| rdfs:comment
| - Rokurokubi (ろくろ首) is a tale from Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan. It features a monster by the same name (actually a classification error took place; in reality it features a nukekubi, not a rokurokubi). It takes place, “nearly five hundred years ago”. Considering Kwaidan was first published in 1904, over one hundred years ago, we can assume the story is most likely from the Muromachi Period in Japanese history (c.1336-1573). It features a manly protagonist who exemplifies the values of the time and age. He is said in the tale to have served well in the Eikyō War, which took place in 1438, during the Muromachi period. His name is Isogai Heidazaemon Taketsura and was a vassal in the service of the feudal lord Kikuji. At that time in Japan, regional warfare was rampant and feudal lords were constan
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| abstract
| - Rokurokubi (ろくろ首) is a tale from Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan. It features a monster by the same name (actually a classification error took place; in reality it features a nukekubi, not a rokurokubi). It takes place, “nearly five hundred years ago”. Considering Kwaidan was first published in 1904, over one hundred years ago, we can assume the story is most likely from the Muromachi Period in Japanese history (c.1336-1573). It features a manly protagonist who exemplifies the values of the time and age. He is said in the tale to have served well in the Eikyō War, which took place in 1438, during the Muromachi period. His name is Isogai Heidazaemon Taketsura and was a vassal in the service of the feudal lord Kikuji. At that time in Japan, regional warfare was rampant and feudal lords were constantly being uprooted, defeated, and having their houses thrown into disarray. When such a fate befell Isogai’s master, instead of finding another master to serve, he became an itinerant priest and assumed the name Kwairyō. Aside from telling a tale of supernatural adventure, this tale reflects the values of its time well. During the Muromachi period, manliness took a new form. As the courtier culture faded into the past, samurai machismo and military strength became more prevalently valued. Indeed, it was a harsh time when warrior skills and the ability to endure difficulties was paramount. It is even possible that the scary role played by the supernatural beasts may have been an expression of superstition, which Japanese mythology is rife with. "For that was an age of violence and disorder"…
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