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diff --git a/29337-0.txt b/29337-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4135bbd --- /dev/null +++ b/29337-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5161 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Japanese Fairy World, by William Elliot Griffis + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Japanese Fairy World + Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan + +Author: William Elliot Griffis + +Illustrator: Ozawa + +Release Date: July 6, 2009 [EBook #29337] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAPANESE FAIRY WORLD *** + + + + +Produced by Delphine Lettau, Jen Haines and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + +[Illustration: HOW THE SUN-GODDESS WAS ENTICED OUT OF HER CAVE.] + + + + +JAPANESE + +FAIRY WORLD. + +STORIES FROM THE WONDER-LORE OF JAPAN. + + +BY + +WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIFFIS, + +AUTHOR OF "THE MIKADO'S EMPIRE." + + +ILLUSTRATED BY OZAWA, OF TOKIO. + + +LONDON: + +TRÜBNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL. + +1887. + + + + +PREFACE. + + + The thirty-four stories included within this volume do + not illustrate the bloody, revengeful or licentious + elements, with which Japanese popular, and juvenile + literature is saturated. These have been carefully + avoided. + + It is also rather with a view to the artistic, than to + the literary, products of the imagination of Japan, that + the selection has been made. From my first acquaintance, + twelve years ago, with Japanese youth, I became an eager + listener to their folk lore and fireside stories. When + later, during a residence of nearly four years among the + people, my eyes were opened to behold the wondrous + fertility of invention, the wealth of literary, historic + and classic allusion, of pun, myth and riddle, of + heroic, wonder, and legendary lore in Japanese art, I at + once set myself to find the source of the ideas + expressed in bronze and porcelain, on lacquered + cabinets, fans, and even crape paper napkins and tidies. + Sometimes I discovered the originals of the artist's + fancy in books, sometimes only in the mouths of the + people and professional story-tellers. Some of these + stories I first read on the tattooed limbs and bodies of + the native foot-runners, others I first saw in + flower-tableaux at the street floral shows of Tokio. + Within this book the reader will find translations, + condensations of whole books, of interminable romances, + and a few sketches by the author embodying Japanese + ideas, beliefs and superstitions. I have taken no more + liberty, I think, with the native originals, than a + modern story-teller of Tokio would himself take, were he + talking in an American parlor, instead of at his + bamboo-curtained stand in Yanagi Cho, (Willow Street,) + in the mikado's capital. + + Some of the stories have appeared in English before, but + most of them are printed for the first time. A few + reappear from _The Independent_ and other periodicals. + + The illustrations and cover-stamp, though engraved in + New York by Mr. Henry W. Troy, were, with one exception, + drawn especially for this work, by my artist-friend, + Ozawa Nankoku, of Tokio. The picture of Yorimasa, the + Archer, was made for me by one of my students in Tokio. + + Hoping that these harmless stories that have tickled the + imagination of Japanese children during untold + generations, may amuse the big and little folks of + America, the writer invites his readers, in the language + of the native host as he points to the chopsticks and + spread table, _O agari nasai_ + W.E.G. + SCHENECTADY, N.Y., Sept. 28th, 1880. + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + I. The Meeting of the Star Lovers. + + II. The Travels of Two Frogs. + + III. The Child of the Thunder. + + IV. The Tongue-cut Sparrow. + + V. The Fire-fly's Lovers. + + VI. The Battle of the Ape and the Crab. + + VII. The Wonderful Tea-Kettle. + + VIII. Peach-Prince and the Treasure Island. + + IX. The Fox and the Badger. + + X. The Seven Patrons of Happiness. + + XI. Daikoku and the Oni. + + XII. Benkei and the Bell. + + XIII. Little Silver's Dream of the Shoji. + + XIV. The Tengus, or the Elves with Long Noses. + + XV. Kintaro, or the Wild Baby. + + XVI. Jiraiya, or the Magic Frog. + + XVII. How the Jelly-Fish Lost its Shell. + + XVIII. Lord Cuttle-Fish Gives a Concert. + + XIX. Yorimasa, the Brave Archer. + + XX. Watanabé cuts off the Oni's Arm. + + XXI. Watanabé Kills the Great Spider. + + XXII. Raiko and the Shi Ten Doji. + + XXIII. The Sazayé and the Tai. + + XXIV. Smells and Jingles. + + XXV. The Lake of the Lute and the Matchless Mountain. + + The Waterfall of Yoro, or the Fountain of Youth. + + XXVI. The Earthquake Fish. + + XXVII. The Dream Story of Gojiro. + + XXVIII. The Procession of Lord Long-Legs. + + XXIX. Kiyohimé, or the Power of Love. + + XXX. The Fisherman and the Moon-Maiden. + + XXXI. The Jewels of the Ebbing and the Flowing Tide. + + XXXII. Kai Riu O, or the Dragon King of the World Under the Sea. + + XXXIII. The Creation of Heaven and Earth. + + XXXIV. How the Sun Goddess was Enticed out of her Cave. + + + + + LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. + + + 1. Kanamé holding down the great Earthquake + Fish, _Stamp on cover_. + + 2. How the Sun-goddess was enticed + out of her Cave, _Frontispiece_. + + 3. The Star-lovers Meeting on the + Bridge of Birds, Faces page 6. + + 4. The Egg, Wasp and Mortar attack + the Monkey, " " 54. + + 5. The Oni submitting to Peach Prince " " 70. + + 6. The Monkeys in Grief, " " 150. + + 7. Yorimasa and the Night-beast, " " 176. + + 8. The Fish Stall in Tokio, " " 204. + + 9. A Jingle for a Sniff, " " 206. + + 10. The Ascent of the Dragon's Gate, " " 234. + + 11. The Sorceress Melting the Bell, " " 262. + + 12. The Dragon King's Gift of the + Tide Jewels, " " 288. + + + + +THE MEETING OF THE STAR-LOVERS. + + +One of the greatest days in the calendar of old Japan was the seventh of +July; or, as the Japanese people put it, "the seventh day of the seventh +month." It was a vermilion day in the almanacs, to which every child +looked forward with eyes sparkling, hands clapping, and fingers counting, +as each night rolled the time nearer. All manner of fruits and other +eatable vegetables were prepared, and cakes baked, in the household. The +boys plucked bamboo stalks, and strung on their branches bright-colored +ribbons, tinkling bells, and long streamers of paper, on which poetry +was written. On this night, mothers hoped for wealth, happiness, good +children, and wisdom. The girls made a wish that they might become +skilled in needlework. Only one wish a year, however, could be made. So, +if any one wanted several things--health, wealth, skill in needlework, +wisdom, etc.--they must wait many years before all the favors could be +granted. Above all things, rainy weather was not desired. It was a "good +sign" when a spider spun his web over a melon, or, if put in a square box +he should weave a circular web. Now, the cause of all this preparation +was that on the seventh of July the Herd-boy star and the Spinning Maiden +star cross the Milky Way to meet each other. These are the stars which we +call Capricornus and Alpha Lyra. These stars that shine and glitter so +far up in the zenith, are the boy with an ox and the girl with a +shuttle, about whom the story runs as follows: + + * * * * * + +On the banks of the Silver River of Heaven (which we call the Milky Way) +there lived a beautiful maiden, who was the daughter of the sun. Her name +was Shokujo. She did not care for games or play, like her companions, +and, thinking nothing of vain display, wore only the simplest of dress. +Yet she was very diligent, and made many garments for others. Indeed, so +busy was she that all called her the Weaving or Spinning Princess. + +The sun-king noticed the serious disposition and close habits of his +daughter, and tried in various ways to get her to be more lively. At last +he thought to marry her. As marriages in the star-land are usually +planned by the parents, and not by the foolish lover-boys and girls, he +arranged the union without consulting his daughter. The young man on whom +the sun-king thus bestowed his daughter's hand was Kingin, who kept a +herd of cows on the banks of the celestial stream. He had always been a +good neighbor, and, living on the same side of the river, the father +thought he would get a nice son-in-law, and at the same time improve his +daughter's habits and disposition. + +No sooner did the maiden become wife than her habits and character +utterly changed for the worse, and the father had a very vexatious case +of _tadashiku suguru_ ("too much of a good thing") on his hands. The wife +became not only very merry and lively, but utterly forsook loom and +needle. She gave up her nights and days to play and idleness, and no +silly lover could have been more foolish than she. + +The sun-king became very much offended at all this, and thinking that the +husband was the cause of it, he determined to separate the couple. So he +ordered the husband to remove to the other side of the river of stars, +and told him that hereafter they should meet only once a year, on the +seventh night of the seventh month. To make a bridge over the flood of +stars, the sun-king called myriads of magpies, which thereupon flew +together, and, making a bridge, supported him on their wings and backs as +if it were a roadway of solid land. So, bidding his weeping wife +farewell, the lover-husband sorrowfully crossed the River of Heaven. No +sooner had he set foot on the opposite side than the magpies flew away, +filling all the heavens with their chatter. The weeping wife and +lover-husband stood for a long time wistfully gazing at each other from +afar. Then they separated, the one to lead his ox, the other to ply her +shuttle during the long hours of the day with diligent toil. Thus they +filled the hours, and the sun-king again rejoiced in his daughter's +industry. + +But when night fell, and all the lamps of heaven were lighted, the lovers +would come and stand by the banks of the starry river, and gaze longingly +at each other, waiting for the seventh night of the seventh month. + +At last the time drew near, and only one fear possessed the loving wife. +Every time she thought of it her heart played pit-a-pat faster. What if +it should rain? For the River of Heaven is always full to the brim, and +one extra drop of rain causes a flood which sweeps away even the +bird-bridge. + +[Illustration: THE STAR-LOVERS MEETING ON THE BRIDGE OF BIRDS.] + +But not a drop fell. The seventh month, seventh night, came, and all the +heavens were clear. The magpies flew joyfully in myriads, making one way +for the tiny feet of the little lady. Trembling with joy, and with heart +fluttering more than the bridge of wings, she crossed the River of +Heaven, and was in the arms of her husband. This she did every year. The +lover-husband stayed on his side of the river, and the wife came to him +on the magpie bridge, save on the sad occasion when it rained. So every +year the people hope for clear weather, and the happy festival is +celebrated alike by old and young. + + + + +THE TRAVELS OF TWO FROGS. + + +Forty miles apart, as the cranes fly, stand the great cities of Ozaka and +Kioto. The one is the city of canals and bridges. Its streets are full of +bustling trade, and its waterways are ever alive with gondolas, shooting +hither and thither like the wooden shuttles in a loom. The other is the +sacred city of the Mikado's empire, girdled with green hills and a +nine-fold circle of flowers. In its quiet, clean streets, laid out like a +chessboard, walk the shaven monks and gowned scholars. And very beautiful +is Kioto, with pretty girls, and temple gardens, and castle walls, and +towers, and moats in which the white lotus blooms. + + * * * * * + +Long, long ago, in the good old days before the hairy-faced and +pale-cheeked men from over the Sea of Great Peace (Pacific Ocean) came to +Japan; before the black coal-smoke and snorting engine scared the white +heron from the rice-fields; before black crows and fighting sparrows, +which fear not man, perched on telegraph wires, or ever a railway was +thought of, there lived two frogs--one in a well in Kioto, the other in a +lotus-pond in Ozaka. + +Now it is a common proverb in the Land of the Gods (Japan) that "the frog +in the well knows not the great ocean," and the Kioto frog had so often +heard this scornful sneer from the maids who came to draw out water, with +their long bamboo-handled buckets that he resolved to travel abroad and +see the world, and especially the _tai kai_ (the great ocean). + +"I'll see for myself," said Mr. Frog, as he packed his wallet and wiped +his spectacles, "what this great ocean is that they talk about. I'll +wager it isn't half as deep or wide as well, where I can see the stars +even at daylight." + +Now the truth was, a recent earthquake had greatly reduced the depth of +the well and the water was getting very shallow. Mr. Frog informed his +family of his intentions. Mrs. Frog wept a great deal; but, drying her +eyes with her paper handkerchief, she declared she would count the hours +on her fingers till he came back, and at every morning and evening meal +would set out his table with food on it, just as if he were home. She +tied up a little lacquered box full of boiled rice and snails for his +journey, wrapped it around with a silk napkin, and, putting his extra +clothes in a bundle, swung it on his back. Tying it over his neck, he +seized his staff and was ready to go. + +"_Sayonara_" ("Good-bye") cried he, as, with a tear in his eye, he walked +away. + +"_Sayonara. Oshidzukani_" ("Good-bye. Walk slowly"), croaked Mrs. Frog +and the whole family of young frogs in a chorus. + +Two of the froggies were still babies, that is, they were yet polywogs, +with a half inch of tail still on them; and, of course, were carried +about by being strapped on the back of their older brothers. + +Mr. Frog being now on land, out of his well, noticed that the other +animals did not leap, but walked on their legs. And, not wishing to be +eccentric, he likewise began briskly walking upright on his hind legs or +waddling on all fours. + +Now it happened that about the same time the Ozaka father frog had become +restless and dissatisfied with life on the edges of his lotus-ditch. He +had made up his mind to "cast the lion's cub into the valley." + +"Why! that _is_ tall talk for a frog, I must say," exclaims the reader. +"What did he mean?" + +I must tell you that the Ozaka frog was a philosopher. Right at the edge +of his lotus-pond was a monastery, full of Buddhist monks, who every day +studied their sacred rolls and droned over the books of Confucius, to +learn them by heart. Our frog had heard them so often that he could (in +frog language, of course) repeat many of their wise sentences and intone +responses to their evening prayers put up by the great idol Amida. +Indeed, our frog had so often listened to their debates on texts from the +classics that he had himself become a sage and a philosopher. Yet, as +the proverb says, "the sage is not happy." + +Why not? In spite of a soft mud-bank, plenty of green scum, stagnant +water, and shady lotus leaves, a fat wife and a numerous family; in +short, everything to make a frog happy, his forehead, or rather gullet, +was wrinkled with care from long pondering of knotty problems, such as +the following: + +The monks often come down to the edge of the pond to look at the pink and +white lotus. One summer day, as a little frog, hardly out of his tadpole +state, with a small fragment of tail still left, sat basking on a huge +round leaf, one monk said to the other: + +"Of what does that remind you?" + +"The babies of frogs will become but frogs," said one shaven pate, +laughing. + +"What think you?" + +"The white lotus flower springs out of the black mud," said the other, +solemnly, as both walked away. + +The old frog, sitting near by, overheard them and began to philosophize: +"Humph! The babies of frogs will become but frogs, hey? If mud becomes +lotus, why shouldn't a frog become a man? Why not? If my pet son should +travel abroad and see the world--go to Kioto, for instance--why shouldn't +he be as wise as those shining-headed men, I wonder? I shall try it, +anyhow. I'll send my son on a journey to Kioto. I'll 'cast the lion's cub +into the valley' (send the pet son abroad in the world, to see and study) +at once. I'll deny myself for the sake of my offspring." + +Flump! splash! sounded the water, as a pair of webby feet disappeared. +The "lion's cub" was soon ready, after much paternal advice, and much +counsel to beware of being gobbled up by long-legged storks, and trod on +by impolite men, and struck at by bad boys. "_Kio ni no inaka_" ("Even in +the capital there are boors") said Father Frog. + +Now it so happened that the old frog from Kioto and the "lion's cub" from +Ozaka started each from his home at the same time. Nothing of importance +occurred to either of them until, as luck would have it, they met on a +hill near Hashimoto, which is half way between the two cities. Both were +footsore, and websore, and very tired, especially about the hips, on +account of the unfroglike manner of walking, instead of hopping, as they +had been used to. + +"_Ohio gozarimasu_" ("Good-morning") said the "lion's cub" to the old +frog, as he fell on all fours and bowed his head to the ground three +times, squinting up over his left eye, to see if the other frog was +paying equal deference in return. + +"_He, konnichi wa_" ("Yes, good-day") replied the Kioto frog. + +"_O tenki_" ("It is rather fine weather to-day") said the "cub." + +"_He, yoi tenki gozence_" ("Yes, it is very fine") replied the old +fellow. + +"I am Gamataro, from Ozaka, the oldest son of Hiki Dono, Sensui no Kami" +(Lord Bullfrog, Prince of the Lotus-Ditch). + +"Your Lordship must be weary with your journey. I am Kayeru San of +Idomidzu (Sir Frog of the Well) in Kioto. I started out to see the 'great +ocean' from Ozaka; but, I declare, my hips are so dreadfully tired that I +believe that I'll give up my plan and content myself with a look from +this hill." + +The truth must be owned that the old frog was not only on his hind legs, +but also on his last legs, when he stood up to look at Ozaka; while the +"cub" was tired enough to believe anything. The old fellow, wiping his +face, spoke up: + +"Suppose we save ourselves the trouble of the journey. This hill is half +way between the two cities, and while I see Ozaka and the sea you can get +a good look of the Kio" (Capital, or Kioto). + +"Happy thought!" said the Ozaka frog. + +Then both reared themselves upon their hind-legs, and stretching upon +their toes, body to body, and neck to neck, propped each other up, rolled +their goggles and looked steadily, as they supposed, on the places which +they each wished to see. Now everyone knows that a frog has eyes mounted +in that part of his head which is FRONT WHEN HE IS DOWN AND BACK WHEN HE +STANDS UP. They are set like a compass on gimbals. + +Long and steadily they gazed, until, at last, their toes being tired, +they fell down on all fours. + +"I declare!" said the old _yaze_ (daddy) "Ozaka looks just like Kioto; +and as for 'the great ocean' those stupid maids talked about, I don't see +any at all, unless they mean that strip of river that looks for all the +world like the Yodo. I don't believe there is any 'great ocean'!" + +"As for my part," said the 'cub', "I am satisfied that it's all folly to +go further; for Kioto is as like Ozaka as one grain of rice is like +another." Then he said to himself: "Old Totsu San (my father) is a fool, +with all his philosophy." + +Thereupon both congratulated themselves upon the happy labor-saving +expedient by which they had spared themselves a long journey, much +leg-weariness, and some danger. They departed, after exchanging many +compliments; and, dropping again into a frog's hop, they leaped back in +half the time--the one to his well and the other to his pond. There each +told the story of both cities looking exactly alike; thus demonstrating +the folly of those foolish folks called men. As for the old gentleman in +the lotus-pond, he was so glad to get the "cub" back again that he never +again tried to reason out the problems of philosophy. And to this day the +frog in the well knows not and believes not in the "great ocean." Still +do the babies of frogs become but frogs. Still is it vain to teach the +reptiles philosophy; for all such labor is "like pouring water in a +frog's face." Still out of the black mud springs the glorious white lotus +in celestial purity, unfolding its stainless petals to the smiling +heavens, the emblem of life and resurrection. + + + + +THE CHILD OF THE THUNDER. + + +In among the hills of Echizen, within sight of the snowy mountain called +Hakuzan, lived a farmer named Bimbo. He was very poor, but frugal and +industrious. He was very fond of children though he had none himself. He +longed to adopt a son to bear his name, and often talked the matter over +with his old dame. But being so dreadfully poor both thought it best not +to adopt, until they had bettered their condition and increased the area +of their land. For all the property Bimbo owned was the earth in a little +gully, which he himself was reclaiming. A tiny rivulet, flowing from a +spring in the crevice of the rocks above, after trickling over the +boulders, rolled down the gully to join a brook in the larger valley +below. Bimbo had with great labor, after many years, made dams or +terraces of stone, inside which he had thrown soil, partly got from the +mountain sides, but mainly carried in baskets on the backs of himself and +his wife, from the valley below. By such weary toil, continued year in +and year out, small beds of soil were formed, in which rice could be +planted and grown. The little rivulet supplied the needful water; for +rice, the daily food of laborer and farmer, must be planted and +cultivated in soft mud under water. So the little rivulet, which once +leaped over the rock and cut its way singing to the valley, now spread +itself quietly over each terrace, making more than a dozen descents +before it reached the fields below. + +Yet after all his toil for a score of years, working every day from the +first croak of the raven, until the stars came out, Bimbo and his wife +owned only three _tan_ (3/4 acre) of terrace land. Sometimes a summer +would pass, and little or no rain fall. Then the rivulet dried up and +crops failed. It seemed all in vain that their backs were bent and their +foreheads seamed and wrinkled with care. Many a time did Bimbo have hard +work of it even to pay his taxes, which sometimes amounted to half his +crop. Many a time did he shake his head, muttering the discouraged +farmer's proverb "A new field gives a scant crop," the words of which +mean also, "Human life is but fifty years." + +One summer day after a long drought, when the young rice sprouts, just +transplanted were turning yellow at the tips, the clouds began to gather +and roll, and soon a smart shower fell, the lightning glittered, and the +hills echoed with claps of thunder. But Bimbo, hoe in hand, was so glad +to see the rain fall, and the pattering drops felt so cool and +refreshing, that he worked on, strengthening the terrace to resist the +little flood about to come. + + * * * * * + +Pretty soon the storm rattled very near him, and he thought he had better +seek shelter, lest the thunder should strike and kill him. For Bimbo, +like all his neighbors, had often heard stories of Kaijin, the god of the +thunder-drums, who lives in the skies and rides on the storm, and +sometimes kills people by throwing out of the clouds at them a terrible +creature like a cat, with iron-like claws and a hairy body. + +Just as Bimbo threw his hoe over his shoulder and started to move, a +terrible blinding flash of lightning dazzled his eyes. It was immediately +followed by a deafening crash, and the thunder fell just in front of him. +He covered his eyes with his hands, but finding himself unhurt, uttered a +prayer of thanks to Buddha for safety. Then he uncovered his eyes and +looked down at his feet. + +There lay a little boy, rosy and warm, and crowing in the most lively +manner, and never minding the rain in the least. The farmer's eyes opened +very wide, but happy and nearly surprised out of his senses, he picked up +the child tenderly in his arms, and took him home to his old wife. + +"Here's a gift from Raijin," said Bimbo. "We'll adopt him as our own son +and call him Rai-taro," (the first-born darling of the thunder). + +So the boy grew up and became a very dutiful and loving child. He was as +kind and obedient to his foster-parents as though he had been born in +their house. He never liked to play with other children, but kept all day +in the fields with his father, sporting with the rivulet and looking at +the clouds and sky. Even when the strolling players of the Dai Kagura +(the comedy which makes the gods laugh) and the "Lion of Corea" came into +the village, and every boy and girl and nurse and woman was sure to be +out in great glee, the child of the thunder stayed up in the field, or +climbed on the high rocks to watch the sailing of the birds and the +flowing of the water and the river far away. + +Great prosperity seemed to come to the farmer, and he laid it all to the +sweet child that fell to him from the clouds. It was very curious that +rain often fell on Bimbo's field when none fell elsewhere; so that Bimbo +grew rich and changed his name to Kanemochi. He believed that the boy +Raitaro beckoned to the clouds, and they shed their rain for him. + +A good many summers passed by, and Raitaro had grown to be a tall and +handsome lad, almost a man and eighteen years old. On his birthday the +old farmer and the good wife made a little feast for their foster-child. +They ate and drank and talked of the thunder-storm, out of which Raitaro +was born. + +Finally the young man said solemnly: + +"My dear parents, I thank you very much for your kindness to me, but I +must now say farewell. I hope you will always be happy." + +Then, in a moment, all trace of a human form disappeared, and floating +in the air, they saw a tiny white dragon, which hovered for a moment +above them, and then flew away. The old couple went out of doors to watch +it, when it grew bigger and bigger, taking its course to the hills above, +where the piled-up white clouds, which form on a summer's afternoon, +seemed built up like towers and castles of silver. Towards one of these +the dragon moved, until, as they watched his form, now grown to a mighty +size, it disappeared from view. + +After this Kanemochi and his wife, who were now old and white-headed, +ceased from their toil and lived in comfort all their days. When they +died and their bodies were reduced to a heap of white cinders in the +stone furnace of the village cremation-house, their ashes were mixed, and +being put into one urn, were laid away in the cemetery of the temple +yard. Their tomb was carved in the form of a white dragon, which to this +day, in spite of mosses and lichens, may still be seen among the ancient +monuments of the little hamlet. + + + + +THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW. + + +There was once an old man who had a wife with a very bad temper. She had +never borne him any children, and would not take the trouble to adopt a +son. So for a little pet he kept a tiny sparrow, and fed it with great +care. The old dame not satisfied with scolding her husband hated the +sparrow. + +Now the old woman's temper was especially bad on wash days, when her old +back and knees were well strained over the low tub, which rested on the +ground. + +It happened once that she had made some starch, and set it in a red +wooden bowl to cool. While her back was turned, the sparrow hopped down +on the edge of the bowl, and pecked at some of the starch. In a rage the +old hag seized a pair of scissors and cut the sparrow's tongue out. +Flinging the bird in the air she cried out, "Now be off." So the poor +sparrow, all bleeding, flew away. + +When the old man came back and found his pet gone, he made a great ado. +He asked his wife, and she told him what she had done and why. The +sorrowful old man grieved sorely for his pet, and after looking in every +place and calling it by name, gave it up as lost. + +Long after this, old man while wandering on the mountains met his old +friend the sparrow. They both cried "Ohio!" (good morning,) to each +other, and bowing low offered many mutual congratulations and inquiries +as to health, etc. Then the sparrow begged the old man to visit his +humble abode, promising to introduce his wife and two daughters. + +The old man went in and found a nice little house with a bamboo garden, +tiny waterfall, stepping stone and everything complete. Then Mrs. Sparrow +brought in slices of sugar-jelly, rock-candy, sweet potato custard, and a +bowl of hot starch sprinkled with sugar, and a pair of chopsticks on a +tray. Miss Suzumi, the elder daughter brought the tea caddy and tea-pot, +and in a snap of the fingers had a good cup of tea ready, which she +offered on a tray, kneeling. + +"Please take up and help yourself. The refreshments are very poor, but I +hope you will excuse our plainness," said Mother Sparrow. The delighted +old man, wondering in himself at such a polite family of sparrows, ate +heartily, and drank several cups of tea. Finally, on being pressed he +remained all night. + +For several days the old man enjoyed himself at the sparrow's home. He +looked at the landscapes and the moonlight, feasted to his heart's +content, and played _go_ (the game of 360 checkers) with Ko-suzumi the +little daughter. In the evening Mrs. Sparrow would bring out the +refreshments and the wine, and seat the old man on a silken cushion, +while she played the guitar. Mr. Sparrow and his two daughters danced, +sung and made merry. The delighted old man leaning on the velvet arm-rest +forgot his cares, his old limbs and his wife's tongue, and felt like a +youth again. + +On the fifth day the old man said he must go home. Then the sparrow +brought out two baskets made of plaited rattan, such as are used in +traveling and carried on men's shoulders. Placing them before their +guest, the sparrow said, "Please accept a parting gift." + +Now one basket was very heavy, and the other very light. The old man, not +being greedy, said he would take the lighter one. So with many thanks and +bows and good-byes, he set off homewards. + +He reached his hut safely, but instead of a kind welcome the old hag +began to scold him for being away so long. He begged her to be quiet, and +telling of his visit to the sparrows, opened the basket, while the +scowling old woman held her tongue, out of sheer curiosity. + +Oh, what a splendid sight! There were gold and silver coin, and gems, and +coral, and crystal, and amber, and the never-failing bag of money, and +the invisible coat and hat, and rolls of books, and all manner of +precious things. + +At the sight of so much wealth, the old hag's scowl changed to a smile of +greedy joy. "I'll go right off and get a present from the sparrows," said +she. + +So binding on her straw sandals, and tucking up her skirts, and adjusting +her girdle, tying the bow in front, she seized her staff and set off on +the road. Arriving at the sparrow's house she began to flatter Mr. +Sparrow by soft speeches. Of course the polite sparrow invited her into +his house, but nothing but a cup of tea was offered her, and wife and +daughters kept away. Seeing she was not going to get any good-bye gift, +the brazen hussy asked for one. The sparrow then brought out and set +before her two baskets, one heavy and the other light. Taking the heavier +one without so much as saying "thank you," she carried it back with her. +Then she opened it, expecting all kinds of riches. + +She took off the lid, when a horrible cuttle-fish rushed at her, and a +horned _oni_ snapped his tusks at her, a skeleton poked his bony fingers +in her face, and finally a long, hairy serpent, with a big head and +lolling tongue, sprang out and coiled around her, cracking her bones, and +squeezing out her breath, till she died. + +After the good old man had buried his wife, he adopted a son to comfort +his old age, and with his treasures lived at ease all his days. + + + + +THE FIRE-FLY'S LOVERS. + + +In Japan the night-flies emit so brilliant a light and are so beautiful +that ladies go out in the evenings and catch the insects for amusement, +as may be seen represented on Japanese fans. They imprison them in tiny +cages made of bamboo threads, and hang them up in their rooms or suspend +them from the eaves of their houses. At their picnic parties, the people +love to sit on August evenings, fan in hand, looking over the lovely +landscape, spangled by ten thousand brilliant spots of golden light. Each +flash seems like a tiny blaze of harmless lightning. + +One of the species of night-flies, the most beautiful of all, is a source +of much amusement to the ladies. Hanging the cage of glittering insects +on their verandahs, they sit and watch the crowd of winged visitors +attracted by the fire-fly's light. What brings them there, and why the +fire-fly's parlor is filled with suitors as a queen's court with +courtiers, let this love story tell. + + * * * * * + +On the southern and sunny side of the castle moats of the Fukui castle, +in Echizen, the water had long ago become shallow so that lotus lilies +grew luxuriantly. Deep in the heart of one of the great flowers whose +petals were as pink as the lining of a sea-shell, lived the King of the +Fire-flies, Hi-ō, whose only daughter was the lovely princess +Hotaru-himé. While still a child the himé (princess) was carefully kept +at home within the pink petals of the lily, never going even to the +edges except to see her father fly off on his journey. Dutifully she +waited until of age, when the fire glowed in her own body, and shone, +beautifully illuminating the lotus, until its light at night was like a +lamp within a globe of coral. + +Every night her light grew brighter and brighter, until at last it was as +mellow as gold. Then her father said: + +"My daughter is now of age, she may fly abroad with me sometimes, and +when the proper suitor comes she may marry whom she will." + +So Hotaru-himé flew forth in and out among the lotus lilies of the moat, +then into rich rice fields, and at last far off to the indigo meadows. + +Whenever she went a crowd of suitors followed her, for she had the +singular power of attracting all the night-flying insects to herself. +But she cared for none of their attentions, and though she spoke politely +to them all she gave encouragement to none. Yet some of the sheeny-winged +gallants called her a coquette. + +One night she said to her mother, the queen: + +"I have met many admirers, but I don't wish a husband from any of them. +Tonight I shall stay at home, and if any of them love me truly they will +come and pay me court here. Then I shall lay an impossible duty on them. +If they are wise they will not try to perform it; and if they love their +lives more than they love me, I do not want any of them. Whoever succeeds +may have me for his bride." + +"As you will my child," said the queen mother, who arrayed her daughter +in her most resplendent robes, and set her on her throne in the heart of +the lotus. + +Then she gave orders to her body-guard to keep all suitors at a +respectful distance lest some stupid gallant, a horn-bug or a cockchafer +dazzled by the light should approach too near and hurt the princess or +shake her throne. + +No sooner had twilight faded away, than forth came the golden beetle, who +stood on a stamen and making obeisance, said:-- + +"I am Lord Green-Gold, I offer my house, my fortune and my love to +Princess Hotaru." + +"Go and bring me fire and I will be your bride" said Hotaru-himé. + +With a bow of the head the beetle opened his wings and departed with a +stately whirr. + +Next came a shining bug with wings and body as black as lamp-smoke, who +solemnly professed his passion. + +"Bring me fire and you may have me for your wife." + +Off flew the bug with a buzz. + +Pretty soon came the scarlet dragon-fly, expecting so to dazzle the +princess by his gorgeous colors that she would accept him at once. + +"I decline your offer" said the princess, "but if you bring me a flash of +fire, I'll become your bride." + +Swift was the flight of the dragon-fly on his errand, and in came the +Beetle with a tremendous buzz, and ardently plead his suit. + +"I'll say 'yes' if you bring me fire" said the glittering princess. + +Suitor after suitor appeared to woo the daughter of the King of the +Fire-flies until every petal was dotted with them. One after another in a +long troop they appeared. Each in his own way, proudly, humbly, boldly, +mildly, with flattery, with boasting, even with tears, each proffered his +love, told his rank or expatiated on his fortune or vowed his constancy, +sang his tune or played his music. To every one of her lovers the +princess in modest voice returned the same answer: + +"Bring me fire and I'll be your bride." + +So without telling his rivals, each one thinking he had the secret alone +sped away after fire. + +But none ever came back to wed the princess. Alas for the poor suitors! +The beetle whizzed off to a house near by through the paper windows of +which light glimmered. So full was he of his passion that thinking +nothing of wood or iron, he dashed his head against a nail, and fell dead +on the ground. + +The black bug flew into a room where a poor student was reading. His lamp +was only a dish of earthenware full of rape seed oil with a wick made of +pith. Knowing nothing of oil the love-lorn bug crawled into the dish to +reach the flame and in a few seconds was drowned in the oil. + +"Nan jaro?" (What's that?) said a thrifty housewife, sitting with needle +in hand, as her lamp flared up for a moment, smoking the chimney, and +then cracking it; while picking out the scorched bits she found a roasted +dragon-fly, whose scarlet wings were all burned off. + +Mad with love the brilliant hawk-moth, afraid of the flame yet determined +to win the fire for the princess, hovered round and round the candle +flame, coming nearer and nearer each time. "Now or never, the princess or +death," he buzzed, as he darted forward to snatch a flash of flame, but +singeing his wings, he fell helplessly down, and died in agony. + +"What a fool he was, to be sure," said the ugly clothes moth, coming on +the spot, "I'll get the fire. I'll crawl up _inside_ the candle." So he +climbed up the hollow paper wick, and was nearly to the top, and inside +the hollow blue part of the flame, when the man, snuffing the wick, +crushed him to death. + +Sad indeed was the fate of the lovers of Hi-ō's daughter. Some hovered +around the beacons on the headland, some fluttered about the great wax +candles which stood eight feet high in their brass sockets in Buddhist +temples; some burned their noses at the top of incense sticks, or were +nearly choked by the smoke; some danced all night around the lanterns in +the shrines; some sought the sepulchral lamps in the graveyard; one +visited the cremation furnace; another the kitchen, where a feast was +going on; another chased the sparks that flew out of the chimney; but +none brought fire to the princess, or won the lover's prize. Many lost +their feelers, had their shining bodies scorched or their wings singed, +but most of them alas! lay dead, black and cold next morning. + +As the priests trimmed the lamps in the shrines, and the servant maids +the lanterns, each said alike: + +"The Princess Hotaru must have had many lovers last night." + +Alas! alas! poor suitors. Some tried to snatch a streak of green fire +from the cat's eyes, and were snapped up for their pains. One attempted +to get a mouthful of bird's breath, but was swallowed alive. A carrion +beetle (the ugly lover) crawled off to the sea shore, and found some fish +scales that emitted light. The stag-beetle climbed a mountain, and in a +rotten tree stump found some bits of glowing wood like fire, but the +distance was so great that long before they reached the castle moat it +was daylight, and the fire had gone out; so they threw their fish scales +and old wood away. + +The next day was one of great mourning and there were so many funerals +going on, that Hi-marō the Prince of the Fire-flies on the north side +of the castle moat inquired of his servants the cause. Then he learned +for the first time of the glittering princess. Upon this the prince who +had just succeeded his father upon the throne fell in love with the +princess and resolved to marry her. He sent his chamberlain to ask of her +father his daughter in marriage according to true etiquette. The father +agreed to the prince's proposal, with the condition that the Prince +should obey her behest in one thing, which was to come in person +bringing her fire. + +Then the Prince at the head of his glittering battalions came in person +and filled the lotus palace with a flood of golden light. But Hotaru-himé +was so beautiful that her charms paled not their fire even in the blaze +of the Prince's glory. The visit ended in wooing, and the wooing in +wedding. On the night appointed, in a palanquin made of the white +lotus-petals, amid the blazing torches of the prince's battalions of +warriors, Hotaru-himé was borne to the prince's palace and there, prince +and princess were joined in the wedlock. + +Many generations have passed since Hi-marō and Hotaru-himé were +married, and still it is the whim of all Fire-fly princesses that their +base-born lovers must bring fire as their love-offering or lose their +prize. Else would the glittering fair ones be wearied unto death by the +importunity of their lovers. Great indeed is the loss, for in this quest +of fire many thousand insects, attracted by the fire-fly, are burned to +death in the vain hope of winning the fire that shall gain the cruel but +beautiful one that fascinates them. It is for this cause that each night +insects hover around the lamp flame, and every morning a crowd of victims +drowned in the oil, or scorched in the flame, must be cleaned from the +lamp. This is the reason why young ladies catch and imprison the +fire-flies to watch the war of insect-love, in the hope that they may +have human lovers who will dare as much, through fire and flood, as they. + + + + +THE BATTLE OF THE APE AND THE CRAB. + + +In the land where neither the monkeys or the cats have tails, and the +persimmons grow to be as large as apples and with seeds bigger than a +melon's, there once lived a land crab in the side of a sand hill. One day +an ape came along having a persimmon seed, which he offered to swap with +the crab for a rice-cake. The crab agreed, and planting the seed in his +garden went out every day to watch it grow. + +By-and-by the ape came to visit the crab, and seeing the fine tree laden +with the yellow-brown fruit, begged a few. The crab, asking pardon of +the ape, said he could not climb the tree to offer him any, but agreed to +give the ape half, if he would mount the tree and pluck them. + +So the monkey ran up the tree, while the crab waited below, expecting to +eat the ripe fruit. But the monkey sitting on a limb first filled his +pockets full, and then picking off all the best ones, greedily ate the +pulp, and threw the skin and stones in the crab's face. Every once in a +while, he would pull off a green sour persimmon and hit the crab hard, +until his shell was nearly cracked. At last the crab thought he would get +the best of the ape. So when his enemy had eaten his fill until he was +bulged out, he cried out, + +"Now Mister Ape, I dare you to come down head-foremost. You can't do it." + +So the ape began to descend, head downward. This was just what the crab +wanted, for all the finest persimmons rolled out of his pockets on the +ground. The crab quickly gathered them up, and with both arms full ran +off to his hole. Then the ape was very angry. He kindled a fire, and blew +the smoke down the hole, until the crab was nearly choked. The poor crab +to save his life had to crawl out. + +Then the monkey beat him soundly, and left him for dead. + +The crab had not been long thus, when three travelers, a rice-mortar, an +egg, and a wasp found him lying on the ground. They carried him into the +house, bound up his wounds and while he lay in bed they planned how they +might destroy the ape. They all talked of the matter over their cups of +tea, and after the mortar had smoked several pipes of tobacco, a plan was +agreed on. + +So taking the crab along, stiff and sore as he was, they marched to the +monkey's castle. The wasp flew inside, and found that their enemy was +away from home. Then all entered and hid themselves. The egg cuddled up +under the ashes in the hearth. The wasp flew into the closet. The mortar +hid behind the door. They then waited for the ape to come home. The crab +sat beside the fire. + +Towards evening the monkey arrived, and throwing off his coat (which was +just what the wasp wanted) he lighted a sulphur match, and kindling a +fire, hung on the kettle for a cup of tea, and pulled out his pipe for a +smoke. Just as he sat down by the hearth to salute the crab, the egg +burst and the hot yolk flew all over him and in his eye, nearly blinding +him. He rushed out to the bath-room to plunge in the tub of cold water, +when the wasp flew at him and stung his nose. Slipping down, he fell +flat on the floor, when the mortar rolled on him and crushed him to +death. Then the whole party congratulated the crab on their victory. +Grateful for the friendship thus shown, the whole party, crab, mortar and +wasp lived in peace together. + +The crab married the daughter of a rich crab that lived over the hill, +and a great feast of persimmons was spread before the bride's relatives +who came to see the ceremony. By-and-by a little crab was born which +became a great pet with the mortar and wasp. With no more apes to plague +them, they lived very happily. + +[Illustration: THE EGG, WASP AND MORTAR ATTACK THE MONKEY.] + + + + +THE WONDERFUL TEA-KETTLE. + + +A long time ago there was an old priest who lived in the temple of +Morinji in the province of Hitachi. He cooked his own rice, boiled his +own tea, swept his own floor and lived frugally as an honest priest +should do. + +One day he was sitting near the square fire-place in the middle of the +floor. A rope and chain to hold the pot and kettle hung down from the +covered hole in the ceiling which did duty as a chimney. A pair of brass +tongs was stuck in the ashes and the fire blazed merrily. At the side of +the fire-place, on the floor, was a tray filled with tiny tea-cups, a +pewter tea-caddy, a bamboo tea-stirrer, and a little dipper. The priest +having finished sweeping the ashes off the edges of the hearth with a +little whisk of hawk's feathers, was just about to put on the tea when +"suzz," "suzz," sang the tea-kettle spout; and then "pattari"--"pattari" +said the lid, as it flapped up and down, and the kettle swung backwards +and forwards. + +"What does this mean?" said the old bonze. "_Naru hodo_," said he, with a +start as the spout of the kettle turned into a badger's nose with its big +whiskers, while from the other side sprouted out a long bushy tail. + +"_Yohodo medzurashi_," shouted the priest dropping the tea-caddy and +spilling the green tea all over the matting as four hairy legs appeared +under the kettle, and the strange compound, half badger and half kettle, +jumped off the fire, and began running around the room. To the priest's +horror it leaped on a shelf, puffed out its belly and began to beat a +tune with its fore-paws as if it were a drum. The old bonze's pupils, +hearing the racket rushed in, and after a lively chase, upsetting piles +of books and breaking some of the tea-cups, secured the badger, and +squeezed him in a keg used for storing the pickled radishes called +_daikon_, (or Japanese sauer-kraut.) They fastened down the lid with a +heavy stone. They were sure that the strong odor of the radishes would +kill the beast, for no man could possibly survive such a smell, and it +was not likely a badger could. + +The next morning the tinker of the village called in and the priest told +him about his strange visitor. Wishing to show him the animal, he +cautiously lifted the lid of the cask, lest the badger, might after all, +be still alive, in spite of the stench of the sour mess, when lo! there +was nothing but the old iron tea-kettle. Fearing that the utensil might +play the same prank again, the priest was glad to sell it to the tinker +who bought the kettle for a few iron cash. He carried it to his junk +shop, though he thought it felt unusually heavy. + +The tinker went to bed as usual that night with his _andon_, or paper +shaded lamp, just back of his head. About midnight, hearing a strange +noise like the flapping up and down of an iron pot-lid, he sat up in bed, +rubbed his eyes, and there was the iron pot covered with fur and +sprouting out legs. In short, it was turning into a hairy beast. Going +over to the recess and taking a fan from the rack, the badger climbed up +on the frame of the lamp, and began to dance on its one hind leg, waving +the fan with its fore-paw. It played many other tricks, until the man +started up, and then the badger turned into a tea-kettle again. + +"I declare," said the tinker as he woke up next morning, and talked the +matter over with his wife. "I'll just 'raise a mountain'" (earn my +fortune) on this kettle. It certainly is a very highly accomplished +tea-kettle I'll call it the Bumbuku Chagama (The Tea-Kettle accomplished +in literature and military art) and exhibit it to the public. + +So the tinker hired a professional show-man for his business agent, and +built a little theatre and stage. Then he gave an order to a friend of +his, an artist, to paint scenery, with Fuji yama and cranes flying in the +air, and a crimson sun shining through the bamboo, and a red moon rising +over the waves, and golden clouds and tortoises, and the Sumiyoshi +couple, and the grasshopper's picnic, and the Procession of Lord +Long-legs, and such like. Then he stretched a tight rope of rice-straw +across the stage, and the handbills being stuck up in all the barber +shops in town, and wooden tickets branded with "Accomplished and Lucky +Tea-Kettle Performance, Admit one,"--the show was opened. The house was +full and the people came in parties bringing their tea-pots full of tea +and picnic boxes full of rice and eggs, and dumplings, made of millet +meal, sugared roast-pea cakes, and other refreshments; because they came +to stay all day. Mothers brought their babies with them for the children +enjoyed it most of all. + +Then the tinker, dressed up in his wide ceremonial clothes, with a big +fan in his hand, came out on the platform, made his bow and set the +wonderful tea-kettle on the stage. Then at a wave of his fan, the kettle +ran around on four legs, half badger and half iron, clanking its lid and +wagging its tail. Next it turned into a badger, swelled out its body and +beat a tune on it like a drum. It danced a jig on the tight rope, and +walked the slack rope, holding a fan, or an umbrella in his paw, stood on +his head, and finally at a flourish of his master's fan became a cold and +rusty tea-kettle again. The audience were wild with delight, and as the +fame of the wonderful tea-kettle spread, many people came from great +distances. + +Year after year the tinker exhibited the wonder until he grew immensely +rich. Then he retired from the show business, and out of gratitude took +the old kettle to the temple again and deposited it there as a precious +relic. It was then named Bumbuku Dai Mio Jin (The Great Illustrious, +Accomplished in Literature and the Military Art). + + + + +PEACH-PRINCE, AND THE TREASURE ISLAND. + + +Very long, long ago, there lived an old man and woman in a village near a +mountain, from which flowed a stream of purest water. This old couple +loved each other so dearly and lived together so happily, that the +neighbors called them _oshi-dori fu-fu_ (a love-bird couple), after the +mandarin ducks which always dwell together in pairs, and are so +affectionate that they are said to pine and die if one be taken from the +other. The old man was a woodcutter, and the old woman kept house, but +they were very lonely for they had no child, and often grieved over their +hard lot. + +One day while the man was out on the mountain cutting brush, his old +crone took her shallow tub and clothes down to the brook to wash. She had +not yet begun, when she saw a peach floating with its stem and two leaves +in the stream. She picked up the fruit and set it aside to take home and +share it with her old man. When he returned she set it before him, not +dreaming what was in it. He was just about to cut it open, when the peach +fell in half, and there lay a little baby boy. The happy old couple +rejoiced over him and reared him tenderly. Because he was their first +child (taro) and born of a peach (momo) they called him Momotarō or +Peach-Darling. + +The most wonderful thing in the child, was his great strength! Even when +still a baby, he would astonish his foster-mother by standing on the +mats, and lifting her wash tub, or kettle of hot tea, which he would +balance above his head without spilling a drop. The little fellow grew to +be strong and brave and good. He was always kind to his parents and saved +them many a step and much toil. He practiced archery, wrestling, and +handling the iron club, until he was not afraid of anybody or anything. +He even laughed at the oni, who, were demons living in the clouds or on +lonely islands in the sea. Momotarō was also very kind to birds and +animals, so that they were very tame, and became his friends, knew him +and called him by name. + +Now there was an island far out in the ocean, inhabited by onis with +horns in their heads, and big sharp tusks in their mouths, who ravaged +the shores of Japan and ate up the people. In the centre of the island +was the giant Oni's castle, built inside a great cave which was full of +all kinds of treasures such as every one wants. These are: + +1. The hat which makes the one who puts it on invisible. It looks just +like a straw hat, but has a tuft of fine grass on the top, and a pink +fringe like the lining of shells, around the brim. + +2. A coat like a farmer's grass rain-cloak, which makes the wearer +invisible. + +3. The crystal jewels which flash fire, and govern the ebb and flow of +the tide. + +4. Shippō, or "the seven jewels," namely gold and silver, branch of red +coral, agate, emerald, crystal and pearl. All together called _takare +mono_, or precious treasures. + +Momotaro made up his mind to conquer these demons, and get their +treasures. He prepared his weapons and asked the old woman to make him +some millet dumplings. So the old lady ground the millet seeds into meal, +the old man kneaded the dough, and both made the dumplings which the +little hero carefully stuck on skewers and stowed away in a bamboo +basket-box. This he wrapped in a silk napkin, and flung it over his +shoulder. Seizing his iron club he stuck his flag in his back as the sign +of war. The flag was of white silk, crossed by two black bars at the top, +and underneath these, was embroidered the device of a peach with a stem +and two leaves floating on a running stream. This was his crest or +_sashimono_ (banneret). Then he bade the old folks good-bye and walked +off briskly. He took his little dog with him, giving him a millet +dumpling now and then. + +As he passed along he met a monkey chattering and showing his teeth. The +monkey said, + +"Where are you going, Mr. Peach-Darling?" + +"I'm going to the _oni's_ island to get his treasures." + +"What have you got good in your package?" + +"Millet dumplings. Have one?" + +"Yes, give me one, and I'll go with you," said the monkey. + +So the monkey ate the dumpling, and boy, dog and monkey all trudged on +together. A little further on a pheasant met them and said: + +"Ohio, Momotarō, doko?" (Good morning, Mr. Peach-Prince, where are you +going?). Peach-Prince told him, and at the same time offered him a +dumpling. This made the pheasant his friend. + +Peach-Prince and his little army of three retainers journeyed on until +they reached the sea-shore. There they found a big boat into which +Peach-Prince with the dog and monkey embarked, while the pheasant flew +over to the island to find a safe place to land, so as to take the onis +by surprise. + +They quietly reached the door of the cave, and then Momotarō beat in the +gate with his iron club. Rushing into the castle, he put the small onis +to flight, and dashing forward, the little hero would nearly have reached +the room where the giant oni was just waking up after a nights' +drunkenness. With a terrible roar he advanced to gobble up Peach-Prince, +when the dog ran behind and bit the oni in the leg. The monkey climbed up +his back and blinded him with his paws while the pheasant flew in his +face. Then Peach-Prince beat him with his iron club, until he begged for +his life and promised to give up all his treasures. + +The onis brought all their precious things out of the storehouse and laid +them on great tables or trays before the little hero and his little army. + +Momotaro sat on a rock, with his little army of three retainers around +him, holding his fan, with his hands akimbo on his knees, just as mighty +generals do after a battle, when they receive the submission of their +enemies. On his right sat kneeling on the ground his faithful monkey, +while the pheasant and dog sat on the left. + +After the onis had surrendered all, they fell down on their hands and +knees with their faces in the dust, and acknowledged Peach-Prince as +their master, and swore they would ever henceforth be his slaves. Then +Peach-Prince, with a wave of his fan bade them rise up and carry the +treasures to the largest ship they had, and to point the prow to the +land. This done, Momotaro and his company got on board, and the onis +bowed farewell. + +A stiff breeze sprang up and sent the ship plowing through the waters, +and bent out the great white sail like a bow. On the prow was a long +black tassel like the mane of a horse, that at every lurch dipped in the +waves, and as it rose flung off the spray. + +The old couple becoming anxious after their Peach-Darling, had traveled +down to the sea shore, and arrived just as the treasure ship hove in +sight. Oh how beautiful it looked with its branches of red coral, and +shining heaps of gold and silver, and the invisible coat and hat, the +dazzling sheen of the jewels of the ebbing and the flowing tide, the +glistening pearls, and piles of agate and crystal. + +[Illustration: THE ONI SUBMITTING TO PEACH PRINCE.] + +Momotaro came home laden with riches enough to keep the old couple in +comfort all their lives, and he himself lived in great state. He knighted +the monkey, the dog and the pheasant, and made them his body-guard. Then +he married a beautiful princess and lived happily till he died. + + + + +THE FOX AND THE BADGER. + + +There is a certain mountainous district in Shikoku in which a skillful +hunter had trapped or shot so many foxes and badgers that only a few were +left. These were an old grey badger and a female fox with one cub. Though +hard pressed by hunger, neither dared to touch a loose piece of food, +lest a trap might be hidden under it. Indeed they scarcely stirred out of +their holes except at night, lest the hunter's arrow should strike them. +At last the two animals held a council together to decide what to do, +whether to emigrate or to attempt to outwit their enemy. They thought a +long while, when finally the badger having hit upon a good plan, cried +out: + +"I have it. Do you transform yourself into a man. I'll pretend to be +dead. Then you can bind me up and sell me in the town. With the money +paid you can buy some food. Then I'll get loose and come back. The next +week I'll sell you and you can escape." + +"Ha! ha! ha! _yoroshiu_, _yoroshiu_," (good, good,) cried both together. +"It's a capital