Yamamba
Book Review by Linda Gould
Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch
Edited by Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich
“What is it about the fusion of mountains with the solitary old woman that…can ignite such fear?”
So begins Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch, a collection of modern works in multiple genres-- short stories, poetry, essays and interviews—that were inspired by the legendary old woman of the mountains. While Yamamba is the name given to the Japanese version of this enigmatic character, cultures across time and place have their own variations of the complex woman with extraordinary powers who resides in the mountains or at the edge of the village.
While the editors claim this anthology is “the first work in English to be written for the yamamba," it seems more like a portrait of a character residing within shifting landscapes. In Rebecca Copeland’s “Blue Ridge Yamamba,” the Mountain Witch visits the author in the Appalachians; in another, David Holloway’s “An Encounter in Aokigahara Forest” places her in Japan’s infamous “suicide” forest. She seems equally at home in both. Through all works in the anthology, Yamamba is present in nature, a theme that is crucial to her persona.
Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch excels at highlighting how the ancient mountain goddess (Noriko T. Reider details the history and origins of Yamamba, who, we learn, is half deity and half oni) inspires modern artists. Laura Miller, for example, honors Yamamba with a Mexican/South American-style shrinebox. Miller’s contribution to the anthology outlines her creative process, including modernizing Yamamba with a jaunty black-and-white scarf and “tacky uchiwa fan.” Choreographer Yasuko Yokoshi explains in an interview how and why she incorporates contemporary dance and traditional Japanese dance with multimedia and spoken language in the performance Shuffleyamamba, her modern version of the Noh play Yamamba.
For me, the highlight of the anthology is an interview with two Noh actresses, mother and daughter Uzawa Hisa and Uzawa Hikaru. They explain the subtlety and intricacy of Yamamba, one of the few Noh plays with a female-centric perspective, and why portraying the Mountain Witch is one of the most challenging Noh roles. They discuss gender, nature, ageism, and the social constructs that likely led many women to escape the village for the mountains.
“What is it about the fusion of mountains with the solitary old woman that…can ignite such fear?” This anthology--through interviews, modern prose, narrative and poetry--questions the premise of that fear, then goes a long way to deepening our understanding of the mystical, often maligned Japanese legend who is a force to be reckoned with, even in modern times.
Book details
Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch
Edited by Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich
Stone Bridge Press
Release date: 05/25/21
144 pages
https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog-2020/Yamamba
Content includes a short story by award-winning author Oba Minako, poetry by Japanese literary scholar Mizuta Noriko, as well as a collection of creative works from North American artists and scholars.
Edited by Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich
“What is it about the fusion of mountains with the solitary old woman that…can ignite such fear?”
So begins Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch, a collection of modern works in multiple genres-- short stories, poetry, essays and interviews—that were inspired by the legendary old woman of the mountains. While Yamamba is the name given to the Japanese version of this enigmatic character, cultures across time and place have their own variations of the complex woman with extraordinary powers who resides in the mountains or at the edge of the village.
While the editors claim this anthology is “the first work in English to be written for the yamamba," it seems more like a portrait of a character residing within shifting landscapes. In Rebecca Copeland’s “Blue Ridge Yamamba,” the Mountain Witch visits the author in the Appalachians; in another, David Holloway’s “An Encounter in Aokigahara Forest” places her in Japan’s infamous “suicide” forest. She seems equally at home in both. Through all works in the anthology, Yamamba is present in nature, a theme that is crucial to her persona.
Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch excels at highlighting how the ancient mountain goddess (Noriko T. Reider details the history and origins of Yamamba, who, we learn, is half deity and half oni) inspires modern artists. Laura Miller, for example, honors Yamamba with a Mexican/South American-style shrinebox. Miller’s contribution to the anthology outlines her creative process, including modernizing Yamamba with a jaunty black-and-white scarf and “tacky uchiwa fan.” Choreographer Yasuko Yokoshi explains in an interview how and why she incorporates contemporary dance and traditional Japanese dance with multimedia and spoken language in the performance Shuffleyamamba, her modern version of the Noh play Yamamba.
For me, the highlight of the anthology is an interview with two Noh actresses, mother and daughter Uzawa Hisa and Uzawa Hikaru. They explain the subtlety and intricacy of Yamamba, one of the few Noh plays with a female-centric perspective, and why portraying the Mountain Witch is one of the most challenging Noh roles. They discuss gender, nature, ageism, and the social constructs that likely led many women to escape the village for the mountains.
“What is it about the fusion of mountains with the solitary old woman that…can ignite such fear?” This anthology--through interviews, modern prose, narrative and poetry--questions the premise of that fear, then goes a long way to deepening our understanding of the mystical, often maligned Japanese legend who is a force to be reckoned with, even in modern times.
Book details
Yamamba: In Search of the Japanese Mountain Witch
Edited by Rebecca Copeland and Linda C. Ehrlich
Stone Bridge Press
Release date: 05/25/21
144 pages
https://www.stonebridge.com/catalog-2020/Yamamba
Content includes a short story by award-winning author Oba Minako, poetry by Japanese literary scholar Mizuta Noriko, as well as a collection of creative works from North American artists and scholars.
Linda Gould is the Managing Editor of White Enso and an on again, off again writer. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers and online. She is the host of Japanese Ghost Stories on FaceBook and the author of The Diamond Tree, a dual-language book in English and Japanese.
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