Japanese Fairy Tales

by Yei Theodora Ozaki

  The old man had not gone far on his way down the mountain pass when the sky clouded and rain began to fall heavily. He looked about for some shelter, but there was not even a charcoal-burner’s hut near. At last he espied a large hole in the hollow trunk of a tree. The hole was near the ground, so he crept in easily, and sat down in hopes that he had only been overtaken by a mountain shower, and that the weather would soon clear.

  But much to the old man’s disappointment, instead of clearing the rain fell more and more heavily, and finally a heavy thunder-storm broke over the mountain. The thunder roared so terrifically, and the heavens seemed to be so ablaze with lightning, that the old man could hardly believe himself to be alive. He thought that he must die of fright. At last, however, the sky cleared, and the whole country was aglow in the rays of the setting sun. The old man’s spirits revived when he looked out at the beautiful twilight, and he was about to step out from his strange hiding-place in the hollow tree when the sound of what seemed like the approaching steps of several people caught his ear. He at once thought that his friends had come to look for him, and he was delighted at the idea of having some jolly companions with whom to walk home. But on looking out from the tree, what was his amazement to see, not his friends, but hundreds of demons coming towards the spot. The more he looked, the greater was his astonishment. Some of these demons were as large as giants, others had great big eyes out of all proportion to the rest of their bodies, others again had absurdly long noses, and some had such big mouths that they seemed to open from ear to ear. All had horns growing on their foreheads.

  The old man was so surprised at what he saw that he lost his balance and fell out of the hollow tree. Fortunately for him the demons did not see him, as the tree was in the background. So he picked himself up and crept back into the tree.

  While he was sitting there and wondering impatiently when he would be able to get home, he heard the sounds of gay music, and then some of the demons began to sing.

  “What are these creatures doing?” said the old man to himself. “I will look out, it sounds very amusing.”

  On peeping out, the old man saw that the demon chief himself was actually sitting with his back against the tree in which he had taken refuge, and all the other demons were sitting round, some drinking and some dancing. Food and wine was spread before them on the ground, and the demons were evidently having a great entertainment and enjoying themselves immensely.

  It made the old man laugh to see their strange antics.

  “How amusing this is!” laughed the old man to himself. “I am now quite old, but I have never seen anything so strange in all my life.”

  He was so interested and excited in watching all that the demons were doing, that he forgot himself and stepped out of the tree and stood looking on.

  The demon chief was just taking a big cup of saké and watching one of the demons dancing. In a little while he said with a bored air:

  “Your dance is rather monotonous. I am tired of watching it. Isn’t there anyone amongst you all who can dance better than this fellow?”

  Now the old man had been fond of dancing all his life, and was quite an expert in the art, and he knew that he could do much better than the demon.

  “Shall I go and dance before these demons and let them see what a human being can do? It may be dangerous, for if I don’t please them they may kill me!” said the old fellow to himself.

  His fears, however, were soon overcome by his love of dancing. In a few minutes he could restrain himself no longer, and came out before the whole party of demons and began to dance at once. The old man, realising that his life probably depended on whether he pleased these strange creatures or not, exerted his skill and wit to the utmost.

  The demons were at first very surprised to see a man so fearlessly taking part in their entertainment, and then their surprise soon gave place to admiration.

  “How strange!” exclaimed the horned chief. “I never saw such a skilful dancer before! He dances admirably!”

  When the old man had finished his dance, the big demon said:

  “Thank you very much for your amusing dance. Now give us the pleasure of drinking a cup of wine with us,” and with these words he handed him his largest wine-cup.

  The old man thanked him very humbly:

  “I did not expect such kindness from your lordship. I fear I have only disturbed your pleasant party by my unskilful dancing.”

  “No, no,” answered the big demon. “You must come often and dance for us. Your skill has given us much pleasure.”

  The old man thanked him again and promised to do so.

  “Then will you come again to-morrow, old man?” asked the demon.

  “Certainly I will! answered the old man.

  “Then you must leave some pledge of your word with us,” said the demon.

  “Whatever you like,” said the old man.

  “Now what is the best thing he can leave with us as a pledge?” asked the demon, looking round.

  Then said one of the demon’s attendants kneeling behind the chief:

  The Demon took the great Lump from the Old Man’s Cheek.

  “The token he leaves with us must be the most important thing to him in his possession. I see the old man has a wen on his right cheek. Now mortal men consider such a wen very fortunate. Let my lord take the lump from the old man’s right cheek, and he will surely come to-morrow, if only to get that back.”

  “You are very clever,” said the demon chief, giving his horns an approving nod. Then he stretched out a hairy arm and claw-like hand, and took the great lump from the old man’s right cheek.

  Strange to say, it came off as easily as a ripe plum from the tree at the demon’s touch, and then the merry troop of demons suddenly vanished.

  The old man was lost in bewilderment by all that had happened. He hardly knew for some time where he was. When he came to understand what had happened to him, he was delighted to find that the lump on his face, which had for so many years disfigured him, had really been taken away without any pain to himself. He put up his hand to feel if any scar remained, but found that his right cheek was as smooth as his left.

