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Table of Contents
Biography
50 words:
Thersa Matsuura, an American author living in Japan, explores lesser-known aspects of Japanese culture, folklore, superstitions, and myths. Fluent in Japanese, she uses her research to write stories and for her podcast Uncanny Japan. Her upcoming book is The Book of Japanese Folklore (Adams Media; Spring 2024). Find her online at thersamatsuura.com
100 words:
Thersa Matsuura is a graduate of Clarion West 2015, a recipient of the HWA’s Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship, and the author of two short story collections, A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories (Counterpoint Press LLC) and The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (Independent Legions Press). The latter of which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award® (2017). Her upcoming book is The Book of Japanese Folklore, published by Adams Media (Spring 2024).
Thersa has lived over thirty years in a small town in Japan and shares her research and experiences on her podcast: Uncanny Japan.
300 words:
After a childhood living all over the U.S. — as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska and as far south as Jacksonville, Florida, Thersa Matsuura settled down in the far, far east.
She’s now an American expat who has lived over half her life in a fishing town in Japan. Her fluency in Japanese allows her to do research into parts of the culture – legends, folktales, and superstitions – that are little known to western audiences. A lot of what she digs up informs her short stories or becomes fodder for her podcast: Uncanny Japan.
Thersa is a graduate of Clarion West (2015), a recipient of HWA’s Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship, and the author of two collections, A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories (Counterpoint LLC, 2009) and The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (Independent Regions Publishing, 2017). The latter was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award® (2017). She’s had stories published in various magazines, anthologies and serialized in the Asahi English Newspaper. Her most recent book is The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth (Spring, 2024; Adams Media).
Books
The Book of Japanese Folklore
(4/30/2024)
The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales
(2/1/2017)
A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories
(5/1/2009)
The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth: The Stories of the Mischievous Kappa, Trickster Kitsune, Horrendous Oni, and More (World Mythology and Folklore Series)
Published 4/30/2024
Tagline
Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan.
Short Description
Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan.
Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating journey through Japan’s folklore through profiles of the legendary creatures and beings who continue to live on in pop culture today.
From the sly kitsune to the orgrish oni and mischievous shape-shifting tanuki, learn all about the origins of these fantastical and mythical creatures. This gorgeous package is complete with stained edges and stunning four-color illustrations. With information on their cultural significance, a retelling of a popular tale tied to that particular yokai, and how it’s been spun into today’s popular culture, this handsome tome teaches you about the stories and histories of the beings that inspired characters in your favorite movies, animes, manga, and games.
Adventure, mystery, and amazing tales await in The Book of Japanese Folklore.
Long Description
Enter a World of Adventure and Mystery!
Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan.
Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating journey through Japan’s folklore through profiles of the legendary creatures and beings who continue to live on in pop culture today.
From the sly kitsune to the orgrish oni and mischievous shape-shifting tanuki, learn all about the origins of these fantastical and mythical creatures. This gorgeous package is complete with stained edges and stunning four-color illustrations. With information on their cultural significance, a retelling of a popular tale tied to that particular yokai, and how it’s been spun into today’s popular culture, this handsome tome teaches you about the stories and histories of the beings that inspired characters in your favorite movies, animes, manga, and games.
Adventure, mystery, and amazing tales await in The Book of Japanese Folklore.
- 45 profiles detailing the most frightening, charming, and entertaining figures in Japanese culture
- Diverse stories about quirky animals, wise elders, peculiar shape-shifters, and more
- Fascinating facts about how these figures have evolved and where you might’ve bumped into them in pop culture
The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales
Published 2/1/2017
Tagline
Beautiful, haunting, and grotesque, The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales offers stories reminiscent of traditional Japanese folktales alongside contemporary horror fiction.
Short Description
Beautiful, haunting, and grotesque, The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales offers stories reminiscent of traditional Japanese folktales alongside contemporary horror fiction. Matsuura’s unique voice, in its poignancy and lightheartedness, is unforgettable.
