This volume is from 1908. From the book's Preface: The kind reception given to "The Japanese Fairy Book " both in the West and in the East has encouraged me to send forth another small collection of stories from Japan. I have invented none of these stories. They are taken from Mr. Hideo Iwaya's modern version of the old-folk-lore tales of Japan and some of his new stories, and in clothing them with an English, dress my work has been that of adapter rather than translator. In picturesqueness of conception Japanese stories yield the palm to none. And they are rich in quaint expressions and dainty conceits. But they are apt to be written in a style too bold. This defect the professional story-teller remedies by colouring his story as he tells it. In the same way 1 have tried to brighten the rather bare structure of a story, where it seemed to need such treatment, with touches of local colour so as to make the story more attractive to the foreign reader. Whether I have succeeded or not the reader must judge for himself.Sorry, there are no illustrations in this Kindle version. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.