J
A
P
A
N
E
S
E
T
A
L
E
5
Pan t kc on Fairy X al e an J Fol kl or e Li t r a r y
P A N T H E O N N E W
Y O R K
B OO
KS
Copyright © 1987 by Royal! Tyler All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally published in hardcover by Pantheon Books, a division of Random House, Inc., in 1987. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Japanese Tales. (Pantheon fairy tale and folklore library) Bibliography: p. Includes index. I. Ta les —J ap an .
I. Tyler, Royall.
GR 34 0. J3 3
198 7
II. Serie s: Panth eon fairy tale & folklore library. 398.2'0952 86-170 17 ISBN 0-394-52190-0 0-394-75656-8 (pbk.)
Book design by Susan Mitchell Manufactured in the United States of America 2 34
56
7 89
F O R
I L Z
C O N T E N T S
A C K N O W LE D G M E N T S A NOTE
ON
PR O N U N C I A T I O N
I N T R O D U C T I O N
OAK
,
XV I
M E LO N ,
XLX
G O U R D ,
l. The Giant Oak a. Melon Magic
A N G E L,
3 3
A
3. The Sparrows' Gifts
7
4 The Maiden from the S ky 5. The Flea
SU RPRI
9
SE S
6. The Little Spicier
9
j. A Flash in the Palace
10
8. Salt Fish and Doctored Wine
10
o,. The Tapeworm' s Sad End 10. A Toad to Reckon With
14 15
HA UN T S
11. Better Late Than Early is . The Ravenous Storehouse 13. The Grisly Box
14. The Bridge
17
18 22
16. AnOld, Old Ghost
23
17. Syrup
16
19
15. TheRooted Corpse
M ON K
xvii
JO K E S
24
18. Not Quite the Right Robe
25
F L EA
v
i
i
i
1 T. he N os e
25
9
27
20. T w o Bu ck et s of Ma ri ta l Bliss at .H o m e in a Ch es t
B U DD
H IS
T
29
BEG
INN
ING
aaTh . e Em pe ro r' s Fin ger a3 J. a p a n ' s First
S
30
Gol d
31
a
33
a5 .Th e Ol d Ma ck er el Ped dle r a6Ko . bo Da ish i 37.T h e
34
35
K a nn o n in th e Pi ne
37
G O D S
»8. V e r y Ki nd of Hi m, No D o u b t a .Th e D o g an d Hi s Wif e
38
39
9
30An . O l d G o d Re ne we d
40
31Co . me to My Kas uga Mo un ta in ! 3a . Pri nce ss Gl or y 46
TE N G U
AND
D R A G O N S
3 3 .Th e M u r m u r i n g of the Sea 34J. a pa n Me an s Troubl
e! 52
53
37No . D ra go n
PU R E
47 48
3 5T. h e Inv inc ibl e Pai r 3Ra 6. in
55
H E A R T S
38 . Th in gs As T h e y Ar e 3 T. he Port rai t
56
57
9
40.W h a t the Bea ns We r e Sayi ng 41. Mercy
58
4a.A m on g the Flo wer s
M U S I C
42
A ND
D A N C E
43 F . o r Lo ve of S o n g 44. Th re e Ang el s
59
60 61
57
4 5Giv . e Me M us i c!
61
46. Th e We ig ht of Tr ad it io n
62
47 Th . e Go d of Go od Fo rt un e
63
48Div . ine Ap pl au se
67
M A G IC
45. Br in g Ba ck Th at Fe rr y!
67
50.Th e M a n - M a d e Friend
68
51. T he La ug hi ng Fit
70
5aSma . ll -Ti me Ma gi c
72
53T . he Little
75
TH E
Oil J a r
S E X E S
54A. H ar d M o m e n t
76
5 5A . Ni ce M u g of Mo lt en C op pe r 56 .T he Little
Bot tle of Te ar s
57 Eli. mina tio n 78 5 8 Bu . t Sh e Co ul dn 't He l p It!
YIN
.YA
NG
77 78
81
W IZ A R DR Y
5 T. he Ge ni e
82
9
60.O n e Fr og Les s
83
61. Th e Sp el lb ou nd Pir ates 6»T. h e Te st
83
84
63 .M a n' s Best Fr ie nd
85
RO BB ER S
64. Ge nj o
87
65Th . e Ra sh o Ga te 66T. h e Selfless 67 Aut . hor it y
Th ie f
88 89
90
68Th . e Wr es tl er 's Sister
92
65 .To So ot h th e Sa va ge Br eas t
93
HE AL IN G
70 T . he Bu dd h a wit h Lots of H a n d s 71Th . e Pr ot ec to r Spirit
94
94
X
72Th . e Fly ing St or eh ou se 7
3N. o Res pe ct
95
97
7 4Th e Invisible
Man
99
ES CA PE S
7 5Dy . ei n g Cas tle 7 6T. a k e n In
102 104
7 7T. h e Sacrific e 7 8T. h e Lu re
107 110
7 9J. u s t Lik e a Bird
113
F O X E S
80.En ou gh Is En ou gh !
11 4
81. Th e Lo vi ng Fo x
115
82.To uc he d in the He ad 8 3Y. a m So up
116
118
8T 4 h e Evi cti on
122
AS CE TI CS
8 5Inc . ens e Sm ok e
124
86. T h e Bles sing
125
87An . ot he r Flying
Jar
126
88 .Th e Wi za rd of the Mo un ta in s 89An . Aw fu l Fa ll
130
90Th . e Ri ce po op Sain t
OD
DI
TI
127
131
ES
91W . h a t the St or m Wa sh e d In 92Se . a De vil s
13 2
133
9 3Th . e Da nc in g Mu sh ro om
13 4
9 4Th e Best-La
135
9
id Plans
...
5 Rea . l Fl am es at Last !
136
96Th . e Pa int ed Ho rs e
G O L D E N
PEA
K
137
AN D
97A. Mo de l D e m o n 98 Th . e Ri ve r of Sn ak es
THE
137 138
OM IN E
M O U N T A I N S
99- The Wine Spring
139
100.Ve ry Hi gh in th e M o u n t a i n s 101.Th e God of Fire 102. Th e Gold of
T U R T L E S
103. The Thu
1-41 144
an d Th un de r 149
Go ld en Pea k
A N D
A
nd er Turtl
10 4 The Catch
C R A B
e
150
151
,o5. The Grateful Turtle
152
106. Ura shi ma the Fisherma 107. Th e Grateful Cr
154
n
ab
156
DE S IR E
«o8. Young Lust
157
. o . Th e Pre tty Girl
158
9
n o . Mesmerized
159
111. Red Hea t 11a. Lovesick
160 162
PA RA DI SE
u 3 . Go ne , Bo dy an d Soul
163
114. Pa rad ise in the Pal m of the H a n d u 5 . N o Comp romi se 6 . The Failure
168
117. Lette rs from Pa 118. No t Ex ac tly the
T E NG U,
169
radi se
La nd of Blis s
B O A R ,
AN D
171
B A D G E R
119.O n e Last S ho we r of Petals
172
iao. Inspiring, Unfortunately
173
131. No Fool, the Hunter 122. The Hairy
174 176
Ar m
»23. Exper t Help
H E A L I N G
164
165
176
II
12 4 Rice Ca ke s
177
u 5 . A Mem ora ble Empr ess
178
x
i
i
u6 . Q u it e a Sti nk
181
i a Th . e Ma st e r
18 2
7
138. A
Si mp le Cu re
L O V E 139.A
A N D
184
L O S S
Be lo ve d Wif e, a Bo w, a Wh i t e Bird
130.The
Un kn o wn Thi rd
186
131.An Im ag e in a Fl am e
187
i 3 3 Th .
e Fo rs ak en La dy
i 3 3 .Sh
e Di ed Lo ng Ag o
190
134. I S a w It in a D r e a m
191
188
SN AK ES
135. Th e Sn ak e Ch ar me r
193
136. Th e Tu g- of -W ar 1 3 As . D e e p As th e Se a
19 4
7
195
138.W h a t th e Sn ak e H a d in Mi nd 1 3 Re . d Pl um Blo sso ms
R O B B E R S
II
140. Th e En ig ma 141. Wa sp s
199
200 Ev en a Fig ht
143. Without
.43.Th e Te mp le Bell
202 20 3
144. Th e De ad M a n Wa ke s 145. Co w ed 206
L O T U S
205
TA LE S
.46. T h e Bl oo dy S w o r d
Ug.A Pl ea from He ll
207 20 8
148.Th e Voi ce from th e Ca ve 149. Inco rrigi ble
211
150.Th e Pira te' s St or y 151. A Little
19 6
198
9
Les son
215 21 7
209
185
B O Y S
i5a.He roi c Patien ce, Almo st
218
i53.The Pot -He ad ed De mo n
219
1 5 4Rio tou s Liv ing
220
155.T he Boy W h o Laid th e Go ld en St on e Ch er ry Blosso ms 156.
