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Contrasting the narrative structure of Japanese folktales and Grimms’ fairy tales

ORCiD logo with link | The Open University of Japan
ORCiD logo with link | Wittenberg University
Published online: 21 May 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.25139.muk
Abstract
The narrative structure of Japanese and Western European folktales were compared. Using a folktale popularity index, 21 Brothers Grimm fairy tales and 19 Japanese folktales were selected for analysis. One shared pattern and three culture-specific patterns were predicted and observed. A “moral lesson” pattern of rewarding good and punishing evil appeared in both samples. A “hero’s adventurous journey with happy ending” pattern appeared only in the Grimms’ tales. A “wondrous events with happy ending” pattern and a “wondrous events with return-to-baseline ending” pattern appeared only in Japanese tales. Japanese folktales also were shorter. Links to other genres within each culture’s narrative ecology, such as life stories, are discussed.
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Folktales and their narrative structure
    • Narrative patterns in European and Japanese folktales
    • The present study
  • Method
    • Samples
      • Brothers Grimm folktales
      • Japanese folktales
    • Content analysis
    • Procedure
  • Results
  • Discussion
    • Narrative structure predictions
    • Exploratory story element findings
    • Narratives and cultural schemas
    • Limitations and future directions
  • Conclusion
  • Author note
  • References
References (82)
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