Kaidan (怪談) (sometimes transliterated kwaidan) is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (kai) meaning “strange, mysterious, rare or bewitching apparition" and 談 (dan) meaning “talk” or “recited narrative.”

Overall meaning and usage

In its broadest sense, kaidan refers to any ghost or horror story, but it has an old-fashioned ring to it that carries the connotation of Edo period Japanese folktales. Kaidan may have been influenced by its Chinese counterpart, a collection of ghost stories known as Liaozhai zhiyi 聊斋志异, or more popularly known as Liaozhai 聊斋.

The term is no longer as widely used in Japanese as it once was: Japanese horror books and films such as Ju-on and Ring would more likely be labeled by the katakana or the standard Japanese . Kaidan is only used if the author/director wishes to specifically bring an old-fashioned air into the story.

Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai and Kaidanshu

Kaidan entered the vernacular during the Edo period, when a game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai became popular. This game led to a demand for ghost stories and folktales to be gathered from all parts of Japan and China.

The popularity of the game, as well as the acquisition of a printing press, led to the creation of a literary genre called Kaidanshu.

Kaidanshu were originally based on older Buddhist stories of a didactic nature, although the moral lessons soon gave way to the demand for strange and gruesome stories.

Examples of Kaidanshu

Tonoigusa, called Otogi Monogatari (Nursery Tales) by Ogita Ansei (1660)

Otogi Boko (Handpuppets) by Asai Ryoi (1666)

Ugetsu Monogatari (Tales of Moonlight and Rain) by Ueda Akinari (1776)

Examples of Kaidan

Banchō Sarayashiki (The Story of Okiku) by Okamoto Kido

Yotsuya Kaidan (Ghost Story of Tōkaidō Yotsuya) by Tsuruya Nanboku IV (1755–1829)

Botan Dōrō (The Peony Lantern) by Asai Ryoi

Mimi-nashi Hōichi (Hōichi the Earless)

Background of the romanized translation

The word was popularised in English by Lafcadio Hearn in his book . The spelling kwaidan is a romanization based on an archaic spelling of the word in kana - Hearn used it since the stories in the book were equally archaic. The revised Hepburn romanization system is spelled kaidan.

When film director Masaki Kobayashi made his portmanteau film Kwaidan (1964) from Hearn's translated tales, the old spelling was used in the English title.

Plot elements

Originally based on didactic Buddhist tales, kaidan often involve elements of karma, and especially ghostly vengeance for misdeeds. Japanese vengeful ghosts are far more powerful after death than they were in life, and are often people who were particularly powerless in life, such as women and servants.

This vengeance is usually specifically targeted against the tormentor, but can sometimes be a general hatred toward all living humans. This untargeted wrath can be seen in Furisode, a story in Hearn's book In Ghostly Japan about a cursed kimono that kills everyone who wears it. This motif is repeated in the film Ring with a videotape that kills all who watch it, and the film Ju-on with a house that kills all who enter it.

Kaidan also frequently involve water as a ghostly element. In Japanese religion, water is a pathway to the underworld as can be seen in the festival of Obon.

Films

Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)

Hideo Nakata's Kaidan (2007)

(2007)

See also

Japanese mythology

J-Horror

Lafcadio Hearn

Obake

Yōkai

Yūrei

Glen Grant

Shigeru Mizuki

Gakkō no Kaidan - School ghost stories

External links

Ghoul Power - Onryou in the Movies Japanzine By Jon Wilks

Tales of Ghostly Japan Japanzine By Zack Davisson

Japanese Ghosts Mangajin #40 by Tim Screech

Hearn's Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.

A site with several kaidan.

Asian Folklore Studies: The Appeal of Kaidan Tales of the Strange.

Information on The Kaidan Suite, a musical interpretation of kaidan by the Kitsune Ensemble.

Hyakumonogatari.com A website of translated kaidan

Category:Japanese folklore * Category:Japanese words and phrases

Name	Hideo Nakata 中田 秀夫
Birth date	July 19, 1961
Birth place	Okayama, Japan
Other names	Nakada Hideo
Occupation	Film director

Hideo Nakata (中田 秀夫 Nakata Hideo; born July 19, 1961) is a Japanese filmmaker.

Life and career

Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring (1998), Ring 2 (1999) and Dark Water (2002). Ring was later remade in America as The Ring (2002), Dark Water (2005), The Ring Two and The Ring Three.

Nakata was scheduled to make his English-language debut with True Believers, but later pulled out. He was later offered by DreamWorks to direct the movie The Ring Two (2005), which he accepted, making his English-language debut with a sequel to a remake of his own film.

Nakata made his initial breakthrough into film with Ghost Actress (1996). Although failing to attain any large-scale success, the film was responsible for leading to his directing of Ring.

Other Nakata films include Sleeping Bride (2000); Curse, Death and Spirit; and Chaos (2000). He directed the psychological thriller The Incite Mill which premiered on 16 October 2010 in Japan. He has now completed a Japanese ghost story, Kaidan. Nakata is currently working on Hearn, which is about the life of Lafcadio Hearn who wrote Kwaidan.

He is represented by United Talent Agency. His upcoming film Chatroom, is scheduled to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Filmography

Curse, Death & Spirit (1992 video) – Director

Don't Look Up (1996) – Director, Writer (story)

Tokyo biyori (1997) – Actor

Ring (1998) – Director

Joseph Losey: The Man with Four Names (1998) (documentary) – Director, Writer

Ring 2 (1999) – Director, Writer

Sadistic and Masochistic (2000) (documentary) – Director, Himself

Sleeping Bride (Garasu no nou) (2000) – Director

Chaos (2000) – Director

Sotohiro (2000) – Director

Chi wo suu uchuu (2001) – Actor

Dark Water (2002) – Director, Writer (screenplay)

Last Scene (2002) – Director, Producer

The Ring Two (2005) – Director

Dark Water (USA) (2005) – Writer

Hideo Nakata's Kaidan (2007) – Director

(2007) – Director

The Incite Mill (2009) – Director

Voice from the Stone (2010) – Director

Chatroom (2010) – Director

See also

Japanese horror

References

External links

Nakata's JMDb Listing (in Japanese)

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Nakata Hideo Category:Horror film directors Category:Japanese film directors *