Fables and legends of Japan by Claudius Ferrand (1868-1930), a missionary father in the land of the Rising Sun, is a collection of thirteen fables in the manner of La Fontaine, in which talking animals - which symbolize defects, vices and virtues of human beings - satirical events and contrasting personalities become bearers of a profound morality, sometimes explicitly expressed.

The fables are inserted in the genre of otogibanashi ( hanashi "Story" and otogi "keep company", that is "stories for pleasure"), short folk tales belonging to the oral tradition which, for their didactic intent, fit perfectly into children's fiction.