The Legend of Kintaro - The Golden Boy

Kintarō, the Golden Boy

 

 

 "Kin" means "Gold".
"Taro" is a very popular boy's name, meaning simply "Boy".
Therefore, "Kintaro" can be translated as "Golden Boy".
A great name, isn't it ?

 

　A long time ago around the 10th century, Mr. Kintoki Sakata was born in a small village near Mt. Kintoki and was called "Kintaro" in his boyhood.

　"Kintaro, wrestling with a bear....."
　This is a passage of a popular children's song.

　It is said that Kintaro took his first bath in the Yuhi-no-Taki Falls as a newborn baby, and played with animals around the "Kintaro Asobi-Ishi" (Play Rock) located a little downstream from the falls.

　A strong boy, Kintaro could throw down a bear in "Sumo" wrestling. He was a chubby red skin boy and always carried a hatchet.

　As he grew up, Kintaro became a retainer to the famous Samurai (warrior) Yorimitsu Minamoto. He changed his name to Kintoki Sakata and long enjoyed a reputation in history as one of Yorimitsu's four strongest retainers.

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Folktale:
Kintaro at Ashigara mountain

　Once upon a time, there lived at Jizodo (a place name) a rich person called "Shiman-choja". He had a daughter. She was very beautiful, and a woman of great strength of character. 

 
　At that time、there also lived in today's Kaisei Town a powerful and influential Samurai (warrior) called Mr. Sakata. Mr. Sakata loved the daughter and decided to get married with her. Since her family was very rich, her wedding parade was luxurious and gorgeous, carrying trousseaus and gifts to her new family.

 

　Unfortunately, for certain reasons, she was forced to go back to her native house at Jizodo, when she was pregnant. Soon after she got home, she had a rotund and bouncing baby boy. She named him "Kintaro". "Shiman-choja" family took very good care of "Kintaro". 

"Kintaro" was a good, charming boy with clear eyes and rosy-cheeks. Strong and active boy from the beginning, Kintaro played as jumping up and down "Kabuto-ishi" rock and "Taiko-ishi" rock in the nearby rice field. 

　As he grew up, he became a bossy boy among children around and played all day long in the steep mountains such as Mt. Ashigara and Mt. Kintoki.

　As he trained himself in the mountains, he became so strong that he could throw a bear, the strongest in the mountain forests, in "Sumo" wrestling.

　Kintaro changed his name to "Kintoki" after grown up into a man. He became a big, strong and handsome young man, having a good reputation among surrounding villages. 

　Around that time, there lived in Kyoto, the capital, the strongest chief "Samurai" (warrior) called Yorimitsu Minamoto. He happened to come across to Ashigara pass area on his way back from eastern countries. When he and his troop of retainers came to Jizodo, they took a rest, and were surprised to find out Kintaro, a strong and good-looking young man in such a countryside. 

Yorimitsu thought, "It must be by God's providence that I have met with this boy." and recommend him to become his retainer. 

　Kintoki was extremely happy and, no doubt, accepted Yorimitsu's offer to become a retainer of the most famous Samurai in Kyoto. 

　Mr. Kintoki Sakata went up to Kyoto, studied harder, and trained himself in martial arts to become one of the four Yorimitsu's strongest retainers.

　Even now, when a boy is born, parents decorate his room with "Kintaro" doll on May 5 (Boy's day: By the way, March 3 is Girl's day), expecting that he will have similar good luck to become "strong and gentle" Kintaro.

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Explanation:
Historical background