P A R A D I S E
224
II
1 5 Th . e Thi rst for Pa ra di se
224
7
158. Th e Ch an ti ng Skull 1 5 Th . e Ni ce Little
22 5
G o d Sails A w a y
9
The Une art hly Fra gra nce 160.
22 6
228
A Tw in ge of Reg ret
YI N- YA NG
221
229
W I Z A R D R Y
II
.62. Da dd y, W h o W er e Tho se People? .63.Th e Cu rs e
230
231
1 6 4The Ha rm le ss Ha un t 165.In th e N i c k of Ti me Ast rid e the Co rp se 166.
232 23 3 235
DE MO NS
Twin leaf 167.
236
168.No Ni gh t to Be O u t Co ur ti ng 169.L u m p Of f, L u m p On 170.Ta ke a G o od Lo ok !
237
23 9 241
PL EN TY
171. Cherish-the-Aged
Sp ri ng
172. T he Bot tom les s Sa ck 1 3Th . e Solid 7
242 242
Go ld Co rp se
244
1 7 4 A Fo rt un e from a W is p of St ra w i 5 "D . og 's H e a d " Sil k 7
250
246
x
i
O D D
v
PA TH S
TO
S A L V A T I O N
176.A Ve ry Sur pri sed Bodh isat tva 177. Th e Aw ak en in g ,78. Th e Little
251
252
Go d' s Big Ch an ce
179. Pio us Ant ics 180. Th e Rep rie ve
258
25 8 262
W A T E R
181. Th e Wa t e r Spirit
264
182.Th e Ma st e r of St re am s an d Falls 183. Th e Dr ag on Cav e
265
266
1 8 4Go ld from th e D r ag o n Palac e
267
,85. T h e P o n d G o d Ta ke s a Wife
C L O SE D
26 9
W O R L DS
.86 . T h e Isle of M a n a nd M a i d
270
187.Th e Sn a ke an d the Ce nt ip ed e
271
188.Th ro ug h the Wa te r Cur tai n 189. Ca nn ib al Islan d
H A U N T S
274
281
II
190. No No ns en se !
282
191.Qu it e a Bit of No ns en se 192. O n e Mou thf ul
28 3
283
193.Sudd enly , Ho rse D u ng
284
» 4Th e M o n k in Wh it e A rm or
285
9
D R E A M S
i 5 .Little 9
Wh it e Ha ir s
286
,96. Th e M a n W h o Stole a D re am .97.The Bu dd ha -O x
287
198.Th e Fal con er's Dr e am ,99. Po ve rty
292
290
286
SCA
RES
AND
N I G H T M A R E S
aoo. The Nig htma re 201.Th e
202.
292 294
Double
294
Bewitched
296
The Funeral Th e Gr in ni ng Face
FOX ES
of an Old
297
Woman
II
ao5. Fox Arso n
298
ao6. The Fox's Ball
299
207. Singed Fur
300
ao8. Not Really a Tree at All
303
209. T he Wh ite Fox: Four
B E Y O N D
TH E
R U L E S
a.o. The Telltale Fish a n . A Taste for Fish
305 305
aia. The Promise
306
ai3. The Jellyfish's Bones
307
314. The Stinking Hut
P A R E N T
304
Dr ea ms
AN D
310
C H I L D
ai5. Be Go od to Yo ur M ot h e r an d Fat her ! a.6. Hell in Broad Day
217. The Old Woman on the Mountain ai8. Mother
S O U R C E S
319
AN D
W O R K S
N O T E S
T H E S E
C L A S S I F I E D
B I B L I O G R A P H Y I N D E X
317
Gra titu de
aao. The Ugly Son
TA LE S
315
316
219. Perilous
TH E
312
313
333
321
T A L E S BY
331
CO ME
S O U R C E S
FRO M 327
32 5
A
C
K
N
O
W
L
E
D
G
M
E
N
T
S
J o h n Do we r int rod uce d me to Pan th eo n and so
bega n the book. Su
Tyler,
inual ly ma ki ng sugg es
my wife, read and rere
ad my drafts, cont
san
tions; d isc uss ed coun tle ss que st ion s of form an d con ten t wit h me, a lwa ys offering wise and well-informed advice; and kept me going with batches of cook ies.
W e n d y Wol f, my editor, w
can I thank them enough?
as alway s qui ck an d helpful. H
ow
A O P
N
O
O
N
T
E
N R
U
N
C
I
A
T
I
O
N
Japanese is easy to pronounce. The consonants work when spoken just as they are written in this book. The vowels sound roughly as in Italian. Each syllable in Japanese gets equal stress (quite unlike Italian) and in pr in ci pl e ea ch vo we l is a se pa ra te syllab le. F or ex am pl e, the na me Tadai e is pronounced tah-dah-ee-ay. O's and Us with a macron or long mark over them (6 or u) are su p po se d to last tw ice as lon g as plain ones
— the difference be
tw ee n sOft
and sOfa. For example, the name Soo is pronounced, not "Sue," but mo re lik e " S O , O magni ficent one, I have a hu mb le sugg est ion ." A few names, like Urin'in, have an internal apostrophe which the reader can ignore since it hardly affects pronunciation.
I
Th es e tales
N
T
R
OD
U
C
from mediev al J a p a n are by tur ns curio us, touch
ing, funn y, gros s, an d su bl im e. N o do ub t the y will give
T
I
O
N
ing, di stu rb ev er yo ne w h o
re ad s th em a diffe rent im pr es si on , bu t I th in k fir st of h o w civilized
th ey
are. There have never been better losers than the Palace Guards in no. 8, w ho laugh who
le he ar te dl y at their
ow n awful
discomfit
ure; an d no wa r
rio r w a s ev er wi se r t ha n th e her o of no . 67 . Mo st peop le in th e sto rie s are quick to laugh or cry but slow to kill or seek revenge, and their gods (with a few local exceptions) are kind. Nearly all the stories come from tale collections put together between about
A.D.
1100
a n d 1350, th ou gh the earlies t (n o. 1 06) w a s wr it te n
down in the early 700s and the most recent (no. 209) in 1578. Most tell about things that happened in the two centuries between 850 and 1050, a classic period in Japanese civilization.
