Resources for East Asian Folklore

  • From East Asia All

Learning to Give  http://learningtogive.org/materials/folktales/geography.asp?region=Asia       38 tales on Generosity of Spirit for all ages from Asia, including Kogi the Priest, The Story Bag, and Stubborn Husband, Stubborn Wife.

Aaron’s World of Stories  http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/index.html                   Text by Aaron Shepherd, some drawn from his picture books:  The Magic Brocade, A Tale of China;  Lady White Snake, A Tale from Chinese Opera;  The Monkey King, a Superhero Tale of China; The Story Spirits, A Tale of Korea;  The Boy Who Drew Cats, A Tale of Japan; The Man Who Sang to Ghosts, A Japanese Legend.

  • From Japan

Ancient Tales and Folktales of Japan by Richard Gordon Smith, 1911  http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/atfj/index.htm       57 stories gathered and retold by R. Gordon Smith, from diaries kept during his twenty years as a naturalist with the British Museum.

Japanese Folktales  http://worldoftales.com/Japanese_folktales.html       Past the annoying ads you’ll find the full-text for three books:   the gem Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki, Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales by Grace James, and an anonymous telling of Momotaro or Little Peachling from 1910.  Japanese Fairy Tales also shows up ad-free at Project Gutenberg www.projectgutenberg.org .

Anatomy of Japanese Folk Monsters  http://pinktentacle.com/2009/10/anatomy-of-japanese-folk-monsters       10 manga drawings selected from Shigenu Mizuki’s Yokai Daizukai.

Ghosts, Demons, and Spirits in Japanese Lore by Norman Rubin, 2000  http://www.asianart.com/articles/rubin/       An article from the online journal asianart.com.

Japanese Folktales  http://education.asianart.org/sites/asianart.org/files/related-downloads/Japanese-Myths.pdf       Pre-visit packet prepared by Asian Art Museum Education Department, for teachers with cultural background, activities, pronunciations, maps, proverbs, etc. Text is given for The Terrible EEK: A Japanese Tale Retold by Patricia A. Compton.

Creating Mini-Kamishibai  http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/lesson-or-activity/create-mini-kamishibai-lesson      The Asian Art Museum Education Department has created lessons on the tradition and craft of telling stories with Japanese picture story cards.

  • From China

Chinese New Year – Stories for Kids  http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/short-stories/                 15 Chinese folktales are readably retold by Norman Pittman:  The Golden Beetle, The Great Bell, The Strange Tale of Doctor Dog, How Foot Binding Started, The Talking Fish, Bamboo and the Turtle, The mad Goose and the Tiger Forest, The Nodding Tiger, The Princess Kwan-Yin, The Two Jugglers, The Phantom Vessel, The Wooden Tablet, The Golden Nugget,  The Man Who Would Not Scold and Lu-San, Daughter of Heaven.

Chinese Folktales  http://worldoftales.com/Chinese_folktales.html       Same annoying ads, but full-text of three books: A Chinese Wonder Book by Andrew Lang, 1919; The Chinese Fairy Book by Dr. R. Wilhelm, 1921; and Chinese Folk-lore Tales by Rev. J. McGowan, 1910.

Learning to Give :  Chinese Folktales: Lesson 5 – Generosity of Spirit  http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit226/lesson5.html       Lesson plans plus complete stories for Lo-Sun, the Blind Boy and Lord of the Cranes, aimed at 9th-12th Graders.

Chinese Myths and Folktales  http://education.asianart.org/sites/asianart.org/files/related-downloads/Chinese-Myths.pdf       Pre-visit packet prepared by Asian Art Museum Education Department, for teachers with cultural background, activities, pronunciations, maps, proverbs, etc.  Chinese stories include:  Small Animals Must Live by Their Wits (Tiger and Fox) from A Chinese Zoo:  A Book of Fables and Proverbs by Demi; In the face of Disaster Don’t Waste Time Arguing (Crane); Not All Who Make a Great Show of Devotion Can Be Trusted (Cat and Mice); and It Is Foolish to Worry about Everything You Are Told (Deer).  In addition, here is the dramatic story of Zongzi and Dragon Boat,  basis for a festival celebrated on the  fifth day of the fifth lunar month each year.

  • From Korea

Korean Folk Tales  http://park.org/Korea/Pavilions/PublicPavilions/KoreaImage/hangul/litera/                        4 charming stories from Suzanne Crowder Han, 1991, Korean Folk & Fairy Tales: The Disobedient Frog, The Rabbit’s Judgment, Two Brothers, and Why the Sea Is Salty.

Sample Korean Folktales  http://www.sejongsociety.org/korean_theme/korean_folk_tales/       10 annotated tales from Korean Folktales by Heinz Insu Fenkl, 2008, which may also be listened to in audio:  Green Frog; Shimchong, the Blind Man’s Daughter; Silkworm; The Saltseller & the Fox; The Tiger and the Persimmon; The Rabbit’s Judgment’ The Rabbit’s Liver; Three Questions; The Goblin’s Club;, and The Three Gifts.

Reading Around the World: Korean Folktales  http://www.fwps.org/dept/ell/koreanstories.pdf       Produced by Federal Wau Public Schools, Washington, 2005. Bilingual presentation of Chung Kayguri, the Green Frog; The Fountain of Youth; and Princess Pyong Kang and Oun Dahl, the Fool.

Korean Myths and Folktales  http://www.asianart.org/pdf/education/previsit/Korean-Myths.pdf       Pre-visit packet prepared by Asian Art Museum Education Department, for teachers with cultural background,  activities, pronunciations, maps, proverbs, etc.  Korean stories include: The Koren Cinderella by Shirley Climo and  Long, Long Ago When the Tiger Smoked the Pipe.