house in which he lived an old man named Takahama. Because of his calm, friendly nature, all the neighbors liked the old man, although they considered him a little touched. For the man who performs all the Buddhist ceremonies is expected to marry and procreate his lineage. But he had lived here quite alone for more than twenty years. Not a single person managed to convince Takahama to take a wife into his house. And no one has ever noticed that he had love relationship with someone special.

It was a long time ago. The badger called the snail to go with him to worship at the Ise Shrine (Ise is a place in Japan where there are many ancient temples; the main one is called Ise.).

They were on the road for several days, and when they approached the Great Temple, the snail said:

In the very north of Japan, on the island of Hokkaido, in the village of Inagi, lived the peasant Gombei. He had no father, no mother, no wife, no children. And he had no land. He lived alone on the very edge of the village, in a small hut, and hunted for wild ducks.

Ludmila Rybakova
"Legends and Tales ancient japan". Literary and educational project for older preschoolers in the Year of Japan in Russia

Legends and Tales of Ancient Japan. Literary and educational project for older preschoolers in the "Year of Japan in Russia".

native japanese religion Shinto- worship of objects and phenomena of the surrounding world, not out of fear of the formidable elements, but out of a sense of gratitude to nature for the fact that, despite its anger, it is often affectionate and generous. It was the Shinto faith that instilled in the Japanese sensitivity to nature: admiring the cherry blossoms, seeing the beauty of the stone, rushing to see the sunset and full moon to see the world through the eyes of a poet.

The culture of any nation is closely intertwined with its epic going far into the past. Just like the Romans, they took myths and legends as a basis Ancient Greece, remaking them in their own way, so the Japanese liked Myths and Legends Ancient China. But, of course, the Chinese gods and heroes acquired their own face in Japan, new names and a softer docile character. China brought to Japan Buddhism- a complex philosophy: today is a consequence of yesterday and the cause of tomorrow ...

“Japanese fairy tales are a bridge thrown into the depths of distant antiquity, and whoever passes through this magical bridge will find out in what labors, torments and joys, present-day Japan was born.” Vera Markova.

Japanese fairy tales are created by people who are always ready for a difficult and stubborn struggle with the forces of nature in their island country, where narrow strips of fertile land are squeezed by mountains that turn into a raging ocean.

Through Torii Gate - national symbol Japan, bringing good luck and prosperity, we find ourselves in the world of legends, fairy tales and customs. Do not forget to bow 2 times and clap your hands 2 times.

February 16 in Japan celebrated New Year, whose symbol is Bouquet of kadomatsu, where bamboo is a symbol of growth, a pine branch is wealth, berries are taste and prosperity.

Seven gods of happiness look after the fair distribution among people of the seven blessings: long life, material prosperity, honesty, life satisfaction, fame, wisdom and strength.

Among them Goddess Benzaiten - the patroness of happiness, art and water. She plays the music of happiness on the shamisen instrument (similar to the lute)

In every house, and this tradition is already 300 years old, where there is a girl, they are necessarily exhibited during the New Year "Steps with dolls". These dolls are not played with. They are admired, they are talked to. This ladder is passed on by inheritance, but if there are no girls in the family, or the family has ceased, the ladder is sold or given to the temple.

Here Imperial Palace. For centuries, no mortal had dared to see the emperor's face. But I felt his power and might.

Each girl is preparing to become a wife, and among the dolls "Husband and wife".

"Jizo" - Since the 17th century, the patron saint of children and travelers. It is depicted as a child, often placed along the roads and as a memory of a deceased child, decorating with a hat and a scarf.

Often in Japanese fairy tales, a childless mother or an aged husband and wife ask for a child and they are sent one. "Momotaro" - The mother found the boy in the peach. She raised him as a brave defender, who vowed to do everything to make her mother's old age happy. Momotaro defeated the evil demons, thereby freeing the neighboring island. This legendary hero give to all boys up to 5 years.

And this "Issumboshi" . The mother asked to send her at least the smallest son, "even with a fingernail." So he remained very small, and his parents kicked him out. Instead of a sword, he inherited a sewing needle. He was small, but brave and smart.

freed the prince's daughter from the devils who attacked her, who lost their "Magic mallet" and, tapping it, Issumboshi "began to grow, turning into a stately, handsome young man."

"Son is a snail". The husband and wife asked, “It doesn’t matter what the child is, whether it’s as tall as a frog or as small as a snail.” Born "whatever it is, but all the native son - a snail." Although the son is small, he found how to help the family ... Moreover, out of mutual love, he received the daughter of a rich man as his wife. And the love of the girl returned to him the appearance of a beautiful young man.

"Kosan - pheasant girl" . And this is the most terrible fairy tale, not for children, and adults will not add joy. The mother asked her daughter for at least an imp ... and gave birth. Bottom line: do not marry girls born under an ominous star, otherwise they will be eaten and leave no bones. Yes, and remember that dreams come true, think about what you ask …

"Kitsune" Fox was a werewolf. In fairy tales and legends, the fox has great knowledge, the longest life and various abilities. Often the fox takes the form of a seductive beauty, a wise wife or an old man. In Japanese fairy tales, the image of a bad and good fox merges and it is for the Japanese most noble animal. In temples, you can see statues and images of a fox on the walls and on tablets on which prayers and wishes are written.

