About the Book Tales of Moonlight and Rain alludes to the belief that mysterious beings appear on cloudy, rainy nights and in mornings with the lingering moon. In Shiramine, the vengeful ghost of the former emperor Sutoku reassumes the role of king; in The Chrysanthemum Vow, a faithful revenant fulfills a promise; The Kibitsu Cauldron tells a tale of spirit possession; and in The Carp of My Dreams, a man straddles the boundaries between the waking world and dream. Akinaris masterful combination of phrases from Japanese classics with creatures from Chinese and Japanese fiction and lore lend the collection its eerie beauty. This translation skillfully maintains the allure and complexity of Akinaris original prose. Book Synopsis First published in 1776, the nine gothic tales in this collection are Japans finest and most celebrated examples of the literature of the occult. They subtly merge the world of reason with the realm of the uncanny and exemplify the periods fascination with the strange and the grotesque. They were also the inspiration for Mizoguchi Kenjis brilliant 1953 film Ugetsu . The title Ugetsu monogatari (literally rain-moon tales) alludes to the belief that mysterious beings appear on cloudy, rainy nights and in mornings with a lingering moon. In Shiramine, the vengeful ghost of the former emperor Sutoku reassumes the role of king; in The Chrysanthemum Vow, a faithful revenant fulfills a promise; The Kibitsu Cauldron tells a tale of spirit possession; and in The Carp of My Dreams, a man straddles the boundaries between human and animal and between the waking world and the world of dreams. The remaining stories feature demons, fiends, goblins, strange dreams, and other manifestations beyond all logic and common sense. The eerie beauty of this masterpiece owes to Akinaris masterful combination of words and phrases from Japanese classics with creatures from Chinese and Japanese fiction and lore. Along with The Tale of Genji and The Tales of the Heike , Tales of Moonlight and Rain has become a timeless work of great significance. This new translation, by a noted translator and scholar, skillfully maintains the allure and complexity of Akinaris original prose. Review Quotes A shining new version of a living Japanese classic.-- Japan Times Chamberss edition of Tales of Moonlight and Rain is well worthwhile... Highly Recommended.-- The Complete Review Chamberss new translation is a lucid addition to the handful of previous versions.--James Lasduns The Guardian Japan scholars and people who just like weird, spooky stuff should enjoy this new edition of Akinaris classic.--Brad Quinn Daily Yomiuri About the Author Ueda Akinari (1734-1809), one of the great writers of Japanese fiction, was also a scholar, poet, physician, and tea master. Anthony H. Chambers is professor of Japanese literature and literary translation at Arizona State University. He has translated many works of Japanese literature, both classical and modern, and is the author of The Secret Window: Ideal Worlds in Tanizakis Fiction .