Summary
Protagonist Yamada no Goji is a minor nobleman of Heian period Japan, who aided by his associate, the lapsed Buddhist priest Kenji, investigates supernatural mysteries as a demon hunter.
As a result of his successful defense of Minamoto no Yoshii from assassination by magic, Lord Yamada has received his own estate in Kamakura, and has devoted his attention to restoring the fortunes of his previously disgraced clan. He is called back into public affairs by his patron Prince Kanemore to escort Princess Tagako back to the capital from her sinecure as head of a provincial temple. Secretly, he is also tasked with protecting her from supernatural threats aimed at destabilizing the regime of the new emperor, Sanjō.
Yamada and Kenji have their work cut out for them as the attempts on the princess's life escalate with every effort to trace the source of the plot—and Prince Kanemore has mysteriously disappeared.
Emperor Kinmei was the 29th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. His reign is said to have spanned the years from 539 to 571. Some historians regard Kinmei as the first historically verifiable Japanese emperor.
Emperor Tenji, known first as Prince Katsuragi and later as Prince Nakano Ōe until his accession, was the 38th emperor of Japan who reigned from 668 to 671. He was the son of Emperor Jomei and Empress Kōgyoku, and his children included Empress Jitō, Empress Genmei, and Emperor Kōbun.
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.
In Japanese traditional beliefs and literature, onryō are a type of ghost believed to be capable of causing harm in the world of the living, injuring or killing enemies, or even causing natural disasters to exact vengeance to "redress" the wrongs it received while alive, then taking their spirits from their dying bodies. Onryō are often depicted as wronged women, who are traumatized, envied, disappointed, bitter, or just furious by what happened during life and exact revenge in death. These kinds of ghosts appear extremely vengeful, ruthless, heartless, brutal, cruel, deranged, egotistical, selfish, bloodthirsty, and cold-hearted.
Ugetsu, also known as Tales of Ugetsu or Ugetsu Monogatari, is a 1953 Japanese historical drama and fantasy film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Masayuki Mori and Machiko Kyō. It is based on two stories in Ueda Akinari's 1776 book of the same name, combining elements of the jidaigeki genre with a ghost story.
Hans Christian Andersen, also known as Paramount Pictures Presents Hans Christian Andersen and known in Japan as Andersen Stories, is a Japanese anime anthology series based on the legendary stories of Hans Christian Andersen which aired on Fuji TV from January 3 to December 26, 1971. It consists of 52 episodes and was produced by Mushi Production and Zuiyo Enterprise.
Lady Fujitsubo (藤壺) is a fictional character in Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji.
The Queen and I is a 1992 novel and play written by Sue Townsend, a fictional best-selling political satire revolving round the topic of republicanism in the United Kingdom.
Ugetsu Monogatari is a collection of nine supernatural tales first published in 1776. It is the best known work of Japanese author Ueda Akinari.
Torikaebaya Monogatari, translated into English as The Changelings, is a Japanese tale from the late Heian period by an unknown author, or possibly more than one author. It is four volumes in length.
Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari (浜松中納言物語), also known as Mitsu no Hamamatsu (御津の浜松), is an eleventh-century Japanese monogatari that tells about a chūnagon who discovers his father has been reborn as a Chinese prince. He visits his reincarnated father in China and falls in love with the Hoyang Consort, consort to the Chinese Emperor and mother to his reborn father. It is told in six chapters, but the first has been lost to antiquity.
Worshipping Small Gods is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Richard Parks. It was first published in trade paperback by Prime Books in January 2007, with a hardcover edition following from the same publisher in May of the same year.
Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Richard Parks, the first volume in a series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in simultaneous trade paperback and ebook form by Prime Books in January 2013.
The Matsuranomiya monogatari is an unfinished monogatari written by Fujiwara no Teika, the famous waka poet of the Kamakura period. It was written at the end of the 12th century or the very beginning of the 13th century.
The Heavenly Fox is a fantasy novella by Richard Parks. It was first published in hardcover by PS Publishing in February 2011. A subsequent ebook edition appeared in October 2013. It was nominated for the 2012 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.
Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate is a historical fantasy novel by Richard Parks, the second volume in his Yamada Monogatari series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in simultaneous trade paperback and ebook form by Prime Books in November 2014, with the first hardcover edition, under the alternate title To Break the Demon Gate, published by PS Publishing the same month. A subsequent audiobook edition was issued by Audible in December of the same year.
Yamada Monogatari: The War God's Son is a historical fantasy novel by Richard Parks, the third volume in his Yamada Monogatari series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by Prime Books in October 2015. A subsequent audiobook edition was issued by Audible.
Bibliography of fantasy writer Richard Parks:
Hiroko Maruyama is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, affiliated with Teatro Echo. She is known for portraying Gon in First Human Giatrus, Kinoppy in Paul's Miraculous Adventure, Santa Minami in Chōgattai Majutsu Robo Ginguiser, Minoru Yamada in Ojamanga Yamada-kun, Togejirou in Ninja Hattori-kun, Prince Komaro in Yattodetaman, Ryo Ishizaki in Captain Tsubasa, Mag in Choushinsei Flashman, and Robotan in Robotan.
Yamada Monogatari: Troubled Spirits is a collection of historical mystery fantasy short stories by Richard Parks, the fifth volume in a series featuring his sword and sorcery character Yamada no Goji, a hard-bitten investigator of supernatural mysteries, who plies his hand-to-mouth trade with the help of the lapsed Buddhist priest Kenji. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook form by Canemill Publishing in October 2022.