plan," said Mrs. Fox. + +So the Fox changed herself into a human form, and the badger, pretending +to be dead, was tied up with straw ropes. + +Slinging him over her shoulder, the fox went to town, sold the badger, +and buying a lot of _tofu_ (bean-cheese) and one or two chickens, made a +feast. By this time the badger had got loose, for the man to whom he was +sold, thinking him dead, had not watched him carefully. So scampering +away to the mountains he met the fox, who congratulated him, while both +feasted merrily. + +The next week the badger took human form, and going to town sold the fox, +who made believe to be dead. But the badger being an old skin-flint, and +very greedy, wanted all the money and food for himself. So he whispered +in the man's ear to watch the fox well as she was only feigning to be +dead. So the man taking up a club gave the fox a blow on the head, which +finished her. The badger, buying a good dinner, ate it all himself, and +licked his chops, never even thinking of the fox's cub. + +The cub after waiting a long time for its mother to come back, suspected +foul play, and resolved on revenge. So going to the badger he challenged +him to a trial of skill in the art of transformation. The badger accepted +right off, for he despised the cub and wished to be rid of him. + +"Well what do you want to do first? said Sir Badger." + +"I propose that you go and stand on the Big Bridge leading to the city," +said the cub, "and wait for my appearance. I shall come in splendid +garments, and with many followers in my train. If you recognize me, you +win, and I lose. If you fail, I win." + +So the badger went and waited behind a tree. Soon a daimio riding in a +palanquin, with a splendid retinue of courtiers appeared, coming up the +road. Thinking this was the fox-cub changed into a nobleman, although +wondering at the skill of the young fox, the badger went up to the +palanquin and told the person inside that he was recognized and had lost +the game. + +"What!" said the daimio's followers, who were real men, and surrounding +the badger, they beat him to death. + +The fox-cub, who was looking on from a hill near by, laughed in derision, +and glad that treachery was punished, scampered away. + + + + +THE SEVEN PATRONS OF HAPPINESS. + + +Every child knows who the _Shichi fuku Fin_ or seven Patrons of Happiness +are. They have charge of Long Life, Riches, Daily Food, Contentment, +Talents, Glory, and Love. Their images carved in ivory, wood, stone, or +cast in bronze are found in every house or sold in the stores or are +painted on shop signs or found in picture books. They are a jolly company +and make a happy family. On New Year's eve a picture of the Treasure-ship +(Takaré-buné) laden with shippō (the seven jewels) and all the good +things of life which men most desire is hung up in houses. The ship is +coming into port and the passengers are the seven happy fairies who will +make gifts to the people. These seven jewels are the same as those which +Momotaro brought back from the oni's island. + +First there is Fukoruku Jin the patron of Long Life or Length of Days. He +has an enormously high forehead rounded at the top which makes his head +look like a sugar-loaf. It is bald and shiny. A few stray white hairs +sometimes sprout up, and the barber to reach them has to prop a ladder +against his head to climb up and apply his razor. This big head comes +from thinking so much. His eyebrows are cotton-white, and a long snowy +beard falls down over his breast. + +Once in a while in a good humor he ties a handkerchief over his high +slippery crown and allows little boys to climb up on top--that is if +they are good and can write well. + +When he wants to show how strong and lively he is even though so old, he +lets Daikoku the fat fellow ride on top of his head, while he smokes his +pipe and wades across a river. Daikoku has to hold on tightly or he will +slip down and get a ducking. + +Usually the old shiny head is a very solemn gentleman, and walks slowly +along with his staff in one hand while with the other he strokes his long +eyebrows. The tortoise and the crane are always with him, for these are +his pets. Sometimes a stag with hair white with age, walks behind him. +Every body likes Fukoruku Jin because every one wants to get his favor +and live long; until, like a lobster, their backs are bent with age. At a +wedding you will always see a picture of white-bearded and shiny-pated +Fukoruku Jin. + +Daikoku is a short chubby fellow with eyes half sunk in fat but twinkling +with fun. He has a flat cap set on his head like the kind which babies +wear, a loose sack over his shoulders, and big boots on his feet. His +throne is two straw bags of rice, and his badge of office is a mallet or +hammer, which makes people rich when he shakes it. The hammer is the +symbol of labor, showing that people may expect to get rich only by hard +work. One end of it is carved to represent the jewel of the ebbing and +the flowing tides, because merchants get rich by commerce on the sea and +must watch the tides. He is often seen holding the arithmetic frame on +which you can count, do sums, subtract, multiply, or divide, by sliding +balls up and down a row of sticks set in a frame, instead of writing +figures. Beside him is a ledger and day-book. His favorite animal is the +rat, which like some rich men's pets, eats or runs away with his wealth. + +The great silver-white radish called daikon, two feet long and as big as +a man's calf is always seen near him because it signifies flourishing +prosperity. + +He keeps his bag tightly shut, for money easily runs away when the purse +is once opened. He never lets go his hammer, for it is only by constant +care that any one can keep money after he gets it. Even when he frolics +with Fukuroku Jin, and rides on his head, he keeps his hammer ready +swinging at his belt. He has huge lop ears. + +Once in a while, when he wishes to take exercise, and Fukuroku Jin wants +to show how frisky he can be, even if he is old, they have a wrestling +match together. Daikoku nearly always beats, because Fukuroku Jin is so +tall that he has to bend down to grip Daikoku, who is fat and short, and +thus he becomes top-heavy. Then Daikoku gets his rival's long head under +his left arm, seizes him over his back by the belt, and throws him over +his shoulder flat on the ground. But if Fukuroku Jin can only get hold of +Daikoku's lop ears, both fall together. Then they laugh heartily and try +it again. + +Ebisu is the patron of daily food, which is rice and fish, and in old +times was chiefly fish. He is nearly as fat as Daikoku, but wears a court +noble's high cap. He is always fishing or enjoying his game. When very +happy, he sits on a rock by the sea, with his right leg bent under him, +and a big red fish, called the tai, under his left arm. He carries a +straw wallet on his back to hold his fish and keep it fresh. Often he is +seen standing knee-deep in the water, pole in hand, watching for a +nibble. Some say that Ebisu is the same scamp that goes by the other name +of Sosanoō. + +Hotei is the patron of contentment, and of course is the father of +happiness. He does not wear much clothing, for the truth is that all his +property consists of an old, ragged wrapper, a fan, and a wallet. He is +as round as a pudding, and as fat as if rolled out of dough. His body is +like a lump of _mochi_ pastry, and his limbs like _dango_ dumplings. He +has lop ears that hang down over his shoulders, a tremendous double chin, +and a round belly. Though he will not let his beard grow long, the +slovenly old fellow never has it shaven when he ought to. He is a jolly +vagabond, and never fit for company; but he is a great friend of the +children, who romp over his knees and shoulders, pull his ears and climb +up over his shaven head. He always keeps something good for them in his +wallet. Sometimes he opens it wide, and then makes them guess what is +inside. They try to peep in but are not tall enough to look over the +edge. He makes tops, paints pictures or kites for the boys, and is the +children's greatest friend. When the seven patrons meet together, Hotei +is apt to drink more wine than is good for him. + +Toshitoku is almost the only one of the seven who never lays aside his +dignity. He has a very grave countenance. He is the patron of talents. +His pet animal is a spotted fawn. He travels about a good deal to find +and reward good boys, who are diligent in their studies, and men who are +fitted to rule. In one hand he carries a crooked staff of bamboo, at the +top of which is hung a book or roll of manuscript. His dress is like +that of a learned doctor, with square cap, stole, and high-toed slippers. + +Bishamon is the patron of glory and fame. He is a mighty soldier, with a +golden helmet, breastplate and complete armor. He is the protector of +priests and warriors. He gives them skill in fencing, horsemanship and +archery. He holds a pagoda in one hand and a dragon sword in the other. +His pet animal is the tiger. + +Six out of the jolly seven worthies are men. Benten is the only lady. She +is the patron of the family and of the sea. She plays the flute and the +guitar for the others, and amuses them at their feasts, sometimes even +dancing for them. Her real home is in Riu Gu, and she is the Queen of the +world under the sea. She often dwells in the sea or ocean caves. Her +favorite animal is the snake, and her servants are the dragons. + +Once a year the jolly seven meet together to talk over old times, relate +their adventures, and have a supper together. Then they proceed to +business, which is to arrange all the marriages for the coming year. They +have a great many hanks of red and white silk, which are the threads of +fate of those to be married: The white threads are the men, the red are +the women. At first they select the threads very carefully, and tie a +great many pairs or couples neatly and strongly together, so that the +matches are perfect. All such marriages of threads make happy marriages +among human beings. But by-and-by they get tired, and lazy, and instead +of tying the knots carefully, they hurry up the work and then jumble them +carelessly, and finally toss and tangle up all the rest in a muss. + +This is the reason why so many marriages are unhappy. + +Then they begin to frolic like big boys. Benten plays the guitar, and +Bishamon lies down on the floor resting with his elbows to hear it. Hotei +drinks wine out of a shallow red cup as wide as a dinner plate. Daikoku +and Fukuroku Jin begin to wrestle, and when Daikoku gets his man down, he +pounds his big head with an empty gourd while Toshitoku and Ebisu begin +to eat tai fish. When this fun is over, Benten and Fukuroku Jin play a +game of checkers, while the others look on and bet; except Hotei the fat +fellow, who is asleep. Then they get ashamed of themselves for gambling, +and after a few days the party breaks up and each one goes to his regular +business again. + + + + +DAIKOKU AND THE ONI. + + +A long while ago, when the idols of Buddha and his host of disciples came +to Japan, after traveling through China from India, they were very much +vexed because the people still liked the little black fellow named +Daikoku. Even when they became Buddhists they still burned incense to +Daikoku, because he was the patron of wealth; for everybody then, as now, +wanted to be rich. So the Buddhist idols determined to get rid of the +little fat fellow. How to do it was the question. At last they called +Yemma, the judge of the lower regions, and gave him the power to destroy +Daikoku. + +Now Yemma had under him a whole legion of _oni_, some green, some black, +others blue as indigo, and others of a vermillion color, which he usually +sent on ordinary errands. + +But for so important an expedition he now called Shino a very cunning old +fellow, and ordered him to kill or remove Daikoku out of the way. + +Shino made his bow to his master, tightened his tiger-skin belt around +his loins and set off. + +It was not an easy thing to find Daikoku, even though every one +worshipped him. So the oni had to travel a long way, and ask a great many +questions of people, and often lose his way before he got any clue. One +day he met a sparrow who directed him to Daikoku's palace, where among +all his money-bags and treasure piled to the ceiling, the fat and +lop-eared fellow was accustomed to sit eating daikon radish, and amuse +himself with his favorite pets, the rats. Around him was stored in straw +bags his rice which he considered more precious than money. + +Entering the gate, the oni peeped about cautiously but saw no one. He +went further on till he came to a large store house standing alone and +built in the shape of a huge rice-measure. Not a door or window could be +seen, but climbing up a narrow plank set against the top edge he peeped +over, and there sat Daikoku. + +The oni descended and got into the room. Then he thought it would be an +easy thing to pounce upon Daikoku. He was already chuckling to himself +over the prospect of such wealth being his own, when Daikoku squeaked out +to his chief rat. + +"_Nedzumi san_, (Mr. Rat) I feel some strange creature must be near. Go +chase him off the premises." + +Away scampered the rat to the garden and plucked a sprig of holly with +leaves full of thorns like needles. With this in his fore-paw, he ran at +the oni, whacked him soundly, and stuck him all over with the sharp +prickles. + +The oni yelling with pain ran away as fast as he could run. He was so +frightened that he never stopped until he reached Yemma's palace, when he +fell down breathless. He then told his master the tale of his adventure, +but begged that he might never again be sent against Daikoku. + +So the Buddhist idols finding they could not banish or kill Daikoku, +agreed to recognize him, and so they made peace with him and to this day +Buddhists and Shintōists alike worship the fat little god of wealth. + +When people heard how the chief oni had been driven away by only a rat +armed with holly, they thought it a good thing to keep off all oni. So +ever afterward, even to this day, after driving out all the bad creatures +with parched beans, they place sprigs of holly at their door-posts on New +Year's eve, to keep away the oni and all evil spirits. + + + + +BENKEI AND THE BELL. + + +On one of the hills overlooking the blue sky's mirror of Lake Biwa, +stands the ancient monastery of Miidera which was founded over 1,200 +years ago, by the pious mikado Tenchi. + +Near the entrance, on a platform constructed of stoutest timbers, stands +a bronze bell five and a half feet high. It has on it none of the +superscriptions so commonly found on Japanese bells, and though its +surface is covered with scratches it was once as brilliant as a mirror. +This old bell, which is visited by thousands of people from all parts of +Japan who come to wonder at it, is remarkable for many things. + +Over two thousand years ago, say the bonzes, it hung in the temple of +Gihon Shoja in India which Buddha built. After his death it got into the +possession of the Dragon King of the World under the Sea. When the hero +Toda the Archer shot the enemy of the queen of the Under-world, she +presented him with many treasures and among them this great bell, which +she caused to be landed on the shores of the lake. Toda however was not +able to remove it, so he presented it to the monks at Miidera. With great +labor it was brought to the hill-top and hung in this belfry where it +rung out daily matins and orisons, filling the lake and hill sides with +sweet melody. + +Now it was one of the rules of the Buddhists that no woman should be +allowed to ascend the hill or enter the monastery of Miidera. The bonzes +associated females and wicked influences together. Hence the +prohibition. + +A noted beauty of Kioto hearing of the polished face of the bell, +resolved in spite of the law against her sex to ascend the hill to dress +her hair and powder her face in the mirror-like surface of the bell. + +So selecting an hour when she knew the priests would be too busy at study +of the sacred rolls to notice her, she ascended the hill and entered the +belfry. Looking into the smooth surface, she saw her own sparkling eyes, +her cheeks, flushed rosy with exercise, her dimples playing, and then her +whole form reflected as in her own silver mirror, before which she daily +sat. Charmed as much by the vastness as the brilliancy of the reflection, +she stretched forth her hand, and touching her finger-tips to the bell +prayed aloud that she might possess just such a mirror of equal size and +brightness. + +But the bell was outraged at the impiety of the woman's touch, and the +cold metal shrank back, leaving a hollow place, and spoiling the even +surface of the bell. From that time forth the bell gradually lost its +polish, and became dull and finally dark like other bells. + +When Benkei was a monk, he was possessed of a mighty desire to steal this +bell and hang it up at Hiyeisan. So one night he went over to Miidera +hill and cautiously crept up to the belfry and unhooked it from the great +iron link which held it. How to get it down the mountain was now the +question. + +Should he let it roll down, the monks at Miidera would hear it bumping +over the stones. Nor could he carry it in his arms, for it was too big +around (16 feet) for him to grasp and hold. He could not put his head in +it like a candle in a snuffer, for then he would not be able to see his +way down. + +So climbing into the belfry he pulled out the cross-beam with the iron +link, and hanging on the bell put the beam on his shoulder to carry it in +_tembimbo_ style, that is, like a pair of scales. + +The next difficulty was to balance it, for he had nothing but his lantern +to hang on the other end of the beam to balance the bell. It was a +prodigiously hard task to carry his burden the six or seven miles +distance to Hiyeisan. It was "trying to balance a bronze bell with a +paper lantern." + +The work made him puff and blow and sweat until he was as hungry as a +badger, but he finally succeeded in hooking it up in the belfry at +Hiyeisan. + +Then all the fellow priests of Benkei got up, though at night, to welcome +him. They admired his bravery and strength and wished to strike the bell +at once to show their joy. + +"No, I won't lift a hammer or sound a note till you make me some soup. I +am terribly hungry," said Benkei, as he sat down on a cross piece of the +belfry and wiped his forehead with his cowl. + +Then the priests got out the iron soup-pot, five feet in diameter, and +kindling a fire made a huge mess of soup and served it to Benkei. The +lusty monk sipped bowl after bowl of the steaming nourishment until the +pot was empty. + +"Now," said he, "you may sound the bell." + +Five or six of the young bonzes mounted the platform and seized the rope +that held the heavy log suspended from the roof. The manner of striking +the bell was to pull back the log several feet, then let go the rope, +holding the log after the rebound. + +At the first stroke the bell quivered and rolled out a most mournful and +solemn sound which as it softened and died away changed into the distinct +murmur: + +"I want to go back to Miidera, I want to go back to Miidera, I want to +go-o back to-o M-i-i-de-ra-ra-a-a-a." + +"Naru hodo" said the priests. "What a strange bell. It wants to go back. +It is not satisfied with our ringing." + +"Ah! I know what is the matter" said the aged abbot. "It must be +sprinkled with holy water of Hiyeisan. Then it will be happy with us. Ho! +page bring hither the deep sea shell full of sacred water." + +So the pure white shell full of the consecrated water was brought, +together with the holy man's brush. Dipping it in the water the abbot +sprinkled the bell inside and out. + +"I dedicate thee, oh bell, to Hiyeisan. Now strike," said he, signalling +to the bell-pullers. + +Again the young men mounted the platform, drew back the log with a lusty +pull and let fly. + +"M-m-m-mi-mi-de-de-ra-ra ye-e-e-e-ko-o-o-o-o" "(Miidera ye ko, I want to +go back to Miidera)" moaned out the homesick bell. + +This so enraged Benkei that he rushed to the rope waved the monks aside +and seizing the rope strained every muscle to jerk the beam its entire +length afield, and then let fly with force enough to crack the bell. For +a moment the dense volume of sound filled the ears of all like a storm, +but as the vibrations died away, the bell whined out: + +"Miidera-mi-mi-de-de-ra-a-a ye-e-e-ko-o-o-o-o." "I want to go back to +Miidera," sobbed the bell. + +Whether struck at morning, noon or night the bell said the same words. No +matter when, by whom, how hard or how gently it was struck, the bell +moaned the one plaint as if crying, "I want to go back to Miidera." "I +want to go back to Miidera." + +At last Benkei in a rage unhooked the bell, shouldered it beam and all, +and set off to take it back. Carrying the bell to the top of Hiyeisan, he +set it down, and giving it a kick rolled it down the valley toward +Miidera, and left it there. Then the Miidera bonzes hung it up again. +Since that time the bell has completely changed its note, until now it is +just like other bells in sound and behavior. + + + + +LITTLE SILVER'S DREAM OF THE SHOJI. + + +Ko Gin San (Miss Little Silver) was a young maid who did not care for +strange stories of animals, so much as for those of wonder-creatures in +the form of human beings. Even of these, however, she did not like to +dream, and when the foolish old nurse would tell her ghost stories at +night, she was terribly afraid they would appear to her in her sleep. + +To avoid this, the old nurse told her to draw pictures of a tapir, on the +sheet of white paper, which, wrapped round the tiny pillow, makes the +pillow-case of every young lady, who rests her head on two inches of a +bolster in order to keep her well-dressed hair from being mussed or +rumpled. + +Old grannies and country folks believe that if you have a picture of a +tapir under the bed or on the paper pillow-case, you will not have +unpleasant dreams, as the tapir is said to eat them. + +So strongly do some people believe this that they sleep under quilts +figured with the device of this long-snouted beast. If in spite of this +precaution one should have a bad dream, he must cry out on awaking, +"tapir, come eat, tapir, come eat"; when the tapir will swallow the +dream, and no evil results will happen to the dreamer. + +Little Silver listened with both eyes and open mouth to this account of +the tapir, and then making the picture and wrapping it around her +pillow, she fell asleep. I suspect that the kowameshi (red rice) of which +she had eaten so heartily at supper time, until her waist strings +tightened, had something to do with her travels in dream-land. + + * * * * * + +She thought she had gone down to Ozaka, and there got on a junk and +sailed far away to the southwest, through the Inland sea. One night the +water seemed full of white ghosts of men and women. Some of them were +walking on, and in, the water. Some were running about. Here and there +groups appeared to be talking together. Once in a while the junk would +run against one of them; and when Little Silver looked to see if he were +hurt or knocked over, she could see nothing until the junk passed by, +when the ghost would appear standing in the same place, as though the +ship had gone through empty air. + +Occasionally a ghost would come up to the side of the ship, and in a +squeaky voice ask for a dipper. While she would be wondering what a ghost +wanted to do with a dipper, a sailor would quietly open a locker, take +out a dipper having no bottom, and give one every time he was asked for +them. Little Silver noticed a large bundle of these dippers ready. The +ghosts would then begin to bail up water out of the sea to empty it in +the boat. All night they followed the junk, holding on with one hand to +the gunwale, while they vainly dipped up water with the other, trying to +swamp the boat. If dippers with bottoms in them had been given them, the +sailors said, the boat would have been sunk. When daylight appeared the +shadowy host of people vanished. + +In the morning they passed an island, the shores of which were high rocks +of red coral. A great earthen jar stood on the beach, and around it lay +long-handled ladles holding a half-gallon or more, and piles of very +large shallow red lacquered wine cups, which seemed as big as the full +moon. After the sun had been risen some time, there came down from over +the hills a troop of the most curious looking people. Many were short, +little wizen-faced folks, that looked very old; or rather, they seemed +old before they ought to be. Some were very aged and crooked, with +hickory-nut faces, and hair of a reddish gray tint. All the others had +long scarlet locks hanging loose over their heads, and streaming down +their backs. Their faces were flushed as if by hard drinking, and their +pimpled noses resembled huge red barnacles. No sooner did they arrive at +the great earthen jar than they ranged themselves round it. The old ones +dipped out ladles full, and drank of the wine till they reeled. The +younger ones poured the liquor into cups and drank. Even the little +infants guzzled quantities of the yellow saké from the shallow cups of +very thin red-lacquered wood. + +Then began the dance, and wild and furious it was. The leather-faced old +sots tossed their long reddish-grey locks in the air, and pirouetted +round the big saké jar. The younger ones of all ages clapped their hands, +knotted their handkerchiefs over their foreheads, waved their dippers or +cups or fans, and practiced all kinds of antics, while their scarlet hair +streamed in the wind or was blown in their eyes. + +The dance over, they threw down their cups and dippers, rested a few +minutes and then took another heavy drink all around. + +"Now to work" shouted an old fellow whose face was redder than his +half-bleached hair, and who having only two teeth like tusks left looked +just like an _oni_ (imp.) As for his wife, her teeth had long ago fallen +out and the skin of her face seemed to have added a pucker for every year +since a half century had rolled over her head. + +Then Little Silver looked and saw them scatter. Some gathered shells and +burned them to make lime. Others carried water and made mortar, which +they thickened by a pulp made of paper, and a glue made by boiling fish +skin. Some dived under the sea for red coral, which they hauled up by +means of straw ropes, in great sprigs as thick as the branches of a tree. +They quickly ran up a scaffold, and while some of the scarlet-headed +plasterers smeared the walls, others below passed up the tempered mortar +on long shell shovels, to the hand mortar-boards. Even at work they had +casks and cups of saké at hand, while children played in the empty kegs +and licked the gummy sugar left in some of them. + +"What is that house for?" asked Little Silver of the sailors. + +"Oh, that is the Kura (storehouse) in which the King of the Shōji stores +the treasures of life, and health, and happiness, and property, which men +throw away, or exchange for the saké, which he gives them, by making +funnels of themselves." + +"Oh, Yes," said Little Silver to herself, as she remembered how her +father had said of a certain neighbor who had lately been drinking hard, +"he swills saké like a Shōji." + +She also understood why picnic or "chow-chow" boxes were often decorated +with pictures of Shōji, with their cups and dippers. For, at these +picnics, many men get drunk; so much so indeed, that after a while the +master of the feast orders very poor and cheap wine to be served to the +guests. He also replaces the delicate wine cups of egg-shell porcelain, +with big thick tea-cups or wooden bowls, for the guests when drunk, do +not know the difference. + +She also now understood why it was commonly said of a Mr. Matsu, who had +once been very rich but was now a poor sot, "His property has all gone to +the Shōji." + +Just then the ship in which she was sailing struck a rock, and the sudden +jerk woke up Little Silver, who cried out, "Tapir, come eat; tapir, come +eat." + +No tapir came, but if he had I fear Little Silver would have been more +frightened than she was by her dream of the ghosts; for next morning she +laughed to think how they had all their work a-dipping water for +nothing, and at her old nurse for thinking a picture of a tapir could +keep off dreams. + + + + +THE TENGUS, OR THE ELVES WITH LONG NOSES. + +(After Hokusai.) + + +Curious creatures are the tengus, with the head of a hawk and the body of +a man. They have very hairy hands or paws with two fingers, and feet with +two toes. They are hatched out of eggs, and have wings and feathers, +until full grown. Then their wings moult, and the stumps are concealed +behind their dress, which is like that of a man. They walk, when grown +up, on clogs a foot high, which are like stilts, as they have but one +support instead of two, like the sort which men wear. The tengus strut +about easily on these, without stumbling. + +The Dai Tengu, or master, is a solemn-faced, scowling individual with a +very proud expression, and a nose about eight finger-breadths long. When +he goes abroad, his retainers march before him, for fear he might break +his nose against something. He wears a long grey beard down to his +girdle, and moustaches to his chin. In his left hand he carries a large +fan made of seven wide feathers. This is the sign of his rank. He has a +mouth, but he rarely opens it. He is very wise, and rules over all the +tengus in Japan. + +The Karasu or crow-tengu is a black fellow, with a long beak, in the +place where his nose and mouth ought to be. He looks as if some one had +squeezed out the lower part of his face, and pulled his nose down so as +to make a beak like a crow's. He is the Dai Tengu's lictor. He carries +the axe of authority over his left shoulder, to chop bad people's heads +off. In his right fist is his master's book of wisdom, and roll of +authority. Even these two highest in authority in Tengu-land are servants +of the great lord Kampira, the long-haired patron of sailors and +mountaineers. + +The greatest of the Dai Tengu lived in Kurama mountain and taught +Yoshitsuné. This lad, while a pupil in the monastery, would slip out in +the evening, when the priests thought him asleep, and come to the King of +the Tengus, who instructed him in the military arts, in cunning, magic, +and wisdom. Every night the boy would spread the roll of wisdom before +him, and sit at the feet of the hoary-headed tengu, and learn the +strange letters in which tengu wisdom is written, while the long-nosed +servant tengus, propped up on their stilt-clogs, looked on. The boy was +not afraid, but quickly learned the knowledge which birds, beasts and +fishes have, how to understand their language and to fly, swim and leap +like them. + +When a tengu stumbles and falls down on his nose, it takes a long while +to heal, and if he breaks it, the doctor puts it in splints like a broken +arm, until it straightens out and heals up again. + +Some of the amusements in Tengu-land are very curious. A pair of young +tengus will fence with their noses as if they were foils. Their faces are +well protected by masks, for if one tengu should "poke his nose" into the +other's eye he might put it out, and a blind tengu could not walk about, +because he would be knocking his nose against everything. + +Two old tengus with noses nearly two feet long, sometimes try the +strength of their face-handles. One fellow has his beak straight up in +the air like a supporting post, while the other sits a yard off with his +elastic nose stretched across like a tight-rope, and tied with twine at +the top of the other one's nose. On this tight nose-rope a little tengu +boy, with a tiny pug only two inches long, dances a jig. He holds an +umbrella in his hand, now dancing, and now standing upon one foot. The +tengu-daddy, whose nose serves as a tent-pole, waves his fan and sings a +song, keeping time to the dance. + +There is another tengu who sometimes quarrels with his wife, and when +angry boxes her ears with his nose. + +A lady-tengu who is inclined to be literary and sentimental, writes +poetry. When the mood seizes her she ties the pen to her nose, dips it in +ink and writes a poem on the wall. + +A tengu-painter makes a long-handled brush to whitewash the ceiling, by +strapping it to his nose. + +Sometimes the little tengus get fighting, and then the feathers fly as +they tear each other with their little claws which have talons on them +shaped like a chicken's, but which when fully grown look like hands. + +All the big tengus are fond of trying the strength of their noses, and +how far they can bend them up and down without breaking. They have two +favorite games of which they sometimes give exhibitions. The player has +long strings of iron cash (that is, one hundred of the little iron coins, +with a square hole in the centre). Several of these he slides on a rope +like buttons on a string, or counters on a wire. Then he lifts them off +with the tip of his nose. Sometimes his nose bends so much under the +weight that the coins slip off. Whichever tengu can pick off the greater +number of strings without letting any slip, wins the game, and is called +O-hana (The King of Noses). + +Another balances hoops and poles on his nose and throws balls through the +hoops; or he poises a saucer of water on the tip of his nose without +spilling a drop. Another fellow hangs a bell from the ceiling. Then, with +a handkerchief tied loosely round his head, he pulls his nose back like a +snapping-turtle's beak, and then suddenly lets go. His nose then strikes +the bell and rings it. It hurts very much, but he does not mind it. + +The tengus have one great fault. They love liquor too much. They often +get drunk. They buy great casks of rice-wine, sling them round their +necks, and drink out of long cups shaped like their faces, using the nose +for a handle. A drunken tengu makes a funny sight, as he staggers about +with his big wings drooping and flapping around him, and the feathers +trailing in the mud, and his long nose limp, pendulous and groggy. + +When the master of the tengus wishes to "see the flowers," which means to +go on a picnic, he punishes his drunken servant by swinging the box of +eatables over the fellow's red nose. Putting the end over his shoulders, +he compels the sot to come along. It sobers the fellow, for the weight on +his nose and the pulling on it hurts dreadfully, and often makes him +squeal. + +Oyama, a mountain near Tokio, is said to be full of these long-nosed +elves, but many other mountains are inhabited by them, for they like +lonely places away from men. + +Dancers often put on masks like the tengu's face and dance a curious +dance which they call the Tengu's quadrille. + +The tengus are very proud fellows, and think themselves above human +beings. They are afraid of brave men, however, and never dare to hurt +them. They scare children, especially bad boys. They watch a boy telling +lies and catch him. Then the tengus pull out his tongue by the roots, and +run away with it. + +When a tengu walks, he folds his arms, throws back his head till his nose +is far up in the air, and struts around as if he were a daimio. When a +man becomes vain and carries his nose too high, the people say "He has +become a tengu." + + + + +KINTARO, OR THE WILD BABY. + + +Long, long ago, when the tallest fir trees on the Hakoné mountains were +no higher than a rice-stalk, there lived in that part of the range called +Ashigara, a little ruddy boy, whom his mother had named Kintarō, or +Golden Darling. He was not like other boys, for having no children to +play with, he made companions of the wild animals of the forest. + +He romped with the little bears, and often when the old she bear would +come for her cubs to give them their supper and put them to bed, Kintarō +would jump on her back and have a ride to her cave. He also put his arms +around the neck of the deer, which were not afraid of him. He was prince +of the forest, and the rabbits, wild boars, squirrels and martens, +pheasants and hawks were his servants and messengers. + +Although not much more than a fat baby, Kintarō wielded a big axe, and +could chop a snake to pieces before he had time to wriggle. + +Kintarō's father had been a brave soldier in Kiōto, who through the +malice of enemies at court, had fallen into disgrace. He had loved a +beautiful lady whom he married. When her husband died she fled eastward +to the Ashigara mountains, and there in the lonely forests in which no +human being except poor woodcutters ever came, her boy was born. + +She lived in a cave, nourishing herself on roots and herbs. The +woodcutters soon learned about the strange pair living wild but +peacefully in the woods, though they did not dream of her noble rank. The +boy was known among them as "Little Wonder," and the woman as "The old +nurse of the mountain." + +Thus, all alone, the little fellow grew up, exercising himself daily, so +that even though a child he could easily wrestle with a bear. Among his +retainers were the tengus, though they were often rebellious and +disobedient, not liking to be governed by a boy. + +One day, an old mother-tengu, who had always laughed at the idea of +obeying a little dumpling of a fellow like Kintarō, flew up to her nest +in a high fir tree. Kintarō watched to see where it was, and waited till +she left it to go and seek for food. Then going up to the tree, he shook +it with all his might, until the nest came tumbling down, and the two +young squabs of tengus with it. + +Now it happened that just at that time the great hero and imp-killer, +Raikō, was marching through the mountains on his way to Kiōto. Seeing +that the ruddy little fellow was no ordinary child, he found out the +mother and heard her story. He then asked for the child and adopted him +as his own. + +So Kintarō went off with Raikō and grew up to be a brave soldier, and +taking his father's name, he was known as Sakata Kintoki. His mother, +however, remained in the mountains, and living to an extreme old age, was +always known as "The old nurse of the mountains." + + * * * * * + +To this day, Kintaro is the hero of Japanese boys, and on their huge +kites will usually be seen a picture of the little black-eyed ruddy boy +of the mountains, with his axe, while around him are his wild playmates, +and the young tengus rubbing their long noses, which were so nearly +broken by their fall. + + + + +JIRAIYA, OR THE MAGIC FROG. + + +Ogata was the name of a castle-lord who lived in the Island of the Nine +Provinces, (Kiushiu). He had but one son, an infant, whom the people in +admiration nicknamed Jiraiya (Young Thunder.) During one of the civil +wars, this castle was taken, and Ogata was slain; but by the aid of a +faithful retainer, who hid Jiraiya in his bosom, the boy escaped and fled +northward to Echigo. There he lived until he grew up to manhood. + +At that time Echigo was infested with robbers. One day the faithful +retainer of Jiraiya being attacked, made resistance, and was slain by +the robbers. Jiraiya now left alone in the world went out from Echigo and +led a wandering life in several provinces. + +All this time he was consumed with the desire to revive the name of his +father, and restore the fortunes of his family. Being exceedingly brave, +and an expert swordsman, he became chief of a band of robbers and +plundered many wealthy merchants, and in a short time he was rich in men, +arms and booty. He was accustomed to disguise himself, and go in person +into the houses and presence of men of wealth, and thus learn all about +their gates and guards, where they slept, and in what rooms their +treasures were stored, so that success was easy. + +Hearing of an old man who lived in Shinano, he started to rob him, and +for this purpose put on the disguise of a pilgrim. Shinano is a very +high table-land, full of mountains, and the snow lies deep in winter. A +great snow storm coming on, Jiraiya took refuge in a humble house by the +way. Entering, he found a very beautiful woman, who treated him with +great kindness. This, however, did not change the robber's nature. At +midnight, when all was still, he unsheathed his sword, and going +noiselessly to her room, he found the lady absorbed in reading. + +Lifting his sword, he was about to strike at her neck, when, in a flash, +her body changed into that of a very old man, who seized the heavy steel +blade and broke it in pieces as though it were a stick. Then he tossed +the bits of steel away, and thus spoke to Jiraiya, who stood amazed but +fearless: + +"I am a man named Senso Dojin, and I have lived in these mountains many +hundred years, though my true body is that of a huge frog. I can easily +put you to death but I have another purpose. So I shall pardon you and +teach you magic instead." + +Then the youth bowed his head to the floor, poured out his thanks to the +old man and begged to be received as his pupil. + +Remaining with the old man of the mountain for several weeks, Jiraiya +learned all the arts of the mountain spirits; how to cause a storm of +wind and rain, to make a deluge, and to control the elements at will. + +He also learned how to govern the frogs, and at his bidding they assumed +gigantic size, so that on their backs he could stand up and cross rivers +and carry enormous loads. + +When the old man had finished instructing him he said "Henceforth cease +from robbing, or in any way injuring the poor. Take from the wicked rich, +and those who acquire money dishonestly, but help the needy and the +suffering." Thus speaking, the old man turned into a huge frog and hopped +away. + +What this old mountain spirit bade him do, was just what Jiraiya wished +to accomplish. He set out on his journey with a light heart. "I can now +make the storm and the waters obey me, and all the frogs are at my +command; but alas! the magic of the frog cannot control that of the +serpent. I shall beware of his poison." + +From that time forth the oppressed poor people rejoiced many a time as +the avaricious merchants and extortionate money lenders lost their +treasures. For when a poor farmer, whose crops failed, could not pay his +rent or loan on the date promised, these hard-hearted money lenders would +turn him out of his house, seize his beds and mats and rice-tub, and even +the shrine and images on the god-shelf, to sell them at auction for a +trifle, to their minions, who resold them at a high price for the +money-lender, who thus got a double benefit. Whenever a miser was robbed, +the people said, "The young thunder has struck," and then they were glad, +knowing that it was Jiraiya, (Young Thunder.) In this manner his name +soon grew to be the poor people's watchword in those troublous times. + +Yet Jiraiya was always ready to help the innocent and honest, even if +they were rich. One day a merchant named Fukutaro was sentenced to death, +though he was really not guilty. Jiraiya hearing of it, went to the +magistrate and said that he himself was the very man who committed the +robbery. So the man's life was saved, and Jiraiya was hanged on a large +oak tree. But during the night, his dead body changed into a bull-frog +which hopped away out of sight, and off into the mountains of Shinano. + +At this time, there was living in this province, a young and beautiful +maiden named Tsunadé. Her character was very lovely. She was always +obedient to her parents and kind to her friends. Her daily task was to go +to the mountains and cut brushwood for fuel. One day while thus busy +singing at the task, she met a very old man, with a long white beard +sweeping his breast, who said to her: + +"Do not fear me. I have lived in this mountain many hundred years, but my +real body is that of a snail. I will teach you the powers of magic, so +that you can walk on the sea, or cross a river however swift and deep, +as though it were dry land." + +Gladly the maiden took daily lessons of the old man, and soon was able to +walk on the waters as on the mountain paths. One day the old man said, "I +shall now leave you and resume my former shape. Use your power to destroy +wicked robbers. Help those who defend the poor. I advise you to marry the +celebrated man Jiraiya, and thus you will unite your powers." + +Thus saying, the old man shrivelled up into a snail and crawled away. + +"I am glad," said the maiden to herself, "for the magic of the snail can +overcome that of the serpent. When Jiraiya, who has the magic of the +frog, shall marry me, we can then destroy the son of the serpent, the +robber named Dragon-coil (Orochimaru)." + +By good fortune, Jiraiya met the maiden Tsunadé, and being charmed with +her beauty, and knowing her power of magic, sent a messenger with +presents to her parents, asking them to give him their daughter to wife. +The parents agreed, and so the young and loving couple were married. + +Hitherto when Jiraiya wished to cross a river he changed himself into a +frog and swam across; or, he summoned a bull-frog before him, which +increased in size until as large as an elephant. Then standing erect on +his warty back, even though the wind blew his garments wildly, Jiraiya +reached the opposite shore in safety. But now, with his wife's powers, +the two, without any delay, walked over as though the surface was a hard +floor. + +Soon after their marriage, war broke out in Japan between the two famous +clans of Tsukikagé and Inukagé. To help them fight their battles, and +capture the castles of their enemies, the Tsukikagé family besought the +aid of Jiraiya, who agreed to serve them and carried their banner in his +back. Their enemies, the Inukagé, then secured the services of +Dragon-coil. + +This Orochimaru, or Dragon-coil, was a very wicked robber whose father +was a man, and whose mother was a serpent that lived in the bottom of +Lake Takura. He was perfectly skilled in the magic of the serpent, and by +spurting venom on his enemies, could destroy the strongest warriors. + +Collecting thousands of followers, he made great ravages in all parts of +Japan, robbing and murdering good and bad, rich and poor alike. Loving +war and destruction he joined his forces with the Inukagé family. + +Now that the magic of the frog and snail was joined to the one army, and +the magic of the serpent aided the other, the conflicts were bloody and +terrible, and many men were slain on both sides. + +On one occasion, after a hard fought battle, Jiraiya fled and took refuge +in a monastery, with a few trusty vassals, to rest a short time. In this +retreat a lovely princess named Tagoto was dwelling. She had fled from +Orochimaru, who wished her for his bride. She hated to marry the +offspring of a serpent, and hoped to escape him. She lived in fear of him +continually. Orochimaru hearing at one time that both Jiraiya and the +princess were at this place, changed himself into a serpent, and +distilling a large mouthful of poisonous venom, crawled up to the ceiling +in the room where Jiraiya and his wife were sleeping, and reaching a spot +directly over them, poured the poisonous venom on the heads of his +rivals. The fumes of the prison so stupefied Jiraiya's followers, and +even the monks, that Orochimaru, instantly changing himself to a man, +profited by the opportunity to seize the princess Tagoto, and make off +with her. + +Gradually the faithful retainers awoke from their stupor to find their +master and his beloved wife delirious, and near the point of death, and +the princess gone. + +"What can we do to restore our dear master to life?" This was the +question each one asked of the others, as with sorrowful faces and +weeping eyes they gazed at the pallid forms of their unconscious master +and his consort. They called in the venerable abbot of the monastery to +see if he could suggest what could be done. + +"Alas!" said the aged priest, "there is no medicine in Japan to cure your +lord's disease, but in India there is an elixir which is a sure +antidote. If we could get that, the master would recover." + +"Alas! alas!" and a chorus of groans showed that all hope had fled, for +the mountain in India, where the elixir was made, lay five thousand miles +from Japan. + +Just then a youth named Rikimatsu, one of the pages of Jiraiya, arose to +speak. He was but fourteen years old, and served Jiraiya out of +gratitude, for he had rescued his father from many dangers and saved his +life. He begged permission to say a word to the abbot, who, seeing the +lad's eager face, motioned to him with his fan to speak. + +"How long can our lord live," asked the youth. + +"He will be dead in thirty hours," answered the abbot, with a sigh. + +"I'll go and procure the medicine, and if our master is still living +when I come back, he will get well." + +Now Rikimatsu had learned magic and sorcery from the Tengus, or +long-nosed elves of the mountains, and could fly high in the air with +incredible swiftness. Speaking a few words of incantation, he put on the +wings of a Tengu, mounted a white cloud and rode on the east wind to +India, bought the elixir of the mountain spirits, and returned to Japan +in one day and a night. + +On the first touch of the elixir on the sick man's face he drew a deep +breath, perspiration glistened on his forehead, and in a few moments more +he sat up. + +Jiraiya and his wife both got well, and the war broke out again. In a +great battle Dragon-coil was killed and the princess rescued. For his +prowess and aid Jiraiya was made daimio of Idzu. + +Being now weary of war and the hardships of active life, Jiraiya was glad +to settle down to tranquil life in the castle and rear his family in +peace. He spent the remainder of his days in reading the books of the +sages, in composing verses, in admiring the flowers, the moon and the +landscape, and occasionally going out hawking or fishing. There, amid his +children and children's children, he finished his days in peace. + + + + +HOW THE JELLY-FISH LOST ITS SHELL. + + +Parts of the seas of the Japanese Archipelago are speckled with thousands +of round white jelly-fish, that swim a few feet below the surface. One +can see the great steamer go ploughing through them as through a field of +frosted cakes. The huge paddle-wheels make a perfect pudding of thousands +of them, as they are dashed against the paddle-box and whipped into a +froth like white of eggs or churned into a thick cream by the propeller +blades. Sometimes the shoals are of great breadth, and then it veritably +looks as though a crockery shop had been upset in the ocean, and ten +thousand white dinner-plates had broken loose. Around the bays and +harbors the Japanese boys at play drive them with paddles into shoals, +and sometimes they poke sticks through them. This they can do easily, +because the jelly-fish has no jacket of shell or bone like the lobster, +nor any skin like a fish, and so always has to swim naked, exposed to all +kinds of danger. Sometimes great jelly-fishes, two or three feet in +diameter, sail gaily along near the shore, as proud as the +long-handled-umbrella of a daimiō, and as brilliantly colored as a +Japanese parasol. Floating all around their bodies, like the streamers of +a temple festival, or a court lady's ribbons, are their long tentacles or +feelers. No peacock stretching his bannered tail could make a finer +sight, or look prouder than these floating sun-fishes, or bladders of +living jelly. + +But alas for all things made of water! Let but a wave of unusual force, +or a sudden gust of wind come, and this lump of pride lies collapsed and +stranded on the shore, like a pancake upset into a turnover, in which +batter and crust are hopelessly mixed together. When found fresh, men +often come down to the shore and cutting huge slices of blubber, as +transparent as ice, they eat the solid water with their rice, in lieu of +drink. + +A jelly-fish as big as an umbrella, and weighing as much as a big boy, +will, after lying a few hours in the sun leave scarcely a trace on the +spot for their bodies are little more than animated masses of water. At +night, however where a jelly-fish has stranded, the ground seems to crawl +and emit a dull fire of phosphorescence which the Japanese call "dragon's +light." + +But the jelly-fish once had a shell, and was not so defenceless, say the +fairy tales. How it lost it is thus told. + + * * * * * + +In the days of old, the jelly-fish was one of the retainers in waiting +upon the Queen of the World under the Sea, at her palace in Riu Gu. In +those days he had a shell, and as his head was hard, no one dared to +insult him, or stick him with their horns, or pinch him with their claws, +or scratch him with their nails, or brush rudely by him with their fins. +In short, this fish instead of being a lump of jelly, as white and +helpless as a pudding, as we see him now, was a lordly fellow that could +get his back up and keep it high when he wished to. He waited on the +queen and right proud was he of his office. He was on good terms with the +King's dragon, which often allowed him to play with his scaly tail but +never hurt him in the least. + +One day the Queen fell sick, and every hour grew worse. The King became +anxious, and her subjects talked about nothing else but her sickness. +There was grief all through the water-world; from the mermaids on their +beds of sponge, and the dragons in the rocky caverns, down to the tiny +gudgeons in the rivers, that were considered no more than mere bait. The +jolly cuttle-fish stopped playing his drums and guitar, folded his six +arms and hid away moping in his hole. His servant the lobster in vain +lighted his candle at night, and tried to induce him to come out of his +lair. The dolphins and porpoises wept tears, but the clams, oysters and +limpets shut up their shells and did not even wiggle. The flounders and +skates lay flat on the ocean's floor, never even lifting up their noses. +The squid wept a great deal of ink, and the jelly-fish nearly melted to +pure water. The tortoise was patient and offered to do anything for the +relief of the Queen. + +But nothing could be done. The cuttle-fish who professed to be "a kind of +a" doctor, offered the use of all his cups to suck out the poison, if +that were the trouble. + +But it wasn't. It was internal, and nothing but medicine that could be +swallowed would reach the disease. + +At last some one suggested that the liver of a monkey would be a specific +for the royal sickness, and it was resolved to try it. The tortoise, who +was the Queen's messenger, because he could live on both land and water, +swim or crawl, was summoned. He was told to go upon earth to a certain +mountain, catch a monkey and bring him alive to the Under-world. + +Off started the tortoise on his journey to the earth, and going to a +mountain where the monkeys lived, squatted down at the foot of a tree and +pretended to be asleep though keeping his claws and tail out. There he +waited patiently, well knowing that curiosity and the monkey's love of +tricks would bring one within reach of his talons. Pretty soon, a family +of chattering monkeys came running along among the branches overhead, +when suddenly a young _saru_ (monkey) caught sight of the sleeping +tortoise. + +"_Naru hodo_" (Is it possible?) said the long-handed fellow, "here's fun; +let's tickle the old fellow's back and pull his tail." + +All agreed, and forthwith a dozen monkeys, joining hand over hand, made a +long ladder of themselves until they just reached the tortoise's back. +(They didn't use their tails, for Japanese monkeys have none, except +stumps two inches long). However, he who was to be the tail end of this +living rope, when all was ready, crawled along and slipped over the whole +line, whispering as he slid: + +"'Sh! don't chatter or laugh, you'll wake the old fellow up." + +Now the monkey expected to hold on the living pendulum by one long hand, +and swinging down with the other, to pull the tortoise's tail, and see +how near he could come to his snout without being snapped up. For a +monkey well knew that a tortoise could neither jump off its legs nor +climb a tree. + +Once! Twice! The monkey pendulum swung back and forth without touching. + +Three! Four! The monkey's finger-nails scratched the tortoise's back. Yet +old Hard Shell pretended to be sound asleep. + +Five! Six! The monkey caught hold of the tortoise's tail and jerked it +hard. Old Tortoise now moved out its head a little, as if still only half +awake. + +Seven! Eight! This time the monkey intended to pull the tortoise's head, +when just as he came within reach, the tortoise snapped him, held him in +his claws, and as the monkey pendulum swung back he lost his hold. In an +instant he was jerked loose, and fell head-foremost to the ground, half +stunned. + +Frightened at the loss of their end link, the other monkeys of the chain +wound themselves up like a windlass over the branches, and squatting on +the trees, set up a doleful chattering. + +"Now," says the tortoise, "I want you to go with me. If you don't, I'll +eat you up. Get on my back and I'll carry you; but I must hold your paw +in my mouth so you won't run away." + +Half frightened to death, the monkey obeyed, and the tortoise trotted off +to the sea, swam to the spot over the Queen's palace, and in a fillip of +the finger was down in the gardens of Riu Gu. + +Here, let me say, that according to another version of this story the +monkeys assembled in force when they suspected what the tortoise had come +after, and catching him napping turned him over on his back so that he +could not move or bite. Then they took his under shell off, so that he +had to travel back to Riu Gu and get another one. This last version +however is uncertain and it looks like a piece of invention to +suppose that the monkeys had a sufficient medical knowledge to make them +suspicious of the design of the tortoise on the monkey's liver. I prefer +the regular account. + +[Illustration: THE MONKEYS IN GRIEF.] + +The Queen hearing of the monkey's arrival thanked the tortoise, and +commanded her cook and baker to feed him well and treat him kindly, for +the queen felt really sorry because he was to lose his liver. + +As for the monkey he enjoyed himself very much, and ran around everywhere +amusing the star-fishes, clams, oysters and other pulpy creatures that +could not run, by his rapid climbing of the rocks and coral bushes, and +by rolling over the sponge beds and cutting all manner of antics. + +They had never before seen anything like it. Poor fellow! he didn't +suspect what was to come. + +All this time however the jelly-fish pitied him in his heart, and could +hardly keep what he knew to himself. Seeing that the monkey, lonely and +homesick was standing by the shore of a pond, the jelly-fish squeezed +himself up near him and said: + +"Excuse my addressing you, I feel very sorry for you because you are to +be put to death." + +"Why?" said the monkey, "What have I done?" + +"Oh, nothing," said the jelly-fish, "only our queen is sick and she wants +your liver for medicine." + +Then if ever any one saw a sick looking monkey it was this one. As the +Japanese say "his liver was smashed." He felt dreadfully afraid. He put +his hands over his eyes, and immediately began to plan how to save both +his liver and his life. + +After a while the rain began to fall heavily, and the monkey ran in out +of the garden, and standing in the hall of the Queen's palace began to +weep bitterly. Just then the tortoise, passing by, saw his captive. + +"What are you crying about?" + +"Aita! aita!" cried the monkey, "When I left my home on the earth, I +forgot to bring my liver with me, but hung it upon a tree, and now it is +raining and my liver will decay and I'll die. Aita! aita!" and the poor +monkey's eyes became red as a _tai_ fish, and streamed with tears. + +When the tortoise told the Queen's courtiers what the monkey had said, +their faces fell. + +"Why, here's a pretty piece of business. The monkey is of no use without +his liver. We must send him after it." + +So they dispatched the tortoise to the earth again, the monkey sitting +a-straddle of his back. They came to the mountain again, and the tortoise +being a little lazy, waited at the foot while the monkey scampered off, +saying he would be back in an hour. The two creatures