This guide links to resources for RELI 73H: Animals in Japanese Myth, Folklore, and Religion.
Background Information
Mythical Zoo by Boria SaxSacred cows, wily serpents, fearsome lions, elegant swans, busy bees, and sly foxes--all are caricatures of the creatures themselves, yet they reflect not only how different cultures see the natural world around them but also how such cultures make use of their native animals. In this fun and thought-provoking book, historian and animal enthusiast Boria Sax argues for a classification of animals that goes beyond the biological to encompass a more meaningful distinction: tradition. From ants and elephants to tigers and tortoises, The Mythical Zoo weaves together a crosscultural tapestry encompassing mythology, history, art, science, philosophy, and literature. The result is a beautifully illustrated, masterfully composed love letter to the animal kingdom.
ISBN: 9781468307207
Publication Date: 2013-11-29
The Book of Yokai by Michael Dylan Foster; Shinonome Kijin (Illustrator)A lively excursion into Japanese folklore and its ever-expanding influence on global popular culture through the concept of yokai. Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of Japan. Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shape-shifting foxes and long-tongued ceiling-lickers. Currently popular in anime, manga, film, and computer games, many yokai originated in local legends, folktales, and regional ghost stories. Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, readers will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries, some with original illustrations, on more than fifty individual creatures. The Book of Yokai invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. By exploring yokai as a concept, we can better understand broader processes of tradition, innovation, storytelling, and individual and communal creativity.
ISBN: 9780520271012
Publication Date: 2015-01-14
JAPANimals by Gregory M. Pflugfelder (Editor); Brett Walker (Editor)From swift steeds to ritually slaughtered deer to symbolic serpents, nonhuman animals of every stripe have participated from the earliest of times in the construction of the cultural community that we know as Japan. Yet the historical accounts that have hitherto prevailed, claim the authors of this innovative volume, relegate our fellow animals to a silent and benign "nature" that lies beyond the realm of narrative and agency. What happens when we restore nonhuman creatures to the field of historical vision? This book challenges many of the fundamental assumptions that have shaped contemporary scholarship on Japan, engaging from new perspectives questions of economic growth, isolation from and interaction with the outside world, the tools of conquest and empire, and the character of modernity. Essay by essay, this provocative collection compels readers to acknowledge the diversity of living beings who exist at the ragged edges of our human, as well as our historical, horizons.
JSTOR provides access to important scholarly journal literature in nearly all the humanities and social sciences disciplines, including folklore and anthropology. For most journals the most recent five years are not available.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies. Excludes most recent 2-5 years of currently available journals.
Provides access to important university press and other scholarly publisher e-journals mainly in the humanities and social science content for the scholarly community.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies
Find citations for books and articles related to many aspects of Asian Studies.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1971-present (substantial publication lag)
Find articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Indexing, 1975-present; Full-text, 1975-present
Find articles and book chapters dealing with folklore, cultural studies, and literature.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1884-present Language: Various
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1949 - present
Find folklore-related articles in anthropology journals.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: late 19th century - present
A digital library of over 2 million images and media files covering the arts, architecture, humanities, social sciences, and sciences with tools for teaching, research and study. See ARTstor's complete list of available collections. Anyone can browse ARTstor collections using a computer on UNC campus. In order to view full size images and download or save content, however, you must first register for an ARTstor user account. For more information, see the library's ARTstor guide.
Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Users must register for a free ARTstor account in order to view full size images and download or save content.