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Folktales from Japan

Folktales from Japan

2012Returning Series6 Seasons346 Episodes9.0TMDB
TV Tokyo

Hometown Rebuilding: Folktales from Japan is a Japanese anime television series that adapts various traditional stories from Japan. The narration and all character voices are provided by veteran Japanese film actors Akira Emoto and Yoneko Matsukane. An English-subtitled version began "simulcast" availability on the streaming service Crunchyroll March 12, 2012.

Season 1 Episodes

Browse every episode and jump into details.

Episode 68: The Talking Fish / Urashima Tarou / The Demon`s Handprint

Jul 21, 2013 · 25m

A stranger comes to a fishing village, which plans to catch lots of fish through poisoning the river. As the villagers debate, they are warned against this by a traveling priest. A fisherman saves a little turtle and is taken to an undersea palace. Two boys go to ask the fire god to help them with a demon who's been raiding their village. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 77: Monkey Crab / The Straw Headman / Head Lake

Sep 22, 2013 · 25m

Crabs seek revenge upon a monkey for wounding their mother, and are aided by a mortar and cow poop. A divine oracle leads a man to riches. A man's head becomes the scene of strange happenings. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 79: The Little Chestnut / The Day the Kappa Came / The Oryuu Willow

Oct 6, 2013 · 25m

A massive pumpkin grows from a tiny vine, and a man is very happy. Parents hear from the mountain god and water god that their child will be stolen by Kappas on his twelfth birthday. A huge willow stands in front of a tea shop. The son of the shop saves it from being cut down. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 80: The Silver Temple / The Pebble Letter / The Famous Blade Kisenbamaru

Oct 13, 2013 · 25m

Midon the fisherman is wounded and can't go fishing. He borrows money from a samurai, but can't pay it back. A wife gets mad at her drunkard husband and returns to her parents. But she misses her husband now that she's left him. A young servant named Sutekichi loves katanas. He wants his own, so he pays a blacksmith with a thousand logs to make one for him. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 82: The Ear Statue / The Centipede Gets the Doctor / Benten`s Swamp

Oct 27, 2013 · 25m

A statue by the river reminds a boy of his dead mother. His stepmom tells him that if the statue will eat a rice ball, he can have one too, so off he goes. The insect children are playing in the depths of the forest when walking stick falls from a tree and starts to cry. One late night, a pack driver is returning home when he meets a beautiful woman. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 84: The Three Masks / The Tengu`s Cloak / The Flying Door

Nov 10, 2013 · 25m

A young servant girl is given a demon mask as a goodbye present, and goes to a new place to work. A young boy learns that if you put on a Tengu's cape you'll be invisible. He steals the cape from the Tengu, and now he can play all the tricks he wants, but... "We've saved this money up for the future. Don't waste it," an old husband tells his silly wife... but then, a pair of thieves come when he's not home. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 85: The Old Woman and the Giant Octopus / Dokkoisho / The Tengu of Ashitaka Mountain

Nov 17, 2013 · 25m

An old woman cuts off the leg of an octopus on the beach, and gets rich by selling it at the market. A groom is given botamochi rice balls at his bride's village. He wants his mom to make them, so he keeps saying "botamochi" on the way home, but then he trips and rises up saying, "dokkoisho! A strong-willed and hardworking mother goes all alone to Ashitaka Mountain, where a Tengu lives. But she doesn't come back. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 86: The Mysterious Blacksmith / The Fox Gives Birth / Senkamejo

Nov 24, 2013 · 25m

"If I can make a hundred swords in a night, give me your daughter," a traveler says, and locks himself in a blacksmith's forge. There was a mean doctor who lived in a village. One night, he goes to a mansion to save a young girl who's having a hard birth. Senkamejo grew up spoiled by her mother, and was the prettiest girl in town, but selfish and arrogant. One day she hears that a beautiful statue of Kannon-sama is at the temple, and she and her mother go to see it. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 87: The Cracking Mountain / The Three Charms / The Kappa and the Handwashing Basin

Dec 1, 2013 · 25m

A raccoon badly injures a kind old woman. The rabbit hears about this from her husband, and angrily avenges her. A child is picking up chestnuts in the forest, and before he knows it it's night. A demon grannie catches him. A new hand washing basin has been put in the village shrine. But the kappa used this stone to sit on and think or keep watch. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 88: The Ghost Well / The Man Who Bought Dreams / Tougorou the Potato Digger

Dec 8, 2013 · 25m

A mysterious woman visits a candy store every night. The owner follows her after she leaves, but she disappears into a grave... A traveling merchant buys his partner's dream of treasure for a lot of money. The beautiful daughter of a rich man is sent to marry tougorou the potato digger. Tougorou is lonely and miserable and poor in the mountains, but one day... Source: crunchyroll

