WhilepeoplearoundtheworldloveJapan’sculturalexports--frommangaandanimetoZen--noteveryoneisfamiliarwithJapan’suniquemythologythatshapestheseinterests,whichisenrichedbyShinto,Buddhism,andregionalfolklore.TheJapaneseMythsisasmartandsuccinctguidetotherichtraditionofJapanesemythology,fromtheearliestrecordedlegendsofIzanagiandIzanamiwiththeirdivineoffspringandthecreationofJapan,tomedievaltalesofvengefulghosts,throughtothemodern-dayreincarnationofancientdeitiesastheheroesofmechaanime.Mythologyremainsaliving,evolvingpartofJapanesesociety.ThewaysinwhichthepeopleofJapanunderstandtheirmythsareverydifferenttodayevenfromacenturyago,letaloneoveramillenniumintothepast.ThisvolumenotonlyretellstheseancientstoriesbutalsoconsiderstheirplacewithinthepatternsofJapanesereligions,culture,andhistory,helpingreadersunderstandthedeeplinksbetweenpastandpresentinJapan,andthewaysthesemythsliveandgrow.AuthorJoshuaFrydmantakestheveryearliestwrittenmythsintheKojikiandtheNihonShokiashisstartingpoint,andfromtheretracesJapan’smythologythroughtopost-warStateShinto,theriseofthemangaindustryinthe1960s,J-horror,andmodern-daymyths.FrydmantiesinreinventionsandretellingsofmythsthatarepresentacrossallgenresofcontemporaryJapaneseculture,fromitsauteurcinematorenownedvideogamessuchasOkami.ThisbookisforanyoneinterestedinJapanandJapaneseexports,asknowingitsmythsallowsreaderstounderstandandappreciateitscultureinanewlight.