1. Kintaro:
   　"Kintaro" is a boyhood name of Mr. Kintoki Sakata, who actually lived in the middle of the "Heian" period (10th century), when Fujiwara family was at the height of their power〔prosperity〕. A famous episode is that Mr. Michinaga Fujiwara wrote a famous Japanese poem:
   "The world is running as my life desires: it is perfect just like the full moon."
   　 Kintoki was an expert in archery, and one of the four strongest retainers of Mr. yorimitsu Minamoto, who achieved fame for his prowess in the capital, Kyoto. This story of Mr. Kintoki Sakata is recorded in Japanese classical literature "Kon-jyaku Monogatari".  
2. Mr. yorimitsu Minamoto:
   　Yorimitsu was born in 948 (Tenreki 2nd year of the "Murakami" Emperor) as an eldest son of Mr. Mitsunaka Minamoto, who was the Chinjyu-fu Shogun (a kind of Defence Force General). He moved up the promotional〔success〕ladder with Mr. Michinaga Fujiwara's prosperity by keeping a close relationship with Fujiwara family as his father did. Time was the heyday of the "Heian" period. It was the aristocracy society with gorgeous court as was written in Japanese classical literature such as "makura-no-sosi" and "Genji-monogatari".
3. Public peace at the capital Kyoto and the Samurai:
   　Yorimitsu was not of noble birth. He rather belongs to the Samurai class, which originally came from the land-owning〔landed〕classes. His real value was military power. The capital Kyoto was not peaceful at that time. For example, Mitsunaka's house was robbed by a burglar; Michinaga's house was set fire by an arsonist.
   　Therefore, the noble people such as Fujiwara family considered the Samurai people such as Yorimitsu and his party, (that is , his four strongest retainers: Tsuna Watanabe, Sadamitsu Usui, Hidetake Urabe and Kintoki Sakata) to be a powerful and useful men.
   　The legend that Yorimitsu and his four retainers conquered a thief "Shuten-doji" at Ooeyama is the story at Tanba near Kyoto. Even at the height of prosperity in "Heian" period, once you are out of the gorgeous court, you will see in the people's life, the poverty and the disturbance of public peace.
4. Development of "Sho-en"(Private land)：
   　By the political reformation in 645 (Taika-no-kaisin), centralized government was established. For example, private land was prohibited, that is, all the land was owned by the government and the people were all directly controlled by the government. The people were all equal, got the same size of land and paid tax.
   　Unfortunately, with this system, people did not get an incentive to work harder, therefore the system broke down quickly. As quickly as one hundred years after the reformation, the right to own private land started to be granted. The private land is called "Sho-en".
5. Appearance of the Samurai:
   　"Sho-en" was in all its glory〔in its prime〕 in the late "Heian" period. Even in Kanagawa prefecture (where today's Minami-ashigara is located), there were many "Sho-en"s. For example, Ooba family had a big power around Unuma area in today's Fujisawa city. The family name is staying as a place name now.
   　Since Kanto (today's Tokyo) districts including Kanagawa prefecture were the eastern border districts for the Japanese government at that time, "Sho-en" people in those districts, who were basically farmers, needed military power to protect their lands and properties. This is the origin of the real Samurai. They trained professional military power and eventually became to play the leading part in the history when Kamakura government was established in 12th century. ( Kamakura is located in Kanagawa prefecture near today's Tokyo.)
6. Mr. Yosi-ie Sakata：
   　In the middle of the "Heian" period (10th century), there lived at (today's) Sakata, Kaisei-town, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa, Mr. Yosi-ie Sakata, who was a powerful local Samurai and controlled even noble people's "Sho-en" in Kyoto. Although he was one of the strong local family members in this area, conflicts among the family broke down as the family grew bigger.
   　Yosi-ie's enemy was his real uncle, and was killed by him one day when he went out carelessly alone without retainers. Yosi-ie had a new born baby. This was "Kintaro". Kintaro's mother, knowing this tragedy, run away carrying him on her back into the deep forests of the Kintoki mountain (one of the Hakone mountains). The uncle searched "Kintaro" for all directions to kill him in order to avoid future revenge, but he did not find "Kintaro".
   　This is the background why and how "Kintaro" grew up with bears and rabbits as his friends in the deep mountains.
7. Encounter of Mr. Yorimitsu Minamoto and Kintaro:
   　Kintaro eventually learned from his mother the detail of his father 's death, and swore to revenge the death of his father by becoming a strong Samurai.
   　Fortunately, Mr. Yorimitsu Minamoto and his party came to Ashigara pass on his way back from an expedition to conquer the Ezo people living in the eastern area beyond Kanto districts. He wished to become a Yorimitsu's retainer.
8. Legend/Conception by Thunder God:
   　In Japanese classic literature called "Zen-taihei-ki", Kintaro's mother is a "Mountain woman (sorceress)". Kintaro was born to the mountain woman and a red dragon lived in the Ashigara mountain. In answering to Yorimitsu, she said, "When one day I was sleeping in a mountain-top, a red dragon came into me in the dream. Then a peal〔roll〕of thunder was so strong that I woke up with surprise. I realized I was pregnant."
   　This must be "Conception by Thunder God" Legend. 　Why does Kintaro carry a hatchet?
   　A hatchet is a weapon and a symbol for "thunder god" as Chinese thunder gods are described with figures carrying hatchets.
   
   
   
   Source : http://www2c.airnet.ne.jp/toyo/legend.html 

Legends of Kyushu - The Legend of Urashima Taro

[The Legend of Urashima Taro Mar. 13, 2018]

I don’t know about you guys, but I love reading a bit of fantastical myth and find it absolutely fascinating as to how these stories originated in the first place. It just so happens, that the island of Kyushu is also home to its fair share of fairy tales, many of which are related to the birth of Japan as a nation as documented in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan). However, the story I wish to relay to you today is the legend of Urashima Taro, a local fisherman who originated from what is now Kagoshima Prefecture. 

 

Urashima Taro was a kind and gentle fisherman, who one day was finishing up a day’s work when he saw three children beating and hurting a sea turtle. Chasing the young boys away, Taro saved the turtle and placed it back into the sea. A few days later while fishing, Taro was visited by a larger turtle that claimed the one he had saved a few days earlier was in fact a princess and her name was Otohime. To give thanks to Taro for his act of kindness, the princess bestowed to Taro a set of gills so that he could venture under the sea unharmed, and invited him to visit her in the Dragon Palace on the seafloor, where she and her father, Emperor Ryujin, would be waiting. 

 

Taro accepted his invitation from the Princess Otohime, and riding on the larger turtle’s back journeyed to the Dragon Palace where he met the princess in her human-like form. The princess greeted Taro and to thank him once again for his kind act, invited him to stay at the Dragon Palace forever where he would be eternally youthful, and could take the princess herself as his bride. Taro was shown around Ryujin’s kingdom by the princess, and every day he discovered something new and marvelous that echoed in his heart.

