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Cover of Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari

Tales of Moonlight and Rain

Ueda Akinari

  • 232 pages · about 4 hours
  • First published 1776
  • 53 editions
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1 About this book

Based on the first woodblock edition of 1776 with illustrations and an introduction for Western readers.

Translated and edited by Leon M. Zolbrod.

Ugetsu Monogatari, or Tales of Moonlight and Rain numbers among the best-loved Japanese classics. These nine illustrated tales of the supernatural from eighteenth-century Osaka combine popular appeal with a high literary standard. The author, Ueda Akinari, expressed his complex views on human life and society in simple yet poetic language. Akinari questioned the prevailing moral values and standards of his age whilst entertaining his readers with mystery and other-worldly occurrences.

Good for readers who want: fantasy, short stories, and the supernatural.

  • Fantasy
  • Short stories
  • Japan
  • Mystery
  • Paranormal fiction
  • Supernatural
  • Occult fiction
  • Religious

2 About Ueda Akinari

1734–1809

Ueda Akinari or Ueda Shūsei (上田 秋成; Japanese pronunciation:, July 25, 1734 in Osaka – August 8, 1809 in Kyoto) was a Japanese author, scholar and waka poet, and a prominent literary figure in 18th-century Japan. He was an early writer in the yomihon genre and his two masterpieces, Ugetsu Monogatari ("Tales of Rain and the Moon") and Harusame Monogatari ("Tales of Spring Rain"), are central to the canon of Japanese literature.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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