Mountain Troll
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Summary
In the mountains of Japan, there seem to exist some inconceivable things.
Are they living or nonliving? Solid or gaseous? Visible or invisible?
It is truly baffling, and yet these things plainly exist.
From ancient times to the present, from east to west, this thing appears in different forms, unsettling men and women, young and old alike.
Everyone acknowledges its existence, yet no one knows what it is.
If you insist on asking its name, the only answer you will get is "Yama-kai."
While traveling through the mountains and wilds of Japan for his photography work, author Yasuhiro Tanaka heard many mysterious incidents experienced firsthand by mountain residents. He faithfully recorded them, and they became the strange tales we see here, one after another.
Editor's review
The book's core appeal lies in its quiet, poetic narrative rhythm. It does not pursue violent conflict or dazzling magic; instead, through the protagonist's tentative encounters with the "mountain spirits," it peels back layer by layer the loneliness and bewilderment of the modern spiritual world. The descriptions of mountain and forest scenery are especially fine, full of spirituality and awe, so that readers seem to smell the damp moss and hear rustling deep in the forest. This extreme atmospheric crafting makes the supernatural seem reasonable, even inevitable: they are no longer invaders from another world but manifestations of the land's own silent memory.
In terms of reading value, Yamabito offers a rare contemplative experience in a fast-paced age. It invites readers to slow down and attend to the faint sounds and inner folds we overlook. It is not merely a story but a walk of the mind. For readers who like the blend of alienation and fantasy in Haruki Murakami's work, or who appreciate the themes of nature and spirits in Hayao Miyazaki's animation, this book will bring familiar comfort and new inspiration. It proves that fantasy literature can stay so close to the ground, revealing extraordinary light in the cracks of ordinary daily life.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers who enjoy quiet fantasy fiction with literary quality
- Readers interested in Japanese nature and folklore
- People who feel alienated in urban life and long for spiritual comfort and calm
- Literary lovers who appreciate delicate environmental description and inner exploration
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking fast pace, strong plot and intense conflict
- Readers hoping for a systematized magical world or heroic epic fantasy
Reading tips
- Read in a quiet, undisturbed setting to better immerse yourself in its distinctive atmosphere.
- Treat it as a prose-poem-like novel; do not rush the plot, but savor the mood between the lines.
- After reading, revisit the descriptions of "places of memory" and think about your own emotional connection to your environment.
About the publisher
Tianjin People's Publishing House publishes across such fields as classic works, foreign literature, architecture, social culture and social sciences, with 749 relevant titles in the collection. In the areas of classics and scholarship, works such as Wang Guowei's Renjian Cihua and Fei Xiaotong's From the Soil and Fertility and Reproduction reflect a sustained attention to social culture and classic texts of thought. Architectural books are represented by Liang Sicheng's Annotated Yingzao Fashi and A History of Chinese Architecture, showing an emphasis on architectural heritage and building traditions. In foreign literature, translations of Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's War and Peace and The Death of Ivan Ilyich, through the work of translators such as Li Gang and Yu Dawei, form a substantial series of translated works. Overall, the press combines classic texts, scholarly works and fine translations, with a publishing character oriented toward humanistic depth and the dissemination of knowledge.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 山怪·前言
- Ⅰ 阿仁猎户之山
- 狐火遍野之地
- 怎么给扒光了
- 快乐的夜市
- 喜欢带腥味儿的东西
- 狐狸的复仇
- 看得见的人和看不见的人
- 狸猫弄出点儿声音就满足了
- 消失的蓝色池塘
- 狐火、胜新太郎
- 好友的担心
- 一条怎么也到不了的路
- 蛇与大山的奇妙关系
- 被弄脏了
- 猎人的濒死体验
- 呼喊的人
- 银白色的怪物
- Ⅱ 通往异界之门
- 狐狸与孩子的神秘失踪
- 不死的白鹿
- 来人是谁
- 还有一个人
- 路在前方
- 响彻山谷的呼喊
- 我在这儿
- 一碗神秘的冒尖米饭
- 群山里蠢蠢欲动的东西
- 鹤岗市朝日地区
- 出羽三山
- 鹰匠的遭遇
- 奈良县山区·吉野町
- 跳跃的野槌蛇
- 没有脚的人
- 巨大无比的狐火
- 困在山里出不来
- 修行僧的忠告
- Ⅲ 与灵魂的邂逅
- 不归之人
- 死者的微笑
- 来迎接的人
- 导航仪的规划
- 椎叶村
- 帐篷周围
- 梦幻的白色群山
- 为什么左右颠倒了
- 可怕的访客
- 天川村事件
- 回来的人
- 被定住的老头老太太
- 寺院与灵魂
- 会飞的女人
- 回来的大蛇
- 呼喊的人，走近的人
- 狐狸附体
- 半夜的石臼
- 化身狐火的男人
- 山怪·后记
FAQ
Is this a horror novel?
Do I need to know Japanese yokai culture to understand it?
Is the story very slow-paced?
Comments
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About the author
TANAKA Yasuhiro is an author about whom limited public information is currently available; the library holds only one work by this author, the representative title Yama no Kai. Based on the available information, this work is classified as a classic, suggesting that it carries some weight within the relevant reading context. The title Yama no Kai has a distinct flavor of mountain wilderness and strange tales, and its subject matter most likely revolves around eerie figures or folk stories from mountain legends, though no reliable material is available to elaborate on the specific plot or genre details. Since basic information such as the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name remains unconfirmed, no speculation should be made about their life, educational background, or writing career. Judging from the existing clues, TANAKA Yasuhiro's writing profile is mainly presented through the single book Yama no Kai, which readers may approach as a work with the atmosphere of strange tales, while the author's complete creative trajectory still awaits more public information.