had become so well +acquainted that the old Hard Shell fully trusted the lively little +fellow. + +But instead of an hour the tortoise waited till evening. No monkey came. +So finding himself fooled, and knowing all the monkeys would take the +alarm, he waddled back and told the Queen all about it. + +"Then," said the Queen after reprimanding her messenger for his silly +confidence, "the monkey must have got wind of our intention to use his +liver, and what is more, some one of my retainers or servants must have +told him." + +Then the Queen issued an order commanding all her subjects to appear +before the Dragon-King of the Sea. Whoever did this wicked thing, Kai Riu +O would punish him. + +Now it happened that all the fish and sea animals of all sorts, that +swam, crawled, rolled or moved in any way, appeared before Kai Riu O, the +Dragon-King, and his Queen--all except the jelly-fish. Then the Queen +knew the jelly-fish was the guilty one. She ordered the culprit to be +brought into her presence. Then publicly, before all her retainers and +servants, she cried out: + +"You leaky-tongued wretch, for your crime of betraying the confidence of +your sovereign, you shall no longer remain among shell-fish. I condemn +you to lose your shell." + +Then she stripped off his shell, and left the poor jelly-fish entirely +naked and ashamed. + +"Be off, you tell-tale. Hereafter all your children shall be soft and +defenceless." + +The poor jelly-fish blushed crimson, squeezed himself out, and swam off +out of sight. Since that time jelly-fishes have had no shells. + + + + +LORD CUTTLE-FISH GIVES A CONCERT. + + +Despite the loss of the monkey's liver, the queen of the World under the +Sea, after careful attention and long rest, got well again, and was able +to be about her duties and govern her kingdom well. The news of her +recovery created the wildest joy all over the Under-world, and from tears +and gloom and silence, the caves echoed with laughter, and the +sponge-beds with music. Every one had on a "white face." Drums, flutes +and banjos, which had been hung up on coral branches, or packed away in +shell boxes, were taken down, or brought out, and right merrily were +they struck or thrummed with the ivory _hashi_ (plectrum). The pretty +maids of the Queen put on their ivory thimble-nails, and the Queen again +listened to the sweet melodies on the _koto_, (flat harp), while down +among the smaller fry of fishy retainers and the scullions of the +kitchen, were heard the constant thump of the _tsutsumi_ (shoulder-drum), +the bang of the taiko (big drum), and the loud cries of the dancers as +they struck all sorts of attitudes with hands, feet and head. + +No allusion was openly made either to monkeys, tortoises or jelly-fish. +This would not have been polite. But the jelly-fish, in a distant pool in +the garden, could hear the refrain, "The rivers of China run into the +sea, and in it sinks the rain." + +Now in the language of the Under-world people the words for "river," and +"skin," (or "covering,") and "China," and "shell," and "rain," and +"jelly," are the same. So the chorus, which was nothing but a string of +puns, meant, "The skin of the jelly-fish runs to the sea, and in it sinks +the jelly." + +But none of these musical performances were worthy of the Queen's notice; +although as evidences of the joy of her subjects, they did very well. A +great many entertainments were gotten up to amuse the finny people, but +the Queen was present at none of them except the one about to be +described. How and why she became a spectator shall also be told. + +One night the queen was sitting in the pink drawing-room, arrayed in her +queenly robes, for she was quite recovered and expected to walk out in +the evening. Everything in the room, except a vase of green and golden +colored sponge-plant, and a plume of glass-thread, was of a pink color. +Then there was a pretty rockery made of a pyramid of pumice, full of +embossed rosettes of living sea-anemones of scarlet, orange, grey and +black colors, which were trained to fold themselves up like an umbrella, +or blossom out like chrysanthemums, at certain hours of the day, or when +touched, behaving just like four o'clocks and sensitive plants. + +All the furniture and hangings of the rooms were pink. The floor was made +of mats woven from strips of shell-nacre, bound at the sides with an inch +border of pink coral. The ceiling was made of the rarest of pink shells +wrought into flowers and squares. The walls were decorated with the same +material, representing sea-scenes, jewels and tortoise shell patterns. In +the _tokonoma_, or raised space, was a bouquet of sea-weed of richest +dyes, and in the nooks was an open cabinet holding several of the +queen's own treasures, such as a tiara which looked like woven threads of +crystal (Euplectella), and a toilet box and writing case made of solid +pink coral. The gem of all was a screen having eight folds, on which was +depicted the palace and throne-room of Riu Gu, the visit of Toda, and the +procession of the Queen, nobles and grandees that escorted the brave +archer, when he took his farewell to return to earth. + +The Queen sat on the glistening sill of the wide window looking out over +her gardens, her two maids sitting at her feet. The sound of music wafted +through the coral groves and crystal grottoes reached her ear. + +"_O medzurashi gozarimasu!_" "(How wonderful this is!)" exclaimed the +queen, half aloud. "What strange music is this? It is neither guitar, +nor hand, nor shoulder drum, nor singing. It seems to be a mixture of +all. Hear! It sounds as if a band with many instruments was playing to +the accompaniment of a large choir of voices." + +True enough! It was the most curious music ever heard in Riu Gu, for to +tell the truth the voices were not in perfect accord, though all kept +good time. The sound seemed to issue from the mansion of Lord +Cuttle-fish, the palace physician. The queen's curiosity was roused. + +"I shall go and see what it is," said she, as she rose up. Suddenly she +recollected, and exclaimed: + +"O, no, it would not be proper for me to be seen in public at this hour +of the evening, and if it is in Lord Cuttle-fish's mansion, I could not +enter without a retinue, No, it won't do for me, it's beneath my +dignity," said her majesty to herself as she went over to touch her +anemones, while her maids fanned her, seeing their mistress flushed with +excitement, and fearing a relapse. + +Curiosity got the better of the queenly lady, and off she started with +only her two maids who held aloft over her head, the long pearl-handled +fans made of white shark's fins. + +"Besides," thought she, "perhaps the concert is outside, in the garden. +If so, I can look down and see from the great green rock that overlooks +it, and my lord Kai Riu O need not know of it." + +The Queen walked over her pebbled garden walk, avoiding the great high +road paved with white coral rock, and taking a by-path trimmed with +fan-coral. The sound of the drums and voices grew louder, until as she +reached the top of a green rock back of Lord Cuttle-fish's garden, the +whole performance was open to her view. + +It was so funny, and the queen was so overcome at the comical sight, that +she nearly fell down and got the hysterics, laughing so heartily. She +utterly forgot her dignity, and laughed till the tears ran down her face. +She was so afraid she would scream out, that she nearly choked herself to +death with her sleeve, while her alarmed maids, though meaning nothing by +their acts but friendly help, slapped her back to give her breath. + +There, at the top of a high green rock, all covered with barnacles, on a +huge tuft of sponge, sat Lord Cuttle-fish, playing on three musical +instruments at once. His great warty speckled head, six feet high, like a +huge bag upside down, was bent forward to read the notes of his music +book by the light of a wax candle, which was stuck in the feelers of a +prickly lobster, and patiently held. Of his six pulpy arms one long one +ran down like the trunk of an elephant, fingering along the pages of a +music book. Two others were used to play the guitar, one to grasp the +handle and pinch the strings, and the other to hold the ivory stick to +strike the strings. The tsutsumi (small double drum) was held on his +shoulder and neck, while still another arm curled up in a bunch, punched +it like a fist. Below him was a another, a bass drum, set in a frame, and +in his last leg, or arm, was clutched a heavy drum-stick, which pounded +out tremendous noise, if not music. There the old fellow sat with his +head bobbing, and all his six cuppy arms in motion, his rolling blue eyes +ogling the notes, and his mouth like an elephant's, screeching out the +song, which was made up of puns on 'tortoises,' 'monkeys,' +'jelly-fishes,' 'livers' and 'shell,' though the real words made an +entirely different sense. + +All this time, in front of Lord Cuttle-fish, sat the lobster holding up +the light, like the _kurombo_, or black fellows who hold candles at the +end of long-handled candle-sticks on the stage of the theatres so that +the people may see the faces of the actors. + +But the audience, or rather the orchestra was the funniest part of all. +They could hardly be called listeners, for they were all performers. On +the left was the lusty red-faced _tai_ fish with its gills wide open, +singing at the top, or rather at the bottom, of his throat, and beating +time by flapping his wide fins. Just back of him was a little gudgeon, +silent and fanning himself with a blue flat fan, having disgracefully +broken down on a high note. Next behind, on the right, was a long-nosed +gar-fish singing alto, and proud of her slender form, with the last new +thing in folding fans held in her fin. In the fore-ground squatted a +great fat frog with big bulging eyes, singing base, and leading the choir +by flapping his webbed fingers up and down with his frightful cavern of a +mouth wide open. Next, sat the stately and dignified mackerel who was +rather scandalized at the whole affair, and kept very still, refusing to +join in. At the mackerel's right fin, squeaked out the stupid flat-headed +_fugu_ fish with her big eye impolitely winking at the servant-maid just +bringing in refreshments; for the truth was, she was thirsty after so +much vocal exercise. The _fugu_ was very vain and always played the +coquette around the hooks of the fishermen who always liked to eat her +because she was so sweet, yet her flesh was poison. + +"How strange it is that men will angle after that ugly hussy, when she +poisons them," was the oft-repeated remark of the gar-fish. + +Just behind the herring, with one eye on Lord Cuttle-fish and one on the +coming refreshments, was the skate. The truth must be told that the +entire right wing of the orchestra was very much demoralized by the smell +of the steaming tea and eatables just about to be served. The suppon, +(tortoise with a snout like a bird's beak,) though he continued to sing, +impolitely turned his head away from Lord Cuttle-fish, and his back to +the frog that acted as precentor. The sucker, though very homely, and +bloated with fat, kept on in the chorus, and pretended not to notice the +waiter and her tray and cups. Indeed, Madame Sucker thought it quite +vulgar in the tortoise to be so eager after the cakes and wine. + +In truth the concert had been long, and all were thirsty and ready for a +bite and a drink. + +Suddenly the music ceased, and the long clatter on the drum announced the +end. Lord Cuttle-fish kicked over his drum, unscrewed his guitar, and +packed it away in his music box. He then slid along on his six slippery +legs to the refreshments, and actually amused the company by standing on +his head, and twirling his six cuppy arms around. + +At this Miss Mackerel was quite shocked, and whispered under her fan to +the gar-fish, "It is quite undignified. What would the Queen say if she +saw it?" not knowing that the Queen was looking on. + +Then all sat down on their tails, propped upright on one fin, and +produced their fans to cool themselves off. The lobster pulled off the +candle stump and ate it up, wiped his feelers, and joined the party. + +The liquid refreshments consisted of sweet and clear _saké_ (rice beer) +tea, and cherry-blossom water. The solids were thunder-cakes, +egg-cracknels, boiled rice, _daikon_ radishes and macaroni, lotus-root, +_taro_, and side-dishes piled up with flies, worms, bugs and all kinds of +bait for the small fry--the finny brats that were to eat at the second +table. The tea was poured by the servants of Lord Cuttle-fish. These were +the funniest little green _kappas_, or creatures half way between a +monkey and a tortoise, with yellow eyes, hands like an ape, hair clipped +short on their heads, eyes like frogs, and a mouth that stretched from +ear to ear Poor creatures! they were only too happy to know that though +they looked like monkeys their livers would not do for medicine. + +The Queen did not wait to see the end of the feast, but laughing +heartily, returned to her palace and went to sleep. + +After helping himself with all the cups of his arms out of the tub of +boiled rice, until Miss Mackerel made up her mind that he was an _omeshi +gurai_, (rice glutton,) and drinking like a shoal of fishes, Lord +Cuttle-fish went home, coiled himself up into a ball, and fell asleep. He +had a headache next morning. + + + + +YORIMASA, THE BRAVE ARCHER. + + +Genzan Yorimasa was a brave warrior and a very useful man who lived more +than eight thousand moons ago. On account of his valor and skill in the +use of the bow he was called to Kioto, and promoted to be chief guard of +the imperial palace. At that time the emperor, Narahito, could not sleep +at night, because his rest was disturbed by a frightful beast, which +scared away even the sentinels in armor who stood on guard. + +This dreadful beast had the wings of a bird, the body and claws of a +tiger, the head of a monkey, a serpent tail, and the crackling scales of +a dragon. It came after night, upon the roof of the palace, and howled +and scratched so dreadfully, that the poor mikado losing all rest, grew +weak and thin. None of the guards dare face it in hand-to-hand fight, and +none had skill enough to hit it with an arrow in the dark, though several +of the imperial corps of archers had tried again and again. When Yorimasa +received his appointment, he strung his bow carefully, and carefully +honing his steel-headed arrows, stored his quiver, and resolved to mount +guard that night with his favorite retainer. + +It chanced to be a stormy night. The lightning was very vivid, and +Kaminari, the thunder-god was beating all his drums. The wind swirled +round frightfully, as though Fuden the wind-god was emptying all his +bags. Toward midnight, the falcon eye of Yorimasa saw, during a flash of +lightning, the awful beast sitting on the "devil's tile" at the tip of +the ridge-pole, on the north-east end of the roof. He bade his retainer +have a torch of straw and twigs ready to light at a moment's notice, to +loosen his blade, and wet its hilt-pin, while he fitted the notch of his +best arrow into the silk cord of his bow. + +Keeping his eyes strained, he pretty soon saw the glare now of one eye, +now two eyes, as the beast with swaying head crept along the great roof +to the place on the eaves directly under the mikado's sleeping-room. +There it stopped. + +This was Yorimasa's opportunity. Aiming about a foot to the right of +where he saw the eye glare, he drew his yard-length shaft clear back to +his shoulder, and let fly. A dull thud, a frightful howl, a heavy bump +on the ground, and the writhing of some creature among the pebbles, told +in a few seconds time that the shaft had struck flesh. The next instant +Yorimasa's retainer rushed out with blazing torch and joined battle with +his dirk. Seizing the beast by the neck, he quickly despatched him, by +cutting his throat. Then they flayed the monster, and the next morning +the hide was shown to his majesty. + +All congratulated Yorimasa on his valor and marksmanship. Many young men, +sons of nobles and warriors, begged to become his pupils in archery. The +mikado ordered a noble of very high rank to present to Yorimasa a famous +sword named Shishi-no-ō, (King of Wild Boars), and to give him a lovely +maid of honor named Ayami, to wife. And so the brave and the fair were +married, and to this day the fame of Yorimasa is like the +"umé-také-matsu," (plum-blossom, bamboo and pine), fragrant, green and +ever-during. + +[Illustration: YORIMASA AND THE NIGHT-BEAST.] + + + + +WATANABE CUTS OFF THE ONI'S ARM. + + +When the capital of Japan was the city of Kioto, and the mikado dwelt in +it with all his court, there lived a brave captain of the guard named +Yorimitsu, who belonged to the famous Minamoto family. He was also called +Raiko, and by this name he is best known to all the boys and girls in +Great Japan. Under Captain Raiko were three brave guardsmen, one of whom +was named Watanabé Tsuna. The duty of these men-at-arms was to watch at +the gates leading to the palace. + +It had come to pass that the blossom capital had fallen in a dreadful +condition, because the guards at the other gates had been neglected. +Thieves were numerous and murders were frequent, so that every one in the +city was afraid to go out into the streets at night. Worse than all else, +was the report that oni or imps were prowling around in the dark to seize +people by the hair of the head. Then they would drag them away to the +mountains, tear the flesh off their bones, and eat them up. + +The worst place in the city, to which the horned imps came oftenest, was +at the south-western gate called the Rajo-mon. + +To this post of danger, Raiko sent Tsuna, the bravest of his guards. + +It was on a dark, rainy and dismal night, that Tsuna started, well-armed, +to stand sentinel at the gate. His trusty helmet was knotted over his +chin, and all the pieces of his armor were well laced up. His sandals +were girt tight to his feet, and in his belt was thrust the trusty sword, +freshly ground, until its edge was like a razor's, and with it the owner +could cut asunder a hair floating in the air. + +Arriving at the red pillar of the gate, Tsuna paced up and down the stone +way with eyes and ears wide open. The wind was blowing frightfully, the +storm howled and the rain fell in such torrents that soon the cords of +Tsuna's armor and his dress were soaked through. + +The great bronze bell of the temples on the hills boomed out the hours +one after another, until a single stroke told Tsuna it was the hour of +the Rat (midnight). + +Two hours passed, and the hour of the Bull sounded (2 A.M.,) still Tsuna +was wide awake. The storm had lulled, but it was darker than ever. + +The hour of the Tiger (3 o'clock) rung out, and the soft mellow notes of +the temple bell died away like a lullaby wooing one to sleep, spite of +will and vow. + +The warrior, almost without knowing it, grew sleepy and fell into a doze. +He started and woke up. He shook himself, jingled his armor, pinched +himself, and even pulled out his little knife from the wooden scabbard of +his dirk, and pricked his leg with the point of it to keep awake, but all +in vain. Unconsciously overcome, he leaned against the gate-post, and +fell asleep. + +This was just what the imp wanted. All the time he had been squatting on +the cross-piece at the top of the gate waiting his opportunity. He now +slid down as softly as a monkey, and with his iron-like claws grabbed +Tsuna by the helmet, and began to drag him into the air. + +In an instant Tsuna was awake. Seizing the hairy wrist of the imp with +his left hand, with his right he drew his sword, swept it round his head, +and cut off the demon's arm. The oni, frightened and howling with pain, +leaped up the post and disappeared in the clouds. + +Tsuna waited with drawn sword in hand, lest the oni might come again, but +in a few hours morning dawned. The sun rose on the pagodas and gardens +and temples of the capitol and the nine-fold circle of flowery hills. +Everything was beautiful and bright. Tsuna returned to report to his +captain, carrying the oni's arm in triumph. Raiko examined it, and loudly +praised Tsuna for his bravery, and rewarded him with a silken sash. + +Now it is said that if an oni's arm be cut off it cannot be made to unite +with the body again, if kept apart for a week. So Raiko warned Tsuna to +lock it up, and watch it night and day, lest it be stolen from him. + +So Tsuna went to the stone-cutters who made idols of Buddha, mortars for +pounding rice, and coffers for burying money in to be hidden away in the +ground, and bought a strong box cut out of the solid stone. It had a +heavy lid on it, which slid in a groove and came out only by touching a +secret spring. Then setting it in his bed chamber, he guarded it day and +night, keeping the gate and all his doors locked. He allowed no one who +was a stranger to look at the trophy. + +Six days passed by, and Tsuna began to think his prize was sure, for were +not all his doors tight shut? So he set the box out in the middle of the +room, and twisting some rice-straw fringe in token of sure victory and +rejoicing, he sat down in ease before it. He took off his armor and put +on his court robes. During the evening, but rather late, there was a +feeble knock like that of an old woman at the gate outside. + +Tsuna cried out, "Who's there?" + +The squeaky voice of his aunt (as it seemed), who was a very old woman, +replied "Me, I want to see my nephew, to praise him for his bravery in +cutting the oni's arm off." + +So Tsuna let her in and carefully locking the door behind her, helped the +old crone into the room, where she sat down on the mats in front of the +box and very close to it. Then she grew very talkative, and praised her +nephew's exploit, until Tsuna felt very proud. + +All the time the old woman's left shoulder was covered with her dress +while her right hand was out. Then she begged earnestly to be allowed to +see the limb. Tsuna at first politely refused, but she urged, until +yielding affectionately he slid back the stone lid just a little. + +"This is my arm" cried the old hag, turning into an oni, and dragging out +the arm. + +She flew up to the ceiling, and was out of the smoke-slide through the +roof in a twinkling. Tsuna rushed out of the house to shoot her with an +arrow, but he saw only a demon far off in the clouds grinning horribly. +He noted carefully however that the direction of the imps' flight was to +the north-west. + +A council was now held by Raiko's band, and it was decided that the +lurking-place of the demons must be in the mountains of Oyé in the +province of Tango. It was resolved to hunt out and destroy the imps. + + + + +WATANABE KILLS THE GREAT SPIDER. + + +During the time in which Watanabé was forming his plan to destroy the +onis that lurked in the Oyé mountains, the brave Raiko fell sick, and +daily grew weaker and paler. When the demons found this out they sent the +three-eyed imp called Mitsumé Kozo, to plague him. + +This imp, which had a snout like a hog's, three monstrous blue eyes, and +a mouth full of tusks, was glad that the brave soldier could no longer +fight the onis. He would approach the sick man in his chamber, leer +horribly at him, loll out his tongue, and pull down the lids of his eyes +with his hairy fingers, until the sight sickened Raiko more and more. + +But Raiko, well or ill, always slept with his trusty sword under his +pillow, and pretending to be greatly afraid, and to cower under the +bed-clothes, the kozo grew bolder and bolder. When the imp was near the +bed, Raiko drew his blade, and cut the oni across his huge double nose. +This made the demon howl, and he ran away, leaving tracks of blood. + +When Tsuna and his band heard of their brave master's exploit, they came +to congratulate him, and offered to hunt out the demon and destroy him. + +They followed the red drops until they came to a cavern in the mountains. +Entering this they saw in the gloom a spider six feet high, with legs as +long as a fishing-pole, and as thick as a daikon radish. Two great +yellow eyes glared at them like lamps. They noticed a great gaping wound +as if done by a sword-cut on his snout. + +It was a horrible, nasty hairy thing to fight with swords, since to get +near enough, they would be in danger of the creature's claws. So Tsuna +went and chopped down a tree as thick as a man's leg, leaving the roots +on, while his comrades prepared a rope to tie up the monster like a fly +in a web. Then with a loud yell Tsuna rushed at the spider, felled him +with a blow, and held him down with the tree and roots so he could not +bite or use his claws. Seeing this, his comrades rushed in, and bound the +monster's legs tight to his body so that he could not move. Drawing their +swords they passed them through his body and finished him. Returning in +triumph to the city, they found their dear captain recovered from his +illness. + +Raiko thanked his brave warriors for their exploits, made a feast for +them, and gave them many presents. At this feast Captain Raiko told them +that he had received orders from the mikado to march against the oni's +den in Tango, slaughter them all, and rescue the prisoners he should find +there. Then he showed them his commission written in large letters, + +"I command you, Raiko, to chastise the onis." + +He also allowed them to examine the gold brocade bag, in which it was +kept, and which one of the fair ladies of the court had made for him with +her own tapering fingers. + +At this time many families in Kioto were grieving over the loss of their +children, and even while Tsuna had been away, several lovely damsels had +been seized and taken to the demon's den. + +Lest the onis might hear of their coming, and escape, the four trusty men +disguised themselves as Komuso or wandering priests of the mountains. +They put on over their helmets, huge hats like wash-bowls, made of straw, +woven so tightly that no one could see their faces. They covered their +armor with very cheap and common clothes, and then after worshipping at +the shrines, began their march. + + + + +RAIKO AND THE SHI-TEN DOJI. + + +Quite pathless were the desolate mountains of Tango, for no one ever went +into them except once in a while a poor woodcutter or charcoal-burner; +yet Raiko and his men set out with stout hearts. There were no bridges +over the streams, and frightful precipices abounded. Once they had to +stop and build a bridge by felling a tree, and walking across it over a +dangerous chasm. Once they came to a steep rock, to descend which they +must make a ladder of creeping vines. At last they reached a dense grove +at the top of a cliff, far up to the clouds, which seemed as if it might +contain the demon's castle. + +Approaching, they found a pretty maiden washing some clothes which had +spots of blood on them. They said to her, "Sister, Miss, why are you +here, and what are you doing?" + +"Ah," said she, with a deep sigh, "you must not come here. This is the +haunt of demons. They eat human flesh and they will eat yours." "Look +there" said she pointing to a pile of white bones of men, women and +children, "You must go down the mountain as quickly as you came." Saying +this she burst into tears. + +But instead of being frightened or sorrowful, the brave fellows nearly +danced for joy. "We have come here for the purpose of destroying the +demons by the mikado's orders," said Raiko, patting his breast, where +inside his dress in the damask bag was the imperial order. + +At this the maiden dried her tears and smiled so sweetly that Raiko's +heart was touched by her beauty. + +"But how came you to live among these cannibal demons," asked Raiko. + +She blushed deeply as she replied sadly "Although they eat men and old +women, they keep the young maidens to wait on them." + +"It's a great pity" said Raiko, "but we shall now avenge our fellow +subjects of the mikado, as well as your shame and cruel treatment, if you +will show us the way up the cliff to the den." + +They began to climb the hill but they had not gone far before they met a +young oni who was a cook in the great dōji's kitchen. He was carrying a +human limb for his master's lunch. They gnashed their teeth silently, +and clutched their swords under their coats. Yet they courteously saluted +the cook-demon, and asked for an interview with the chief. The demon +smiled in his sleeve, thinking what a fine dinner his master would make +of the four men. + +A few feet forward, and a turn in the path brought them to the front of +the demon's castle. Among tall and mighty boulders of rock, which loomed +up to the clouds, there was an opening in the dense groves, thickly +covered with vines and mosses like an arbor. From this point, the view +over the plains below commanded a space of hundreds of miles. In the +distance the red pagodas, white temple-gables and castle towers of Kioto +were visible. + +Inside the cave was a banqueting hall large enough to seat one hundred +persons. The floor was neatly covered with new, clean mats of sea-green +rice-straw, on which tables, silken cushions, arm-rests, drinking-cups, +bottles and many other articles of comfort lay about. The stone walls +were richly decorated with curtains and hangings of fine silken stuffs. + +At the end of the long hall, on a raised dais, our heroes presently +observed, as a curtain was lifted, the chief demon, Shi-ten dōji, of +august, yet frightful appearance. He was seated on a heap of luxurious +cushions made of blue and crimson crape, stuffed with swan's down. He was +leaning on a golden arm-rest. His body was quite red, and he was round +and fat like a baby grown up. He had very black hair cut like a small +boy's, and on the top of his head, just peeping through the hair were +two very short horns. Around him were a score of lovely maidens--the +fairest of Kioto--on whose beautiful faces was stamped the misery they +dared not fully show, yet could not entirely conceal. Along the wall +other demons sat or lay at full length, each one with his handmaid seated +beside him to wait on him and pour out his