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THE JAPANESE FAIRY BOOK

 
COMPILED BY

YEI THEODORA OZAKI


PRiNCE YAMATO TAKE BADE HIS WIFE HELP HIM ATTIRE HIMSELF LIKE A WoMAN

WESTMINSTER
ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & CO. LTD.
2 WHITEHALL GARDENS

1903


TO
ELEANOR MARION-CRAWFORD.
I Dedicate this Book

TO YOU AND TO THE SWEET CHILD-FRIENDSHIP THAT YOU GAVE ME
IN THE DAYS SPENT WITH YOU BY THE SOUTHERN SEA, WHEN YOU
USED TO LISTEN WITH UNFEIGNED PLEASURE TO THESE FAIRY
STORIES FROM FAR JAPAN. MAY THEY NOW REMIND YOU OF MY
CHANGELESS LOVE AND REMEMBRANCE.

Y. T. O.
TOKIO. 1903.


PREFACE.

THIS collection of Japanese fairy tales is the outcome of a suggestion made to me indirectly through a friend by Mr. Andrew Lang. They have been translated from the modern version written by Sadanami Sanjin. These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore.

Grateful acknowledgment is due to Mr. Y. Yasuoka, Miss Fusa Okamoto, my brother Nobumori Ozaki, Dr. Yoshihiro Takaki, and Miss Kameko Yamao, who have helped me with translations.

The story which I have named "The Story of the Man who did not Wish to Die" is taken from a little book written a hundred years ago by one Shinsui Tamenaga. It is named Chosei Furo, or "Longevity." "The Bamboo-cutter and the Moon-child" is taken from the classic "Taketari Monogatari," and is not classed by the Japanese among their fairy tales, though it really belongs to this class of literature.

The pictures were drawn by Mr. Kakuzo Fujiyama, a Tokio artist.

In telling these stories in English I have followed my fancy in adding such touches of local colour or description as they seemed to need or as pleased me, and in one or two instances I have gathered in an incident from another version. At all times, among my friends, both young and old, English or American, I have always found eager listeners to the beautiful legends and fairy tales of Japan, and in telling them I have also found that they were still unknown to the vast majority, and this has encouraged me to write them for the children of the West.

Y. T. O.

TOKIO, 1903.



CONTENTS.
 

MY LORD BAG OF RICE
THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW 
THE STORY OF URASHIMA TARO, THE FISHER LAD 
THE FARMER AND THE BADGER
THE SHINANSHA, OR THE SOUTH POINTING CARRIAGE
THE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOY
THE STORY OF PRINCESS HASE
THE STORY OF THE MAN WHO DID NOT WISH TO DIE
THE BAMBOO-CUTTER AND THE MOON-CHILD
THE MIRROR OF MATSUYAMA 
THE GOBLIN OF ADAC HIGAHARA
THE SAGACIOUS MONKEY AND THE BOAR
THE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILFUL FISHER 
THE STORY OF THE OLD MAN WHO MADE WITHERED TREES TO FLOWER
THE JELLY FISH AND THE MONKEY 
THE QUARREL OF THE MONKEY AND THE CRAB
THE WHITE HARE AND THE CROCODILES
THE STORY OF PRINCE YAMATO TAKE 
MOMOTARO, OR THE STORY OF THE SON OF A PEACH
THE OGRE OF RASHOMON
HOW AN OLD MAN LOST HIS WEN
THE STONES OF FIVE COLOURS AND THE EMPRESS JOK WA


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Coloured Plates.

PRiNCE YAMATO TAKE BADE HIS WIFE HELP HIM ATTIRE HIMSELF LIKE A WoMAN
URASHiMA TARo AND THE SEA KiNG'S DAUGHTER
THEY ALL GAZED WITH TEARFUL EYES AT THE RECEDiNG PRiNCESS
THE MoNKEY PRoPoSED THE EXCHANGE OF THE HARD PERSIMMON-SEED FOR THE CRAB'S NiCE DUMPLiNG



Illustrations in the Text.

