The legends of ancient Japan. Sazanami S.

“The Tales of Ancient Japan” - the key to the cultural code of the country of the rising sun. This collection of fairy tales by Sadzanas of Sandzina read dozens of generations of the Japanese. Now the echoes of this book can be found in the cartoons of Hayao Miyazaki, in the anime, in the work of Haruki Murakami, Kobo Abe and other writers.

Sazanami captured in the recorded fairy tales the Japan itself - its history, mythology, life and belief. There is a legendary-historical legend about the hero of Momotaro, who was born from a large peach and at a young age who had overcome an all kind of horde of evil devils. There is a religious and ethical legend about the cunning and cruel Tanuki, to whom the hare avenged the death of his elderly neighbor. There is a mythical legend about the descendant of the heavenly gods, who descended to the bottom of the sea to the kingdom of the dragon in search of a missing fishing hook.

The collection of fairy tales precedes the article by orientalist Vasily Mendrin on the culture and development of Japan. And the legends themselves are illustrated by the Japanese artist Kobayashi Eitaku.