wine. All of them were of +horrible aspect, which only made the beauty of the maidens more +conspicuous. Seeing our heroes walk in the hall led by the cook, each one +of the demons was as happy as a spider, when in his lurking hole he feels +the jerk on his web-thread that tells him a fly is caught. All of them at +once poured out a fresh saucer of saké and drank it down. + +Raiko and his men separated, and began talking freely with the demons +until the partitions at one corner were slid aside, and a troop of +little demons who were waiter-boys entered. They brought in a host of +dishes, and the onis fell to and ate. The noise of their jaws sounded +like the pounding of a rice mill. + +Our heroes were nearly sickened at the repast, for it consisted chiefly +of human flesh, while the wine-cups were made of empty human skulls. +However, they laughed and talked and excused themselves from eating, +saying they had just lunched. + +As the demons drank more and more they grew lively, laughed till the cave +echoed, and sang uproarious songs. Every time they grinned, they showed +their terrible tusks, and teeth like fangs. All of them had horns, though +most of these were very short. + +The dōji became especially hilarious, and drank the health of every one +of his four guests in a skull full of wine. To supply him there was a +tub full of saké at hand, and his usual drinking-vessel was a dish which +seemed to Tsuma to be as large as a full moon. + +Raiko now offered to return the courtesies shown them by dancing "the +Kioto dance," for which he was famous. Stepping out into the centre of +the hall, with his fan in one hand, he danced gracefully and with such +wonderful ease, that the onis screamed with delight, and clapped their +hands in applause, saying they had never seen anything to equal it. Even +the maidens, lost in admiration of the polished courtier, forgot their +sorrow, and felt as happy for the time as though they were at home +dancing. + +The dance finished, Raiko took from his bosom a bottle of saké, and +offered it to the chief demon as a gift, saying it was the best wine of +Sakai. The delighted dōji drank and gave a sip to each of his lords +saying, "This is the best liquor I ever tasted, you must drink the health +of our friends in it." + +Now Raiko had bought, at the most skillful druggists' in the capital, a +powerful sleeping potion, and mixed it with the wine, which made it taste +very sweet. In a few minutes all the demons had dropped off asleep, and +their snores sounded like the rolling thunder of the mountains. + +Then Raiko rose up and gave the signal to his comrades. Whispering to the +maidens to leave the room quietly, they drew their swords, and with as +little noise as possible cut the throats of the demons. No sound was +heard but the gurgling of blood that ran out in floods on the floor. The +dōji lying like a lion on his cushions was still sleeping, the snores +issuing out of his nose like thunder from a cloud. The four warriors +approached him and like loyal vassals as they were, they first turned +their faces towards Kioto, reverenced the mikado, and prayed for the +blessing of the gods who made Japan. Raiko then drew near, and measuring +the width of the doji's neck with his sword found that it would be short. +Suddenly, the blade lengthened of itself. Then lifting his weapon, he +smote with all his might and cut the neck clean through. + +In an instant, the bloody head flew up in the air gnashing its teeth and +rolling its yellow eyes, while the horns sprouted out to a horrible +length, the jaws opening and shutting like the edges of an earthquake +fissure. It flew up and whirled round the room seven times. Then with a +rush it flew at Raiko's head, and bit through the straw hat and into the +iron helmet inside. But this final effort exhausted its strength, it's +motions ceased and it fell heavily to the floor. + +Anxiously the comrades helped their fallen leader to rise, and examined +his head. But he was unhurt,--not a scratch was on him. Then the heroes +congratulated each other and after despatching the smaller demons, +brought out all the treasure and divided it equally. Then they set the +castle on fire and buried the bones of the victims, setting up a stone to +mark the spot. All the maidens and captives were assembled together, and +in great state and pomp they returned to Kioto. The virgins were restored +to their parents, and many a desolate home was made joyful, and many +mourning garments taken off. Raiko was honored by the mikado in being +made a kugé (court noble,) and was appointed Chief of the entire garrison +of Kiotō. Then all the people were grateful for his valor. + + + + +THE SAZAYE AND THE TAI. + + +Sazayé is a shell-fish, which is very proud of its shell. This is high, +full of points like towers, and thick like a castle wall. When feeding, +enjoying itself or moving around, its long neck and body are stretched +out before it, armed with its hard operculum, which is like an iron +shield, or the end of a battering ram. The operculum fits the entrance to +its shell like a trap door. As soon as any danger is near it pulls in its +head, and slams itself shut with a loud noise. + +On account of the hardness and thickness of his shell, the sazayé is the +envy of the soft-bodied fishes that covet his security. But on the other +hand the sazayé, though a slow moving creature, is apt to be too proud of +his defence and trust too much to his fancied security. + + * * * * * + +One day a Tai (red fish) and a Herring were looking at the strong shell +of the sazayé, and becoming quite envious, the Tai said: + +"What a mighty strong castle you do live in, Mr. Sazayé. When you once +shut up your shell no one need even try to touch you. You are to be +envied sir." + +The Sazayé was tickled at the flattery, but pretending to be very humble, +shook his head and said: + +"It is very kind in you, my lords, to say so, but my little hut is +nothing but a shell; yet I must say that when I lock my door I do not +feel any anxiety, and I really pity you poor fellows who have no shell at +all." + +He had hardly got the last word out of his grisly throat, when suddenly +there was a great splash, and away darted the tai and herring, never +resting their fins or tails a moment till safe out of danger. + +The Sazayé drew in his flap in the twinkling of an eye, and keeping as +quiet as possible, wondered what the noise was. Was it a stone, or a net, +or a fish-hook? He wondered if the tai and herring were caught. + +"Surely they must be," thought he. "However I'm safe, thanks to my castle +shell," he muttered. + +So drawing his trap tighter he took a long nap. When he woke up, quite +refreshed, he cautiously loosened his trap and peeped out. + +"How strange every thing looks, am I dreaming?" said he as he saw piles +of fish, clams, prawns and lobsters lying on a board all around him. + +"Ugh, what is that?" clapping himself shut as a great black-nosed and +long-whiskered dog poked his muzzle near him. + +Poor shell-fish! There he lay in a fishmonger's shop, with a slip of +paper marked "ten cash," (1-10 of a cent,) on his back. A few hours +later, purchased by a laborer's wife for his dinner, he was stewing along +with several of his relative's in his own juice. The castle, of which he +was so proud, serving first as a dinner-pot, then as a saucer, after +which it was thrown away in a heap and burned into lime. + +[Illustration: THE FISH STALL IN TOKIO.] + + + + +SMELLS AND JINGLES. + + +Yedo people are very fond of broiled eels. A rich merchant, named +Kisaburo, who was very miserly with his money, once moved his quarters +next door to the shop of one Kichibei, who caught and cooked eels for a +living. During the night Mr. Kichibei caught his stock in trade, and in +the day-time served them, smoking hot, to his customers. Cut into pieces +three or four inches long, they were laid to sizzle on a grid-iron over +red hot charcoal, which was kept in a glow by constant fanning. + +Kisaburo, wishing to save money, and having a strong imagination, daily +took his seat at meal time close to his neighbor's door. Eating his +boiled rice, and snuffing in the odors of the broiled eels, as they were +wafted in, he enjoyed with his nose, what he would not pay for to put in +his mouth. In this way, as he flattered himself, he saved much money, and +his strong box grew daily heavier. + +Kichibei, the eel-broiler, on finding this out, thought he would charge +his stingy neighbor for the smell of his eels. So, making out his bill he +presented it to Kisaburo, who seemed to be much pleased. He called to his +wife to bring his iron-bound money box, which was done. Emptying out the +shining mass of _kobans_ (oval gold pieces, worth five or six dollars), +_ichi-bu_ and _ni-bu_ (square silver pieces, worth a quarter and a half +dollar respectively) he jingled the coins at a great rate, and then +touching the eel-man's bill with his fan, bowed, low and said with a +smile: + +[Illustration: A JINGLE FOR A SNIFF.] + +"All right, neighbor Kichibei, we are square now." + +"What!" cried the eel-frier, "are you not going to pay me?" + +"Why yes, I have paid you. You have charged me for the smell of your +eels, and I have paid you with the sound of my money." + + + + +THE LAKE OF THE LUTE AND THE MATCHLESS MOUNTAIN. + + +Of all the beautiful objects in "the land of the holy gods," as the +Japanese call their country, none are more beautiful than Fuji Mountain +and Lake Biwa. The one is a great cone of white snow, the other is a +sheet of heaven-blue water, in shape like a lute with four strings. + +Sweeping from twenty square leagues of space out of the plain and rising +twelve thousand feet in air, Fuji, or Fusi Yama, casts its sunset shadow +far out on the ocean, and from fourteen provinces gleams the splendor of +its snowy crest. It sits like a king on his throne in the heart of +Suruga Province. + +One hundred and thirty miles to the west as the crane wings her flight, +in the heart of Omi, is Biwa Ko, the lake of the lute. It is sixty miles +long and as blue as the sky whose mirror it is. Along its banks rise +white-walled castles and stretch mulberry plantations. On its bosom rise +wooded islands, white, but not with frost; for thousands of herons nestle +on the branches of the trees, like lilies on their stems. Down under the +blue depths, say the people, is the Dragon shrine (Riu Gu), where dwell +the dragon-helmed Kai Riu O, and his consort, the shell-crowned Queen of +the World Under the Sea. + +Why do the pilgrims from all over the empire exclaim joyfully, while +climbing Fuji's cinder-beds and lava-blocks, "I am a man of Omi"? Why, +when quenching their thirst with the melted snow-water of Fuji crater, do +they cry out "I am drinking from Lake Biwa"? Why do the children clap +their hands, as they row or sail over Biwa's blue surface, and say: "I am +on top of Fuji Yama"? + +To these questions the Japanese legend gives answer. + + * * * * * + +When Heaven and earth were first created, there was neither Lake of Biwa +nor Mountain of Fuji. Suruga and Omi were both plains. Even for long +after men inhabited Japan and the Mikados had ruled for centuries there +was neither earth so nigh to heaven nor water so close to the Under-world +as the peaks of Fuji and the bottom of Biwa. Men drove the plow and +planted the rice over the very spot where crater and deepest depth now +are. + +But one night in the ancient times there was a terrible earthquake. All +the world shook, the clouds lowered to the earth, floods of water poured +from the sky, and a sound like the fighting of a myriad of dragons filled +the air. In the morning all was serene and calm. The sky was blue. The +earth was as bright and all was as "white-faced" as when the sun goddess +first came out from her hiding in the cave. + +The people of Omi awoke, scarce expecting to find either earth or heaven, +when lo! they looked on what had yesterday been tilled land or barren +moor, and there was a great sheet of blue. Was it sky? Had a sheet of the +"blue field of heaven" fallen down? Was it the ocean? They came near it, +tasted it. It was fresh and sweet as a fountain-rill. They looked at it +from the hill-tops, and, seeing its outline, called it "the lake of the +four-stringed lute." Others, proud of their new possession, named it the +Lake of Omi. + +Greater still was the surprise of the Suruga people. The sailors, far out +at sea, rubbed their eyes and wondered at the strange shape of the +towering white cloud. Was it the Iwakura, the eternal throne of Heaven, +come down to rest on earth out of the many piled white clouds of heaven? +Some thought they had lost their reckoning; but were assured when they +recognized familiar landmarks on shore. Many a cottager woke up to find +his house, which lay in a valley the day before, was now far up on the +slope, with the distant villages and the sea visible; while far, far +above shone the snowy head of a mountain, whose crown lay in the blue +sky. At night the edges of the peak, like white fingers, seemed to pluck +the stars from the Milky Way. + +"What shall we call this new-born child of the gods?" said the people. +And various names were proposed. + +"There is no other mountain so beautiful in all the earth, there's not +its equal anywhere; therefore call it Fuji, (no two such), the peerless, +the matchless mountain," said one. + +"It is so tall, so comely, so grand, call it Fuji, (rich scholar, the +lordly mountain)," said another. + +"Call it Fuji, (never dying, the immortal mountain)," said a third. + +"Call it, after the festal flower of joy, Fuji" (Wistaria) said another, +as he decked the peak of his hat with the drooping clusters of the tender +blue blossom. "It looks blue and purple in the distance, just like the +fuji flower." Various as the meanings of the name were, they sounded all +alike to the ear. So, without any quarreling, all agreed to call it Fuji +and each to choose his own meaning. To this day, though many a learned +dispute and the scratching of the written character on the sand with +walking stick, or on paper with pencil, or on the palm of the hand with +forefinger takes place, all pronounce the name alike as they rave on the +beauties of Fuji Yama. + +So went forth into the countries bounding "the four seas" the belief that +there was a white mountain of perfect form in Japan, and that whoever +ascended it would live long and even attain immortality; and that +somewhere on the mountain was hidden the elixir of immortality, which if +any one drank he would live forever. Now in one of the kingdoms of +far-off China there lived a rich old king, who had abundance of +treasures, health, and many children. But he did not wish to die, and, +hence, spent his days in studying the lore and arts of the alchemists, +who believed they would finally attain to the transmutation of lead into +gold, find the universal solvent of all things, the philosophers' stone, +the elixir of life, and all the wondrous secrets which men in Europe long +afterward labored to discover. + +Among the king's sages was one old man of mighty wisdom, who had heard of +the immortal mountain of Japan, and, learning of the manner of its +appearance, concluded that the Japan Archipelago contained the Fortunate +Isles and in it was the true elixir of life. He divulged his secret to +the king, and advised him to make the journey to the Land of the Rising +Sun. + +Overjoyed at the good news and the faithfulness of his loyal sage, the +king loaded him with gifts and honors. He selected five hundred of the +most beauteous youths and virgins of his kingdom, and, fitting out a +fleet, sailed away to the Happy Isles of the East. Coasting along the +shore until they recognized the glorious form of the mountain, they +landed and began the ascent. Alas! for the poor king. The rough sea and +severe storms had worn on his aged frame and the fatigues of the ascent +were so great, that before reaching the top he fainted away, and before +the head of the procession had set foot on the crater edge the monarch +was dead. Sadly they gave up the search for the elixir of life, and, +descending the mountain, buried their master in the Province of Kii. +Then, in their exuberance of youth and joy, thinking little of the far +future and wishing to enjoy the present, they separated in couples, +married, and, disposing of their ship and cargo, settled in the country, +and colonized the eastern part of Japan. + +Long afterward, when Buddhist believers came to Japan, one of them, +climbing Fuji, noticed that around its sunken crater were eight peaks, +like the petals of their sacred lotus flower. Thus, it seemed to them, +Great Buddha had honored Japan, by bestowing the sacred symbol of +Nirvana, or Heaven, on the proudest and highest part of Japan. So they +also named it Fuji, "the sacred mountain"; and to this day all the world +calls this sacred mountain Fuji, or Fusi Yama, while the Japanese people +believe that the earth which sunk in Omi is the same which, piled to the +clouds, is the lordly mountain of Suruga. + + + + +THE WATERFALL OF YORO, OR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. + + +Long, long, ago, when the oldest stork was young, there lived an aged +woodcutter and his son on the slopes of the mountain Tagi, in the +province of Mino. They gained a frugal livelihood by cutting brushwood on +the hill-side, and carrying it in bundles on their back to sell in the +nearest market town; for they were too poor to own an ox. With the money +thus received they bought rice and radishes, their daily food. + +Only once or twice a year, at New Year's and on the mikado's birthday, +could they afford to treat themselves to a mess of bean-curd or fresh +fish. Yet the old man was very fond of rice-wine, and every week bought a +gourd full to keep his old blood warm. + +As the years rolled on the aged father's limbs became so stiff that he +was unable any longer to climb the mountains. So his son, now grown to be +a sturdy man, cut nearly double the quantity of wood and thus kept the +family larder full. The old man was so proud of his son that he daily +stood at sunset in front of his rustic gate to welcome him back. And to +see the old daddy and the young stripling remove their headkerchiefs, and +bow with hands on knees in polite fashion, bending their backs and +sucking in their breath, out of respect to each other, and to hear them +inquiring after one another's health, showering mutual compliments all +the time, one would have thought they had not seen each other for eight +years, instead of eight hours. + +One winter the snow fell long and thick, until all the ground in field +and forest was covered several feet over. The bamboo branches bent with +their weight of white, the pine boughs broke under their load, and even +the stone idols along the wayside were covered up. At first, even with +the hardest work, the young woodcutter could scarcely get and sell wood +to buy enough food to keep them both alive. He often went hungry himself, +so that his father might have his warm wine. + +One day he went by another path up one of the mountain dells with his +rope basket strapped to his back, and the empty gourd-bottle at his belt. +While gloomily grieving over his hard luck, the faint odor of rice-wine +seemed borne on the breeze. + +He snuffed the air. It was no mistake. "Here's luck, surely," said he, +throwing down his bundle. + +Hurrying forward he saw a foaming waterfall tumbling over the rocks in a +thick stream. + +As he drew near, some of the spray fell on his tongue. He tasted it, +smacked his lips and throwing down his cord and basket to the ground, +filled his gourd and hastened home to his father. + +Every day, till the end of his father's life, did he come to this +wonderful cascade of wine, and thus the old man was nourished for many a +long year. + +The news of this fountain of youth spread abroad until it reached the +court. The mikado, hearing of it, made a journey to Mino to see the +wonderful waterfall. In honor of this event, and as a reward of filial +piety, the name of the year-period was changed to Yoro, (Nourishing Old +Age). + + * * * * * + +To this day, many people young and old go out to enjoy picnic parties at +the foot of the waterfall; which now, however, runs honest water only, +which makes the cheeks red; and not the wonderful wine that once tipped +the old daddy's nose with perpetual vermilion. + + + + +THE EARTHQUAKE FISH. + + +Mukashi, mukashi, (as most Japanese stories begin), long, long ago, when +the gods came down from heaven to subdue the earth for the mikados, and +civilize the country, there were a great many earthquakes, and nothing to +stop them. The world continually rocked, and men's houses and lives were +never safe. + +Now the two gods who were charged with the work of subduing the +northeastern part of the world were Kashima and Katori. Having done their +work well, and quieted all the enemies of the Sun-goddess, they came to +the province of Hitachi. Kashima, sticking his sword into the earth, ran +it through to the other side, leaving the hilt above the ground. In the +course of centuries this mighty sword shrunk and turned to stone, and the +people gave it the name of _Kanamé ishi_, (The rock of Kanamé). + +Now Kanamé means the rivet in a fan, that holds all the sticks together, +and they gave the name "rivet-rock," because it is the rivet that binds +the earth together. No one could ever lift this rock except Kashima the +mighty one who first set it in the earth. + +Yet even Kashima never raises it, except to stop an earthquake of unusual +violence. When the earth quivers, it is because the great earthquake-fish +or _jishin-uwo_ is restless or angry. This _jishin-uwo_ is a great +creature something like a catfish. It is about seven hundred miles long, +and holds the world on its back. Its tail is at Awomori in the north, +and the base of its head is at Kioto, so that all Japan lies on top of +it. To his mouth are attached huge twirling feelers, which are just like +the hideous moustaches which the hairy-faced men from beyond the +_Tai-kai_ (Pacific Ocean) wear on their lips. As soon as these begin to +move, it is a sign that the monster is in wrath. When he gets angry, and +flaps his tail or bumps his head, there is an earthquake. When he +flounders about or rolls over, there is terrible destruction of life and +property on the surface of the earth above. + +In order to keep the earthquake-fish quiet, the great giant Kashima is +appointed to watch him. His business is to stand near by, and when the +monster becomes violent Kashima must jump up and straddle him, and hold +his gills, put his foot on his fin; and when necessary lift up the great +rock of Kanamé and hold him down with its weight. Then he becomes +perfectly quiet, and the earthquake ceases. Hence the people sing this +earthquake verse: + + + "No monster can move the Kanamé rock + Though he tug at it never so hard, + For over it stands, resisting the shock, + The Kashima Kami on guard." + +Another verse they sing as follows: + + + "These are things + An earthquake brings; + At nine of the bell they sickness fortell, + At five and seven betoken rain, + At four the sky is cleared thereby, + At six and eight comes wind again." + + + + +THE DREAM STORY OF GOJIRO. + + +Only a few years ago there was a gentleman in Fukui, Japan, who had a +son, a bright lad of twelve, who was very diligent at school and had made +astonishing progress in his studies. He was especially quick at learning +Chinese characters, of which every Japanese gentleman who wishes to be +called educated must know at least two thousand. For, although the +Chinese and Japanese are two very different languages, yet the Japanese, +Coreans and Chinese use the same letters to write with, just as English, +Germans, French and Spaniards all employ one and the same alphabet. + +Now Gojiro's father had promised him that when he read through five +volumes of the Nihongi, or Ancient History of Japan, he would give him +for a present a book of wonderful Chinese stories. Gojiro performed his +task, and his father kept his promise. One day on his return from a +journey to Kioto, he presented his son with sixteen volumes, all neatly +silk-bound, well illustrated with wood-cuts, and printed clearly on thin, +silky mulberry paper, from the best wooden blocks. It will be remembered +that several volumes of Japanese literature make but one of ours, as they +are much lighter and thinner than ours. + +Gojiro was so delighted with the wonderful stories of heroes and +warriors, travelers and sailors, that he almost felt himself in China. He +read far into the night, with the lamp inside of his musquito curtain; +and finally fell asleep, still undressed, but with his head full of all +sorts of Chinese wonders. + +He dreamed he was far away in China, walking along the banks of the great +Yellow River. Everything was very strange. The people talked an entirely +different language from his own; had on different clothes; and, instead +of the nice shaven head and top-knot of the Japanese, every one wore a +long pigtail of hair, that dangled at his heels. Even the boats were of a +strange form, and on the fishing smacks perched on projecting rails, sat +rows of cormorants, each with a ring around his neck. Every few minutes +one of them would dive under the water, and after a while come struggling +up with a fish in its mouth, so big that the fishermen had to help the +bird into the boat. The game was then flung into a basket, and the +cormorant was treated to a slice of raw fish, by way of encouragement +and to keep the bird from the bad habit of eating the live fish whole. +This the ravenous bird would sometimes try to do, even though the ring +was put around his neck for the express purpose of preventing him from +gulping down a whole fish at once. + +It was springtime, and the buds were just bursting into flower. The river +was full of fish, especially of carp, ascending to the great rapids or +cascades. Here the current ran at a prodigious rate of swiftness, and the +waters rippled and boiled and roared with frightful noise. Yet, strange +to say, many of the fish were swimming up the stream as if their lives +depended on it. They leaped and floundered about; but every one seemed to +be tossed back and left exhausted in the river, where they panted and +gasped for breath in the eddies at the side. Some were so bruised +against the rocks that, after a few spasms, they floated white and stiff, +belly up, on the water, dead, and were swept down the stream. Still the +shoal leaped and strained every fin, until their scales flashed in the +sun like a host of armored warriors in battle. Gojiro, enjoying it as if +it were a real conflict of wave and fishes, clapped his hands with +delight. + +Then Gojiro inquired, by means of writing, of an old white-bearded sage +standing by and looking on: "What is the name of this part of the river?" + +"We call it Lung Men," said the sage. + +"Will you please write the characters for it," said Gojiro, producing his +ink-case and brush-pen, with a roll of soft mulberry paper. + +The sage wrote the two Chinese characters, meaning "The Gate of the +Dragons," or "Dragons' Gate," and turned away to watch a carp that +seemed almost up into smooth water. + +"Oh! I see," said Gojiro to himself. "That's pronounced Riu Mon in +Japanese. I'll go further on and see. There must be some meaning in this +fish-climbing." He went forward a few rods, to where the banks trended +upward into high bluffs, crowned by towering firs, through the top +branches of which fleecy white clouds sailed slowly along, so near the +sky did the tree-tops seem. Down under the cliffs the river ran perfectly +smooth, almost like a mirror, and broadened out to the opposite shore. +Far back, along the current, he could still see the rapids shelving down. +It was crowded at the bottom with leaping fish, whose numbers gradually +thinned out toward the center; while near the top, close to the edge of +level water, one solitary fish, of powerful fin and tail, breasted the +steep stream. Now forward a leap, then a slide backward, sometimes +further to the rear than the next leap made up for, then steady progress, +then a slip, but every moment nearer, until, clearing foam and ripple and +spray at one bound, it passed the edge and swam happily in smooth water. + +It was inside the Dragon Gate. + +Now came the wonderful change. One of the fleecy white clouds suddenly +left the host in the deep blue above, dipped down from the sky, and +swirling round and round as if it were a water spout, scratched and +frayed the edge of the water like a fisher's troll. The carp saw and +darted toward it. In a moment the fish was transformed into a white +dragon, and, rising into the cloud, floated off toward Heaven. A streak +or two of red fire, a gleam of terrible eyes, and the flash of white +scales was all that Gojiro saw. Then he awoke. + +"How strange that a poor little carp, a common fish that lives in the +river, should become a great white dragon, and soar up into the sky, to +live there," thought Gojiro, the next day, as he told his mother of his +dream. + +"Yes," said she; "and what a lesson for you. See how the carp persevered, +leaping over all difficulties, never giving up till it became a dragon. I +hope my son will mount over all obstacles, and rise to honor and to high +office under the government." + +"Oh! oh! now I see!" said Gojiro. "That is what my teacher means when he +says the students in Tokio have a saying, 'I'm a fish to day, but I hope +to be a dragon to-morrow,' when they go to attend examination; and that's +what Papa meant when he said: 'That fish's son, Kofuku, has become a +white dragon, while I am yet only a carp.'" + +[Illustration: THE ASCENT OF THE DRAGON'S GATE.] + +So on the third day of the third month, at the Feast of Flags, Gojiro +hoisted the _nobori_. It was a great fish, made of paper, fifteen feet +long and hollow like a bag. It was yellow, with black scales and streaks +of gold, and red gills and mouth, in which two strong strings were +fastened. It was hoisted up by a rope to the top of a high bamboo pole on +the roof of the