 

After spending three full days with the Princess Otohime in the Dragon Palace, Taro suddenly remembered his old life back on the shore, his old parents he had to take care of, and the villagers who would be worried about where he had disappeared to. The princess seldom wanted Taro to leave her, but in the end allowed him to return to shore as long as he took from her a special gift, a decorated box called a tamatebako, with him. She warned Taro that the box contained a commodity that was priceless and very precious, and made him promise never to open the box, no matter how curious he became. Mounting a sea turtle, Taro bid the princess goodbye and returned to the bay of his beloved fishing village. However, something was not right. The hills and the shore were the same, but Taro did not recognise any of the faces that he saw walk by him. Heading back to his house, Taro saw that his parents no longer lived there, and questioning the man who had taken up residence, found to his disbelief that the young fisherman, Urashima Taro, had disappeared from the village suddenly, some three hundred years ago. Shocked and dismayed, Taro returned to the beach in a fit of sadness at never being able to see his family or friends again, since they had long passed on. Thinking he had nothing else to live for, Taro opened the tamatebako that the princess had given him, forgetting his promise to her. Out from the box a purple mist wisped and surrounded Taro’s body transforming him into very old man with white hair and a bent over back. For Taro had opened the tamatebako, he would never be able to return to the underwater world of the Princess Otohime, and that is how Taro’s life ended.       

 

                    

As you can see this is a pretty interesting story, and was apparently created as a way of removing disobedience in children. The supposed site of Urashima Taro’s birth in Kagoshima Prefecture can still be visited, and there is a beautiful red-laquered shrine that stands there today, the Ryugu Shrine, which is incidentally where people go to make wishes to Ryujin himself. Additionally, taking inspiration from this story, the sightseeing train Ibusuki no Tamatebako runs between Kagoshima and the onsen resort town of Ibusuki; steam rising from the roof of the cars in the same fashion that the purple mist was released from the tamatebako by Urashima Taro.

 

Source : https://www.welcomekyushu.com/staff-blog/?category_id=1

The Legend of Tengu

The Legend of Tengu

 

What is a Tengu?

A Tengu is a supernatural spirit who springs from ancient Japan. These spirits are highly individual; they can be human or animal, good or bad, powerful or weak. They are most famous for plaguing Buddhist monks and abbeys, but even this is not a universal rule. Some of them bring blessings to the religion!

 

Characteristics

Physical Description

When the first Tengu fell to earth in a meteor of fire, he had a mixture of human and canine features, earning him the nickname “heavenly dog.”

Gradually, the race of dog-men shifted into a race of bird-men. Their claws were replaced with talons, their fur with feathers, and their muzzles with beaks. Then, as more centuries passed by, the bird-man form evolved even further. The spirits became more and more human, losing many of their bird features, like their beak, which was replaced by a very long nose. Despite taking on a more human look, they were still easily distinguished from humans by their huge, hawk-like wings and their deep red skin.

The most human of the Tengus add to their human look by wearing clothing and carrying tools. They particularly like to mimic Buddhist priests and monks, especially from the yamabushi sect. They can be found parading themselves around in the yamabushi’s light yellow or deep orange tunics, complete with tokins, a small black cap worn on the forehead, and yuigesas, a vest of six brightly colored pom-poms, which symbolize the six Buddhist virtues. They may also carry a shakujo staff, like powerful Buddhist priests do, and a ha-uchiwa fan, which they use to control the wind.

Personality

Japanese legend contains both good and bad Tengus. In the early years of their fame, they were mostly bad, but recent years have seen them making a turn for the better. Japanese philosophers have also noted that there is a wide range of power among these spirits; the wisest and most powerful are referred to as daitengu, while the smaller and more ignorant spirits are called kotengu.

These spirits have strong ties to the Buddhist community. Many of them nurse a deep-rooted hatred for the Buddhists, which they express by kidnapping, trying to corrupt, or even killing priests and monks. They have also been responsible for the destruction of several temples and abbeys. On the other hand, some of them love the Buddhists and choose to protect them.

Many Tengus fall into the camp of war-loving spirits. Not only are they talented martial artists, they are happy to teach their skills to mortal men, in order to fill the world with warriors. In some cases, their motive is noble: they teach sound-hearted men who want to fight for a for noble cause. In other cases, they simply want to encourage chaos and destruction.

Finally, these spirits have a strong connection to nature. They are especially drawn to mountains and forests, and they will defend their territory mercilessly. Plucking a single leaf from a Tengu’s home might bring his wrath whirling down upon you.

Special Abilities

Tengus are not called “heavenly dogs” for nothing. Their magic runs deep, and they are incredibly powerful.

They can shapeshift and possess human beings, two talents which they often use when they target monks. They can morph into the shape of a revered priest, or even the Buddha himself, to try to spread false messages, and they can possess beautiful young women to try to seduce the novice monks.

They weave magic into their already formidable martial art skills. Their ability to fly means that they can pull off dazzling aerial attacks, and their ability to shapeshift make them a thousand times nimbler than the best human warrior. They can simply turn into a sparrow to dodge an attack!

