ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Hirai Teiichi's translation of Dracula published in 1956, and shows little indication that there were particular visualizations of vampires in mind. It clarifies the distinguishing features of Hirai's translation of Dracula to show how the language of popular oral performance is indicative of the community that the translator hoped to make his appreciative readers. The chapter examines one of the most vivid action scenes in Dracula, in which vampire hunters, who have checked and exorcized Dracula's lairs in London one by one, finally encounter the monster. In his translation activities, Hirai boldly stepped into the realm of the author and created a translation that has sustained its appeal to Japanese readers over several decades. Without Hirai's translations, neither Dracula nor many other works of Western horror/supernatural fiction would enjoy their present readership in Japan. Now in Japan, a great number of literary and popular cultural works featuring vampires are released every year, with direct/indirect links to Dracula.