house. There the breeze caught it, swelled it out round +and full of air. The wind made the fins work, and the tail flap, and the +head tug, until it looked just like a carp trying to swim the rapids of +the Yellow River--the symbol of ambition and perseverance. + + + + +THE PROCESSION OF LORD LONG-LEGS. + + +Lovely and bright in the month of May, at the time of rice-planting, was +the day on which the daimio, Lord Long-legs, was informed by his +chamberlain, Hop-hop, that on the morrow his lordship's retinue would be +in readiness to accompany their worshipful Lord Long-legs on his journey. +This Lord Long-legs was a daimio who ruled over four acres of rice-field +in Echizen, whose revenue was ten thousand rice-stalks. His retainers, +who were all grasshoppers, numbered over six thousand, while his court +consisted only of nobles, such as Mantis, Beetle, and Pinching-bug. The +maids of honor who waited on his queen Katydid, were lady-bugs, +butterflies, and goldsmiths, and his messengers were fire-flies and +dragon-flies. Once in a while a beetle was sent on an errand; but these +stupid fellows had such a habit of running plump into things, and bumping +their heads so badly that they always forgot what they were sent for. +Besides these, he had a great many servants in the kitchen--such as +grubs, spiders, toads, etc. The entire population of his dominion, +including the common folks, numbered several millions, and ranked all the +way from horse-flies down to ants, mosquitoes, and ticks. + +Many of his subjects were very industrious and produced fine fabrics, +which, however, were seized and made use of by great monsters, called +men. Thus the gray worms kept spinning-wheels in their heads. They had a +fashion of eating mulberry leaves, and changing them into fine threads, +called silk. The wasps made paper, and the bees distilled honey. There +was another insect which spread white wax on the trees. These were all +retainers or friendly vassals of Lord Long-legs. + +Now it was Lord Long-legs' duty once a year to go up to Yedo to pay his +respects to the great Tycoon and to spend several weeks in the Eastern +metropolis. I shall not take the time nor tax the patience of my readers +in telling about all the bustle and preparation that went on in the +yashiki (mansion) of Lord Long-legs for a whole week previous to +starting. Suffice it to say that clothes were washed and starched, and +dried on a board, to keep them from shrinking; trunks and baskets were +packed; banners and umbrellas were put in order; the lacquer on the +brass ornaments; shields and swords and spears were all polished; and +every little item was personally examined by the daimio's chief +inspector. This functionary was a black-and-white-legged mosquito, who, +on account of his long nose, could pry into a thing further and see it +easier than any other of his lordship's officers; and, if anything went +wrong, he could make more noise over it than any one else. As for the +retainers, down to the very last lackey and coolie, each one tried to +outshine the other in cleanliness and spruce dress. + +The Bumble-bee brushed off the pollen from his legs; and the humbler +Honey-bee, after allowing his children to suck his paws, to get the honey +sticking to them, spruced up and listened attentively to the orders read +to him by the train-leader, Sir Locust, who prided himself on being +seventeen years old, and looked on all the others as children. He read +from a piece of wasp-nest paper: "No leaving the line to suck flowers, +except at halting-time." The Blue-tailed Fly washed his hands and face +over and over again. The lady-bugs wept many tears, because they could +not go with the company; the crickets chirped rather gloomily, because +none with short limbs could go on the journey; while Daddy Long-legs +almost turned a somersault for joy when told he might carry a bundle in +the train. All being in readiness, the procession was to start at six +o'clock in the morning. The exact minute was to be announced by the +time-keeper of the mansion, Flea san, whose house was on the back of +Neko, a great black cat, who lived in the porter's lodge of the castle, +near by. Flea san was to notice the opening or slits in the monster's +moony-green eyes, which when closed to a certain width would indicate six +o'clock. Then with a few jumps she was to announce it to a mosquito +friend of hers, who would fly with the news to the gate-keeper of the +yashiki, one Whirligig by name. + +So, punctually to the hour, the great double gate swung wide open, and +the procession passed out and marched on over the hill. All the servants +of Lord Long-legs were out, to see the grand sight. They were down on +their knees, saying: "O shidzukani," (please go slowly). When their +master's palanquin passed, they bowed their heads to the dust, as was +proper. The ladies, who were left behind, cried bitterly, and soaked +their paper handkerchiefs with tears, especially one fair brown creature, +who was next of kin to Lord Long-legs, being an ant on his mother's +side. + +The procession was closed by six old daddies (spiders), marching two by +two, who were a little stupid and groggy, having had a late supper, and a +jolly feast the night before. When the great gate slammed shut, one of +them caught the end of his foot in it, and was lamed for the rest of the +journey. This old Daddy Long-legs, hobbling along, with a bundle on his +back, was the only funny thing in the procession, and made much talk +among bystanders on the road. + +This is the order and the way they looked. First there went out, far +ahead, a plump, tall Mantis, with a great long baton of grass, which he +swung to and fro before him, from right to left, (like a drum-major), +crying out: "_Shitaniro_, down on your knees! Get down with you!" Whereat +all the ants, bugs and lizards at once bent their forelegs, and the +toads, which were already squatting, bobbed their noses in the dust. Even +the mud-turtles poked their heads out of the water to see what was going +on. All the worms and grubs who lived up in trees or tall bushes had to +come down to the ground. It was forbidden to any insect to remain on a +high stalk of grass, lest he might look down on His Highness. Even the +Inch-worm had to wind himself up and stop measuring his length, while the +line was passing. And in case of grubs or moths in the nest or cocoon, +too young to crawl out, the law compelled their parents to cover them +over with a leaf. It would be an insult to Lord Long-legs to look down on +him. Next followed two lantern-bearers, holding glow-worms for lanterns +in their fore-paws. These were wrapped in cases made of leaves, which +they took off at night. Behind were six fire-flies, well supplied with +self-acting lamps, which they kept hidden somewhere under their wings. +Next marched four abreast the band of little weevils, carrying the +umbrellas of state, which were morning-glories--some open, some shut. +Behind them strutted four green grasshoppers, who were spear-bearers, +carrying pink blossoms. Just before the palanquin were two tall dandies, +high lords themselves and of gigantic stature and imposing bellies, who, +with arms akimbo and feelers far up in the air, bore aloft high over all +the insignia of their Lord Long-legs. All these fellows strutted along on +their hind legs, their backs as stiff as a hemp stalk, their noses +pointing to the stars, and their legs striding like stilts. The priest in +his robes, a praying beetle, who was chaplain, walked on solemnly. + +Meanwhile a great crowd of spectators lined the path; but all were on +their knees. Frogs and toads blinked out of the sides of their heads. The +pretty red lizards glided out, to see the splendid show; worms stopped +crawling; and all kinds of bugs ceased climbing, and came down from the +grass and flower-stalks, to bow humbly before the train of Lord +Long-legs. Bug mothers hastened, with their bug babies on their backs, +down to the road, and, squatting down, taught their little nits to put +their fore-paws politely together and bow down on their front knees. No +one dared to speak out loud; but the mole-cricket, nudging his fellow +under the wing, said: "Just look at that green Mantis! He looks as though +'he would rush out with a battle-ax on his shoulder to meet a chariot.' +See how he ogles his fellow!" + +"Yes; and just behold that bandy-legged hopper, will you? I could walk +better than that myself," said the other. + +"'Sh!" said the mole-cricket. "Here comes the palanquin." + +Everybody now cast a squint up under their eyebrows, and watched the +palanquin go by. It was made of delicately-woven striped grass, bound +with bamboo threads, lacquered, and finished with curtains of gauze, made +of dragon-fly wings, through which Lord Long-legs could peep. It was +borne on the shoulders of four stalwart hoppers, who, carrying rest-poles +of grass, trudged along, with much sweat and fuss and wiping of their +foreheads, stopping occasionally to change shoulders. At their side +walked a body-guard of eight hoppers, armed with pistils, and having +side-arms of sword-grass. They were also provided with poison-shoots, in +case of trouble. Other bearers followed, keeping step and carrying the +regalia, consisting of chrysanthemum stalks and blossoms. Then followed, +in double rank, a long string of wasps, who were for show and nothing +more. Between them, inside, carefully saddled, bridled, and in full +housings, was a horse-fly, led by a snail, to keep the restive animal +from going at a too rapid pace. + +Three big, gawky helmet-headed beetles next followed, bearing +rice-sprouts, with full heads of rice. + +"Oh! oh! look there!" cried a little grub at the side of the road. "See +the little grasshopper riding on his father's back!" + +"Hai," said Mother Butterfly, putting one paw on her baby's neck, for +fear of being arrested for making a noise. + +It was so. The little 'hopper, tired of long walking, had climbed on his +father's back for a ride, holding on by the feelers and seeing +everything. + +Finally, toward the end of the procession, was a great crowd of common +'hoppers, beetles, and bugs of all sorts, carrying the presents to be +given in Yedo, and the clothing, food and utensils for the use of Lord +Long-legs on the journey; for the hotels were sometimes very poor on the +Tokaido high road, and the daimio liked his comforts. Besides, it was +necessary for Lord Long-legs to travel with proper dignity, as became a +daimio. His messengers always went before and engaged lodging-places, as +the fleas, spiders and mosquitoes from other localities, who traveled up +and down the great high road, sometimes occupied the places first. The +procession wound up by the rear-guard of Daddy Long-legs, who prevented +any insult or disrespect from the rabble. After the line had passed, +insects could cross the road, traffic and travel were resumed, and the +road was cleared, while the procession faded from view in the distance. + + + + +KIYOHIME, OR THE POWER OF LOVE. + + +Quiet and shady was the spot in the midst of one of the loveliest valley +landscapes in the empire, near the banks of the Hidaka river, where stood +the tea-house kept by one Kojima. It was surrounded on all sides by +glorious mountains, ever robed with deep forests, silver-threaded with +flashing water-falls, to which the lovers of nature paid many a visit, +and in which poets were inspired to write stanzas in praise of the white +foam and the twinkling streamlets. Here the bonzes loved to muse and +meditate, and anon merry picnic parties spread their mats, looped their +canvas screens, and feasted out of nests of lacquered boxes, drinking the +amber saké from cups no larger nor thicker than an egg-shell, while the +sound of guitar and drum kept time to dance and song. + +The garden of the tea-house was as lovely a piece of art as the florist's +cunning could produce. Those who emerged from the deep woods of the lofty +hill called the Dragon's Claw, could see in the tea-house garden a living +copy of the landscape before them. There were mimic mountains, (ten feet +high), and miniature hills veined by a tiny, path with dwarfed pine +groves, and tiny bamboo clumps, and a patch of grass for meadow, and a +valley just like the great gully of the mountains, only a thousand times +smaller, and but twenty feet long. So perfect was the imitation that even +the miniature irrigated rice-fields, each no larger than a +checker-board, were in full sprout. To make this little gem of nature in +art complete, there fell from over a rock at one end a lovely little +waterfall two feet high, which after an angry splash over the stones, +rolled on over an absurdly small beech, all white-sanded and pebbled, +threading its silver way beyond, until lost in fringes of lilies and +aquatic plants. In one broad space imitating a lake, was a lotus pond, +lined with iris, in which the fins of gold fish and silver carp flashed +in the sunbeams. Here and there the nose of a tortoise protruded, while +on a rugged rock sat an old grandfather surveying the scene with one or +two of his grand-children asleep on his shell and sunning themselves. + +The fame of the tea-house, its excellent fare, and special delicacy of +its mountain trout, sugar-jelly and well-flavored rice-cakes, drew +hundreds of visitors, especially poetry-parties, and lovers of grand +scenery. + +Just across the river, which was visible from the verandah of the +tea-house, stood the lofty firs that surrounded the temple of the Tendai +Buddhists. Hard by was the pagoda, which painted red peeped between the +trees. A long row of paper-windowed and tile-roofed dwellings to the +right made up the monastery, in which a snowy eye-browed but rosy-faced +old abbot and some twenty bonzes dwelt, all shaven-faced and +shaven-pated, in crape robes and straw sandals, their only food being +water and vegetables. + +Not the least noticeable of the array of stone lanterns, and bronze +images with aureoles round their heads, and incense burners and holy +water tanks, and dragon spouts, was the belfry, which stood on a stone +platform. Under its roof hung the massive bronze bell ten feet high, +which, when struck with a suspended log like a trip-hammer, boomed +solemnly over the valley and flooded three leagues of space with the +melody which died away as sweetly as an infant falling in slumber. This +mighty bell was six inches thick and weighed several tons. + +In describing the tea-house across the river, the story of its sweetest +charm, and of its garden the fairest flower must not be left untold. +Kiyo, the host's daughter, was a lovely maiden of but eighteen, as +graceful as the bamboo reed swaying in the breeze of a moonlit summer's +eve, and as pretty as the blossoms of the cherry-tree. Far and wide +floated the fame of Kiyo, like the fragrance of the white lilies of +Ibuki, when the wind sweeping down the mountain heights, comes +perfume-laden to the traveler. + +As she busied herself about the garden, or as her white socks slipped +over the mat-laid floor, she was the picture of grace itself. When at +twilight, with her own hands, she lighted the gay lanterns that hung in +festoons along the eaves of the tea-house above the verandah, her bright +eyes sparkling, her red petticoats half visible through her +semi-transparent crape robe, she made many a young man's heart glow with +a strange new feeling, or burn with pangs of jealousy. + +Among the priests that often passed by the tea-house on their way to the +monastery, were some who were young and handsome. + +It was the rule of the monastery that none of the bonzes should drink +saké (wine) eat fish or meat, or even stop at the tea-houses to talk with +women. But one young bonze named "Lift-the-Kettle" (after a passage in +the Sanscrit classics) had rigidly kept the rules. Fish had never passed +his mouth; and as for saké, he did not know even its taste. He was very +studious and diligent. Every day he learned ten new Chinese characters. +He had already read several of the sacred sutras, had made a good +beginning in Sanskrit, knew the name of every idol in the temple of the +3,333 images in Kioto, had twice visited the sacred shrine of the +Capital, and had uttered the prayer "Namu miō ho ren gé kiō," ("Glory be +to the sacred lotus of the law"), counting it on his rosary, five hundred +thousand times. For sanctity and learning he had no peer among the young +neophytes of the bonzerie. + +Alas for "Lift-the-Kettle!". One day, after returning from a visit to a +famous shrine in the Kuanto, (Eastern Japan), as he was passing the +tea-house, he caught sight of Kiyohimé, (the "lady" or "princess" Kiyo), +and from that moment his pain of heart began. He returned to his bed of +mats, but not to sleep. For days he tried to stifle his passion, but his +heart only smouldered away like an incense-stick. + +Before many days he made a pretext for again passing the house. +Hopelessly in love, without waiting many days he stopped and entered the +tea-house. + +His call for refreshments was answered by Kiyohimé herself! + +As fire kindles fire, so priest and maiden were now consumed in one flame +of love. To shorten a long story, "Lift-the-Kettle" visited the inn +oftener and oftener, even stealing out at night to cross the river and +spend the silent hours with his love. + +So passed several months, when suddenly a change come over the young +bonze. His conscience began to trouble him for breaking his vows. In the +terrible conflict between principle and passion, the soul of the priest +was tossed to and fro like the feathered seed-ball of a shuttlecock. + +But conscience was the stronger, and won. + +He resolved to drown his love and break off his connection with the girl. +To do it suddenly, would bring grief to her and a scandal both on her +family and the monastery. He must do it gradually to succeed at all. + +Ah! how quickly does the sensitive love-plant know the finger-tip touch +of cooling passion! How quickly falls the silver column in the crystal +tube, at the first breath of the heart's chill even though the words on +the lip are warm! Kiyohimé marked the ebbing tide of her lover's regard, +and then a terrible resolve of evil took possession of her soul. From +that time forth, she ceased to be a pure and innocent and gentle virgin. +Though still in maiden form and guise, she was at heart a fox, and as to +her nature she might as well have worn the bushy tail of the sly +deceiver. She resolved to win over her lover, by her importunities, and +failing in this, to destroy him by sorcery. + +One night she sat up until two o'clock in the morning, and then, arrayed +only in a white robe, she went out to a secluded part of the mountain +where in a lonely shrine stood a hideous scowling image of Fudo, who +holds the sword of vengeance and sits clothed in fire. There she called +upon the god to change her lover's heart or else destroy him. + +Thence, with her head shaking, and eyes glittering with anger like the +orbs of a serpent, she hastened to the shrine of Kampira, whose servants +are the long-nosed sprites, who have the power of magic and of teaching +sorcery. Standing in front of the portal she saw it hung with votive +tablets, locks of hair, teeth, various tokens of vows, pledges and marks +of sacrifice, which the devotees of the god had hung up. There, in the +cold night air she asked for the power of sorcery, that she might be able +at will to transform herself into the terrible _ja_,--the awful +dragon-serpent whose engine coils are able to crack bones, crush rocks, +melt iron or root up trees, and which are long enough to wind round a +mountain. + +It would be too long to tell how this once pure and happy maiden, now +turned to an avenging demon went out nightly on the lonely mountains to +practice the arts of sorcery. The mountain-sprites were her teachers, and +she learned so diligently that the chief goblin at last told her she +would be able, without fail, to transform herself when she wished. + +The dreadful moment was soon to come. The visits of the once lover-priest +gradually became fewer and fewer, and were no longer tender hours of +love, but were on his part formal interviews, while Kiyohimé became more +importunate than ever. Tears and pleadings were alike useless, and +finally one night as he was taking leave, the bonze told the maid that he +had paid his last visit. Kiyohimé then utterly forgetting all womanly +delicacy, became so urgent that the bonze tore himself away and fled +across the river. He had seen the terrible gleam in the maiden's eyes, +and now terribly frightened, hid himself under the great temple bell. + +Forthwith Kiyohimé, seeing the awful moment had come, pronounced the +spell of incantation taught her by the mountain spirit, and raised her +T-shaped wand. In a moment her fair head and lovely face, body, limbs and +feet lengthened out, disappeared, or became demon-like, and a +fire-darting, hissing-tongued serpent, with eyes like moons trailed over +the ground towards the temple, swam the river, and scenting out the track +of the fugitive, entered the belfry, cracking the supporting columns made +of whole tree-trunks into a mass of ruins, while the bell fell to the +earth with the cowering victim inside. + +Then began the winding of the terrible coils round and round the metal, +as with her wand of sorcery in her hands, she mounted the bell. The +glistening scales, hard as iron, struck off sparks as the pressure +increased. Tighter and tighter they were drawn, till the heat of the +friction consumed the timbers and made the metal glow hot like fire. + +[Illustration: THE SORCERESS MELTING THE BELL.] + +Vain was the prayer of priest, or spell of rosary, as the bonzes +piteously besought great Buddha to destroy the demon. Hotter and hotter +grew the mass, until the ponderous metal melted down into a hissing pool +of scintillating molten bronze; and soon, man within and serpent without, +timber and tiles and ropes were nought but a few handfuls of white ashes. + + + + +THE FISHERMAN AND THE MOON-MAIDEN. + + +Pearly and lustrous white, like a cloud in the far-off blue sky, seemed +the floating figure of the moon-maiden, as she flew to earth. She was one +of the fifteen glistening virgins that wait attendant upon the moon in +her chambers in the sky. Looking down from her high home to the earth, +she became enraptured with the glorious scenery of Suruga's ocean shore, +and longed for a bath in the blue waters of the sea. + +So this fairy maid sped to the earth one morning early, when the moon +having shone through the night was about to retire for the day. The sun +was rising bright and red over the eastern seas, flushing the mountains +and purpling the valleys. Out amid the sparkling waves the ships sailed +toward the sun, and the fishermen cast their nets. + +It was in early spring, when the air was full of the fragrance of plum +blossoms, and the zephyrs blew so softly that scarce a bamboo leaf +quivered, or a wave lapsed with sound on the silvery shore. + +The moon-maiden was so charmed with the scenery of earth, that she longed +to linger above it to gaze tranquilly. Floating slowly through the air, +she directed her course to the pine groves that fringe the strand near +Cape Miwo. Lying at the base of Fuji mountain, whose snowy crown glistens +above, fronting the ocean, whose blue plain undulates in liquid glory +till it meets the bending sky, the scenery of Miwo is renowned +everywhere under the whole heavens, but especially in the land which the +mikado's reign blesses with peace. + +Full of happiness, the fairy maiden played sweet music from her flute, +until the air was full of it, and it sounded to the dweller on earth like +the sweet falling of rain drops on the thirsty ground. Her body shed +sweet fragrance through the air, and flowers fell from her robes as she +passed. Though none saw her form, all wondered. + +Arriving over a charming spot on the sea shore, she descended to the +strand, and stood at the foot of a pine tree. She laid her musical +instrument on a rock near by, and taking off her wings and feathered suit +hung them carefully on the pine tree bough. Then she strolled off along +the shore to dip her shining feet in the curling waves. + +Picking up some shells, she wondered with innocent joy at the rich +tints, which seemed more beautiful than any color in the moon-world. With +one, a large smooth scallop, she was particularly pleased; for inside one +valve was a yellow disc, and on its mate was a white one. + +"How strange," said she. "Here is the sun, and there is the moon. I shall +call this the _Tsuki-hi-kai_--'sun and moon shell'," and she put them in +her girdle. + +It chanced that near the edge of the pine grove, not far away, there +dwelt a lone fisherman, who, coming down to the shore, caught a whiff of +sweet perfume such as had never before delighted his nostrils. What could +it be? The spring zephyrs, blowing from the west, seemed laden with the +sweet odor. + +Curiosity prompted him to seek the cause. He walked toward the pine tree, +and looking up, caught sight of the feathery suit of wings. Oh! how his +eyes sparkled. He danced for joy, and taking down the robe carried it to +his neighbors. All were delighted, and one old man said that the fairy +must herself be near by. He advised the man to seek until he found her. + +So with feathered robe in hand the fisherman went out again to the +strand, and took his place near the pine tree. He had not waited long +before a lovely being, with rose-tinted white skin and of perfect form, +appeared. + +"Please good sir, give me back my feathered robe," said she, in a sad +voice of liquid sweetness, though she seemed greatly frightened. + +"No, I must keep it as a sacred treasure, a relic from a heavenly +visitor, and dedicate it in the shrine yonder as a memorial of an angel's +visit" said the fisherman. + +"Oh, wicked man, what a wretched and impious thing to rob an inhabitant +of heaven of the robe by which she moves. How can I fly back to my home +again?" + +"Give me your wings, oh ye wild geese that fly across the face of the +moon, and on tireless pinions seek the icy shores in spring time, and +soar unwearied homeward in autumn. Lend me your wings." + +But the wild geese overhead only whirred and screamed, and bit their +sprays of pine which they carried in their mouth. + +"Oh, ye circling gulls, lend me but for a day your downy wings. I am +prisoner here", cried the weeping fairy. + +But the graceful gulls hovering for a moment swept on in widening circles +out to farther sea. + +"Oh, breezes of the air which blow whither ye list! Oh, tide of ocean +which ebbs and flows at will! Ye may move all, but I am prisoner here, +devoid of motion. Oh, good sir have pity and give me back my wings," +cried the moon-maiden, pressing her hands together in grief. + +The fisher's heart was touched by the pathos of her voice and the +glittering of her tears. + +"I'll give back your winged-robe if you'll dance and make music for me", +said he. + +"Oh, yes, good sir, I will dance and make music, but first let me put on +my feather-robe for without it I have no power of motion." + +"Oh, yes", said the suspicious mortal, "If I give you back your wings +you'll fly straight to heaven." + +"What! can you not believe the word of a heavenly being, without +doubting? Trust me in good faith and you'll lose nothing." + +Then with shamed face the fisherman handed to the moon-maiden her +feathered robe, which she donned and began to dance. She poured out such +sweet strains from her upright flute that with eye and ear full of +rapture, the fisherman imagined himself in heaven. Then she sang a sweet +song in which she described the delights of life in the moon and the +pleasure of celestial residence. + +The fisherman was so overjoyed that he longed to detain the fairy. He +begged her to dwell with him on earth, but in vain. As he looked, he saw +her rising. A fresh breeze, rippling the face of the sea, now sprang up, +and wafted the pearly maiden over the pine-clad hills and past Fuji +mountain. All the time sweet music rained through the air until, as the +fisherman strained his eyes toward the fresh-fallen snow on Fuji's +crest, he could no longer distinguish the moon-maiden from the fleecy +clouds that filled the thin air. + +Pondering long upon the marvelous apparition, the fisherman resolved to +mark the spot where the fairy first descended to earth. So he prevailed +upon the simple villagers to build a railing of stone around the now +sacred pine. + +Daily they garlanded the old trunk with festoons of tasseled and twisted +rice-straw. Long after, when by the storms of centuries the old pine, in +spite of bandages and crutches, and tired of wrestling with the blast, +fell down like an old man, to rise no more, a grateful posterity cleared +the space and built the shrine of Miwo, which still dots with its sacred +enclosure the strand of Suruga on which the fairy danced. + + + + +THE JEWELS OF THE EBBING AND THE FLOWING TIDE. + + +Chiuai was the fourteenth mikado of the Land of the Gods (Japan). His +wife, the empress, was named Jingu, or Godlike Exploit. She was a wise +and discreet lady and assisted her husband to govern his dominions. When +a great rebellion broke out in the south island called Kiushiu, the +mikado marched his army against the rebels. The empress went with him and +lived in the camp. One night, as she lay asleep in her tent, she dreamed +that a heavenly being appeared to her and told her of a wonderful land +in the west, full of gold, silver, jewels, silks and precious stones. The +heavenly messenger told her if she would invade this country she would +succeed, and all its spoil would be hers, for herself and Japan. + +"Conquer Corea!" said the radiant being, as she floated away on a purple +cloud. + +In the morning the empress told her husband of her dream, and advised him +to set out to invade the rich land. But he paid no attention of her. When +she insisted, in order to satisfy her, he climbed up a high mountain, and +looking far away towards the setting sun, saw no land thither, not even +mountain peaks. So, believing that there was no country in that direction +he descended, and angrily refused to set out on the expedition. Shortly +after, in a battle with the rebels the mikado was shot dead with an +arrow. + +The generals and captains of the host then declared their loyalty to the +empress as the sole ruler of Japan. She, now having the power, resolved +to carry out her daring plan of invading Corea. She invoked all the +_kami_ or gods together, from the mountains, rivers and plains to get +their advice and help. All came at her call. The kami of the mountains +gave her timber and iron for her ships; the kami of the fields presented +rice and grain for provisions; the kami of the grasses gave her hemp for +cordage; and the kami of the winds promised to open his bag and let out +his breezes to fill her sails toward Corea. All came except Isora, the +kami of the sea shore. Again she called for him and sat up waiting all +night with torches burning, invoking him to appear. + +Now, Isora was a lazy fellow, always slovenly and ill-dressed, and when +at last he did come, instead of appearing in state in splendid robes, he +rose right out of the sea-bottom, covered with mud and slime, with shells +sticking all over him and sea-weed clinging to his hair. He gruffly asked +what the empress wanted. + +"Go down to Riu Gu and beg his majesty Kai Riu O, the Dragon King of the +World Under the Sea, to give me the two jewels of the tides," said the +imperial lady. + +Now among the treasures in the palace of the Dragon King of the World +Under the Sea were two jewels having wondrous power over the tides. They +were about as large as apples, but shaped like apricots, with three rings +cut near the top. They seemed to be of crystal, and glistened and shot +out dazzling rays like fire. Indeed, they appeared to seethe and glow +like the eye of a dragon, or the white-hot steel of the sword-forger. +One was called the Jewel of the Flood-Tide, and the other the Jewel of +the Ebb-Tide. Whoever owned them had the power to make the tides +instantly rise or fall at his word, to make the dry land appear, or the +sea overwhelm it, in the fillip of a finger. + +Isora dived with a dreadful splash, down, down to Riu Gu, and straightway +presented himself before Kai Riu O. In the name of the empress, he begged +for the two tide-jewels. + +The Dragon King agreed, and producing the flaming globes from his casket, +placed them on a huge shell and handed them to Isora, who brought the +jewels to Jingu, who placed them in her girdle. + +The empress now prepared her fleet for Corean invasion. Three thousand +barges were built and launched, and two old kami with long streaming +gray hair and wrinkled faces, were made admirals. Their names were Suwa +Daimiō Jin (Great Illustrious, Spirit of Suwa) and Sumiyoshi Daimiō Jin, +the kami who lives under the old pine tree at Takasago, and presides over +nuptial ceremonies. + +The fleet sailed in the tenth month. The hills of Hizen soon began to +sink below the horizon, but no sooner were they out of sight of land than +a great storm arose. The ships tossed about, and began to butt each other +like bulls, and it seemed as though the fleet would be driven back; when +lo! Kai Riu O sent shoals of huge sea-monsters and immense fishes that +bore up the ships and pushed their sterns forward with their great +snouts. The shachihoko, or dragon-fishes, taking the ship's cables in +their mouths towed them forward, until the storm ceased and the ocean +was calm. Then they plunged downwards into the sea and disappeared. + +The mountains of Corea now rose in sight. Along the shore were gathered +the Corean army. Their triangular fringed banners, inscribed with +dragons, flapped in the breeze. As soon as their sentinels caught sight +of the Japanese fleet, the signal was given, and the Corean line of war +galleys moved gaily out to attack the Japanese. + +The empress posted her archers in the bows of her ships and waited for +the enemy to approach. When they were within a few hundred sword-lengths, +she took from her girdle the Jewel of the Ebbing Tide and cast the +flashing gem into the sea. It blazed in the air for a moment, but no +sooner did it touch the water, than instantly the ocean receded from +under the Corean vessels, and left them stranded on dry land. The +Coreans, thinking it was a tidal wave, and that the Japanese ships were +likewise helpless in the undertow, leaped out of their galleys and rushed +over the sand, and on to the attack. With shouting and drawn swords their +aspect was terrible. When within range of the arrows, the Japanese bowmen +opened volleys of double-headed, or triple-pronged arrows on the Coreans, +and killed hundreds. + +But on they rushed, until near the Japanese ships, when the empress +taking out the Flood-Tide Jewel, cast it in the sea. In a snap of the +finger, the ocean rolled up into a wave many tens of feet high and +engulfed the Corean army, drowning them almost to a man. Only a few were +left out of the ten thousand. The warriors in their iron armor sank dead +in the boiling waves, or were cast along the shore like logs. The +Japanese army landed safely, and easily conquered the country. The king +of Corea surrendered and gave his bales of silk, jewels, mirrors, books, +pictures, robes, tiger skins, and treasures of gold and silver to the +empress. The booty was loaded on eighty ships, and the Japanese army +returned in triumph to their native country. + + + + +KAI RIU O, THE DRAGON KING OF THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA. + + +Soon after her arrival at home, the empress Jingu gave birth to a son, +whom she named Ojin. He was one of the fairest children ever born of an +imperial mother, and was very wise and wonderful even when an infant. He +was a great favorite of Takénouchi, the prime minister of the empress. As +he grew up, he was full of the _Yamato Damashii_, or the spirit of +unconquerable Japan. + +This Takénouchi was a very venerable old man, who was said to be three +hundred and sixty years old. He had been the counsellor of five mikados. +He was very tall, and as straight as an arrow, when other old men were +bent like a bow. He served as a general in war and a civil officer in +peace. For this reason he always kept on a suit of armor under his long +satin and damask court robes. He wore the bear-skin shoes and the +tiger-skin scabbard which were the general's badge of rank, and also the +high cap and long fringed strap hanging from the belt, which marked the +court noble. He had moustaches, and a long beard fell over his breast +like a foaming waterfall, as white as the snows on the branches of the +pine trees of Ibuki mountain. + +Now the empress, as well as Takénouchi, wished the imperial infant Ojin +to live long, be wise and powerful, become a mighty warrior, be +invulnerable in battle, and to have control over the tides and the ocean +as his mother once had. To do this it was necessary to get back the Tide +Jewels. + +So Takénouchi took the infant Ojin on his shoulders, mounted the imperial +war-barge, whose sails were of gold-embroidered silk, and bade his rowers +put out to sea. Then standing upright on the deck, he called on Kai Riu O +to come up out of the deep and give back the Tide Jewels to Ojin. + +At first there was no sign on the waves that Kai Riu O heard. The green +sea lay glassy in the sunlight, and the waves laughed and curled above +the sides of the boat. Still Takénouchi listened intently and waited +reverently. He was not long in suspense. Looking down far under the +sparkling waves, he saw the head and fiery eyes of a dragon mounting +upward. Instinctively he clutched his robe with his right hand, and held +Ojin tightly on his shoulder, for this time not Isora, but the terrible +Kai Riu O himself was coming. + +What a great honor! The sea-king's servant, Isora, had appeared to a +woman, the empress Jingu, but to her son, the Dragon King of the World +Under the Sea deigned to come in person. + +The waters opened; the waves rolled up, curled, rolled into wreaths and +hooks and drops of foam, which flecked the dark green curves with silvery +bells. First appeared a living dragon with fire-darting eyes, long +flickering moustaches, glittering scales of green all ruffled, with +terrible spines erect, and the joints of the fore-paws curling out jets +of red fire. This living creature was the helmet of the Sea King. Next +appeared the face of awful majesty and stern mien, as if with reluctant +condescension, and then the jewel robes of the monarch. Next rose into +view a huge haliotis shell, in which, on a bed of rare gems from the deep +sea floor, glistened, blazed and flashed the two Jewels of the Tides. + +Then the Dragon-King spoke, saying: + +"Quick, take this casket, I deign not to remain long in this upper world +of mortals. With these I endow the imperial prince of the Heavenly line +of the mikados of the Divine country. He shall be invulnerable in battle. +He shall have long life. To him I give power over sea and land. Of this, +let these Tide-Jewels be the token." + +Hardly were these words uttered when the Dragon-King disappeared with a +tremendous splash. Takénouchi standing erect but breathless amid the +crowd of rowers who, crouching at the boat's bottom had not dared so much +as to lift up their noses, waited a moment, and then gave the command to +turn the prow to the shore. + +Ojin grew up and became a great warrior, invincible in battle and +powerful in peace. He lived to be one hundred and eleven years old, and +was next to the last of the long lived mikados of Everlasting Great +Japan. + + * * * * * + +To this day Japanese soldiers honor him as the patron of war, and pray to +him as the ruler of battle. + +When the Buddhist priests came to Japan they changed his name to Hachiman +Dai Bosatsu, or the "Great Buddha of the Eight Banners." On many a hill +and in many a village of Japan may still be seen a shrine to his honor. +Often when a soldier comes back from war, he will hang up a tablet or +picture-frame, on which is carved a painting or picture of the two-edged +short sword like that which Ojin carried. Many of the old soldiers who +fought in armor wore a little silver sword of Ojin set as a frontlet to +their helmets, for a crest of honor. On gilded or lacquered Japanese +cabinets and shrines, and printed on their curious old, and new greenback +paper money, are seen the blazing Jewels of the Tides. On their gold and +silver coins the coiled dragon clutches in his claws the Jewels of the +Ebbing and the Flowing Tide. One of the iron-clad war ships of the +imperial Japanese navy, on which floats proudly the red sun-banner of the +Empire of the Rising Sun, is named Kōgō (Empress) after the Amazon +empress who in the third century carried the arms of the Island Empire +into the main land of Asia, and won victory by her mastery over the +ebbing and the flowing tides. + +[Illustration: THE DRAGON KING'S GIFT OF THE TIDE JEWELS.] + + + + +THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. + + +Of old the Heavens and the Earth were not separated. Land and water, +solids and gases, fire and stone, light and darkness were mixed together. +All was liquid and turbid chaos. + +Then the mighty mass began to move from within. The lighter particles of +gas and air began to rise, forming the sky and heavens. The heavy parts +sank and cohered, becoming the earth. The water formed the four seas. +Then there appeared something like a white cloud floating between heaven +and earth. Out of this came forth three beings--The Being of the Middle +of Heaven, The High August Being, and The Majestic Being. These three +"hid their bodies." + +Out of the warm mould of the earth something like a rush sprouted up. It +was clear and bright like crystal. From this rush-sprout came forth a +being whose title is "The Delightful and Honorable Rush-Sprout." Next +appeared another being out of the buds of the rush-sprout whose name is +"The Honorable Heaven-born." These five beings are called "the heavenly +gods." + +Next came into existence four pairs of beings viz.: (1) The Being Sprung +from the First Mud, and The Being of the Sand and Mud; (2) The Being with +Hands and Feet Growing, and the Being Having Breath; (3) The Male Being, +and the Female Being of the Great Place (the earth); (4) The Being of +Complete Perfection, and the Being who cried out "Strange and Awful" to +her mate. + +Thus the last pair that came into existence were the first man and woman +called Izanagi and Izanami. + +It is said that the other pairs of beings before Izanagi and Izanami were +only their imperfect forms or the processes through which they passed +before arriving at perfection. + +These two beings lived in the Heavens. The world was not yet well formed, +and the soil floated about like a fish in the water, but near the +surface; and was called "The Floating Region." The sun, earth and moon +were still attached to each other like a head to the neck, or arms to the +body. They were little by little separating, the parts joining them +growing thinner and thinner. This part, like an isthmus, was called +"Heaven's Floating Bridge." It was on this bridge that Izanagi and +Izanami were standing when they saw a pair of wagtails cooing and billing +sweetly together. The heavenly couple were so delighted with the sight +that they began to imitate the birds. Thus began the art of love, which +mortals have practiced to this day. + +While talking together on this Bridge of Heaven, they began to wonder if +there was a world beneath them. They looked far down upon the green seas, +but could see nothing! Then Izanagi took his long jeweled spear and +plunged it into the turbid mass, turning it round and round. As he lifted +it up, the drops which trickled from it hardened into earth of their own +accord; and thus dry land was formed. As Izanagi was cleansing his spear +the lumps of muck and mud which had adhered to it flew off into space, +and were changed into stars and comets. + +[It is said that by turning his spear round and round, Izanagi set the +Earth revolving in daily revolutions]. + +To the land thus formed, they gave the name of "The Island of the +Congealed Drop," because they intended to create a large archipelago and +wished to distinguish this as the first island. They descended from +Heaven on the floating bridge and landed on the island. Izanagi struck +his tall spear in the ground making it the axis of the world. He then +proceeded to build a palace around the spear which formed the central +pillar. [This spot was formerly at the North pole, but is now at Eshima, +off the central eastern coast of Japan]. They then resolved to walk round +the island and examine it. This done, they met together. Izanami cried +out, "What a lovely man!" But Izanagi rebuked her for speaking first, and +said they must try it again. Then they walked round the island once more. +When they met, Izanami held her tongue while Izanagi said, "What a lovely +woman!" + +Being now both in good humor, they began the work of creating Japan. The +first island brought up out of the water was Awaji; and then the main +island. After that, eight large islands were created, whence comes one of +the names of Japan, "The Empire of the Eight Great Islands." Six smaller +islands were also produced. The several thousand islets which make up the +archipelago of Everlasting Great Japan were formed by the spontaneous +consolidation of the foam of the sea. + +After the country was thus formed the divine pair created eight millions +of earthly gods or kami, and the ten thousand different things on the +earth. Vegetation sprang up over all the land, which was however still +covered with mist. So Izanagi created with his breath the two gods, male +and female of the wind. All these islands are the children of Izanagi and +Izanami, and when first born were small and feeble, but gradually grew +larger and larger, attaining their present size like human beings, which +are at first tiny infants. + +As the gradual separation of the land and sea went on, foreign countries +were formed by the congealing of the foam of the sea. The god of fire was +then born of Izanami, his mother. This god often got very angry at any +one who used unclean fire. Izanami then created by herself the gods of +metals, of clay and of fresh water. This latter was told always to keep +the god of fire quiet, and put him out when he began to do mischief. + +Izanagi and Izanami, though married but a short time, began to quarrel, +for Izanami had once told her husband not to look at her when she hid +herself. But Izanagi did not do what she requested, but intruded on her +privacy when she was unwell, and stared at her when she wished to be +alone. Izanami then got very angry, and went down to the lower world of +darkness, and disappeared. + +In the dark world under the earth Izanami stayed a long time, and after +long waiting, Izanagi went after her. In the darkness of the Under-world +he was horrified at what he saw, and leaving his consort below, tried to +escape to the earth again. + +In his struggles several gods were created, one of them coming out of his +staff. When he got up to daylight, he secured a large rock to close up +the hole in the earth. Turning this rock into a god, he commanded him to +watch the place. He then rushed into the sea and continued washing for a +long time to purify himself. In blowing out from his lungs the polluted +air inhaled in the Under-world, the two evil gods sprang forth from his +breath. As these would commit great harm and wickedness, Izanagi created +two other gods to correct their evil. But when he had washed his eyes and +could see clearly again, there sprang out two precious and lovely beings; +one from his left eye, being a rare and glistening maiden, whom he +afterwards named Ama Térasu, or "The Heaven Illuminating Spirit." From +his right eye appeared Susa no O, the "Ruler of the Moon." Being now pure +again, and having these lovely children, Izanagi rejoiced and said, "I +have begotten child upon child, and at the end of my begetting, I have +begotten me two jewel-children." Now the brightness of the person of the +maiden Ama Térasu was beautiful, and shone through Heaven and Earth. +Izanagi, well pleased, said: "Though my children are many, none of them +is like this wonder-child. She must not be kept in this region." So +taking off the necklace of precious stones from his neck and rattling it, +he gave it to her, saying, "Rule thou over the High Plain of Heaven." + +At that time the distance between Heaven and Earth was not very great, +and he sent her up to the blue sky by the Heaven-uniting Pillar, on which +the Heavens rested like a prop. She easily mounted it, and lived in the +sun, illuminating the whole Heavens and the Earth. The Sun now gradually +separated from the Earth, and both moved farther and farther apart until +they rested where they now are. + +Izanagi next spoke to Susa no O the Ruler of the Moon, and said, "Rule +thou over the new-born Earth and the blue Waste of the Sea, with its +Multitudinous Salt Waters." + +[So then the Heavens and the Earth and Moon were created and inhabited. +And as Japan lay directly opposite the sun when it separated from the +Earth, it is plain that Japan lies on the summit of the globe. It is +easily seen that all other countries were formed by the spontaneous +consolidation of the ocean foam, and the collection of mud in the various +seas. The stars were made to guide warriors from foreign countries to the +court of the Mikado, who is the true Son of Heaven]. + + + + +HOW THE SUN GODDESS WAS ENTICED OUT OF HER CAVE. + + +When the far-shining goddess, on account of the evil pranks of her +brother, Susa no O, the Ruler of the Moon, hid herself in a cave, there +was no more light, and heaven and earth were plunged into darkness. + +A council of all the gods was held in the dry bed of one of the rivers +[which we call the Milky Way] in the fields of Heaven. The question of +how to appease the anger of the goddess was discussed. A long-headed and +very wise god was ordered to think out a plan to entice her forth from +the cave. + +After due deliberation, it was resolved that a looking-glass should be +made to tempt her to gaze at herself, and that tricks should be played to +arouse her curiosity to come out and see what was going on. + +So setting to work with a will, the gods forged and polished a mirror, +wove cloth for beautiful garments, built a pavilion, carved a necklace of +jewels, made wands, and tried an augury. + +All being ready, the fat and rosy-cheeked goddess of mirth with face full +of dimples, and eyes full of fun, named Uzumé, was selected to lead the +dance. She had a flute made from a bamboo cane by piercing holes between +the joints, while every god in the great orchestra had a pair of flat +hard wood clappers, which he struck together. + +She bound up her long flowing sleeves with a creeper vine, and made for +herself a baton of twigs of bamboo grass, by which she could direct the +motions of the musicians. This she held in one hand while in the other +was a spear wound round with grass, on which small bells tinkled. Great +bonfires were lighted in front of the cave, so that the audience of gods +could see the dance. A large circular box which resounded like a drum +when trod on, was set up for Uzumé to dance upon. The row of cocks now +began to crow in concert. + +All being ready, the Strong-handed god who was to pull the sun-goddess +out of the cave, as soon as overcome by her curiosity she should peep +forth, hid himself beside the stone door of the cave. Uzumé mounted the +box and began to dance. As the drum-box resounded, the spirit of folly +seized her, and she began to chant a song. + +Becoming still more foolish, Uzumé waved her wand wildly, loosened her +dress, and danced till she had not a stitch of clothing left on her. The +gods were so amused at her foolishness that they all laughed, until the +heavens shook as with claps of thunder. + +The Sun-goddess within the cave heard all these strange noises; the +crowing of the cocks, the hammering on the anvil, the chopping of wood, +the music of the koto, the clappering of the hard wood, the tinkling of +the bells, the shouting of Uzumé and the boisterous laughter of the gods. +Wondering what it all meant, she peeped out. + +As she did so the Doubly Beautiful goddess held up the mirror. + +The Far-Shining one seeing her own face in it was greatly astonished. +Curiosity got the better of fear. She looked far out. Instantly the +strong-handed god pulled the rocky door open, and seizing her hand, +dragged her forth. Then all the heavens and earth were lightened, the +trees and grass became green again, and the goddess of colors resumed her +work of tinting the flowers. The gloom fled from all eyes, and human +beings again became "white-faced." + +Thus the calamity which had befallen heaven and earth, by the sun-goddess +hiding in the cave became a means of much benefit to mortals. For by +their necessity the gods were compelled to invent the arts of +metal-working, weaving, carpentry, jeweling and many other useful +appliances for the human race. They also on this occasion first made use +of music, dancing, the Dai Kagura (The comedy which makes the gods laugh) +and many of the games which the children play at the present time. + + + + + * * * * * + +JAPANESE FAIRY WORLD - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES + +Place names and proper names have various spelling throughout the +book. These have been left as written in the original book. Apart from +those items listed below, all parochial, unusual and non-standard +spelling, grammar and punctuation has been left as printed in the +original book. + +The use of the macron above the letter "O" in names throughout the +book is inconsistent. The same name may appear either with or without +a macron or the macron may appear above different letters when the +same name is printed in different places through the book. This has +been left as printed in the original book. + + +Inconsistencies between the table of contents and the Chapter headings +have been made consistent with the text. That is, the table of +contents has been changed to reflect the heading of the Chapter. + + + XV + + KINTARO, THE WILD BABY. (in table of contents) has been + changed to KINTARO, OR THE WILD BABY. (as it appears in + chapter heading). + + + XXXI + + The Tide Jewels (in table of contents) has been changed + to THE JEWELS OF THE EBBING AND THE FLOWING TIDE. (as it + appears in chapter heading). + + + between XXV and XXVI + + THE WATERFALL OF YORO, OR THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. - has + been added to table of contents. This chapter appears in + the book, but was not listed in the table of contents. + + + + +The following typographical, spelling and grammatical errors have been +identified and corrected as detailed below. + + + Preface - changed "tattoed" to "tattooed" + in + Some of these stories I first read on the [tattoed] limbs + and bodies of the native foot-runners, + + + page 7 - changed "staid" to "stayed" + in + The lover-husband [staid] on his side of the river, and + the wife came to him on the magpie bridge, save on the + sad occasion when it rained. + + + page 18 - changed "phoilosophy" to "philosophy" + in + Then he said to himself: "Old Totsu San (my father) is a + fool, with all his [phoilosophy]." + + + page 29 - changed "dragoon" to "dragon" + in + Their tomb was carved in the form of a white [dragoon], + which to this day, in spite of mosses and lichens, may + still be seen among the ancient monuments of the little + hamlet. + + + page 31 - changed "sarely" to "sorely" + in + The sorrowful old man grieved [sarely] for his pet, and + after looking in every place and calling it by name, gave + it up as lost. + + + page 59 - changed "shinning" to "shining" + in + with Fuji yama and cranes flying in the air, and a + crimson sun [shinning] through the bamboo, + + + page 61 - changed "masters'" to "master's" + in + It danced a jig on the tight rope, and walked the slack + rope, holding a fan, or an umbrella in his paw, stood on + his head, and finally at a flourish of his [masters'] fan + became a cold and rusty tea-kettle again. + + + page 100 - changed "way" to "away" + in + For a moment the dense volume of sound filled the ears of + all like a storm, but as the vibrations died [way], the + bell whined out + + + page 136 - changed "faught" to "fought" + in + On one occasion, after a hard [faught] battle, Jiraiya + fled and took refuge in a monastery, with a few trusty + vassals, to rest a short time + + + page 160 - changed "crysanthemums" to "chrysanthemums" + in + or blossom out like [crysanthemums] + + + page 162 - changed "accompainment" to "accompaniment" + in + It sounds as if a band with many instruments was playing + to the [accompainment] of a large choir of voices." + + + page 170 - changed "maccaroni" to "macaroni" + in + The solids were thunder-cakes, egg-cracknels, boiled + rice, daikon radishes and [maccaroni] + + + page 174 - changed "midado's" to "mikado's" + in + the beast with swaying head crept along the great roof to + the place on the eaves directly under the [midado's] + sleeping-room. + + + page 175 - changed "markmanship" to "marksmanship" + in + All congratulated Yorimasa on his valor and + [markmanship]. + + + page 206 - changed "ells" to "eels" + in + Eating his boiled rice, and snuffing in the odors of the + broiled [ells], as they were wafted in, he enjoyed with + his nose, what he would not pay for to put in his mouth. + + + page 207 - changed "ells" to "eels" + in + "Why yes, I have paid you. You have charged me for the + smell of your [ells], and I have paid you with the sound + of my money." + + + page 212 - changed "suprise" to "surprise" + in + Greater still was the [suprise] of the Suruga people. + + + page 224 - changed "neans" to "means" + in + Now Kanamé [neans] the rivet in a fan, that holds all the + sticks together, and they gave the name "rivet-rock," + because it is the rivet that binds the earth together. + + + page 227 - changed "dilligent" to "diligent" + in + Only a few years ago there was a gentleman in Fukui, + Japan, who had a son, a bright lad of twelve, who was + very [dilligent] at school and had made astonishing + progress in his studies. + + + page 238 - changed "vessals" to "vassals" + in + These were all retainers or friendly [vessals] of Lord + Long-legs. + + + page 247 - changed "crysanthemum" to "chrysanthemum" + in + Other bearers followed, keeping step and carrying the + regalia, consisting of [crysanthemum] stalks and + blossoms. + + + page 264 - changed "attendent" to "attendant" + in + She was one of the fifteen glistening virgins that wait + [attendent] upon the moon in her chambers in the sky. + + + page 272 - changed "villiagers" to "villagers" + in + So he prevailed upon the simple [villiagers] to build a + railing of stone around the now sacred pine. + + + page 275 - changed "darling" to "daring" + in + She, now having the power, resolved to carry out her + [darling] plan of invading Corea. + + + page 280 - changed "engulphed" to "engulfed" + to + In a snap of the finger, the ocean rolled up into a wave + many tens of feet high and [engulphed] the Corean army, + drowning them almost to a man + + + page 302 - changed "too" to "to" + in + All being ready, the Strong-handed god who was [too] pull + the sun-goddess out of the cave, as soon as overcome by + her curiosity she should peep forth, hid himself beside + the stone door of the cave. + + + page 304 - changed "carpentery" to "carpentry" + in + For by their necessity the gods were compelled to invent + the arts of metal-working, weaving, [carpentery], + jeweling and many other useful appliances for the human + race. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Japanese Fairy World, by William Elliot Griffis + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JAPANESE FAIRY WORLD *** + +***** This file should be named 29337-0.txt or 29337-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/9/3/3/29337/ + +Produced by Delphine Lettau, Jen Haines and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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