Kizen Sasaki

Kizen Sasaki (佐々木喜善 Sasaki Kizen), also sometimes Sun-Hee Sasaki and Kyōseki Sasaki,[1] (5 October 1886 29 September 1933), was a Japanese folklorist,[2] sometimes known as the Japanese Grimm.[3]

He was the son of a wealthy farming family from Tōno, Iwate, and attended Shiritsu Tetsugakukan (now Toyo University) and then graduated with a degree in literature from Waseda University in 1905. In 1908 he became acquainted with Kunio Yanagita, and Sasaki began to collaborate with Yanagita on collecting the oral traditions and tales of Iwate Prefecture. In his later years he became friends with the poet Kenji Miyazawa with whom he shared his discoveries. Sasaki suffered from respiratory problems and died at the age of 47.

Professionally, Sasaki published a number of books of collected folktales and customs.

Notes

  1. Sadler, A. W. (1987) "The Spirit-Captives of Japan's North Country: Nineteenth Century Narratives of the Kamikakushi" Asian Folklore Studies 46: pp. 217-226.
  2. Dorson, Richard M. (1975) "National Characteristics of Japanese Folktales" Journal of the Folklore Institute 12(2/3): pp. 241-256, pages 242 and 248
  3. Dorson, Richard M. (1975) "Foreword" in Kunio, Yanagita (1975) The legends of Tono (translated with an introduction by Ronald A. Morse) Japan Foundation, Tokyo, OCLC 262297619

Sources

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