Hiroko Fujita is a traditional ohanashi obaasan (storytelling grandma). She spent her childhood in the rural mountain town of Miharu in Fukushima Prefecture, where she heard hundreds of ancient folktales from village elders. A graduate of Japan Women's University who was an early childhood education for five decades, she now travels Japan, teaching young mothers the old tales. The author of thirty-one books in Japanese, she lives in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
Fran Stallings, a professional storyteller based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, interpreted for Mrs. Fujita's twelve storytelling tours of twenty-two American states, Japan and Singapore. Stallings edited and adapted English translations of Mrs. Fujita's storytelling handbook Stories to Play With (August House, 1999) and a collection of forty-seven tales known throughout Japan, Folktales from the Japanese Countryside (Libraries Unlimited, 2008). Stallings' other publications include articles, stories, songs, and four CDs. Her academic training in biology informs her environmental work as "EarthTeller."
In 2003, Fujita and Stallings received the National (U.S.) Storytelling Network's International StoryBridge ORACLE Award for their work on both sides of the Pacific. They hope that these books will make Mrs. Fujita's stories available to English-speaking story lovers everywhere.
Translator Makiko Ishibashi attended the University of Tokyo. She lived in St. Louis while her husband did postdoctoral work and their two sons attended American schools. Now their sons are grown, and she lives in Saitama, Japan, with her husband. Her current interest is in the ukiyoe (woodblock prints) of Hiroshige, and Edo (the old name for Tokyo). She blogs bilingually at "A Hundred Views Of Edo"
"Delightful stories chock full of cultural information,
Mothers-in-Law, shape-shifting foxes, and the wisdom of Hiroko
Fujita. Fran Stallings has given us a treasure."-- "Regina Ress,
Storyteller, Actor, Author, Educator"
"Something special always happens when Hiroko Fujita and Fran
Stallings work together. This collection of unique Japanese
folktales is no exception, giving readers access to a wealth of
stories in danger of disappearing."-- "Elizabeth Ellis, storyteller
and author"
"These tried and true stories are sure fire hits with listeners of
all ages. Hiroko Fujita is a living treasure. What a joy to hear
her voice in these wonderful tales from the Japanese
countryside."-- "Nancy Simpson, storyteller and reti red elementary
teacher"
"This delightful compendium of short, savory, and highly tellable
tales embodies the beliefs and folkways of rural
Japan--specifically the area most impacted by the recent tsunami
and nuclear disaster. It adds immeasurably to our insight into that
endangered world."-- "Joseph Sobol, Ph.D., director, ETSU
Storytelling Graduate Program"
"A wide array of Japanese tales is collected and presented here by
Fujita and Stallings, who weave their magic through helpful
interpretative notes. Engaging story elements both seen and unseen,
natural and spiritual drive their narratives."
-- "Bobby Norfolk, story performer, author, and teaching artist,
St. Louis, Missouri"
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