  The sun had long set, and the young moon had risen like a silver crescent in the sky. The old man suddenly realised how late it was and began to hurry home. He patted his right cheek all the time, as if to make sure of his good fortune in having lost the wen.

  He was so happy that he found it impossible to walk quietly—he ran and danced the whole way home.

  He found his wife very anxious, wondering what had happened to make him so late. He soon told her all that had passed since he left home that afternoon. She was quite as happy as her husband when he showed her that the ugly lump had disappeared from his face, for in her youth she had prided herself on his good looks, and it had been a daily grief to her to see the horrid growth.

  Now next door to this good old couple there lived a wicked and disagreeable old man. He, too, had for many years been troubled with the growth of a wen on his left cheek, and he, too, had tried all manner of things to get rid of it, but in vain.

  He heard at once, through the servant, of his neighbour’s good luck in losing the lump on his face, so he called that very evening and asked his friend to tell him everything that concerned the loss of it. The good old man told his disagreeable neighbour all that had happened to him. He described the place where he would find the hollow tree in which to hide, and advised him to be on the spot in the late afternoon towards the time of sunset.

  The Old Man told his Neighbour all that had happened.

  The old neighbour started out the very next afternoon, and after hunting about for some time, came to the hollow tree just as his friend had described. Here he hid himself and waited for the twilight.

  Just as he had been told, the band of demons came at that hour an
d held a feast with dance and song. When this had gone on for some time the chief of the demons looked around and said:

  “It is now time for the old man to come as he promised us. Why doesn’t he come?”

  When the second old man heard these words he ran out of his hiding-place in the tree and, kneeling down before the oni, said:

  “I have been waiting for a long time for you to speak!”

  “Ah, you are the old man of yesterday,” said the demon chief.

  “Thank you for coming, you must dance for us soon.”

  The old man now stood up and opened his fan and began to dance. But he had never learned to dance, and knew nothing about the necessary gestures and different positions. He thought that anything would please the demons, so he just hopped about, waving his arms and stamping his feet, imitating as well as he could any dancing he had ever seen.

  The oni were very dissatisfied at this exhibition, and said amongst themselves:

  There was now a great Wen on the Right Side of his Face as on the Left.

  “How badly he dances to-day!”

  Then to the old man the demon chief said:

  “Your performance to-day is quite different from the dance of yesterday. We don’t wish to see any more of such dancing. We will give you back the pledge you left with us. You must go away at once.”

  With these words he took out from a fold of his dress the lump which he had taken from the face of the old man who had danced so well the day before, and threw it at the right cheek of the old man who stood before him. The lump immediately attached itself to his cheek as firmly as if it had grown there always, and all attempts to pull it off were useless. The wicked old man, instead of losing the lump on his left cheek as he had hoped, found to his dismay that he had but added another to his right cheek in his attempt to get rid of the first.

  He put up first one hand and then the other to each side of his face to make sure if he were not dreaming a horrible nightmare.

  No, sure enough there was now a great wen on the right side of his face as on the left. The demons had all disappeared, and there was nothing for him to do but to return home. He was a pitiful sight, for his face, with the two large lumps, one on each side, looked just like a Japanese gourd.

  The Stones of Five Colours and the Empress Jokwa: An Old Chinese Story

  LONG, long ago there lived a great Chinese Empress who succeeded her brother the Emperor Fuki. It was the age of giants, and the Empress Jokwa, for that was her name, was twenty-five feet high, nearly as tall as her brother. She was a wonderful woman, and an able ruler. There is an interesting story of how she mended a part of the broken heavens and one of the terrestrial pillars which upheld the sky, both of which were damaged during a rebellion raised by one of King Fuki’s subjects.

  The rebel’s name was Kokai. He was twenty-six feet high. His body was entirely covered with hair, and his face was as black as iron. He was a wizard and a very terrible character indeed. When the Emperor Fuki died, Kokai was bitten with the ambition to be Emperor of China, but his plan failed, and Jokwa, the dead Emperor’s sister, mounted the throne. Kokai was so angry at being thwarted in his desire that he raised a revolt. His first act was to employ the Water Devil, who caused a great flood to rush over the country. This swamped the poor people out of their homes, and when the Empress Jokwa saw the plight of her subjects, and knew it was Kokai’s fault, she declared war against him.

  Now Jokwa, the Empress, had two young warriors called Hako and Eiko, and the former she made General of the front forces.

  Hako was delighted that the Empress’s choice should fall on him, and he prepared himself for battle. He took up the longest lance he could find and mounted a red horse, and was just about to set out when he heard someone galloping hard behind him and shouting:

  The Empress Jokwa.

  “Hako! Stop! The General of the front forces must be I!”

  He looked back and saw Eiko his comrade, riding on a white horse, in the act of unsheathing a large sword to draw upon him.