Finally, they exercise control over the weather. They have a special knack with the wind, which they can easily whip into tornados or hurricanes, but they can also summon rain, thunder, and hail when they feel threatened. They enjoy playing with fire, as well, and they can reduce an abbey to charred earth in just minutes.

Related Creatures

In early texts, the Tengu was actually named “Tiangou.” At some point in history, the bird-like Tengu split away from the dog-like Tiangou, and the spirits took on separate identities. The Tiangou developed its own tradition, being described as a black dog or meteor responsible for eclipses.

Tengu legend might have been influenced by the huli jing (“heavenly fox”). Based on their names alone, it is easy to imagine that ancient Japanese people might have muddled the “heavenly dogs” and “heavenly foxes.” The characters have many tell-tale similarities, like their tendency to shapeshift into beautiful women and to spread false-messages among Buddhists.

Another player in the Tengu’s evolution is Garuda, a Hindi god who took the shape of a bird of prey. Buddhist writings converted the god, Garuda, into a race of beings called garudas. These bird spirits were famous for their malice against monks.

Finally, Tengus can be interpreted as a sort of Japanese ghost. Philosophers in the 13th century AD explained that these demigods were actually the spirits of the dead. In many cases, they were spirits of angry, vain, or corrupt priests, but they could also be pious men. Men who were powerful in life became daitengu, while the weak became kotengu.

Cultural Representation

Origin

The Tengu first appeared in Japan in the 7^th century AD. He was a popular character in picture scrolls, which provided rich illustrations but little written explanation. Folklore embraced these picture scrolls, and the spirits developed a rich oral tradition. By the 12^th century, they had been picked up by Japanese philosophers and Buddhist monks, who tried to outline their lineage and classify their types, as well as documenting where they lived and what they were up to.

Famous Myths

In early folktales, the Tengu are mischievous but easily duped. For example, one famous story tells of a little boy who liked to peer through a hollow bamboo stick, pretending that he could see faraway places. A Tengu saw him at his game and became smitten with the bamboo stick, so much so that he offered to give the boy a invisibility cloak in exchange for the stick. The boy accepted the trade and made off with the priceless cloak, while the Tengu was still trying to peer through the worthless bamboo. In another story, a Tengu asks a gambler what he is most afraid of. The gambler replies that he is afraid of gold and riches. The Tengu then makes gold and rice cakes rain down upon him, thinking that he is distressing the gambler.

In later legends, the Tengu emerged as mighty forces. Several abbeys describe monks who climbed high into the priestly order, until they were exposed as Tengus. One story even claims that a Tengu became an abbot. After he was exposed, he fled the abbey but continued to work miracles there, unseen. Stories of Tengu kidnappings were also popular. The famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune was abducted and trained by one of the bird-men, and there are even rumors about Tengu-training scattered throughout ninja-lore.

Modern Usage

Today, the Tengu have made a full-circle back to the picture scrolls of their youth. They are popular characters in Japenese manga magazines, which tell stories mainly through their illustrations.

There are also small cults of people who worship the bird-men, scattered across Japan. The three Tengu with the most followers are Soujoubou of Kurama, Taroubou of Atago, and Jiroubou of Hira. Their followers collect at shrines in Kyoto and the Hira Mountains, where these great spirits are sail to dwell, and give prayers and offerings to the spirits. Festivals are sometimes held for Tengu as well.

Source : https://mythology.net/japanese/japanese-creatures/tengu/

 

Legend of Amaterasu and the Cave

In all societies there are myths and legends which become part of folk law. This Japanese story is such an account which is now part of Japanese culture.

 

The legend of Taiko drumming ’s creation begins with Amaterasu, who was the Sun Goddess of Japan. According to Japanese Legend the Shinto God, Izanagi, and his wife, the Goddess, Izanami created the beautiful islands of Japan to live on.
Their first child was a very beautiful daughter whose face shone with a glorious brightness, so they named her, Amaterasu, which meant Heavenly Light.
Amaterasu was responsible for spreading light and warmth to the people and land.
“She is too beautiful to stay down here,” her parents agreed. “Her light should be where she can shine on all the children who may be born upon these islands.” .

So, they sent Amaterasu up the ladder that reached into the sky, and placed her high above the earth, where, as the Sun Goddess, her light shined on everyone

Their second child was a son, whom they named Susano-wo. This new child grew to be a very stormy god, who liked to make people upset and angry. He was dark and gloomy.
His parents were afraid that Susano-wo might hurt the beautiful islands they had made, so they commanded him to stay on the ocean.

When Susano-wo was angry he would blow his hot breath on the land and blow great storms over the ocean.

Susano-wo, became known as the storm god. His short temper and fondness for picking fights often disturbed the calm and quiet country.

One day, Susano-wo decided to visit his sister up in the sky so that he could bask in her light and radiance in order to gain strength and courage for his journey to the underworld. In his hurry to see his sister Susano-wo secretly climbed up the ladder to the sky to play a trick on his sister. He travelled through the sky with crackling thunder, shaking the mountains and frightening all the living things below.

Amaterasu was frightened by the horrible sounds Susano-wo made as he travelled through the sky. She was afraid that he was coming to fight her. To prepare for their meeting, she armed herself with her bow and quiver. However, when Susano-wo arrived, she learned that he had come to visit her, not to fight her. She put aside her bow and arrows and welcomed him into her presence.

