Myths from the Wakasa, Echizen, and Tango Fudoki

While the surviving fragments from the Wakasa and Echizen Fudoki are very brief, and probably spurious, those from the Tango Fudoki are substantial, and include the earliest version of one of the most famous folktales in Japan: Urashima Tarō, who is carried off to a wonderland by a turtle-princess, and finds that centuries have passed back home when he returns.

Torii image © Dean Spencer, used with permission. All rights reserved.