Episode 90: The Joroku Statue / The God of Poverty / The Carp in the Basin

Dec 22, 2013 · 25m

A huge rock saves a village from a flood. The villagers use it to make a giant statue, but the statue is too big to carry to the temple. But then the statue... A poor old man goes to sell balls of thread for new years. Gorouhei, a poor man, trades an old basin from his family for rice. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 92: The Safflower Ship / Twelve Signs of the Zodiac / Sent Salt

Jan 5, 2014 · 25m

There is a splendid picture of a rooster in the room where the crimson flower merchant says. And they say that it crows at midnight. God creates the calendar to rule the world, and wants the animals to protect it. The animals all rush to God's temple on new years. But the rat lies to the cat. Zenzaemon, of Kishou Swamp, is sent to learn the secrets of salt-making from Akou Province and is caught. But official Ooishi Kuranosuke is moved by his devotion to his homeland, and lets him go. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 93: The Deer Springs / Tail Fishing / Hachiroutarou

Jan 12, 2014 · 25m

A woodcutter meets a wounded deer in the mountains. He saves it from a hunter and watches until its wounds are healed... The Fox comes to see the river otter, who is good at catching fish. He takes fish from the river otter but never gives any himself. And so the River Otter comes up with an idea... A young man in the village of Matagi, Hachirou Tarou, goes to the mountains with two of his friends, but as he gets ready for dinner he gives into his hunger and eats their fish. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 94: Herring and Grannie / The Wind God and the Children / Will of the Spider

Jan 19, 2014 · 25m

An old woman loses her husband in a storm, but a statue of a god washes up with his boat and she worships it. One day in early spring, as the children are playing, a young man suddenly appears. A young carpenter is trying to build a bridge across a river, but every storm that comes washes it away. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 95: Snake Lake / The Deep Voice / The Priest, the Kid, and the Fava Bean Tree

Jan 26, 2014 · 25m

Governot Shimada has come to Kazusa, where there is no water and the harvest is dependant on the rain. Two men tie a pipe between their houses so they can talk even when they're snowed in. Even though they were alone, they could cheer each other up by talking, but then they stop getting answers... The priest tries to raise a fava bean tree to help the starving villagers, but the kids at the temple eat it. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 96: Sumo Inari / The Fava Bean, Straw, and Charcoal / The Man of the East & the Man of the West

Feb 2, 2014 · 25m

The lord of a poor province is sad to see how weak his sumo wrestlers are for this year's tournament, but they all defeat even the strongest wrestlers. A fava bean, a piece of straw, and a piece of charcoal all bounce out of an old woman's kitchen and decide to visit Ise. There are two men who live on the east and west side of town, and each night they come to a bar to drink. They always drink the same drink, and insult each other. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 97: The Stink Vine / Shippei-Tarou / Half-Naked Buhyou

Feb 9, 2014 · 25m

The stinkvine weed smelled terrible, and the big tree always made fun of it. To save a girl from a demon, a traveling monk goes to find the one thing it fears, "Shippeitarou." Buhei is a man proud of his strength. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 99: The Snow Woman / Oshira-sama / The 600-Year-Old Woman

Feb 23, 2014 · 25m

A young woodcutter seeks shelter from a blizzard with his master. A young woman has a horse she loves. After the battle between the Heike and the Genji, a young girl finds a conch shell on the beach that she feeds to her mom. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 100: Cowlove Pass / Momotarou / Seibei the Soba Eater

Mar 2, 2014 · 25m

Cowherd Okaru took care of a young black calf that transformed into a handsome young man when it was three years old. Momotarou is born from a peach, and raised by an old couple into a strong young boy. Seibei is known as a man who loves to eat soba noodles. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 102: Raita and the Demon / `O` Is Hard / The Burnt Statue

Mar 16, 2014 · 25m

Asakichi and his wife save the thunder when it falls from heaven. A rough country girl who doesn't know how to be polite says "o" in front of everything because her mom tells her to. A young, hardworking girl is to be adopted by her master, but his jealous wife makes her quit while the master is away. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 105: The Mountain Grannie of Mt. Choufuku / Sadaroku and Shiro / Zashiki-Warashi

Apr 6, 2014 · 25m

The mountain grannie has given birth to a child and the villagers are told to bring Mochi. The talented hunter Sadaroku is never found without his hunting dog, Shiro. He has a license to hunt wherever he wants, but one day he leaves it at home and is arrested. A traveling medicine seller stays at a mansion where he is visited by three young children in a dream. They were Zashiki Warashi, said to bring prosperity. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 106: Render the Fat / The Star Wife / The Rich Kashiki

Apr 13, 2014 · 25m

A lazy man who wants to not work goes to a mansion where they feed him feasts every day. The eldest of the seven sisters of the big dipper falls in love with a man. A man on a fishing ship who makes the food, called a Kashiki, gave the leftovers to the fish. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 107: The Phoenix / The Wood Buddha and the Gold Buddha / Shibahama

