|
|
 
Mukashi-banashi is a collection of fairy tales that have been
popular in Japan for hundreds of years, mostly written by anonymous authors. The following are four of the folk tales.
Issun Boshi
Issun Boshi, a boy named after his height Issun (3cm), went to the
city by paddling up the river with a bowl and a chopstick and started
working for a wealthy man as a guard for his beautiful daughter. Though
he was small, he trained himself very hard and became strong. One
day, an Oni (demon) came down to the city and attacked the people.
Issun Boshi battled with the demon using a needle as his sword. He
quickly moved into the demon’s mouth and struck the demon’s throat
and stomach with his needle. Because
of the extreme pain, the demon begged
him for forgiveness saying he wouldn’t
come back again. When the daughter
came close to thank him for his help,
she spotted an Uchide no Koduchi (Magic
Hammer) on the ground that granted
any wish and Issun Boshi wished to be
bigger. He became big and famous for
his braveness and he and the daughter
married and lived happily ever after.
Saru-Kani Gassen
A hungry, pregnant crab found a rice
ball on the road. A monkey who was
passing by told her that she should trade
the rice ball with his persimmon seed so
that she could feed her babies when it
bore fruit. The crab gave the rice ball to
the monkey and planted the persimmon
seed. When the fruit appeared on the
tree, the monkey came back to eat the
persimmons. When the crab asked him
to get some for her, he threw an unripe
green one at her and killed her. The crab babies cried for their mother
out loud and were heard by a bee, a stone mortar, a cow dropping, and
a chestnut. All decided to help the babies punish the monkey.
They went to the monkey’s house and hid inside while he was out.
When the monkey came home and got closer to the fireplace, the
chestnut popped, jumped, and burnt him. Afterwards, the bee hidden
in the tub came flying and stung him and the babies jumped out from
the water pot to pinch him. The monkey ran out of the house and
slipped on the cow dropping and fell down. Lastly, the stone mortar
jumped down smashing him.
Kachi-Kachi Yama
A raccoon caught by an old man for
stealing vegetables on his field was
released by his wife because she felt
sympathy towards the captured animal.
However, the raccoon was angry and he
attacked and killed her. A rabbit who was
the wife’s friend found out and wanted
to avenge her death. One day, he and
the raccoon went into the woods to
gather firewood and on the way home,
the rabbit sneakily lit the firewood on
the raccoon’s back burning him badly. Then the rabbit offered medicine
for the burn, but instead he rubbed chili paste on the burn.
A few days later, the rabbit took the raccoon out fishing and told him
to make a boat out of mud. The raccoon made the mud boat and then
went out to sea where it sank drowning him.
Urashima Taro
A fisherman named Urashima Taro saved a turtle being toyed with by
children on the shore. The turtle, in return, took him to an underwater
castle, where he was entertained sumptuously with delicious food and
beautiful dances, and given a beautiful
box as a souvenir by the princess. When
he came back to his house in town a
few days later, he found that everything
was very different in the town and
that actually a hundred years passed.
Urashima Taro opened the souvenir
box in the hopes that he might be able
to return to the castle, but only white
smoke came out from the box turning
him into an old man with gray hair and
a beard.
|
|
