KAIDAN Returns to Seattle With New Japanese Ghost Stories and Performers

Za Trans-Pacific Productions's KAIDAN returns, featuring new stories and performers, after a sold-out run in August. Kaidan(怪談) are traditional Japanese stories of ghosts (yūrei) and supernatural beings (yokai). Join us for these frightening yet melancholy stories of the unseen world that reflect the culture and history of Japan. For the October showing, KAIDAN will be restaged with additional production elements. New stories include 'Yuki Onna,' 'Riki-Baka' and 'Yanari'.

These legendary Japanese stories, selected from Lafcadio Hearn's KWAIDAN, Hyaku Monogatari Kaidan (One Hundred Ghost Stories), and Kido Okamoto's Kaidan series, are over 300 years old. KAIDAN is presented as a fusion of traditional Japanese story telling with American physical theatre. This show includes descriptions of violence, death and suicide. It is recommended for ages 13 and up.

CULTURAL BACKGROUND: KAIDAN IS THE ORIGIN OF J-HORROR

Kaidan has its origin in Japan's Heian Period (794-1185 CE), where people believed that the spirits of high-ranking nobility killed in political battles came back to haunt those who defeated them. Thus, Kaidan were believed to be a collection of 'eerie happenings,' and were not fictional. It is a deeply rooted cultural tradition to believe in the presence of ghosts and inhuman creatures.

But the Edo period (1603-1868) was when Kaidan took off as a form of entertainment, regardless of class or status. During this time, the style of Hyaku Monogatari Kaidan (One Hundred Ghost Stories) became popular. One hundred candles were lit at dusk and the story teller blew out one candle at the end of each story until all were extinguished. When the final candle was out, people could expect to feel the presence of a ghost. This form was particularly popular amongst Samurai, as a way to test their bravery.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Kaidan became known globally thanks to a westerner named Lafcadio Hearn, a Greek born Irish immigrant who married a Japanese woman and became a Japanese citizen under the name Yakumo Koizumi. Hearn's fascination with Japan's ghost stories led him to research and retell them in his own way. Some of his versions of Kaidan are also included in this performance.

The Kaidan tradition continues in Japanese culture through live story telling, literature, Kabuki theatre, visual art, music, video games, manga and horror films.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE, LOCATION, AND TICKETS

• Thursday October 22 at 7:30pm: Seattle Open Arts Place (S.O.A.P.), 1406 18th Ave, Seattle
• Friday October 23 at 7:30pm: Seattle Open Arts Place (S.O.A.P.), 1406 18th Ave, Seattle
• Saturday October 24 at 2:00 pm: Seattle Open Arts Place (S.O.A.P.), 1406 18th Ave, Seattle
• Friday October 30 7:30pm: Hugo House, 1111 East Olive, Seattle