The older the fox, the more tails it has. And one tail grows on a fox in 100 years. You can recognize a werewolf fox by seeing emerging from under the dress many tails.

"God of Mountain and Rice Field" - Protected and monitored the harvest, was kind to people. Once, when he saw his image in the river, he was afraid of his ugliness and ran away from people. Crops are dying, people are starving. They came up with: caught in the lake okodze fish, there is nothing more terrible than her in the world - horror and nothing more. Show God the mountains! Oh, and he was glad that there was in the world and uglier than him. So now people live in harmony with the God of the Mountain. Okodze - stargazer fish- will bring good luck to the house and protect from evil spirits.

"Sombutsu" - Good God of Rain, lives in the mountains. People ask for rain, but he sleeps and does not hear. Throw a stone, wake up, it will rain.

"Yokai. werewolf beetle" Protects the forest from uninvited guests. It does no harm, but appearance, constantly increasing in size, scares and asks to leave the forest.

"Blue Spider Werewolf" just like his brother, the beetle guards the forest from uninvited guests and loves to play with a person in reincarnation. However, with cunning, you can defeat him.

"Tengu" - a winged dog with a long red nose, flies with a fan. good heroes fan helps to be happy, and the evil ones will be punished by it. Protects the forest, helps the weak in martial arts, loves cleanliness, fools travelers in the mountains, frightening them with deafening laughter. According to popular belief, evil people can turn into Tengu.

"Hautaku" - A lion with spikes, with eyes on its back. A good man and a protector in trouble. It is worn like an amulet.

"Yuki Onna. Snow woman» . Having fallen in love beautiful woman, which appeared from their white flakes, the young man got married and noticed that she was afraid of the heat, guessed a werewolf in her. In Japanese fairy tales as soon as the werewolf is solved by someone, he immediately disappears

"Rokuro-kubi" - another fabulous girl. Day is beautiful, ordinary, and at night “a werewolf with a long neck”, went out for a walk in order to find out something, peep, or just scare, enjoying it.

Sometimes, the torso was left at home, and the head and neck participated in the evening pranks. Scared everyone.

"Moon Maiden Kaguya-hime". This is the oldest surviving Japanese Legends. Kaguya is sent to Earth for her bad deeds on the moon. Living on Earth, she was the most beautiful, hard-working daughter, many people wooed her. But it's time to go back to the moon, to your family. As a memento, Kuguya gives a drink of immortality, which is attributed to the most high mountain, and ignite, and this flame has not quenched so far. That's why they called this peak "Mountain of Immortality" - Fuji!

"Wasp, Mortar and Chestnut" - the most short story about devoted and faithful friendship. Revenge for a friend.

"Rat"- the only hero in fairy tales who is always only evil and nasty.

"Mice and Mouse Paradise" - good creatures repaying good for good.

"Inugami" - a dog, the most devoted to both man and goodie in a fairy tale. They have a mind at the human level, protect and recognize demons.

"Tanuki" - Enotik in fairy tales is the most cheerful, sometimes stupid, reckless. Its main advantage: to eat well, to play pranks. In fairy tales, Tanuki loves to listen and read poetry. And, having heard the music, he beats himself on the stomach with such force, as if on a drum, that he kills himself. He likes to turn into a teapot, thus bringing profit to the owner. In Japan, tanuki is associated with well-being, cheerful disposition and happiness.

"Neko" The cat is the most revered and controversial fairy-tale image in Japan. Cats are loved and feared. Temples, legends, fairy tales, souvenirs are dedicated to them. But, if the cat is a werewolf and you don't expose it, it could be a demon. "Maneki Neko" with a waving paw, is the most famous cat in the world, she is more than four hundred years old. "A cat inviting good luck, prosperity and happiness"

Maneki-neko, who lived in the monastery, saved the life of Prince Naokate, who hid from a thunderstorm under a tree, beckoning him with her paw. The prince managed to leave the tree before it burned down. found shelter in a monastery and today the descendants of the prince maintain this monastery. A Maneki-neko is a symbol financial well-being and good luck.

"Spirit of the Weather"

"Spirit of the Trees" (green men)

"Kogachi-Mochi-Japanese gingerbread man" - sticky rice sweets. (In the fairy tale "In the mouse hole" Kolobok led the old man to the mouse hole.)

"Ikebana-mochi"

"Boy on a carp" .5 May - Boys' Day. On this day they are given a toy fish - carp. Carp able to swim against the current, which means he will bring strength, health and courage.

"Puppet Day" . March 3 - Girls' Day. Vintage puppets "Kokeshi".

Modern anime dolls.

Doruma - New Year's tumbler doll. This is a very old wish-granting deity doll. There are no pupils in her eyes. Having made a wish, draw one pupil and leave it like that until the wish is fulfilled. If it is fulfilled, they draw a second pupil, and if not, they take Doruma to the temple, and there they burn it, and buy a new toy.

"Totoro" modern character in the cartoons of Hayao Miyazaki. This is the "brownie" of the forest.

All these fairy-tale heroes helped us to present to children the images and plots of the Legends and fairy tales of Ancient Japan in an interesting way. Thanks to the artists: Lyudmila Sivchenko, Lada Repina, Yana Boeva, the heroes of fairy tales, presented at the exhibition in the Izmailovsky Kremlin in Moscow, made Japanese fairy tales even more vivid and understandable to children, and to us, adults!

We thank our colleagues for their attention!