Also known by the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo, author Lafcadio Hearn, was a prolific writer during the late nineteenth century.  He only lived 54 years, but during this time wrote 29 books in a wide variety of genres, with an eventual focus on Japanese folk tales. Born from a Greek mother and Irish father, Hearn was abandoned by both his parents. After starting a job as a printer’s assistant he lucked into an emergency assignment covering a local murder, and did such a good job that it was republished in papers nationwide. This launched his career as an author, and at 39 led to Hearn traveling to Japan on a magazine assignment.

Once in Japan Hearn fell in love with the country’s past, and even married into a Japanese samurai family.  He was later officially adopted into the family, gaining citizenship and a new name.  While in Japan he wrote 14 books on a mix of topics, but was particularly drawn to the customs and culture preserved in Japanese folktales, particularly kaidan, or ghost stories.  Hearn always wrote in English, but by the time his “Japanese tales” were translated into Japanese, the country had changed so much that he came to be considered an esteemed guardian of tradition. 

In Ghostly Japan contains 14 Japanese stories.  These range from hair raising ghost stories to a number of non-fiction pieces on topics such as “Japanese Buddhist Proverbs” and “Bits of Poetry,” which explains how poetry is universally important and a key aspect of Japanese culture.