TH E
W O R L D
N ow a da ys
OF
TH E
we associate tales
village rs told tales in J
TALES
mainly
wit h cou ntr y peopl e. No
do ub t
a p a n a th ou sa nd ye ar s ago too, bu t if the aristo
c
ra cy ha d not bee n eq ua ll y fond of stor ies, t he on es in this boo k wo ul d nev er have been
wr it te n do wn . Peopl e's ideas abo ut the wor ld the n we re
rather different from ours, and from those ol the modern Japanese. It is true, for example, that fox lore still survives in Japan, and that possession by fox spirits is still a factor in a very few people's lives; but it has been a long time since someone like a regent could encourage such goings-on as thos e in no . 47 . T he ru m or of a mo de rn pr im e mini ster pra cti cin g fox magic would be too weird to make sense. Even time was different then. Day and night were each divided into six "hours'' which expanded and contracted as the seasons turned. Since the ca le nd ar wa s lunar,
inst ead of
solar
like
the mod er n wo rld 's, t he
"months" followed the moon's phases. That is why in this book I use the wo rd " mo on " instead of
"m on th ," for
a "m oo n" and
a solar
not the same. The New Year came sometime in our February, as it still does in the Chinese calendar today. There was no fixed reference point in Japanese history comparable to
mo nt h are
X
X
th e bir th of
Ch ri st or
div ide d into "yea
th e He gi ra . Ins tea d, t he flow
of the ye ar s wa s
r pe ri od s, " wh ic h migh t rang e in length fro
tw o to abo ut twe nt y. Ye ar per iod s did not cor
m a ye ar or
re sp on d to the reign
of an
emperor or to anything else easy to describe, and they could start or stop at an y time . E ac h ha d it s ow n na me : fo r exa mple , Shota i (8 98 - 90 1) an d En gi ( 9 0 1- 9 23 ) . No . 17 1 t ell s ho w Yo ro ( 71 7- 72 4) got it s name . The pe opl e in c ha rg e of dec idi ng ye ar peri ods , an d of al l mat ter s relatin g to the cal end ar, we re to p yi n- ya ng divi ners (see
be lo w) l ike the Kam o no
Ta d a y uk i of no s. 162 an d 16 5. Of co ur se , a ll da te s in this
bo ok hav e been
converted to the modern Western calendar. People's names, then as now in Japan, were written with the surname first, bu t th e y w e r e a little
diff eren t in ot he r wa ys from
the ir mo de rn
co un te r pa r ts . F o r ex am pl e, the f ul l na me of th e re ge nt in no.
47 is Fuji-
wara no Tadazane. "Fujiwara" is his family or clan name; "no" is a particle like the French per son al na me.
<)e or the German
In oth er wo rd s, Fuj iwara
of the Fu jiw ara [cl an ]. " Similar
von; and "Tadazane" is his
no Tad aza ne mea ns "T ad az an e
name s are Mina mot o no Yor in obu (no .
67) and Tsunezumi no Yasunaga (no. 130). Names like these have about as mu c h me an in g as ou rs do — usu all y rat he r little . Th e na me s of Bu dd hi st mon ks and nun
s are d istinctive. I
n the se stories
a monk has only one name, usually the one he acquired on entering religion.
Bu dd hi st na me s often
hav e some sort
of fortu nate meani
ng.
In
no . 10 1, for in st anc e, D o k e n (" Wi se ab ou t th e Wa y " ) recei ves in a vision the new name Nichizo ("Sun-store"). Monks' names sound quite differ ent from laymen's names, although both are written with Chinese char acters,
because
they
are
pronounced
according
to
entirely
different
principles.
THE
C A P I T A L
AND
Th e ce nt er of J a p a n , abo ut th e y e a r 1000,
THE
P R O V I N C E S
wa s "th e Cap ita l":
the city
now known as Kyoto. It sprang up in 794 when the emperor moved to th e site from N a r a (see bel ow ), a n d for ce nt ur ie s wa s prac tic ally the only city
in the
lan d. Am o n g its
ro ugh ly
100,000 inhabit
ants , those
who
"really mattered," both men and women, probably numbered no more th an a few th ou sa nd , b ut the y ga ve a sort of gl ow to al l the rest. T to t h e m th e Cap it al , see n from th e ho me of el ega nc e, wit, civilization.
Th e rest of
an d officialdom, ser
the pr ov in ce s, wa s a sort
h a nk s
of Pa rn as su s:
ro ma nc e, l ear nin g, the arts — in shor t, of al l
the po pul ati on con sist ed of the lower
va nt s of ma ny degr ees , craftsmen
gu ar ds , priests , B ud dh is t mo n ks of var iou s kind s, etc.
aris tocr acy
, pet ty mer cha nts , Th er e seems
also
to ha ve bee n a twil ight
zo ne , not ou ts ta nd in gl y large , of as sor te d ne'e r-
do-wells and thieves. Government income came from dwindling crown lan ds;
the
ar is to cr ac y lived
of f the inc om e from
the ir gr ow in g pri va te
estates; and religious institutions prospered from pious donations and from thei r ow n land ho ldi ng s. N ot hi ng like a midd le c lass dev elo ped until centuries later. Th e str eet s of the Ca pit al we re laid out in the sa me reg ul ar gri d pa tt er n as th e Ch in es e capi tal of the tim e. ( M o d e r n Kyo to is st il l pa tt er ne d this wa y, alt ho ug h non e of the buil ding s me nt io ne d in thes e stories
survi ve.)
The major east-west avenues were numbered (First Avenue, Second Ave., etc.), while
the nort h- so ut h one s we re na me d (Ea st O mi y a Av e
nue ). Smaller, inte
rmedia te streets
we re also nam ed (H or ik aw a Stre et).
The central north-south thoroughfare was Suzaku Avenue. It began at the Su z ak u Ga te , the
cen tra l ga te in
the sout h wall
of the pal ac e co m
pound, and ran down to the Rasho Gate, the central, southern gate into th e cit y its elf . Th e flu te- pla yin g d e m o n of no .
167
lived
hig h in th e
structure ot the Suzaku Gate, and the Rasho Gate sheltered the equally musical d
64.
emo n-t hie f of no.
Na tu ra ll y the Im per ial Pal ace occ upi ed a co mm an di ng position city. L oc at ed
at
th e no rt h en d of Su za ku Ave nu e, it
co mp le x of bui ldi ngs inside occu pied
abo ut three hu
a large, re
cta ngu lar walled co
nd re d acres. Wit
in the
w a s act uall y a mp ou nd tha t
hin the co mp ou nd we re several
hundred buildings including the emperor's personal residence ( in a subco mp ou nd of it s o w n ), t he vario us ha lls of gov er nm en t, and m an y ot he r str uc tur es eit her
functio nal
or cer emo nia l. No . 59, fo r exa mpl e, starts
wi th a sce ne of ge nt le me n ar ri vi ng at the pa lac e, ap pa re nt ly for a counc il to be held ne
ar the Gr ea t Ha ll of St at e. In no . 207, a
Palace G u a r d ar ra ng es to meet his
collea gues by
co rn er of the pala ce co mp ou nd , while at
a gate at
the next
wa rr io r of th e the nor the as t
gate south lurk
s the
da st ar dl y to ad of no . 10. Rivers flow on either side of Kyoto, east and west. To the east is the Ka mo , wh ic h ev er y visitor
has
seen. Riversid
e Palac e (K aw ar a- no -i n) ,
wh er e Reti red Em p e ro r U d a met the gho st (nos . 19 0, 191), we st ba nk of th e K am o.
To the west
w h e r e t w o ho ly m e n (n os . 116,
wa s on the
flo ws the de ep er Kat su ra River,
161) ca me to grief .
