Today we look at the stories portrayed in the 1964 Japanese ghost story anthology film, Kwaidan. The Black Hair “The Black Hair” (黒髪, Kurokami) is adapted from “The Reconciliation” and “The Corpse Rider”, which appeared in Hearn’s collection Shadowings (1900). An impoverished swordsman in Kyoto divorces his wife, a weaver, and leaves her for a […]
Category: Asia
Lafcadio Hearn’s short story, Mujina, from Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things, depicts a creepy Japanese supernatural creature called a noppera-bō, or mujina. No-Face / Spirited Away No-Face is a fascinating character in the Japanese animated film Spirited Away. Insightful article on Comic Book Resources: The CBR is a pretty cool web site. […]
The following short story is from the 1905 edition of Kwaidan – Stories and Studies of Strange Things, by Lafcadio Hearn. Illustrations by Elder G. MUJINA On the Akasaka Road, in Tokyo, there is a slope called Kii-no-kuni-zaka,—which means the Slope of the Province of Kii. I do not know why it is called the […]
Lafcadio Hearn, author of the book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, moved to Japan in 1890. He initially arrived to work as an English teacher in Matsue, a city in the Shimane Prefecture. Hearn became deeply fascinated with Japanese culture, folklore, and traditions, eventually settling in Japan permanently. He married a Japanese woman […]
Through an interesting stream of consciousness, we came across one of the most interesting people on our World Tour: Lafcadio Hearn. Stream of Unconsciousness So, due to a combination of quantum effects, uncertainty principles, and tidal forces, the HBO algorithm suggested Kwaidan. The poster was creepy enough to draw me in. Kwaidan (Japanese: 怪談, Hepburn: […]
You think the constitution is going to save us? The Bill of Rights? Freedom of speech? Let’s see how that worked out in other countries….. Soviet Union / Russia Article 50. In accordance with the interests of the people and in order to strengthen and develop the socialist system, citizens of the USSR are guaranteed […]
We spent some time trying to determine if the Persian Rug on the cover of Switched-On Bach is the same rug in Wendy Carlos‘ studio. From various photos of Wendy’s studio, we have to conclude that it is not the same rug. Elder G’s Persian Rug Celebrating Wendy Carlos Elder G created some nice Persian […]
As faithful readers of WLBOTT will recall (here and here), our bachelor farmer, with the help of Tess Twinehart, is exploring different religious traditions, hoping to find the best matchmaking services to alleviate his loneliness. Today, our bachelor farmer BB40 is exploring the world of Hindu matchmaking. It is a world BB40 was not expecting. […]
María Elena Velasco (La India Maria) was born in Puebla, Mexico’s 4th largest city. Let’s take a closer look. Puebla is a city in east-central Mexico, southeast of Mexico City. It’s known for its culinary history, colonial architecture and pottery. The painted Talavera tiles adorning numerous buildings are locally produced. The Renaissance-era Puebla Cathedral has […]
WLBOTT: So, G. Are you familiar with the novel The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson? Elder G: The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: it’s a thought-provoking climate fiction novel that imagines a near future where a UN agency, the “Ministry for the Future,” is created to represent future generations […]