Muzan-e ('cruel pictures') and Chimidoro-e ('bloody pictures') together constitute a significant strand of Ukiyo-e, the populist art of late Edo-period Japan. This title collects and considers over 100 of the most blood-drenched and disturbing artworks produced by Yoshiiku and others.

Musha-e ('warrior pictures') constitute one of the major and most dynamic sub-genres of Ukiyo-e woodblock printing. From Hokusai to Kyosai, virtually all of Ukiyo-e's greatest artists created Musha-e, in particular Kuniyoshi and Yoshitoshi. 'The Savage Samurai' presents over 290 rare and exceptional Japanese warrior prints, presented in full-page format and full colour throughout. These pictures are collected in the same volume for the first time ever, forming a definitive introduction to Ukiyo-e's most visually arresting and exciting sub-genre.

I have a confession to make. My secret inner reaction to claims of anomalous phenomena is usually this: we havent yet converged to even a half-decent ontology to explain the ordinary, why bother with the extra-ordinary? What this fascinating book does, however, is to disrupt our attempts to draw neat and smooth boundaries around what we consider real. The damned facts discussed in it spoil our elegant tentative models. Frankly, its damn annoying. But books like this are also crucially important to keep us honest, insofar as our pursuit is for the truth, not merely intellectual reassurance.

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Folklore, People and Place is a contribution towards better understanding the complex interconnectivity of folklore, people and place, across a range of different cultural and geographical contexts.