The city lies in a basin surrounded on three sides by mountains. This ma ke s it mis era bly hot
in su mm er , whic h is wh y the em pr es s wa s we ar in g
"a nearly transparent gown" when the hermit first glimpsed her in no. 125. Ladies often dressed that lightly in summer, at least in private. To the northwest rises Mount Atago, where another hermit had his false vision (no. 121); to the north stretches a range where a man met a
x
x
i
i
m ou nt ai n go d in the
form of a wh it e d og (n o.
to we rs M o u n t Hiei, wh
e re a ll sorts of
129); a nd to the nort hea st
cur iou s thi ngs we nt on (nos. 33,
34, and others). Ab ou t thi rty miles
sout h of Ky ot o is Na ra , wh ic h bec am e Ja p a n 's fi rs t
"permanent" capital in 710. (Before then the imperial residence had moved every time an emperor died.) Nara appears often in these tales be ca us e the eighth ce nt ur y wa s su ch a crucial period in the dev elo pme nt of J a p a n e s e civilization, an d be ca us e the religious institutions founded th er e re ma in ed imp or ta nt later fam ous B ud dh is t tem ple in
on. Todaiji, no
do ub t the
singl e most
J a p a n an d a mu st for eve ry tourist,
ap pe ar s
in nos . 23 , 24, a n d 25 ; wh ile th e gr ea t Sh in to sh ri ne of Ka su ga (no s. 31 , 45 ) s ti ll pr es er ve s th e mu sic an d da nc e tra dit ion h on or ed by hell its elf in no. 46. Th e rest
of J a p a n con siste d of sixty-six
bo un da ri es we re diff erent
from
those
prov inc es, w ho se nam es and
of the mode
rn J ap an es e p refec
tures. Those mentioned most often are the ones closest to the Capital, like O m i a ro u n d th e so ut he rn en d of Lak e Biwa; Ya loc ate d; a nd H ar im a, wh ic h inc lude d the
site
cou rtie r, th e en ds of th e ea rth wer e rep res en ted by Ky us hu , such as
ma to , wh er e Nar a is
of mo de rn Ko be . For the nine
Hiz en, wh er e Na gas ak i eventually
a n d D e w a in the far
pro vin ces of
gre w up ; and Mut
no rt h of H o n s h u . Of th e stories
a
su
tha t ta ke place in
these more remote regions, many involve visitors from the Capital or pe rso ns bo un d f or the Cap ital.
E M P E R O R S ,
MI
NI
ST
ER
S.
OFFI S ER
Th e gr ea t noble s of this co ur t- ce nt er ed wo rld , men
wh ose birth
CIA
LS,
V A NT
desti ned
them for the top ranks and posts in the government, figure prominently in the tales. Naturally the emperor had a special aura, even for the m e m b e r s of th e nobi lity ; bu t it is to uc hi ng to glim pse (no s. 32, 67)
ho w
impressive even a provincial governor could look in his own province. Provincial governors were appointed and sent out from the Capital, although sometimes (no. 8) they stayed in the Capital and had their provinces run by subordinates on location. Dazzling in the hinterland, at court they impressed no one because they came too low in the official hi er ar ch y. A special provincia
l post, ho
we ve r, wa s that
of vice roy
Ky us hu . Th e vic er oy wa s nor mal ly of con sid era ble rank, but no
of one
coveted his office since Kyushu was so far away. In fact, appointment as vice roy of Ky us hu could amo
un t to exile. Fujiwar
a no Ya ma ka ge (no.
105) seems not to have minded too much, but Sugawara no Michizane's
S
appointment as viceroy of Kyushu meant his downfall and led to his be co mi ng a vengefu l go d (n os . 101,
103).
Th e em pe ro r wa s of cou rse sup pos ed to rule Ja pa n, a nd these as su me that
he really
did . But
it is re ma rk ab le ho w often,
stories
in J a p a n e s e
history, real power has been held not by the figure with the great title, but by someone who is olficially his subordinate. The great shogun who unified J a p a n in 1600 after a ce nt ur y of w a r legitimized his po we r wit h the fic tio n that he wa s ruli ng for the em pe ro r at the emp er or 's req ues t. History provides many other such examples. No doubt it is natural that effective power should have passed from office to office, from clan to clan, and even from class to class over time. What is more surprising is that the emperor should never have been deposed, and should always have remained the ultimate source of legitimate political authority. In the time of these stories, real power had been captured by the Fuj iwa ra clan, h ea de d by a re gen t wh os e position was her
edi tar y in one
Fu ji war a line. Th e Fuj iwa ra we re we al thi er tha n the imperia l family , an d their "private'' house administration rivaled the "public" (imperial) gov ernment nominally headed by the emperor, especially since so many of the top posts in the "public" government were inevitably held by the top Fu jiw ar as. Si nc e mo st of the gre at lord s bel ong ed to the Fuj iwa ra clan, this bo ok is f ull of F uji wa ra s gr ea t an d small. Ta men tion ed, bu t the
ultim ate Fujiw
da za ne has al re ady been
ara pot enta te wa s the Regen
t Mic hi-
naga (966-1027), whose little dog saves him from hostile magic in no. 63 . Of the rest,
mo st bo re th e su rn am e Mi na mo to . T o m (no s. 190, 191)
wa s an illust rious
Mi na m ot o.
Th e reg en t' s st an di ng illust rat es this state
of affairs
perf ectl y, for
al
though there was no slot at all for a regent in the government's official table of
or gan iza tio n, he ou tr an ke d eve ry oth er of fi ci al at co ur t even if
he held no
ot he r offi ce. No rm al ly his
(no . 125), and
da ug ht er wa s the emp er or 's wife
ther efor e the mot he r of the next
em per or . (N o w om an
was allowed to succeed to the throne between 770 and 1630.) Michinaga had th re e em pe r or s as his son s-i n-l aw an d four as h is gr an ds on s. Under these circumstances emperors were often children, or at least ve ry yo un g , and usua lly
ab dic ate d early . A reti red
em pe ro r enjoye d a
goo d deal mor e fre edom
th an a re ign ing one . Ret ire d Em pe r or Ka za n
(no. 39), forced to abdicate by the Fujiwara, ended up leading a life of Bu dd hi st prac tic e. As a rei gni ng em pe r or he cou ld never
ha ve le ft Kyot o
on pilgrimage to see a holy man, as he does in the story. Retired emperors could even wield real influence. In the twelfth century they came to co mp et e wi th the
reg ent s f or po we r at cour t, le aving
peror, as usual, to play a largely ceremonial role.
the reign ing em
x
x
i
v
T h e hig hes t forma l pos t in the
go ve rn me nt wa s th at of chan cell or, the
se ni or min ist er of stat e. A n y on e we ep in g wit h joy ha ndf ul of gr as s wo ul d be b o u n d to raise am us in g w h e n he is a cha nce llo r (n o.
to see an ox
a smile, but he is
197). Bel
eat a
part icul arly
ow the chance llor
cam e
th e Mi ni st er of th e Lef t, the n th e Mi ni st er of the R ight . Mi n am ot o no M a k o t o , visite d by ang els in no. 44 "S ag e Mi ni st er " of the Right
, wa s a Mini st er of th e Le ft; whi le the
, Fu ji wa ra no Sa ne suk e, app ea rs in no. 53
and elsewhere. In the or y the chan cel lor wa s to be a man of ou tst an di ng cha rac ter wh o could serve as an example for the emperor and the officials. The office was not supposed to be filled unless a suitably superior candidate was available. In fact the chancellor's appointment depended largely on his standing in the Fujiwara clan. In any case, since the office carried little real po we r, eligible th e post
w a s often
au th or it y since he
ca nd id at es often dec lin ed th e ho no r — one rea son wh y va ca nt . Th e Mini st er of th e Left ha d fa r mo re ge nu in e w a s the leg al hea d of the go ve rn me nt , and
responsi
ble
for th e w o r k i n g of th e Coun ci l of Sta te (no . 11). Th e Mi ni st er of the Ri gh t coul d sub sti tu te for him as need w h e n the Mi ni st er of the
ed , an d did so as a ma tt er of cou rse
Lef t serve d co ncu rre ntl y as regent.
