east asian folklore
Sep 30, 2026
Nian and the Red Door
A record of Nian, the beast of Chinese New Year folklore, and the customs of red paper, fire and noise still said to keep it from the door.
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Sep 26, 2026
The Hare Who Answers the Moon
An account of the old Chinese belief that the wild hare conceives by gazing at the moon, and its uneasy kinship with the tame Jade Rabbit of legend.
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Sep 25, 2026
The Boy Who Brings the Rain
A journal entry on Amefurikozō, the straw-cloaked yōkai said to walk the roads of Japan on rainy nights, and the uncertain business of blaming a child-sized spirit for the weather.
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Sep 12, 2026
The Laughter on the Ridge
A journal entry on the tengu, the long-nosed mountain spirits of Japan, recorded among the cedars of Mount Kurama where they are said to still watch the paths after dark.
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Sep 9, 2026
The Lantern That Walks Itself
A survey of the tanuki, Japan's shapeshifting raccoon dog, and the strange lantern-lights said to follow lonely mountain roads at dusk.
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Where the Rivers Keep Their Dragon
A journal entry on the long, the rain-bringing river dragon of Chinese folklore, and its long pursuit of the flaming pearl.
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Aug 4, 2026
The Crane That Carries Souls
In the snow-fields of Hokkaido, the red-crowned crane is read as more than a bird: a creature of thousand-year age, marital constancy, and passage between the living and the dead.
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Jul 28, 2026
The Nine-Tailed Fires
A visit to the vermillion gates of Fushimi Inari leads into the older, wilder lore of the kitsune: the fox spirit whose age is counted in tails and whose lanterns still walk the mountain roads at night.
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