Apr 20, 2014 · 25m

The people of a village are beset by a firebird. They call upon the Lion King to protect them, and a great battle begins. A wooden buddha made by a faithful believer and a rich man's golden buddha have a sumo match. The rich man bets everything he owns, and the young man offers to become his servant forever, as a strange battle behinds. A lazy drunkard finds a wallet and uses it to throw a huge party. But when he wakes up it was a dream...!? Source: crunchyroll

Episode 108: The Monk and the Turtle / Kijimuna / The Stingy Memorial

Apr 27, 2014 · 25m

The monk and the turtle: A travelling monk saves a turtle, and the turtle later saves the monks life. The turtle reappears when the monk is in grave danger. Kijimuna: A mountain occurs near a small village, and the guardian tree of the village is burnt down. A mischievous fairy called a Kijimuna appears to beg for food, but he has a very good reasons. The stingy funeral: There was once a very stingy man. He doesn't know who to give his money to when he dies. So he asks his three sons what kind of funeral they'd give him. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 109: The Sending Star / The Promise with the Master of the River / Gonbei the Duck Hunter

May 4, 2014 · 25m

The Sending Star: A young, hard-working man hears that his grandmother is dying. He visits her house and sees that she is fine. On his way home, he finds himself in great peril... A promise with the master of the river: A boy is born and it is prophesied that his life will be taken by the master of the river when he turns 18. The year of his 18th birthday, a huge rain causes the river to almost flood. Gonbei the Duck Hunter: A hunter named Gonbei ties a rope around the legs of 50 ducks stuck in the water, but when it melts they fly off, dragging him towards a great adventure. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 111: Eating in Order / The Old Woman Who Became a God / Yayoi`s Ship

May 18, 2014 · 25m

A master hunter goes to the mountain, where he has a dream of a frog eating a worm, and then being eaten by a snake. An Ainu village is attacked, and an old woman and her grandson Tonkuru escape into the forest where they get separated. A girl named Yayoi crosses the mountains every day to go to work, and each day she would talk to a tree. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 112: Masakichi and the Jizo Statue / The Bee and the Bandit / The God of Death

May 25, 2014 · 25m

Masakichi, a fisherman who picked up a priest statue from a wrecked ship, is visited by it in his dreams. The merchants of Kyoto are attacked by bandits. They manage to escape but their horses and goods are stolen. A loser meets the god of death, who tells him to become a doctor. He does as he's told and immediately becomes very rich... Source: crunchyroll

Episode 115: Matsu Goes to Ise / The Zatou`s Tree / The Powerful Servant

Jun 15, 2014 · 25m

A young man meets an old man on the way to Ise, and promises to visit his village. A boatman saves a blind man from a flood, but the blind man dies. A rich man has a very powerful servant. The servant is smart, too, so the rich man gives him one challenge after another. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 117: The Treasure Swamp / Tatsukohime / Kurohime and the Dragon

Jul 6, 2014 · 25m

A rich man learns of a treasure in a swamp and forces his servants to drain it. Tatsuko goes to a shrine in the mountain every night seeking eternal beauty. The black dragon, who is the master of a huge swamp, wants to marry the beautiful Kurohime. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 118: The Carried Priest / The Man Who Knew Hell / The Ghost Ladle

Jul 13, 2014 · 25m

Late one night, a thief tricks a priest into letting him ride on his shoulders, hoping to steal the priest's cloak. A priest stays the night at an old temple, where he sees demons torturing a young girl. A sailor is attacked by ghost ships in the Seto Inland Sea, and is the only survivor. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 120: Ikkyuu-san Defeats the Tiger / The Mountain God and the Child / Tsurumizuka

Jul 27, 2014 · 25m

Ikkyuu is a smart young man. The shogun hears about him and gives him a difficult task: defeating a tiger that lives inside a painting. A child meets an old man in the mountains who tells him that if he goes to the mountain god's shrine and prays, his wish will come true. An old man saves a crane who's been caught by some children. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 121: The Mole and the Sun / The Fox Repays a Debt / Drinking Tea

Aug 3, 2014 · 25m

The mole clan is very rough and violent. They plan to shoot down the sun. A young hunter saves a fox from being eaten by a snake. An old man known for his wit wins a game against the local lord, who challenges him to bring 10 barrels of tea seeds in an attempt to get revenge. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 125: The Bean and the Priest Statue / The Reed Spring / Swan Pass

Aug 31, 2014 · 25m

An honest old man's bean is eaten by a priest statue, and in exchange he gets a demon's treasure. A man saves a snake from a volcano and is given a reed full of water that will make a spring. A farmer saves a wounded swan, and marries a beautiful woman. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 129: The Kannon Statue of Love / The Box That Doesn`t Open / Candle Confusion

