appropriately subtitled A Study and Translation by Anthony H. Chambers, this edition has a ton of great supporting scholarship included that contextualizes Akinari’s stories for English-speaking audiences. I admire Chambers’ approach to translation (as much as I can when it's a white guy translating Asian lit) because he makes a point that I've never seen expressed as elegantly:

To reflect adequately in translation the style and tone of the original text is a tall order. Akinari was a great master of Japanese, but few of us who translate from Japanese are great masters of English.

as a Westerner he is clearly already at an epistemological disadvantage in his work, but I've never seen a translator acknowledge that translation is an act of rewriting and few translators are master authors. Chambers really takes time to impress upon the reader everything that is being lost by their not reading Akinari’s masterwork in Japanese and I think that's respectably honest when you're trying to sell your translation. I will also say that the translation was highly readable and captured a unique authorial tone without feeling completely adapted to Western sensibilities, which was one of Chambers’ stated goals.

Akinari’s stories are dreamy and haunted. The Chrysanthemum Vow, A Serpent’s Lust, and The Blue Hood were my favorites. A Serpent's Lust especially seemed extremely modern in its style while still owing a great deal to traditional folklore motifs. I found myself looking forward to each story which is such a fun experience! minus a star for how sexist 18th century Japan was!