“I have Thersa Matsuura’s name underlined on the side of my fridge. I will watch for her byline. As I’m sure, you, the reader of this collection will, too.” —Bram Stoker Award® Winner Author Gene O’Neill
Long Description
Beautiful, haunting, and grotesque, The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Stories offers stories reminiscent of traditional Japanese folktales alongside contemporary horror fiction. Matsuura’s unique voice, in its poignancy and lightheartedness, is unforgettable.
“I have Thersa Matsuura’s name underlined on the side of my fridge. I will watch for her byline. As I’m sure, you, the reader of this collection will, too.”—Gene O’Neill, Bram Stoker Award® winning author of The Blue Heron and A Taste of Tenderloin
“This fantastic collection by acclaimed short fiction author Thersa Matsuura will immerse you in dark mythos and fables of the exotic. Each story pulls you deeper into the pages where you’ll lose yourself and hope to catch your breath but yearn for more.” —Rena Mason, Bram Stoker Award® winning author of The Evolutionist and East End Girls.
A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories
Published 5/1/2009
Tagline
The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.
Short Description
In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living.
When a child playing near a river fails to return home, it is whispered that she was swept away by an adzuki arai, or Bean Washer. When a man boarding a ship hears the ringing of an unseen insect, it is announced that a funadama (Boat Spirit) is present and so the auspicious harbinger of smooth seas and abundant catch is celebrated. Even something as innocuous as waking up to find your pillow at the foot of your bed is thought to be the trick of a makura gaeshi, otherwise known as a Pillow Turner. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Your neighbor isn’t merely an eccentric old woman—she might very well be a shape–shifting, grudge–harboring Water Sprite.
The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.
Long Description
In Japan, the line that divides myth from reality is not merely blurred, it is nonexistent. Superstitions, legends, and folk myths are passed down through generations and pervade daily living.
When a child playing near a river fails to return home, it is whispered that she was swept away by an adzuki arai, or Bean Washer. When a man boarding a ship hears the ringing of an unseen insect, it is announced that a funadama (Boat Spirit) is present and so the auspicious harbinger of smooth seas and abundant catch is celebrated. Even something as innocuous as waking up to find your pillow at the foot of your bed is thought to be the trick of a makura gaeshi, otherwise known as a Pillow Turner. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Your neighbor isn’t merely an eccentric old woman—she might very well be a shape–shifting, grudge–harboring Water Sprite.
The Japanese examine life and living with the keenest eyes and the most vivid of imaginations. Thersa Matsuura has captured that essence in this darkly insightful collection illuminating the place where reality falters and slips into the strange and fantastical.
Praise
“[A Robe of Feathers is] all fascinating material—very fresh to Western ears in both subject material and characterization—and comes to us wrapped in some of the most gorgeous prose I’ve read in a while. The stories are eerie, at times disturbing, occasionally sweet natured, but always compelling. A Robe of Feathers is truly a unique collection that suits no easy categorization except that of excellence.” —Charles de Lint
Anthologies & Magazines
Weird Horror #7
(9/5/2023)
Horror Library
Volume 8
(7/25/2023)
Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan
(8/11/2020)
A World of Horror
(9/10/2018)
Madhouse
(5/22/2016)
Black Static Issue #41
(7/15/2014)
Photos
Click on the image for high resolution version:
Media Coverage
Print Interviews
INTERVIEW: THE BOOK OF JAPANESE FOLKLORE BY THERSA MATSUURA (Maude’s Book Club, 4/5/2024)
“If you are a fan of a compilation of short stories, you should pick up The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yōkai of Japanese Myth!”
CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT: Thersa Matsuura (Nosetouch Press, 12/14/2023)
Terror never sounded so good (The Podcast Geek, 8/28/2022)
“This is one of those shows that you don’t have to be interested in the subject to enjoy. Thersa is a joy to listen to and her knowledge of her subject matter is immense.”