It was not long, however, until Susano-wo began to cause trouble. As he lounged in his sister’s kingdom, he began to feel underappreciated and decided to cause trouble to regain some attention. When he and Amaterasu quarrelled, he released the wind and rain he held in his arms and sent his horses to destroy Amaterasu’s rice fields. Amaterasu tried to be patient with her brother’s behaviours. She made excuses for his actions, saying that he couldn’t help his troublesome nature. Her patience and pity, however, only infuriated Susano-wo further and he engaged in even worse behaviour to try to make her lose her cool.

Susano-wo climbed up on the clouds and threw a big lump of mud down at Amaterasu’s feet. This was not the first time Sosano-wo had caused problems for Amaterasu.

But, this time she was so angry that she decided to hide from her mean brother. Gathering up her shining robes, she crept down the ladder of heaven to the earth and entered a cave. She rolled a boulder to block the entrance to the cave and hid herself from all the other gods and goddesses. Amaterasu stayed in her cave and the land of Japan darkened and began to die away.

Susano-wo, feeling that he had won the fight, finally departed on his journey to the underworld. As the dark days passed without Amaterasu, the other gods grew very worried. One day, they gathered outside Amaterasu’s cave and formed a plan to draw her out. They planned to catch her, make her stand up to her brother, and force her to return to her kingdom to spread her light and warmth back across Japan.

The earth and sky remained dark and all the gods and goddesses were very troubled. They learned what had caused Amaterasu to hide her bright light. The people on earth began to worry. If Amaterasu remained in the cave there would be no more sunshine upon the earth. Without sunshine, the earth would remain dark and cold and crops would not grow. . Surely they would all die. So the people prayed to the gods and goddesses to help them.

Finally Uzume, the goddess of mirth came forward. Everyone agreed that they couldn’t go on without the light of the Sun Goddess. The gods decorated the trees outside the cave with mirrors and bright banners. They began to sing songs and to dance, but nothing seemed to work. Amaterasu stayed inside the cave.. .
 

 

Then, Uzume, the goddess of mirth, stepped forward with a plan to lure her out of the cave with an idea all of her own. She climbed onto a hollow log and began to dance a joyous dance like no one had ever seen. She stomped her feet, beating out wild and inviting rhythms. Everyone around her began to fill with joy as they listened to the new sounds coming from the hollow log.
Inside the cave, Amaterasu grew curious. She went to the cave entrance and slowly pulled back the boulder and peeked outside the cave to see what was making the wonderful sounds, she saw her beautiful reflection in the mirrors hanging from the trees. As her ears filled with the sounds of the drumming, her eyes were filled with a great pure light. Her fear of her brother disappeared, and she was filled with strength and joy. She was so happy the gods did not have to catch her. As soon as she saw her reflection in the mirror, one of the gods held out his hand and drew Amaterasu into the dancing and merriment. Her light shone all around.



They all hugged and danced with Amaterasu, she realised how lonely she had been in the cave. Amaterasu recognized her fear and was no longer afraid to face her problems. She willingly climbed the ladder and returned to her kingdom in the sky, once more spreading joy and light across the land of Japan.
Since that time, the drum—the Taiko—has been used to spread joy and courage to the lands of Japan.

The Legend of The Lucky Child Spirit; Zashiki Warashi

The Lucky Child Spirit; Zashiki Warashi

by YABAI Writers

Do you believe in spirits? Whether you answer a yes or no, it still intrinsically exists in Japanese mythology and is embedded in their folktales, traditions, and beliefs. Although technology has developed rapidly and people are quick to disprove the existence of the paranormal with science and gadgets, these spirit-like beings (or at least, the idea of them) still have a respected place in Japanese culture.

There are hundreds of different entities and beings in ghost form that supposedly tread Japan. What with its prevalent Shinto beliefs being essentially animistic in nature, with kami manifesting themselves all around human beings, the Zashiki Warashi is only one of the many interesting creatures that are worth your attention reading up on.

The World of Yokai: All About the Zashiki Warashi

The definition of “yokai” or “youkai” is anything that is under the category of paranormal beings in Japanese mythology. The idea of a yokai cannot be pinned down to a specific creature. It can be anything from an entity to an enigma. If you were to translate the word “yokai”, you would get English words such as “bewitching”, ‘suspicious”, “attractive”, and “specter”. They’re not all evil, and they’re not all mischievous – but the Zashiki Warashi is one of them.

The Meaning of the Name “Zashiki Warashi”

In English, the Zashiki-warashi is translated to “zashiki child”, or more popularly, “guestroom child”. A zashiki (“座敷”) is a room in a Japanese house where guests can sit, and it is filled with tatami mats. You can consider it a sort of parlor. “Warashi” (童子“) is an old Japanese word for “child” that was spoken around Japan’s northeastern region.

The zashiki warashi is also sometimes referred to as “Zashiki Bokko”, which means “guestroom basker”. The idea of zashiki-warashi is that it is a spirit that resides in guest or storage rooms in the form of a child of either gender. Some would refer to them as gods, thus the label of “child”.