Sep 28, 2014 · 25m

A fisherman meets a girl with the help of a goddess, but her parents are opposed to their marriage. He tries to send her home, but... To build a shrine in their town, the villagers hire a man named Takumi. At night Takumi's dolls do the work for him. A priest brings back candles as a gift, but the villagers don't know what they are. One pretends that they're a kind of food... Source: crunchyroll

Episode 130: The Old Man Who Made Flowers Bloom / The Thousand Coin Orange / Paradise Thief

Oct 5, 2014 · 25m

A kind old man raises a dog named Shiro, but his greedy neighbor kills it. When he spreads the ashes in the garden... A rich young man is ill and wants an orange, but it's the middle of summer. The head clerk runs all over town and finally finds one. A thief tries to break into a brewery but is knocked out by the owner. The owner thinks the thief is dead and abandons him next to a river. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 131: The Crane Repays a Debt / Tower of Boars / Lightning and the Stone Urn

Oct 12, 2014 · 25m

A poor man saves a wounded bird, and a beautiful woman comes to be his bride. The beautiful cloths she weaves sell for a high price, but... A young man loves to play the flute, but is forced to prove his bravery by slaying 100 boars. A man makes a stupid wish accidentally, and now a god will kill his son on his seventh birthday. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 132: The Extending Head / Strong Tarou / Kijimuna and the Sea God

Oct 19, 2014 · 25m

A man marries a beautiful, rich wife, but is warned never to wake up in the middle of the night. One night he wakes up. An old couple build a child out of the dirt from their bodies. It comes alive and becomes their son. The Kijimuna fairies that were saved by an old couple fill a beach with flowers but the sea god gets angry. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 133: Nopperabou / Princess Kaguya / Sutokuin

Oct 26, 2014 · 25m

A man meets a woman with no face outside of town. He runs to tell someone, but everyone he sees is a faceless monster. An old man finds a beautiful young girl inside a bamboo tree. A servant works hard to find the woman his master is in love with. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 138: The Raccoon`s Spinning Wheel / The Two Moons / Ubasute Mountain

Nov 30, 2014 · 25m

A raccoon comes to a woodcutter's house and learns to work a spinning wheel. On a moonlit night, a giant snake appears with two moons in tow and swallows a hunter. His daughters find out and swear revenge. A lord issues an order that anybody who turns 60 must be left in the mountains to die. A son tearfully takes his mom up to the mountains but can't bear to it. He hides her beneath the floor. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 140: Little One Inch / The Wolf Rock / The Meguro Pike

Dec 14, 2014 · 25m

A boy the size of a thumb defeats a demon. A girl seeks shelter on a snowy night, but is forced to sleep under the porch. A pack of hungry wolves approach her. The lord of a local province learns to love pike. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 142: The Gods of Poverty Play Sumo / Trip, Trip / The Hat Jizou Statue

Dec 28, 2014 · 25m

A hard working family refuses to give in to poverty so the God of Poverty haunting them is to be fired. But they want him to stay. A strange child shouts, "Poor! Trip!" at a poor elderly couple on new years. A poor man gives a priest statue a straw hat, and is given blessings in return. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 150: The Water Seed / The Blessing Rat / The Hermit Who Did Nothing

Feb 22, 2015 · 25m

A man helps a snake and is taken to the dragon god's palace, and the dragon god offers him anything he wants. He asks for water for his village. A white rat brings blessings to a man but his greedy neighbor steels it. A lazy man finds a tiny hermit in a pot. The lazier he is the more the hermit grows, until at last it fills the whole house. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 162: Tenshiki / The Snot-Nosed Kid / Mayoiga

May 17, 2015 · 25m

A priest sends a boy into town to learn about the mysterious "tenshiki". A snot-nosed boy can grant any wish, but he drools all the time. A lost house gives wonderful presents. Source: crunchyroll

Episode 221: Orihime and Hikoboshi / The Mercy of the Priest Statue / Yatsuhashi

Jul 3, 2016 · 25m

Orihime and Hikoboshi fall in love, but neglect their duties. They are separated eternally by the milky way. A woman is tricked by an evil mother and dies in a swamp, but she wasn't what she appeared to be. A woman's sons drown in a river, and she builds eight bridges to commemorate their deaths. Source: crunchyroll

Season 1 FAQ

Quick answers about this season's release timeline and episode lineup.

When did Folktales from Japan Season 1 premiere?

Folktales from Japan Season 1 premiered on April 1, 2012.

How many episodes are in Folktales from Japan Season 1?

Folktales from Japan Season 1 has 258 episodes.

What is the first episode of Folktales from Japan Season 1?

The season opens with Season 1 Episode 1, "The Old Man Who Made the Dead Trees Blossom; The Man Who Bought Dreams; The Rat Sutra". It aired on April 1, 2012.

Go to Season 1 Episode 1

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