Bel ow the mini ster s we re thre e gr ad es of coun selor s. (Ma jo r Co un selor Yasumichi and his fox-infested mansion appear in no. 80.) The two to p gr ad es belo nge d, like
the ministe
rs, to
th e m a n y ot he r, lo we r off ices w e re those of
the Council of
Sta te. Am on g
con tro lle r (n o. 11) a nd cham
ber lain . Th e con trol lers (th ere we re bet we en s ix an d ni ne of th em ) super vise d esse ntia l ad mi ni st ra ti ve activities with the
central and provincial
wh ic h linked
the Counc il of Stat e
bure aucr acie s. Cha mber lain s we re gen
eral ly y o u n g e r a nd of mu c h lo we r ra nk th an th e of fi ci al s just desc ribe d, bu t th ei r off ice w a s un us ua ll y gl am or ou s be ca us e at leas t some of be in g pri va te secr etar ies to the empe ro r, ha d frequent
access
the m,
to him. O n e
ch am be rl ai n is the victi m of a na ug h ty jo ke in no . 7, an d an ot he r has a strange dream in no. 56. Sev era l stories rial Police. B espec ially
co nc er n me mb er s of the Palac
ot h we re nee de d. Sec ur it y in
at night, eve
e Gu ar ds an d the Im pe
the
Capita l w a s doubt ful,
n wi th ou t the pa ra de s of de mo ns tha t peopl e oc
casionally met in the dark, deserted streets (see below). Robberies were not un co mm on , and passer
sby could be murd
er ed und er the very
walls
of the pal ace com po un d. It is pr ob ab ly only since the sev ente enth cen tur y that Kyoto has been as safe as it and other Japanese cities are now. Th e Palace G
ua rd s consisted
of Gat e Gua rd s, Military
Gu ar ds, and
Inner Guards, each divided into Left and Right contingents. All six contingents besiege a mansion in no. 8, but only the Inner Guards come
to grief. Since the Inner Guards served physically closer to the emperor and were therefore grander than the others, their undoing in no. 8 is all the fun nier . Th e lea din g offi cers of th e gu ar ds we re cap ta in s of va ri ou s gr ad es , like the gallan capt ain of the
t y o u n g ma n of no . 78 . In fac t the post of
seni or
In ne r G ua r ds (eit her con tin gen t wo ul d do, b ut Lef t wa s
pre fer abl e sinc e it me an t hi gh er pre sti ge ) wa s on e of th e mos t desi rab le of all for a ve ry hig h- bo rn y o u n g ma n (no . 168). Th e Imperia
l Police had their
he ad qu ar te rs just
outsid e the palace
co mp ou nd . Th ei r chi ef (no . 102) wa s nor mal ly a cou nsel or an d ha d direct access to the emperor. They could be brave (no. 79) and they could be rough. For their dirty work they routinely used freed convicts like the one s in no.
173 w h o f orce a po or y o u n g ma n to ca rr y a str an gel y he av y
corpse. Be lo w all th ese ca me the hu mb le peo pl e w h o m ad e up the Capita l's pop ula tio n. W h e n the y ap pe ar in the se stories
jaburai, or ca pa bl e of bei ng
less. The men seem usually to be on ly th ey cou ld find
bu lk of th e
the y are nam e
a jo b. T h e her oe s of no s. 7 4 a n d 174 are
daburai i f
th at sort
of
person. The word meant "servant," someone who served a nobleman in an y on e of m a n y cap aci tie s. It co me s from the sam e ve rb as the familiar jamurai, or " wa rr io r, " bu t in th ose da ys i ts me an in g wa s less specia lized . Th e assu mp tio n tha t a y o u n g man of
aaburai illustrates the
hu mb le station
wa s or shou ld be a
ov er wh el mi ng imp ort an ce of the aristo
cracy in
the
life of the Capital.
H O U S E S
Em pe ro r or co mm on er , people liv
ed in single-story houses
wh er e the y
sat and slept on the floor, as many Japanese still do. "Bed" in this book refers only to a sleeping-place, not to a piece of furniture or to any other str uc tur e. Co ve rs we re often flooring
just a layer
Tatami, the thick straw
of rob es.
for wh ic h "trad iti ona l" Ja pa n es e hou ses
not ye t bee n inv ent ed.
no w famous , had
Flo ors we re polish ed bo ar ds spr ea d with st ra w
mat s. Ha vi ng no pe rm an en t out side gene rally no
are
wall, room
s ha d no wi nd ow s an d
outs ide door . Inte rior do or s we re sli ding pane ls.
Th e bou nd ar y be tw ee n outside and inside
wa s a sort
shelf a few fee t wi de whi ch r an all ar ou nd the hous w o r d f or it in th es e sto rie s, al th ou gh it w as not Th e out sid e roo ms ope ne d on to this
of co nt in uo us
e. " V e ra nd a " is the
real ly a v e r a n d a at all.
sh elf . A ge nt le ma n might s it on the
veranda to talk with a lady inside, the two often being separated by a hanging blind. In one episode (no. 213), a holy monk steps straight out
x
x
v
i
of th e emp re ss 's ro om on to the ve ra nd a an d doe s som eth ing quite
dis
gusting. Th e ro om s alon g the ve ra nd a cou ld be closed o ff by lattic ework shut ters, which were backed by boards and divided horizontally into upper an d lo we r pan els . Wh e n both pane
ls we re in
po se d to be secu re f rom sun, wi nd , rain, and u pp er pan el could swin
place
the room
pr yi ng eyes.
wa s sup
Ho we ve r, the
g up an d ou tw ar d, horiz ontally , leaving
the room
open. In no. 44 a gentleman finds three little angels dancing on an open shutter panel. T he ela bo ra te man sio ns of the gre at lords
we re comp ose d of sepa rate
pavilions (sometimes referred to as "wings") linked by covered, opensided galleries. There was a large garden around them, and a pond in fro nt wi th an isl and in
it. No . 139 giv es an idea liz ed de sc ri pt io n of suc h
a g a r d e n . Th e ma ns io n faced
so ut h. O n i ts east an d we st sides
it ha d an
entrance, and just inside each entrance a "middle gate" which gave access to th e co rr es po nd in g "w in g" of the man sio n pr op er . In no. 71 a m o n k sits
by a mi dd le gate of
dev ote d
th e cha nce llo r's mans io n to pr ay fo r th e
chancellor's recovery.
ME
Y ou wo ul d not gu es s from
N,
W O M E N ,
thes e stories
that a
ti me w r o t e on e of th e wo rl d' s gre at est novels
A N D
M A N N E R S
cour t lady of Mic hin ag a's , th ou gh the Jij u of no . 57
do es see m cap ab le of prac tica lly an y str oke of geni us. W o m e n played a major role in cultural life, but their presence here is subdued. In fact, the bo ok cont ai ns not
a single
w om an 's na me . "J ij u" and the ot he r see ming
na m es are act uall y ni ck na me s. Wo m e n did not use their in pub lic . Tw o w o m a n wr it er s of the age
per son al nam es
are kno wn only
as "Mi chi -
tsuna's mother" and "Takasue's daughter." "Mitsuto's sister" is another ex am pl e. Al th ou gh no. 68 is
really
ab ou t her, not
her bro the r, the
story
names and describes her brother before ever mentioning her, and never names her at all. Pr op er w o m e n sta yed hidd en , physic ally as well as figurat ively,
th ou gh
peasant women must have been too active to imitate them. Not that w o m e n neve r we nt outside.
But
am on g the
aristocracy, a
gent lema n
seldom saw a lady's face plainly in broad daylight. There was usually a curtain between them, and even when they were in bed together it was dark or at best dim. Th is is ob vi ou s in no . 1 77. Wh e n the y o u n g mo nk, n ewl y arriv ed in the lady's house, hears rustling in a room nearby, he knows right away what is going on: curtains on a portable frame are being moved in so that
th e la dy can talk to him from be
hi nd th em . He will not ac tua lly see her .
This movable, curtained enclosure, forming a tiny room inside a room, pla ys a role in se ver al sto rie s (n os . 58 , 73, T he m o nk do es not see the lady a hole in
until he
125) . ta ke s a wa lk outs ide an d spots
on e of th e shu tt er s tha t enclos e her
lit era tur e of th e time is
ro om for
th e night. (
Th e
fu ll of me n pe er in g th r ou gh suc h cr ac ks an d
hole s.) N at ur al ly he fal ls in love.
La te r on, wh e n she all ows him into
he r
room knowing that he will be joining her in bed, she still has a cushion laid for him
outside her curtains. The only light in the room is from a dim
lamp behind a screen. No doubt the lamp is out and her maids all asleep w h e n he fin all y lie s d o w n bes ide her.
