Global Folklore Studies: The Rainbow Bridge and Hell’s Ginseng
-
Hideo Kato
Abstract
This paper focuses on two pieces of folklore, The Rainbow Bridge and Hell’s Ginseng, with the aim of discussing how the spread of folklore in contemporary society differs from that of the past. The Rainbow Bridge, a typical motif of the afterlife spoken of when a pet dies, and the role of the Internet in its spread has been extremely significant. Conversely, Hell’s Ginseng is thought to have been influenced by printed material that has spread worldwide in modern times, prompting a reconsideration of traditional folklore research perspectives that emphasise oral traditions. This paper points out that the written word, print, and the Internet have had a significant impact on the spread of folklore and identifies the influence of print and the Internet in the global spread of Hell’s Ginseng and The Rainbow Bridge.
6 Bibliography
Ambros, Barbara R.: Bones of Contention: Animals and Religion in Contemporary Japan. Hawaii 2012.10.21313/hawaii/9780824836269.001.0001Suche in Google Scholar
Brandes, Stanley: The Meaning of American Pet Cemetery Gravestones. In: Ethnology 48,2 (2009) 99–118.Suche in Google Scholar
Dahm, Paul C.: The Rainbow Bridge. Oceanside 1998.Suche in Google Scholar
Ito, Ryuhei: Nettoroa. Webu Jidai no “Hanashi” no Densho. Tokyo 2016.Suche in Google Scholar
Matsuzaki, Kenzo: Modern memorial services: the consolation of people, things, animals, and plants. Tokyo 2004.Suche in Google Scholar
McLuhan, Marshall: The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. Toronto 1962.Suche in Google Scholar
Naito, Rieko: Gendai nihon no maisoubunka. Tokyo. 2013.Suche in Google Scholar
Nakano, Kiwa: Petto kuyo ni miru gendai shakai no ichikyokumen. In: Bulletin of Daito Bunka University: Humanities and Sciences 47 (2009) 131–147.Suche in Google Scholar
Nomura, Junichi: Gurimu no yukue. In: Doho 72, 73, 74 (1984).10.58680/ej198412026Suche in Google Scholar
Oshima, Hiroshi: Minwa. Densho no genjitsu. Tokyo 2007.Suche in Google Scholar
Keigo, Seki: Yoroppa mukashibanashi no jyuyo- ‘shiroi yome kuroi yome’ wo rei to shite. In: Nihon no setsuwa 6 (1974).Suche in Google Scholar
Yamada, Shinya: Iei to shisha no jinkaku – sougi shashinshu ni okeru shozo Shashin no atsukai wo tooshite. In: Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History 169 (2011) 137–166.Suche in Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, Seiich: ‘Kumo no ito’ to sono zaigen ni kansuru oboegaki. In: Seijo Literature and Arts 32 (1963) 9–27.Suche in Google Scholar
Yanagita, Kunio: Kosho bungei shikou. In: Yanagita Kunio zenshu 16. Tokyo 1999.Suche in Google Scholar
Virilio, Paul: Cybermonde. La politique du pire. Entretien avec Philippe Petit. Paris 1996.Suche in Google Scholar
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Titelseiten
- I Editoral
- Internetlore in Japan
- II Articles
- From Kisaragi Station to the Elevator Game: The Reconfiguration of the Otherworld in Japanese Internet Narratives
- Global Folklore Studies: The Rainbow Bridge and Hell’s Ginseng
- The Internalization of Tradition: The Invention of “Koi” as a National Tradition as Mediated by Online Vernacular Expression and Discourse
- Fake News in Japan: Ein Blick auf kultische und okkulte Eschatologie
- Humor und Internetlore in Japan und ihr kultureller Hintergrund
- Taiwanese urban legends: formation, characteristics and dissemination
- Urban Legends as an Emic Category
- Die Verteidigung des Absurden: Erdbeeren im Winter
- Grimms Märchen im Werk von Rudolf Steiner
- III Reports, News, Announcements
- Erzählungen der Ainu. Zur Edition von Folkloretexten aus dem Nachlass Gerhard Hubers O.F.M.
- III Reviews
- Reviews
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Titelseiten
- I Editoral
- Internetlore in Japan
- II Articles
- From Kisaragi Station to the Elevator Game: The Reconfiguration of the Otherworld in Japanese Internet Narratives
- Global Folklore Studies: The Rainbow Bridge and Hell’s Ginseng
- The Internalization of Tradition: The Invention of “Koi” as a National Tradition as Mediated by Online Vernacular Expression and Discourse
- Fake News in Japan: Ein Blick auf kultische und okkulte Eschatologie
- Humor und Internetlore in Japan und ihr kultureller Hintergrund
- Taiwanese urban legends: formation, characteristics and dissemination
- Urban Legends as an Emic Category
- Die Verteidigung des Absurden: Erdbeeren im Winter
- Grimms Märchen im Werk von Rudolf Steiner
- III Reports, News, Announcements
- Erzählungen der Ainu. Zur Edition von Folkloretexten aus dem Nachlass Gerhard Hubers O.F.M.
- III Reviews
- Reviews