The Appearance of the Zashiki Warashi

The zashiki warashi can be anywhere from 3 to 15 years old, but most of them seem to look around 5 or 6. Their faces are distinctly red from blushing, perhaps because of the mischief they have caused, or are about to cause. Sightings of a zashiki warashi are uncommon, but they appear in big, old houses that still have people living in them. Only a few people can really see them; supposedly only either the owners of the house they haunt or their children can do so. Because of this, they are known for the mischief they cause more than their visual appearance.

There are characteristics to look out for to be able to identify it as a zashikiwarashi. If the zashiki warashi is a girl, you’ll see it sport a kimono (Japanese outfit for a woman) such as a “furisode”, or a Japanese robe called “kosode”. The clothes of male zashiki warashi tend to veer to more patterned outfits, such as striped fabrics or patterns of assorted design like “kasuri”. Both genders have similar hairstyles; usually, straight hair chopped to a bob cut, which makes it hard to tell what kind of zashiki warashi is inhabiting that room, though occasionally some zashiki warashi girls possess long hair that is brushed back and tied.

Then again, stories of zashiki warashi vary widely. Some stories recount instances of having two or more of them in the same place at once. Others demonize the look of the zashiki warashi, claiming it to resemble a black, brute beast, while some male zashiki warashi boys are said to don warrior clothing. These are rarer counts, though, compared to the usual witnesses of an innocent child.

What Does the Zashiki Warashi Do?

If you have a fireplace, and suddenly see children’s footprints on the floor of those ashes (and you’re sure they’re not your dog’s or anyone else’s), you could be almost certain that is a zashiki warashi playing a prank on you. They do the same, even with other substances such as powdered bleach. The laughter that comes from a child or children, the sound of paper being crumpled, snorting, kagura music, the creak of an opening door made of wood, and the sound of whirring gears of a turning wheel are audible signs you have a zashiki warashi in your house.

If the pillows of your bed are all in disarray, and you can see that someone has been playing or riding your beloved futon, then that is a tell-tale diagnosis for a zashiki warashi haunting. Because of their childlike nature, they want to play and be noticed as much as possible by those living on the premises. They’d do anything to just be normal kids; such as have fun and play games – especially with other children.

If any of the children in a house that is known to have a zashiki warashi starts showing signs of playing with an “imaginary friend”, then you know exactly who they’re playing with. To others, they’re a warm welcome more than a creepy predicament. For couples who cannot bear any children or the elderly, the zashiki warashi find some company in them.

A Bringer of Good Fortune

If you do have a zashiki warashi in your house, do not try to ward it away. They choose when to stay and when to go, and your efforts to get them to leave or stop playing their pranks can only go three ways. Either they don’t listen to you and continue playing harmless pranks, start getting a little more deviant with their pranks, or leave you alone entirely – which is often the worst-case scenario.

It really isn’t a good idea to shoo them away. They are not just spirits but also thought to be guardians of your home, as well as lucky gods. Consider yourself fortunate if you do have a zashiki warashi in your abode – some Japanese families even go through customs to invite a zashiki warashi in their house. Their existence has a great and direct effect on how prosperous a family is.

Families who do have them go out of their way to appease them, and give them their offerings of food. They don’t have any diet, but they would love any offerings of treats or candies to them. Some offer azuki meshi, which is a rice and bean porridge, and monitor the consumption of this. Once the zashiki warashi stops eating from that porridge, that means it has the intent to leave.

What Happens When A Zashiki Warashi Leaves?

The zashiki warashi are protected and celebrated, and never made to feel like a nuisance for a reason. Once they feel disrespected or that it is time to leave, the state of the house, or even the family itself collapses. There is a story in the Tono Monogatari, which is a collection of Japanese folktales from the Tono part of the Iwate prefecture, that talks about how food poisoning killed an entire family once the zashiki warashi that resided in their house left.

Other stories concerning the zashiki warashi leaving involve the sudden decline in the family’s fortune. It is said that a zashiki warashi that wants to leave will appear in red clothes, possibly holding a red bucket.

The Origin Of the Zashiki Warashi

The stories that are told about this specific yokai circulate around the Iwate Prefecture for the most part. Other prefectures that have counts of zashiki warashi in their households include the Miyagi Prefecture, Akita Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, and parts of the Tohoku region.

Some historians and folklorists suggest that the zashiki warashi are lingering spirits of kids who were victims of infanticide. Those children who were purposely murdered were sometimes buried in the kitchen’s “doma”, which was a kitchen without a floor that eventually leads to the Kura, or storehouse of the home, thus their tendency to stay in that specific room.

It’s also speculated that they look like children because of the Buddhist belief of the existence of “goho-warashi”, which are protective gods of the Buddhist faith that also come in the form of children. The zashiki warashi just wants humans to be more generous and giving, thus, in turn, give them many blessings too.

Different Kinds of Zashiki Warashi

Depending on what region you’re in, this childlike being is called by different names. Aside from the two already mentioned, there’s also okura-bokko, zashiki-kozo, and zashiki-warabe. Zashiki-bokko is the name used around the Prefecture where it’s most popular in; Iwate.