Sh e nev er sits sim ply tal kin g wi th
him face to lace. Co ur ti ng me n we re lik e bees
visiting
shy flowers, and cour
ts hip took
place largely in the dark. Heichu (no. 57) has never seen the lady he is so de sp er at e to ma k e love
to, a n d w h e n he fi nally get s into he r ro om it
nat ura lly pitch da rk . He can
only
as su me that the
w om a n lying
is
th er e is
the on e he is co ur ti ng ; in fact , he mu st ch ec k w he t he r she is a w o m a n at all by feeling over her face and her long, cool hair. Both men and women seem to have wept freely and often in response to emot ion. y o u r eyes
Co ur ts hi p alwa ys involved
tears. W
wi th y o u r sle eves, a nd i f yo u r grief
he n yo u we pt yo u dried wa s deep en ou gh y o u r
sleeves got pretty wet. A man with conspicuously dry sleeves might appear insincere. Heichu (no. 56) knew this so well that he took a little bottle of
wa te r wi th hi m wh en he we nt cour ting , to da m pe n himself
as
needed. The transition from lover to husband was a passage from darkness and secrecy to daylight and public recognition. No. 220 summarizes this pro ces s. Th e br id eg ro om spe nd s tw o night s with the brid e, leaving
whi le
it is sti ll d ar k. On th e th ir d nig ht he stay s in be d wi th he r on into
th e
morning, for her parents and household, and in fact for her, to see. Was the re not hi ng else to gett ing mar ri ed in tho se days?
Of cou rse ther e wa s,
bu t this, t og et he r wit h som e dis cre et ritua ls, wa s th e gist din g." Mor eo ve r, aristocr
atic husb
an ds , wh o might have
of th e "w ed
lesse r wives
an d
concubines as well as a principal wife, did not normally live with their wives but only visited them. The wife in no. 54 lives with her parents in a gre at lord's mans
ion , an d her
Th e e m p er o r did not
hu sb an d just
liv e wi th his
sp en ds the
night
pri nci pal cons or t eith er (n o.
this sen se, m or e mo de st pe op le lived
wit h her. 125).
In
w ha t see m mo re no rm al lives. The
hu sb an d an d wife of no . 130 obv iou sly liv e tog eth er ; and the hus b an d of no . 134 is afra id of his wife in On ly wo m e n used
a m a n n e r re co gn iz ab le th e wo r ld ov er .
the port abl e ciy ta ins just
des cri bed , but
in formal
circumstances high-ranking men too might speak from behind blinds. The governor in no. 8 does just this when he finally admits his victims to his
ma nsi on.
Th e em pe ro r norm ally
spo ke
or wa tch ed f rom
bl ind s. Be in g ma de of thin ba m b o o or rus h strips, blin
beh ind
ds we re more or
less transparent to someone in a dim space looking out at a bright scene. Often rooms were screened from the outside only by blinds, like the re sid en ce of the Dr a g o n Ki ng in no . 183. Th e te nd en cy to avoid face- to-face conta ct also enc our age d conversa tions conducted not directly but through servants. It was beneath a lord or lady's dignity to speak directly to a humble person, even through a curtain or blind, and a servant would carry messages back and forth instead. Approximate equals would likewise become acquainted through letters and messages carried by intermediaries. This was possible because people had so many servants. It is diffic ult for us
n o w to im a gi n e a lif e so pe op le d by se rv a nt s of all
de gr ee s. In no . 133 a m an goe s ba ck to see th e wife he l ef t ma ny ye ar s ago. It saddens him to find the house falling to ruin, but his wife's plight a n d th e force of
his o w n cru el ty onl y sink in
ha s be en too po or to ke ep a single
w h e n he dis cov ers that she
ser van t. Ev en the starvi
of no . 172 ha s a se rv an t to op en the
ng y o un g man
do o r for hi m. T he po or w o m a n in
no. 175, abandoned by her husband, is reduced to living "a sad life in her poo r, d re ar y hous e, alo ne but for
a pai r of ma id s. " Better-off
peop le had
se rv an ts an d "r et ai ne rs " of al l sorts. As a result, a man
's "h ou se ho ld " wa s mu ch lar ger th an wh a t we wo uld
call his "family," and whatever happened to him affected this larger g r o u p . Th e fox-girl
of no . 82 ta ke s th e ran dy he ro hom e to a beautiful
house bustling with servants who welcome her effusively. In fact, to evoke a fine, prosperous residence, it was not enough to praise the size or lu xu ry of the bu ild ing . Th e place had also
to be "b ust lin g," wh ic h
m e a n t th at it ha d lots of se rv an ts an d visi tors . If it wa s not "b us tl in g, " it looked forlorn and gave the impression that the occupant, whatever his or her means, had little real standing in the world. Wi th so ma n y ser va nts , pe opl e we re seldom of th e w o r d . A la dy like the one in no
, if ever,
alone in our
sense
. 177 m a y ha ve slep t wi th in he r
curtains, but several maids slept in the same room. Someone was always wi th in ear sh ot , if no t wi th in sight . Th e wr it er s of the time
did not
insis t
on this since it was obvious to them and their readers, and since in any case servants did not really "count" in relation to their masters; but we ne ed to
be re mi nd ed . No
ent irel y alo ne.
Ev en the
one of
the slightest
sta ndi ng we nt an yw he re
w a n d e re r of no . 127 ha s a serv ant with him on
his tra vels , an d so do es the thr ea db ar e mo nk of no.
155.
J
M A G I C .
HE AL IN G,
AND
A
P
A
E
N
R E L I G I O N
One thing that makes these tales unlike recently collected Japanese folk tales,
des pit e the co nt in ui ty of ma ny motifs, is
religion. Med
ie va l J a p a n
was as steeped in religion as medieval Europe, and people thought in religious terms far more often than nowadays. Buddhism was dominant, but other religious or magical traditions were important too. None were mutually exclusive, at least not in any sense that might sound serious to a Chr is tia n o r a Mos le m. The magic and religion in these stories fall into four main categories: yi n- ya ng l ore, Ch ine se yo ga , the
cults
of the native
J a pa n e s e gods , and
Buddhism. The first two can be dealt with fairly quickly. The native god s, how ev er , wi ll req uir e f ul le r tre atm ent , tog eth er with such cu pa ti on s as spirit
pr eoc
pos ses sio n, dr ea ms , heali ng, an d the fea r of poll utio n.
I will sa ve B u d d h i s m till last, ev en th o u g h I w ill ha ve to re fer to it often before then, just because Buddhism looms so large. Magic, spirit powers, healing, etc. are, after all, subjects familiar to us in a general way from many cultures; and so is the quest for right conduct and salvation which finds its ex pr es si on in Bud dh is m as in ot he r religions . But Bu dd his t ideas, the names and roles of Buddhist divinities, and the other trappings of the Buddhist faith are too complex to treat consecutively until the other, lesser topics are safely out of the way.
Y I N- Y A N G
L O RE
Th e yi n- ya ng trad ition cam
e to J a p a n from
Chi na.
In the
Wes t, most
people know now that "yin" means the dark, moist, cold, passive, female prin cipl e of the uni ver se , whi le " y an g " me an s the bright
, dry , hot, active ,
male principle. This is not wrong, of course, but it represents such a high level of ph il os op hi ca l ab st ra ct io n tha t it has littl e to do wit h yi n- y an g lore as it figures in these stories. Yin-yang knowledge, intricate and practical, involved astrology, geomancy, purification, divination, and offensive or defensive magic. I hav e c alled the yi n- ya ng maste rs in th is book "di vin er s" becaus
e the y
appear most commonly in that role. They were often called in to fathom the mea ni ng of puzz ling even ts an d to pre scr ibe appr opr iat e action (nos 63,
164). Th ey coul d also
cious days and
.
be as ke d to de te rm in e aus pic iou s or inau spi
an d to int erp ret dr ea ms . Purific ation rites
co me up in nos.