PUTTiNG ASiDE ALL FEAR, HE WENT FoRWARD DAUNTLESSLY
HIDESATo ToOK ANOTHER ARRoW
THE PROCESSION
AND WITH THESE DREADFUL WoRDS SHE DRoVE THE BIRD AWAY
THE LADY SPARROW iNTRoDUCED ALL HER FAMiLY
THE oLD WoMAN HAD NEVER BEEN So FRiGHTENED IN HER LIFE
THE GATE oF SoME LARGE PALACE
A BEAUTiFUL LITTLE PURPLE CLoUD ROSE OUT oF THE BoX 
THE FARMER'S WiFE POUNDiNG BARLEY
HE SET THE BUNDLE oF GRASS oN FiRE
HE RAISED HiS oAR AND STRUCK AT THE BADGER WiTH ALL HiS STRENGTH
HE THOUGHT AND PoNDERED DEEPLY
HE MOUNTED THE DRAGoN 
THEN THE MONKEY AND THE HARE HOPPED OUT
THE KIND GENERAL GRADUALLY UNFOLDED HIS PLAN
LoRD RAIKo oRDERED KiNTARo To THE RESCUE
HASE-HiME LISTENED IN AN ATTITUDE oF RESPECT
HER FATHER SENT FOR HER AND TOLD HER WHAT WAS REQUIRED oF HER
TAKEN BY SURPRISE, SHE COULD HARDLY REALiSE THAT iT WAS HER FATHER
THE CRANE FLEW AWAY, RIGHT oUT TO SEA
HE SCREAMED oUT To JOFUKU TO CoME AND RESCUE HiM
HE TOoK THE LiTTLE CREATURE IN HiS HAND
THE SCREENS SLiD OPEN, REVEALiNG THE PRINCESS
THE WIFE GAZED INTO THE SHiNING DISC
THEY WATCHED HiM AS HE WENT DoWN THE ROAD
"WHAT I HAVE BRoUGHT YOU iS CALLED A MiRROR"
THE MOTHER ROUSED HERSELF, AND TooK HER DAUGHTER'S HAND
iN THE ROUND MiRROR BEFoRE HER SHE SAW HER MoTHER'S FACE
HE PRESSED THE OLD WoMAN TO LET HiM STAY, BUT SHE SEEMED VERY RELUCTANT
WHAT HE SAW FROZE THE BLooD IN HiS VEINS
AFTER HIM RUSHED THE DREADFUL oLD HAG
THE MONKEY BEGAN HiS TALE oF WOE
THE MONKEY WAS RUNNiNG AFTER THE THIEF AS FAST AS HiS LEGS WoULD CARRY HiM
THE HAPPY HUNTER IN VAIN BESOUGHT HiS BRoTHER TO PARDoN HiM
THE CUTTLEFiSH oPENED THE TAI'S MOUTH
HE TOOK oUT THE JEWEL OF THE FLOOD TiDE 
THE DEEPER HE DUG, THE MORE GOLD COINS DID THE OLD MAN FIND
THE WiTHERED TREE AT ONCE BURST INTo FULL BLooM
THE DAIMIO oRDERED HiS RETAINERS To PUT THE IMPoSTOR iN PRiSON
THE DRAGON KING BLAMED THE DOCTOR FoR NOT CURING THE QUEEN
"PLEASE DoN'T Go SO FAST, OR I AM SURE I SHALL FALL oFF," SAID THE MONKEY
THEY BEAT THE JELLY FISH To A FLAT PULP
THE MoNKEY BEGAN TO PLUCK AND EAT AS FAST AS HE CoULD
"IT WAS YoUR FATHER'S FAULT, NOT MiNE," GASPED THE UNREPENTANT MoNKEY
SoME oF THE CROCODILES RAN AFTER THE HARE AND CAUGHT HiM
THiS MAN HAD A KiND HEART, AND LOOKED AT THE HARE VERY PITYINGLY
WHEN THE PRiNCESS HAD LooKED AT THE KIND BRoTHER'S FACE, SHE WENT STRAIGHT UP To HIM
A DAGGER FLASHED BEFoRE HiS EYES
A MoNSTER SERPENT APPEARED
SHE SET To WoRK TO WASH THE CLoTHES
THE PEACH SPLIT iN TWO oF iTSELF
MOMoTARo RETURNED TRIUMPHANTLY HoME, TAKING WiTH HiM THE DEViL CHIEF AS HIS CAPTiVE
WATANABE FiNDS THE ARM oF THE oGRE
SOMEoNE WAS KNOCKING AT THE PoRCH, ASKiNG FoR ADMITTANCE
IN THIS WAY THE OGRE ESCAPED WiTH HIS ARM
THE DEMoN TooK THE GREAT LUMP FRoM THE oLD MAN'S CHEEK
THE oLD MAN TOLD HiS NEIGHBoUR ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED
THERE WAS NoW A GREAT WEN ON THE RIGHT SiDE OF HIS FACE AS oN THE LEFT
THE EMPRESS JOKWA
HAKo LOOKED BACK, AND SAW EIKO UNSHEATHING A LARGE SWoRD
EIKO VISiTS THE FiRE KiNG
THE AMBASSADoRS SET oUT iN THE MAGiC CHARIoTS