Kaidan (怪談)

(Sometimes transliterated kwaidan) is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (kai) meaning “strange, mysterious, rare or bewitching apparition” and 談 (dan) meaning “talk” or “recited narrative”.

Kaidan entered the vernacular during the Edo period, when a game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai became popular. This game led to a demand for ghost stories and folktales to be gathered from all parts of Japan and China.

This work is a voyage in the land of Kaidan.

The ghost has been a recurring presence in Japanese literature, theatre, cinema and everyday culture.

It is perceived in a remarkably different way from western civilisation.

The fear factor co-exists with the common acceptance of their existence and presence.

Series of 36 photographs