162
179 . Bot h the go ve rn me nt an d priva te pat ron s con side red such func
tions essential. T
he go ve rn me nt 's table of organiz
ation includ
ed a Bure au
X
X
X
of Di vi na ti on , whi ch em pl oy ed the to p me mb er s of the profession Ab e no Seimei (nos. 59, 60,
an d. ot he rs ) an d Kamo
like
no Tad ayu ki (nos.
162, 165). Although hereditary in certain families, the profession re quired long training. As already noted, such men also played a key role in th e est ab li sh me nt of th e o ff ic ial ca le nda r. Yin-yang diviners practiced magic at the request of their patrons. In no . 59, for
ex am pl e, Seimei def
en ds a y o u n g ge nt le ma n against a
divi ner' s cur se. Su ch magic wa s lethal
(no.
hire d
163). A co mmo n cou nte rme a-
sure against curses and other misfortunes, foreseen by the diviner thanks to his ar t, wa s sec lus ion . Th e po te nti al vic tim had to
shu t himsel f up
strictly at home, admitting no one and talking to no outsider. No. 14 describes the particularly horrid way a demon broke through a man's seclusion, sensibly ordered by a diviner.
C H IN ES E
Th e Ch in es e tr adi tio n of ascetic
self-cultivation
Y O G A
ent er ed J a p a n early, but
was then overwhelmed by Buddhism. It is represented here by a few old sto rie s. Th e ascet ic' s goal wa s th e eter nal one of freedom from mortal ity a nd from th e co ns tr ai nt s of the bo dy . A tru ly acc omp li she d ascetic could sh ed his gr os s phys ica lit y an d ta ke on a new , spiritual bo tal; a nd o ne nice thi
dy as an Imm or
ng ab ou t be in g an Im mor ta l wa s tha t y o u coul d fly.
One ascetic who thought he could fly made a big mistake (no. 90), but th e wi za rd of no . 88 ma na ge d beautifu lly. (T hi s wiz ard is k no wn to have ma st er ed Chi ne se yo ga , bu t it is tr ue tha t he mixed Bud dh is t esoteric pr ac ti ce s wit h it.) In time
th e ide a of th e Im mor ta l ca me, un de r Buddh ist influence, to
be
associated with certain ascetic monks who were devoted to the Lotus Sutra (see below).
THE
J a p a n has alwa ys been f ull of go ds . T he re are now on th e roofs of de pa rt me nt stor es. In mediev al times
N A T I V E
G O D S
shri nes to th em even peopl e often th ou gh t
of J a p a n as th e "la nd of the go ds , " th us exp re ss in g a nat ural love fo r the beautiful Japanese islands and their human community. In the centuries covered by these stories there were countless cults to these gods, and some were very strong. On the whole, though, the wor sh ip of th e nativ e Ja p a n e s e go ds did not
con sti tut e a clear -cut religion.
We are often told that the two main religions of Japan are Buddhism a nd Shi nt o, an d th at Shi nt o ("t he W a y of the God s" ) is the
"na tive
religion of
J a p a n . " But Sh in to has only
exis ted as a self- consciou s reli
gion since the late nineteenth century, when it developed in response to a m ov em en t of political an
d religiou
s ideas
wh ic h is foreign to
the wor ld
of th es e tale 's. T h e ear lie r cul ts of local, r egi ona l, or ev en nat io na l sig nif ican ce cele br at ed a gr ea t va ri ety of divi ne pr es en ce s in sym bios is wi th Buddhism. Philos ophica lly an d organ izati onally , B ud dh is m wa s far mo re highly de ve lo pe d. A han dfu l of im po rt an t shr ine s tri ed wi th limited
suc ces s to
keep Buddhism at arm's length, but most were as much dominated by their
assoc iated
Bu dd hi st tem ple s as the emp er or wa s by the Fuj iwa ra
regent. Not that this domination involved force. Many legends tell how the native
go ds acc ept ed Bu dd hi sm gladly, listened
eager ly to its teach
ing, an d som eti mes even claim ed Budd hi st -s ou nd in g titl es. All this helps to explain why the stories talk more about Buddhist divinities than about the native gods. Although the court honored the gods, it was so steeped in Buddhism that it did not think deeply about th em . Th e Kas ug a Go d, the
clan go d of the Fujiwar
a, uphe ld Bud dh is m
with affecting conviction (no. 31). In fact, his shrine was thoroughly dominated by Kofukuji (no. 45 and others), the oldest ancestral temple of th e sa me Fu ji wa ra cla n. Th e G o d of Fire an d T h u n d e r (n o. ve ry differ ent, b ut he s til l insists
101)
is
tha t Bu dd hi sm mov es him dee pl y an d
has so far de te rr ed him fro m de st roy ing J a p a n comple tely. Th e Ka su ga Go d an d the Go d of Fire and Th
un de r we re major
divin
ities . So wa s th e divi ne pr es en ce at Ku m an o, a gr eat pilg rim age cent er whose name alone appears in these stories. Others were more remote. No . 30 sh ow s ho w ge ntl em anl y a provinc ial god could tain go ds K6 ya an d Nifu, eag
er to help foun
be, bu t the mou n
d a gre at Bu dd hi st te mp le ,
are impressively rugged (no. 26). The war between the mountain god an d the wi za rd (no . 88) is an d 188, with the con jur e up srcinal r
one of J a p a n ' s most famous
ir leg end s of h um a n sacrifices
a wo r ld that mu
offered
lege nds. N os . 77 to m o nk ey go ds ,
st hav e seem ed almos t as
ea de rs of the se stori es as it
st ra ng e to the
doe s to us .
So me go ds ha d anim al forms . I n additi on to mo nk eys , these incl ude
stories
a do g (n o. 29 ) an d a sn ak e an d cen tip ede (no . 187). Anim
als
coul d also be divi ne me ss en ge rs : the de er for the Kas ug a Go d; the mon
ke y for th e Hi e G o d (n o. 41 ). T h e fox is ass oci ate d wi th I nar i, a go d of plenty, and that is probably how the fox gets into the rite that starts no. 47 . La te r in the
sa me stor y, t he fox
itself
is a go d. ( F o x spir its, w h o
oc cu py a lo wer le vel th an gods , are dis cus sed bel ow .) Hu mb le st of al l, per ha ps , we re the roa d god s (no s.
159 , 178). Their
direct descendants can still be seen along the roads in some parts of
J a p a n . N o w as the n, mos t road
god s "h ave a
man part
and a wo ma n
p a r t , " as no . 159 pu t s it. Th e ro ad go d in bo th storie s ap pe ar s as an old man, the single most likely form for a native god to take when appearing to a human. All the gods thrived on human attention and in fact required it. Natu ral ly th ey rec ei ve d offerings of
food an d dr in k, as well as rites
an d festi val
observances. But in these stories the gods especially enjoy music and dance. The divine applause described in no. 48 was one accepted sign of a go d' s pl ea su re . Th e Go d of Go o d For tu ne 's lust se em s de me nt ed ; b ut th e Kas ug a G o d nicely
for music (no . 47 )
dis pos es of the idea
tha t
mus ic has not hi ng, or no th in g im po rt an t, t o do wit h ge nu in e religion
(n o.
45).
C O M M U N I C A T I N G WITH
TH E GOD
S
Not only did human beings address the gods, but the gods spoke to humans. Shamanistic possession is now banished from the religion that ident ifie s itself as Sh in to , b ut in th e wo rl d of th ese stor ies it normal. So was a keen interest in divinely inspired dreams.
wa s qu it e
A god might deliver an oracle through a human medium. Hitokotonushi, th e na me of th e go d w h o op po se s the " Ma st er of th e Single W w o r d oracle s, ye s or no.
wi za rd in no. 88,
o r d " an d sugges ts the practice In the story, tho
wi za rd at len gth thr ou gh one
mea ns
of giving
one-
ugh , Hi tok oto nus hi accuse s the
of the emper
or' s ow n att end ant s. This
sort
of sp on t an eo us poss ess ion of a ho us eh ol d me mb e r by a god occ ur s in no. 3 1 , a nd also
in no.
