HEARN, Lafcadio.

£300 · Offered by Peter Harrington · No longer available

Earless Ho-ichi. A Classic Japanese Tale of Mystery. First edition, inscribed by the illustrator Kuwata Masakazu to the politician, royal advisor, and attempted assassin of General Hideki Tojo, Hosokawa Morisada. Kuwata's striking illustrations were described by Donald Keene as "so powerful... that the text is incidental... Inspired by the tragic deeds of the twelfth-century wars, [they] evoke brilliantly the sadness, loneliness, and terrible beauty of that distant time" (preface).The story of Earless Hoichi dates from the 18th century but became most widely known after Hearn published his translation. According to the legend, Hoichi was a blind minstrel adept at performing the epic Tale of the Heike. The story follows him as he is tricked by evil spirits and eventually loses his ears, but nonetheless becomes a famous musician in the aftermath.

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