In this screenshot, Katsuo Nakamura plays Hoichi in “Hoichi the Earless,” one of the selected ghost stories from Masaki Kobayashi’s 1965 film classic “Kwaidan.”

The Consulate General of Japan will be presenting its second installment in a series of films on Japanese culture on Wednesday, Aug. 6, from 6 to 7:45 p.m. at the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St.

Two stories from the film “Kwaidan” will be shown, namely “Hoichi the Earless” and “In a Cup of Tea.”

It has long been a Japanese tradition to tell children ghost stories in the summertime. Now this summer tradition comes to San Francisco with two scary Japanese stories from the critically-acclaimed “Kwaidan” (Ghost Stories). This film, which is in Japanese and is subtitled in English, was made in 1965 and directed by Masaki Kobayashi. The four haunting stories made quite an impression, winning special mention at the Cannes Film Festival.

One of those stories is “Hoichi the Earless,” a famous story in Japan about a brilliant musician who lives in a monastery. He performs so well that a ghostly imperial court commands him to perform for them night after night. The ghosts drain away Hoichi’s life, so the monks try to save him by writing a protective sutra all over his body. This film runs 63 minutes.

The second story to be shown, “In a Cup of Tea,” is about a samurai who drinks from a tea cup, only to see the reflection of a haunting former samurai. This film runs 25 minutes.

The program will begin with videos including a brief introduction from the consulate. The event is open and free to the public. For more information, contact Steve Goldman at (415) 356-2464 or the library at (415) 557-4400.