Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or lit. 'Chinese writing', a Chinese-Japanese creole language. Indian literature also had an influence through the spread of Buddhism in Japan.
Japanese folktales are an important cultural aspect of Japan. In commonplace usage, they signify a certain set of well-known classic tales, with a vague distinction of whether they fit the rigorous definition of "folktale" or not among various types of folklore. The admixed impostors are literate written pieces, dating back to the Muromachi period or even earlier times in the Middle Ages. These would not normally qualify for the English description "folktales".
Konjaku Monogatarishū, also known as the Konjaku Monogatari (今昔物語), is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales from India, China and Japan. Detailed evidence of lost monogatari exist in the form of literary critique, which can be studied to reconstruct the objects of their critique to some extent.
The Nue is a legendary yōkai or mononoke from Japanese mythology.
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a monogatari containing elements of Japanese folklore. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the Heian period, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.
Big Bird in China is a 1983 television special based on the children's television series Sesame Street produced by Children's Television Workshop and China Central Television. It was originally broadcast on May 29, 1983, on NBC. Big Bird, Barkley and Little Xiao Fu travel through China to find Feng Huang, the Phoenix bird.
Hime is the Japanese word for princess or a lady of higher birth. Daughters of a monarch are actually referred to by other terms, e.g. Ōjo (王女), literally king's daughter, even though Hime can be used to address Ōjo.
Planet Ladder is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuri Narushima. Appearing as a serial in the shōjo manga magazine Crimson from the March 1998 issue to the May 2003 issue, the chapters of Planet Ladder were published by Sobisha/Shueisha in seven tankōbon volumes from December 1998 to May 2004. Based on the Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter in which a girl is discovered to be the princess of the moon, the story focuses on a teenager named Kaguya, who is prophesied to save only one of the nine parallel worlds, and her quest to bring peace to a warring universe while finding her true identity.
Sailor Moon S: The Movie is a 1994 Japanese animated superhero fantasy film directed by Hiroki Shibata and written by Sukehiro Tomita based on the Sailor Moon manga series by Naoko Takeuchi. Produced by Toei Animation, it takes its name from the third season of the anime series, as Toei Company distributed it around the same time, and the second film installment for the series, following Sailor Moon R: The Movie (1993). Loosely adapting The Lover of Princess Kaguya side story from the manga, it centers the Sailor Guardians stopping the invasion of the snow queen named Kaguya, while Luna falls in love with a human astronomer named Kakeru. The film stars Kotono Mitsuishi as the voice of Sailor Moon, alongside Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, Emi Shinohara, Rika Fukami, Megumi Ogata, Masako Katsuki, Chiyoko Kawashima, Keiko Han, Kae Araki and Tōru Furuya. It was released in Japan on December 4, 1994, as part of the Winter '94 Toei Anime Fair.
Musashi Gundoh is a Japanese anime television series, based on an unused story by Monkey Punch. It premiered in Japan on the satellite station BS-i on April 9, 2006, and was also set to be broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax from October 2006. It is also legally distributed over the Internet by GyaO from May 13, 2006. According to the producer, there were originally plans to broadcast the anime overseas, but they were scrapped due to poor reception of the anime.
Kaguyahime (輝夜姫) is a manga series by Reiko Shimizu. This 27-volume series was serialized in LaLa from 1993 to 2005. The story is based on the Japanese legend of Kaguya-hime (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter).
Queen Millennia is a manga series by Leiji Matsumoto which was serialized from 28 January 1980 through 11 May 1983 in both the Sankei Shimbun and Nishinippon Sports newspapers. The manga series was adapted into a 42-episode anime television series by Toei Dōga and broadcast on the Fuji TV network from 16 April 1981 through 25 March 1982. An anime film was released on 13 March 1982 shortly before the TV series ended.
Kaze ga Gotoku is Japanese manga series by Hideyuki Yonehara. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion from 2008 to 2010.
Queen's Blade Grimoire is a series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan. It is the fourth series of gamebooks in the Queen's Blade series, but unlike Queen's Blade and its sequel, Queen's Blade Rebellion, which are directly linked to each other, Grimoire is an all-new story set in a parallel universe. Like the previous Queen's Blade books, Grimoire will be compatible with Flying Buffalo's Lost Worlds gamebooks, and each gamebook will be illustrated by many popular artists. The first series of gamebooks, featuring Alicia and Zara, were released on November 24, 2012.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a 2013 Japanese animated historical fantasy film co-written and directed by Isao Takahata that is an adaptation of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese literary tale. It was produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI.
Princess from the Moon is a 1987 Japanese film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It is based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th-century Japanese fairy tale about a girl from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.
Kaguya-sama: Love Is War is a Japanese romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Aka Akasaka. It was first serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Miracle Jump from May 2015 to January 2016, and later transferred to Weekly Young Jump, where it ran from March 2016 to November 2022. Its chapters were collected in 28 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the manga is licensed in English by Viz Media.
Prince Kaguya (プリンス・カグヤ) is a Japanese musical based on the fictional prose narrative, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. It was premiered on November 28, 2015, at the Hakuhinkan Theater in Tokyo, where its functions were held until December 6. Between December 12 and 13, three functions were held at the Matsushita IMP Hall, Osaka. It starred Shouta Aoi, Masato Saki, Yūki Fujiwara, Nozomu Masuzawa and Naomi Akimoto. The main theme is "Murasaki" sung by Shouta Aoi. Despite being based on a classic story, the work incorporates aspects of modern culture and Kaguya's gender was changed from female to male.
Princess Kaguya is a 1935 Japanese musical drama film directed by Yoshitsugu Tanaka, with cinematography and special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by J.O. Studios, it is based on the 10th century Japanese literary tale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In the film, Princess Kaguya was raised by a couple who spread rumors that she had ascended a mountain in order to deceive suitors and ran away with her son and the princess. The film was considered lost until the British Film Institute found a 35mm cut in May 2015.
Tanaka Ōhide (1777-1847) was a Japanese antiquary, folklorist, lexicographer, ethnographer, and scholar of the nationalist kokugaku movement. He is best known for his commentary on the Taketori Monogatari.