Thersa Matsuura uncanned – interview with a mythical realist writer (Patrick Sheriff, 5/1/2018)
Ripples Beneath the Surface: Thersa Matsuura brings Japan’s spirit world to life (Metropolis Japan, 6/5/2017)
“Matsuura uses her fluency in Japanese and deep knowledge of Japan’s folkloric pantheon to weave new tales of terror, dark mystery and intrigue in a genre of writing she likes to call mythical realism.”
Writing from Yaizu, Japan — Fiction Writer Thersa Matsuura (Cerise Press, Summer 2013)
Expat writer explores the fantastical (The Japan Times, 3/12/2012)
Interview with TOMO Contributor Thersa Matsuura (Tomo Anthology, 2/17/2012)
Audio Interviews
Japan’s got ghosts w/ Thersa Matsuura (Deep Dive from The Japan Times, 10/28/2020)
Thersa Matsuura, host of Uncanny Japan Podcast (Made in Japan– Conversations with Meljo Catalan, 10/14/2020)
“This podcast is a must for any Japanophile with an appetite for legends, myths and superstitions.”
Japanese Folk Stories with Thersa Matsuura Host of Uncanny Japan Podcast (Stories Fables Ghostly Tales Podcast, 11/29/2019)
Manga Sensei & Uncanny Japan (John Dinkel, 8/16/2019)
Interview Questions & Answers
1. What first sparked your interest in Japanese folklore and mythology?
Back in the early 90s, while hiking around the foothills of Mount Fuji, I came across a very creepy statue of some beastly looking thing. I had no idea what it was. My friend told me it was a kappa, a water yōkai that held strength-giving water in a saucer on the top of its head and did horrible things to swimmers. I was hooked.
2. Can you describe the process of researching and compiling information for “The Book of Japanese Folklore”?
First, I gathered up all my books and resources in English and made bookmarks on everything I needed to read again. Then I went to my Japanese books and resources and did the same. I’d go through each creature one at a time, taking notes and writing the chapter. If I found something in Japanese that hadn’t been translated into English that I thought readers might enjoy, I tried to include that in the book as well.
3. How did your background as an American expat living in Japan influence the perspective and content of this book?
I got married my third year here, moved to a small town, and lived very close to my in-laws and Japanese relatives. It was an incredibly immersive experience and I had to really learn both the language and the culture quickly and thoroughly. Culture shock is hard, but I chose to try and remain open minded and learn as much as possible. That was over thirty years ago and I’m still learning.
4. How did you go about selecting the 45 yōkai and mythical heroes to feature in the The Book of Japanese Folklore?
That was harder than I thought it would be. The biggies were easy. Kitsune, oni, tengu. But once I got past them and started getting into more obscure creatures, it was difficult because there are so many and I wanted to include them all. Several were changed at the last minute.
5. What do you hope readers will take away from diving into the world of Japanese folklore through your book?
All these creatures and stories are so, so deep and rich. I really hope that readers can also come away with that feeling and maybe want to roll up their sleeves and learn more about their favorites.
6. How does “The Book of Japanese Folklore” differ from or build upon your previous writing projects?
I consider myself first and foremost a fiction author, be it horror or a genre I call mythical realism. While I love yōkai and Japanese folktales and myths, I’m not a scholar or academic, so I was a little hesitant going forward. But after some thought I realized I do have something to offer, especially my decades of experience living in Japan, so I was excited to take on the project.
7. Can you share any insights into what your next writing project might focus on?
I’m writing a middle grade fantasy adventure that is chock full of yōkai and weirdness. Also, with my partner is we’re experimenting with creating a visual novel. There are also novels I want to write when those projects are done.
8. What has been the most rewarding or fulfilling aspect of bringing this book to life?
Being able to focus and meet the deadlines for one. But also really digging in and studying these stories and creatures so thoroughly gave me an even deeper appreciation of Japanese history and the people’s rich imaginations.
Contact Information
Literary agent: Ethan Ellenberg.
Publicist: Adam Media Publicity Department
Or please feel free to contact me with any questions or requests.