author
James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville
1867–1943
Best known for bringing Japanese ghost stories and historical tales to English-language readers, this Philadelphia-born writer and translator had a gift for turning folklore into vivid, readable adventure. His work helped introduce early 20th-century audiences to samurai legends, supernatural dramas, and travel writing rooted in Japan.
2 Audiobooks
Bakemono Yashiki (The Haunted House), Retold from the Japanese Originals Tales of the Tokugawa, Volume 2 (of 2)
by James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville
The Yotsuya Kwaidan or O'Iwa Inari Tales of the Tokugawa, Volume 1 (of 2)
by James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1867, James Seguin de Benneville was an American writer, translator, and analytical chemist. The sources found for this profile consistently connect him with translations and retellings from Japanese literature and folklore, and they place his life from April 12, 1867 to 1943.
He is especially associated with English versions of Japanese stories such as The Yotsuya Kwaidan, Bakemono Yashiki, Saito Musashi-bo Benkei, and Tales of the Samurai. His books show a strong interest in Japanese history, legend, and supernatural storytelling, written in a style meant to make those traditions approachable for Western readers.
Available records also indicate that he spent meaningful time connected with Japan, including a marriage in Yokohama in 1901. While not every biographical detail could be confirmed from the sources reviewed, his surviving work clearly marks him as one of the early American interpreters of Japanese folk narrative for English-speaking audiences.