Keigo Seki

Seki was a native of Nagasaki Prefecture and graduate of Toyo University. He studied philosophy and worked as a librarian for the university. He founded the Japanese Society for Folk Literature (Nihon Koshobungei Gakkai) in 1977 and was its first president. Seki understood German and translated two works of folktales from German to Japanese, Kaarle Krohn's Die folkloristische Arbeitsmethode (Folklore Methodology, 1926) and Aarne's Vergleichende Märchenforschung (Comparative Studies of Folklore, 1908). == Research and Hypotheses ==

Keigo Seki's research was on how folklore came to Japan and if some folktales had been imported to Japan from countries such as India and China. Seki also thought that there was a universal element to folktales and that they are not based on particular ethnic groups. == Major works ==

In “Types of Japanese Folktales.” Asian Folklore Studies, vol. 25, 1966, Keigo Seki details his own categorization system for folktales, but it did not catch on and the Aarne-Thompson system prevailed. Seki's new categorization method was named “Nihon mukashibanashi no kata”. • Origin of Animals • Folktales 1-30 • Animal Tales • Man and Animal • Escape from Ogre • Folktales 31-74 • Stupid Animals • Folktales 87-118 • Grateful Animals • Folktales 119-132 • Supernatural Wives and Husbands • Supernatural Husbands • Folktales 133-140 • Supernatural Wives • Folktales 141-150 • Supernatural Birth • Folktales 151-165 • Man and Waterspirit • Folktales 166-170 • Magic Objects • Folktales 171-182 • Tales of Fate • Folktales 183-188 • Human Marriage • Folktales 189-200 • Acquisition of Riches • Folktales 201-209 • Conflicts • Parent and Child • Folktales 210-223 • Brothers (or Sisters) • Folktales 224-233 • Neighbors • Folktales 234-262 • The Clever Man • Folktales 254-262 • Jokes • Folktales 263-308 • Contests • Folktales 309-326 • Osho and Kozo • Folktales 327-344 • Lucky Accidents • Folktales 345-356 • Fools and Numskulls • Fools • Folktales 357-385 • Blunderers • Folktales 386-399 • Village of Numskulls • Folktales 400-417 • Foolish Son-in-Law • Folktales 418-441 • Foolish Daughter-in-Law • Folktales 442-452 • Formula Tales • Folktales 453-457 ==References==