Folktales often present moral or life lessons specific to a culture and the mythology surrounding it. These tales also often include the spiritual or religious aspects of a society. Through folktales one can perceive a crucial part of a culture’s spirit. Folktales are the stories of old that a people has told since their beginning; folding into the developing culture to the point where a story may eventually be forgotten, but the lesson of it remains in the heart of the nation. Reading folktales can bring perspective to both the past and present of a place. Japan's folktales included below, other countries in East Asia to be added soon.
Japan:
Lists of Folktales:
- Kids Web Japan
- 16 Japanese Folktales for Kids
- Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition: the Nihon Ruiki of the Monk Kyokai
- Japanese Mythology and Folklore
Folktales:
- The Old Bamboo-Hewer’s Story
- The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Trailer) (an adaption of the story above)
- Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts
- Folktales from Japan
- Japanese Folktales (Yanagita Kunio)
- Ancient Tales and Folklore from Japan
Analysis of Folktales:
- Thematic Patterns in Japanese Folktales: a Search for Meanings
- Types of Japanese Folktales
- National Characteristics of Japanese Folktales
Lesson Plans:
- Japanese Folktales (Grades K-8)
- Japanese Folktales (Grades 3-6)
- Exploring World Cultures Through Folk Tales (Grades 3-5)