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Folktales From Japan
is a 258-episode long Japanese anime television series that adapts various traditional stories from Japan. Each episode of this anime comprises three approximately seven-minute tales. Produced by the Tokyo-based animation company Tomason, it was aired by TV Tokyo from April 1, 2012 to March 26, 2017. The narration and all character voices are provided by veteran film actors Akira Emoto and Yoneko Matsukane. Voice actress and singer Shoko Nakagawa performed the initial opening and ending theme songs. Tomoyuki Okura, a member of the vocal group INSPi, wrote and composed the opening theme "''Hitori no Kimi ga Umareta to sa''" (You Were Born Alone), and the ending theme song "''Arukou''" (Let's Walk) with his fellow INSPi member Keisuke Yoshida. From episode 53 onwards, "Arukou" was replaced by "''Pyon Pyon Punyo Punyo no Uta''" (Song of Jump! Jump! Cheek! Cheek!) by Shindo Heart (lyrics) and Star Flower (song) from Victor Entertainment. From episode 208 onwards, "Hitori no Kimi ga ...
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Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been contrasted with the epic and the lyrical modes ever since Aristotle's '' Poetics'' (c. 335 BC)—the earliest work of dramatic theory. The term "drama" comes from a Greek word meaning "deed" or " act" (Classical Greek: , ''drâma''), which is derived from "I do" (Classical Greek: , ''dráō''). The two masks associated with drama represent the traditional generic division between comedy and tragedy. In English (as was the analogous case in many other European languages), the word ''play'' or ''game'' (translating the Anglo-Saxon ''pleġan'' or Latin ''ludus'') was the standard term for dramas until William Shakespeare's time—just as its creator was a ''play-maker'' rather than a ''dramatist'' and the building was a ''play-house'' r ...
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Bunbuku Chagama
is a Japanese folktale or fairy tale about a ''tanuki'' (raccoon dog), that uses its shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness. Overview The fairy tale version has been translated into English as "The Accomplished and Lucky Teakettle" (1871) by Mitford and as "The Wonderful Tea Kettle" (1886) in the crepe-paper book series published by T. Hasegawa. The raccoon dog is ill-treated as a tea-kettle at a temple and sold off; it later performs a dance and tightrope walking routine, and the subsequent owner turned showman acquires great wealth. In most folk tale versions, the raccoon dog or fox transforms into a kettle so that its human friend or benefactor can make profit by selling the fake kettle, typically to a priest. In legend, Bunbuku chagama is the name of a tea kettle owned by priest Shukaku who turned out to be an ancient raccoon dog or ''mujina'', the supposed kettle still on view at temple which Shukaku served. Etymology One suggested hypothes ...
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Futakuchi-onna
A is a type of yōkai or Japanese monster. They are characterized by their two mouths – a normal one located on her face and a second one on the back of the head beneath the hair. There, the woman's skull splits apart, forming lips, teeth and a tongue, creating an entirely functional second mouth. In Japanese mythology and folklore, the futakuchi-onna belongs to the same class of stories as the rokurokubi, kuchisake-onna and the yama-uba, women afflicted with a curse or supernatural disease that transforms them into yōkai. The supernatural nature of the women in these stories is usually concealed until the last minute, when the true self is revealed. Origins of the second mouth The origin of a futakuchi-onna's second mouth is often linked to how little a woman eats. In many stories, the soon-to-be futakuchi-onna is a wife of a miser and rarely eats. To counteract this, a second mouth mysteriously appears on the back of the woman's head. The second mouth often mumbles ...
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Shippeitaro
is the name of a helper dog in the Japanese fairy tale by the same name. Translations include "Schippeitaro" in Andrew Lang's '' Violet Fairy Book'' (1901), taken from a German copy, and Mrs. James's "Schippeitaro" (1888), which share the same plotline: The mountain spirit and its minions (in the guise of cats in this version) demand a yearly human sacrifice of a maiden from the local village. A young warrior overhears the spirits hinting that their would-be bane was "Shippeitaro", which turns out to be a dog. This dog is substituted for the maiden to be placed inside the sacrificial container, and when the spirits arrive, the warrior and dog attack the cats and vanquish them. The evil spirits appear as monkeys in most instances of the tale, as in the version of "Shippei Taro" given in Keigo Seki's anthology (translated into English 1963). In fact, this folktale is classified as tale type by Japanese folklorists. In variants, the dog may have Suppeitarō, Suppetarō or a vari ...
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Kintarō
is a folk hero from Japanese folklore. A child of superhuman strength, he was raised by a yama-uba ("mountain witch") on Mount Ashigara. He became friendly with the animals of the mountain, and later, after catching Shuten-dōji, the terror of the region around Mount Ōe, he became a loyal follower of Minamoto no Yorimitsu under the new name . He is a popular figure in Bunraku and kabuki drama, and it is a custom to put up a Kintarō doll on Boy's Day in the hope that boys will become equally brave and strong. Kintarō is supposedly based on a real person, Sakata Kintoki, who lived during the Heian period and probably came from what is now the city of Minamiashigara, Kanagawa. He served as a retainer for the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu and became well known for his abilities as a warrior. As with many larger-than-life individuals, his legend has grown with time. Legend Several competing stories tell of Kintarō's childhood. In one, he was raised by his mother, Princess Yaegi ...
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