Widely regarded as a pioneering work of Japanese Folklore, The Legends of Tono was published in 1910 by Kunio Yanagita (1875-1962). The book received little attention at the time and only 350 copies were printed, but a copy was purchased by Zhou Zuoren(1885- 1967). Zhou's possession of this rare original print surprised modern day Japanese Folklore scholars as it suggests that Zhou had a vision that was far ahead of his Japanese peers.
This essay seeks the origin of Zhou Zuoren's progressive vision by investigating the works that influenced him prior to 1910. This paper will show that Zhou's early folklore scholarship was influenced by two sources. First, he was exposed to Western academics, which gave him a significant understanding of anthropology and folklore studies. Also, his “Guoxue” (traditional Chinese culture studies) advisor, Zhang Taiyan, instilled in Zhou the idea that attention should be paid to lives of ordinary people. The two influences bestowed upon Zhou a surprising understanding of The Legends of Tono.