Then there are the ranked versions of zashiki warashi. The zashiki-warashi that has the most appealing appearance and is colored white goes by the name “chopirako”. They are stunning and attractive spirits and bring more than the usual number of blessings and wealth upon a household. This comes with a price, though, as the family of that households needs to give it more care and attention than they would a normal zashiki warashi. This high-class spirit comes from a deceased child who grew up in a wealthy family and was given a room and lavish toys when he/she died.

Those that reside around the dirt floor of a house go by the name “notabariko”, which means “mortar-pounding child”. It also goes by the names “usutsuriko”, and “kometsuki-warashi”. This low-ranked variant of the zashiki warashi don’t come happy, and come out of the ground and make a strange, thumping noise at night. The energy that they spread in the household is uneasy, and it does not have any positive or negative effect on the riches of the family that owns the house it haunts while it is there. However, if it leaves the household, the family will still experience some sort of misfortune.

One variant doesn’t look like the normal zashiki warashi; its differences lie in its member girth and length – they’re as thin as a vine. These are what you call “hosode nagate”, which means “thin arms, long arms”. They are called “hosode” for short. In case a natural disaster was to happen such as a tsunami, a hosode would appear, and beckon with their thin arms for people to get away from the location where the incident will take place.

Source : http://yabai.com/p/3044

The Legend of Princess Kaguya

Princess Kaguya

The legend of Kaguya-hime, known as the Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter, dates back to the 10th century, and is the earliest surviving Japanese narrative. Her story is largely simplified, but kept mostly intact compared to other stories in Okami, except for the iron bamboo shoot. This tale is considered proto-science fiction, so it seems all the more fitting that Okami took it a step further into modern sci-fi.

The story, briefly, is as follows: 

One day, an old bamboo cutter happened across a strange, glowing bamboo stalk within a grove. He cut it open to find a baby girl the size of his thumb. He and his wife had no children, so he was overjoyed to find her, and brought her home where the old couple raised her lovingly. They named her Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime, the Princess of the Bending Bamboo that Scatters Light. After that, whenever the old man cut down a stalk of bamboo, he would find a gold nugget inside, and he became rich.

Kaguya-hime, meanwhile, grew to an ordinary size and became an extremely beautiful young woman. Hearing of her beauty, five princes came to ask for her hand in marriage. The man didn’t want her to marry them, but the princes convinced him to let her choose among them. Kaguya-hime told each of them to bring to her an item that would be impossible to find, such as the Buddha’s begging bowl or a jewel from the neck of a dragon. Three of them tried to bring her fakes, one gave up, and one was killed or severely wounded on his quest, depending on the story. All of them failed.

After that, the Emperor himself asked for her hand in marriage, but she again refused, arguing that she was not of this country. 

Kaguya-hime started to act more erratic, and her parents grew worried. That summer, when she gazed at the full moon, she began to cry. She revealed that she was from the Moon and must return to her people there.

When the time came for her to return, the Emperor himself set guards all around the house to keep the people of the Moon from getting to her, but it was all in vain. The beings from the Moon blinded the guards with light, and Kaguya announced that though she loved all her family and friends on Earth, she had to leave. She wrote letters of apology to her parents and the Emperor, giving her parents her robe as a momento, and the Emperor a small vial with an elixir of immortality. As she handed the note to an Imperial guard, she was adorned with a feather robe that allows heavenly beings to fly between the heavens and the Earth. Her parents watching with tears in their eyes, the lunar entourage brought her home to the capital of the moon, Tsuki-no-Miyako.

The story doesn’t quite end there; her parents, wrought with sadness, became sick and bedridden. When the Emperor received Kaguya-hime’s letter, he asked which mountain reached closest to Heaven. So he sent his men to burn the letter at the summit of the great mountain of Suruga Province, along with the elixir, for he couldn’t bear to live forever without her. He hoped that the smoke would reach her and bear her his message.

Legend holds that the name of the mountain, Mt. Fuji, came from the word for “immortality” (fushi or fuji). The name’s kanji mean “mountain abounding with warriors”, which were perhaps inspired by the image of the Emperor’s army rising up the mountain to burn the letter. Finally, since this story arose during a time when the volcano was still active, it was said that the smoke from the letter still burns to this day.

[From a linguistic standpoint, since one of my professors mentioned this once, the name “Fuji” did not quite fit Japanese phonemes at the time it seems to have been given; it is thought to have come from the language of the people who lived in Japan before the ethnic Japanese. The Ainu are descended from these people.]

In different versions of the story, there are various reasons for why Kaguya-hime was sent to Earth. Some say it was a punishment for a crime; some say it was to protect her from a celestial war. Some also say that the gold the bamboo cutter found was compensation sent for the cost of raising her.

The Moon Tribe is depicted as a technologically advanced race, but not a divine one. Thus Kaguya rides a bamboo rocket, and is equipped with a helmet like an astronaut’s and what appears to be a jet pack, instead of a feathered hagoromo. She wears a junihitoe-styled robe with five layers (instead of the customary twelve), and a pleated train (mo, which were commonly white) with a rocket/moon motif. The bamboo leaves on her head resemble rabbit ears, furthering the moon motif, as the Japanese see a rabbit in the moon instead of a man. (The rabbit is also seen as pounding mochi, hence Yumigami’s design and the reason for the moon god being a rabbit.)

