The Japanese Psyche: Major Motifs in the Fairy Tales of Japan – Gary Snyder

This book examines the haunting, sad, and lively depths of the Japanese soul by interpreting some of major themes in fairy tales. A Japanese Jungian psychologist credited with founding Japanese analytical and clinical psychology and a senior professor at Kyoto University, Hayao Kawai (1928–2007) addresses here such questions as why so many Japanese fairy tales end in a “Happily ever after” marriage, and why the female figure best expresses the culture’s ego and the country’s possible future. Throughout the book, Kawai delicately presents the multiple layers of the Japanese psyche.

The American poet and essayist Gary Snyder, who lived for years in Japan, gaining familiarity with the soul of its culture and thought, introduces Kawai’s book to the reader.