  Hako’s anger was kindled, and as he turned to face his rival he cried:

  Hako looked back and saw Eiko unsheathing a large Sword.

  “Insolent wretch! I have been appointed by the Empress to lead the front forces to battle. Do you dare to stop me?”

  “Yes,” answered Eiko. “I ought to lead the army. It is you who should follow me.”

  At this bold reply Hako’s anger burst from a spark into a flame.

  “Dare you answer me thus? Take that,” and he lunged at him with his lance.

  But Eiko moved quickly aside, and at the same time, raising his sword, he wounded the head of the General’s horse. Obliged to dismount, Hako was about to rush at his antagonist, when Eiko, as quick as lightning, tore from his breast the badge of commander-ship and galloped away. The action was so quick that Hako stood dazed, not knowing what to do.

  The Empress had been a spectator of the scene, and she could not but admire the quickness of the ambitious Eiko, and in order to pacify the rivals she determined to appoint them both to the Generalship of the front army.

  So Hako was made commander of the left wing of the front army, and Eiko of the right. One hundred thousand soldiers followed them and marched to put down the rebel Kokai.

  Within a short time the two Generals reached the castle where Kokai had fortified himself. When aware of their approach, the wizard said:

  “I will blow these two poor children away with one breath.” (He little thought how hard he would find the fight.) With these words Kokai seized an iron rod and mounted a black horse, and rushed forth like an angry tiger to meet his two foes.

  As the two young warriors saw him tearing down upon them, they said to each other: “We must not let him escape alive,” and they attacked him from the right and from the left with sword and with lance. But the all-powerful Kokai was not to be easily beaten—he whirled his iron rod round like a great water-wheel, and for a long time they fought thus, neither side gaining nor losing. At last, to avoid the wizard’s iron rod, Hako turned his horse too quickly; the animal’s hoofs struck against a large stone, and in a fright the horse reared as straight on end as a screen, throwing his master to the ground.

  Thereupon Kokai drew his three-edged sword and was about to kill the prostrate Hako, but before the wizard could work his wicked will the brave Eiko had wheeled his horse in front of Kokai and dared him to try his strength with him, and not to kill a fallen man. But Kokai was tired, and he did not feel inclined to face this fresh and dauntless young soldier, so suddenly wheeling his horse round, he fled from the fray.

  Hako, who had been only slightly stunned, had by this time got upon his feet, and he and his comrade rushed after the retreating enemy, the one on foot and the other on horseback.

  Kokai, seeing that he was pursued, turned upon his nearest assailant, who was, of course, the mounted Eiko, and drawing forth an arrow from the quiver at his back, fitted it to his bow and drew upon Eiko.

  As quick as lightning the wary Eiko avoided the shaft, which only touched his helmet strings, and glancing off, fell harmless against Hako’s coat of armour.

  The wizard saw that both his enemies remained unscathed. He also knew that there was no time to pull a second arrow before they would be upon him, so to save himself he resorted to magic.

  He stretched forth his wand, and immediately a great flood arose, and Jokwa’s army and her brave young Generals were swept away like a falling of autumn leaves on a stream.

  Hako and Eiko found themselves struggling neck deep in water, and looking round they saw the ferocious Kokai making towards them through the water with his iron rod on high. They thought every moment that they would be cut down, but they bravely struck out to swim as far as they could from Kokai’s reach. All of a sudden they found themselves in front of what seemed to be an island
rising straight out of the water. They looked up, and there stood an old man with hair as white as snow, smiling at them. They cried to him to help them. The old man nodded his head and came down to the edge of the water. As soon as his feet touched the flood it divided, and a good road appeared, to the amazement of the drowning men, who now found themselves safe.

  Kokai had by this time reached the island which had risen as if by a miracle out of the water, and seeing his enemies thus saved he was furious. He rushed through the water upon the old man, and it seemed as if he would surely be killed. But the old man appeared not in the least dismayed, and calmly awaited the wizard’s onslaught.

  As Kokai drew near, the old man laughed aloud merrily, and turning into a large and beautiful white crane, flapped his wings and flew upwards into the heavens.

  When Hako and Eiko saw this, they knew that their deliverer was no mere human being—was perhaps a god in disguise—and they hoped later on to find out who the venerable old man was.

  In the meantime they had retreated, and it being now the close of day, for the sun was setting, both Kokai and the young warriors gave up the idea of fighting more that day.

  That night Hako and Eiko decided that it was useless to fight against the wizard Kokai, for he had supernatural powers, while they were only human. So they presented themselves before the Empress Jokwa. After a long consultation, the Empress decided to ask the Fire King, Shikuyu, to help her against the rebel wizard and to lead her army against him.

  Now Shikuyu, the Fire King, lived at the South Pole. It was the only safe place for him to be in, for he burnt up everything around him anywhere else, but it was impossible to burn up ice and snow.

  To look at he was a giant, and stood thirty feet high. His face was just like marble, and his hair and beard long and as white as snow.