All female nobility and ladies in waiting wore robes like junihitoe, but the color combinations one chose spoke of one’s rank and character. Specific combinations would suggest personality traits or a sensitivity to the season, and some colors were restricted to certain ranks. The outer color of Kaguya’s robe may be a medium shade of kurenai, a color that was reserved for royalty, referring to her status as a princess.

Source : http://okamimythology.tumblr.com/post/65086327956/princess-kaguya

Momotaro stories in Saviour Pirotta's THE GIANT BOOK OF GIANTS

 

            Once there were a woodcutter and his wife who lived near a river and loved each other very much.  Every day they prayed they might have a baby but none came.  Until one day the woodcutter fished a large peach out of the river.  His wife cut it open and what did she find inside it?  A little baby instead of a peach stone, all curled up asleep with his thumb in his mouth. 

            ‘He is so cute,’ said the woodcutter’s wife.  ‘We shall look after him as if he were our own.’

            ‘And we’ll name him Momotaro, the boy-in-the-peach,’ added the woodcutter.

            His wife fed the baby some milk and, with every drop, he grew bigger and bigger until he was a healthy boy, standing on strong. Plump feet.   The woodcutter taught him how to write and sing, and the woodcutter’s wife made him dumplings, which were his favourite food. 

            Now one night, while Momotaro was eating his dumplings, giants came sailing down the river.  They stole food from the villagers, they trampled the farmer’s crops into the ground and ripped the fishermen’s nets apart, just for fun. 

            ‘Will no one stand up to the giants?’ Momotaro asked his mother and father while they were hiding in the cellar.

            ‘They are too big for anyone to fight,’ said the woodcutter.  ‘It’s best to keep out of their way till they are gone.  See, they have left already.’

            ‘I’ll stop them attacking our village,’ said Momotaro. 

            ‘But you are only a boy and they are powerful giants,’ cried the woodcutter’s wife.

            ‘And they live in a castle far up river,’ added the woodcutter.  ‘No one who went there ever came back.’

            ‘The giants might be big,’ agreed Momotaro, ‘but I’ll take them on still.  Mama, put the rest of my dumplings in a basket.’ 

            There were four dumplings left for Momotaro’s dinner, and the woodcutter’s wife put them in a little basket.  Momotaro asked his parents to bless him, and then he set off along the banks of the river.

            By morning, he came to a forest.   A monkey was swinging from a tree with his tail, like a pendulum in a clock.

            ‘What have you there?’ he asked Momotaro, eyeing the basket.

            ‘Dumplings,’ said Momotaro.  ‘One for you and three for me.’

            The monkey ate the dumpling and then he chattered, ‘Where are you going/’

            ‘To fight the giants in their castle,’ said Momotaro.

            ‘If you promise to give me more dumplings when we get home, I’ll come with you,’ said the monkey, and hopped on to Momotaro’s shoulder. 

            By noon, the two of them came to a deserted farm.  A dog was lying outside his kennel.

            ‘What have you there?’ the dog asked Momotaro.

            ‘Dumplings,’ replied Momotaro, ‘one for you and two for me.’

            The dog gobbled up the dumpling, and then he barked, ‘Where are you two going?’

            ‘To fight the giants,’ said Momotaro.

            ‘If you promise to give me more dumplings when we get back,’ said the dog, ‘I’ll come with you.’ 

            And he followed Momotaro and the monkey along the river, wagging his tail.

            By sundown they came to an island.  A pheasant was sitting on the sand, preening his feather.

            ‘What have you there?’ the pheasant asked Momotaro, dipping his beak in the basket.

            ‘Dumplings,’ said Momotaro, ‘one for you and one for me.’

            The phesant ate the dumpling and then he asked, ‘where are you three going?’

            ‘To fight the giants,’ replied Momotaro.

            ‘If you promise to give me more dumplings, I’ll come with you,’ said the phesant.  And he waddled behind Momotaro, pecking at the earth. 

            By and by, the four of them came to the giant’s castle.  The giants were all inside, tucking into a feast of roast cow and bull and some of them were spitting bones out of the window.  The noise they made was deafening. 

            Momotaro ate his dumpling and then he said, ‘The door to the castle is locked but by hook or by crook, we shall win.’

            They waited until the giants were asleep.  Then the pheasant flew in through the window and stole the key to the door.  The donkey climbed up and put the key in the lock, and the dog leapt in and blew out the lamps. 

            The giants all woke up, too full of food to fight, and stumbled around in the dark, looking for their swords.

            The pheasant started pecking their hair, the monkey pulled their ears, the dog bit them on the leg and Momotaro prodded them with his sword.  The giants thought they were fighting other giants.

            ‘Please, spare our lives,’ they begged.  ‘We’ll give you all our treasure.’

            ‘And you must promise never to attack people again,’ insisted Momotaro.

‘We promise,’ sobbed the giants.

‘Remember, a promise is a promise,’ said Momotaro.  He relit the lamps and they giants realised they had been fooled by a boy, a monkey, a dog and a pheasant.

            They felt so foolish, they fetched their treasure without another word.

            Momotaro and his friends returned home to the woodcutter and his wife, and with all that treasure they could afford to eat the best dumplings every day for the rest of their lives.