163 wh e r e a ma n dis cove rs, th an ks to "an oracle
del iv er ed in his o w n h o m e , " th at an en em y is plot tin g to ki ll him. ever, th er e we re pl ent y of professiona
l mediu ms, too.
Ho w
Some wor ke d in
healing, as explained below under that topic. Others belonged to the staffs of maj or sh ri ne s like th os e of Ka su ga or Hi e. In no. 4 1 a Hie Shr ine me di um is seen
del ive rin g ora cle s to a cr ow d of pilgr ims.
Shrine mediums were women, as were most other professional or spon taneous mediums. Young boys sometimes gave oracles, though none do in this bo ok . Of sh am an ic men , mo st se em to have been o ne w h o ha s th e gr ea t visi on in no. no . 88 as "t he vessel of
mo nk s like the
10 1, or like th e mo nk de sc ri be d in
the G od of Ha ku s an . " Ma n y mon ks we re involved
with spirit possession as healers, often acting in partnership with a woman medium. An ab so rb in g or out st and ing ly apt oracle
wa s un co mmo n. Wh at people
sought instead, at both shrines and Buddhist temples, was dreams. The
Buddhist divinities did not possess mediums, but they and the gods could speak or otherwise signify their will in dreams. The common procedure was to do a seven-day retreat at a temple or shri ne, in the h ope of ge tt in g a sign from the div ini ty in the form of a dream. If none came, yo u coul d do a second se ven-d ay period or even a third. The dream seems always to come just before the last dawn of the retreat (n o. 4 5 ) . In n o. 174, a y o u n g man prays at a templ e for relief fro m poverty, and by acting on his dream message he becomes rich. A medieval Japanese story may not identify a communication from a god or a Buddhist divinity as a dream, but may describe it instead as though it were a normal, waking event. (In most such instances the circumstances still make it clear that the communication is a dream, and someti mes anothe r version of the story may say so plainly.) Thi s sugge sts that dream experience and waking experience were not always sharply distinguished from each other, and that dream experience could be ac cepted as perfectly authentic. Some sacred dreams, although unsought, carried great weight. In a fascinating example (no. 197), a monk dreams that a certain temple has a black ox and that this ox is actually a buddha. The dream starts a mass pilgrimage (it really happened) to worship the Buddha-Ox. Besid es sacred dreams,
these tales contain other kinds of
dreams which
show how fascinating people found the theme. Examples are the comple mentary dreams dreamed simultaneously by both members of a couple (no s. 130, 134), and the extraordinar y Buddhist moral ity dream of no. 198.
H E A L I N G
The literature of the time rarely acknowledges that the Japanese had acquired from China (as well as undoubtedly developed also on their own) knowledge ol medicine and drugs. The physician who appears briefly in no. 125 must have kno wn about such things, but his treatment is not even mentioned. Instead, the emphasis is on spiritual rather than physical processes, and especially on exorcism. Several stories contain a passage like this one (no. 72): "Then Emperor Da ig o hap pen ed to bec ome ve ry il l. All sorts of prayers and rites tried on his behalf brought him no relief. Finally an official remembered the holy man of Mount Shigi . . ." The first thing to do, apparently, was to bring in one or more Buddhist monks (depending on the patient's means) to perform rites and chant sacred texts. A rite alone could work, for a healer onc e cleans ed an entire prov ince of an epide mic with his master ful per-
fo rma nc e of an elab ora te ritual
(no . 127). Us ually chan
to o. Wh e n the chan cel lor wa s ill (no. 71), "al cr o wd e d into his In mo st cases, sp
ti ng wa s essentia l
l the best -k now n mo nk s
mans ion , wh ic h ran g wit h the din
of their ch ant in g."
irit s ar e invol ved on bot h sides of th e str uggl e be tw ee n
the healer and the sickness. In no. 70 a Buddhist divinity, invoked by ch an ti ng
mon ks , driv es
a wa y a ho rd e of nast y spirit-c hildren. Mo
re
often, though, the healing spirit is not a standard divinity but a protector spirit personally linked to the healer. A famous example is the Sword Gu a r d i a n (no . 72) , a spirit
con tr oll ed by the holy
ma n of Mo u n t Shigi.
As for the evil spirits who cause sickness, their nature and motivation are usually shadowy. Although one story (no. 74) features a remarkable ac co un t of a hea li ng session from th
e afflicting
spiri t's stan dpo int , we
learn nothing about why the patient should have been singled out for torment. The afflicting spirit has only been dragooned into service by a mi no r go d, a nd th e mi no r god is app ar en tl y ac ti ng on behalf
of a big ger
god whose reasons are unfathomable. In these stories, the only kind of afflicting spirit with a relatively clear identity is a fox. Fox spirits still make people ill in Japan. The reasons why they possess pe op le ma y be ha rd to ma k e out, espe cially wh e n yo u do ub t (as a mo de rn reader or observer can hardly help doing) that foxes really are autono mo us entiti es, ext ern al to the posses
sed per son , wh o just mov e in whe n
they feel like it. In these tales, two motives are given. The first is excep tional: a man sends a fox to deliver a message to his household, and the fox obeys by possessing the man's wife and speaking through her mouth (no. 83). The second is more common: the fox explains that it has pos ses sed the
pa ti en t on ly be ca us e it hop es to be given some
food (n os . 124,
206).
These last two stories show clearly how a monk and a woman medium worked together. As the monk chanted sacred texts and spells, the me dium went into a trance. Meanwhile the protector spirit or spirits who served the monk would force the afflicting power to move into the me di um, w he r e th e mo nk cou ld quest ion it.
After
ask ing wha t it wa s an d
why it was there, he might go on to scold it for its mischief. Finally he would send it away and the medium would regain consciousness.
AF TE R
If he al in g fai ls, the pati
D E A T H
en t may die. T he re ar e sever al de at hs an d co rps es
in these stories, although no births. A corpse may pollute the place where it lies a n d th e pe op le w h o co me into con ta ct wi th it , an d th e spirit of deceased may appear as a ghost.
th e
J
Pr op er tr ea tm en t of the dea d has
A
alw ays been v ital
A
P
N
E
in Ja p a n e se r eli
gio n. Firs t, the
bo dy ha d to be pr op er ly di spo sed
hor ribl y the fate
of an un te nd ed cor ps e. ) Thi s cou ld be don e by cre mat ion
or by dis pos ing in one
of. ( N o . 133
ev ok es
w a y or an ot he r of the wh ole bo dy . Tor ib en o, th e
Cap ital 's majo r bu rn in g gr ou nd , ap pe ar s in several
stories
(no s. 15, 131).
In other instances the corpse was carried to a charnel ground, olten a rav ine ne ar the foot
of th e mou nt ai ns wh e re it mig ht be ab an do ne d, or at
best buried in a shallow grave. In two stories (nos. 27, 46) the body is h u n g in a tr ee . It co ul d als o be lef t in a ca ve (th e sa vi ng spir it in no . 148 sp ea ks from su ch a ca ve ) or ev en on the to Fo r the living, these spot hellish,
p floor of a city ga te (n o. 65 ).
s belo ng ed to an oth er , alien
volc anic la nd sc ap e of Ta te ya ma (nos.
wo rl d of wh ic h the
147 , 216) is
an ex tr em e
example. Pr op er ca re of the spirit
too k mor e devo tion th an dispos
al of the bo dy .
Buddhist rites had to be performed daily for the first seven days after de at h (n o. 21 6), th en eve ry sev ent h da y ther eafte r until day . T he sch ed ul e of ob se rv an ce s thi nne d out after a no th e r y e a r or t w o for th e indiv idu al spirit. Wh
the lor ty- nin th
that, b ut it
e n it w a s over,
ran on
th e spirit
jo i ned a family's collective a n ce s t o r s , w h o w e r e h o n o r e d jointly. Without this care spirits were miserable, and could easily linger on as harmf ul or u n h a p p y gh ost s. In an y case, peo ac ute distress
ple w h o died violently
we re lik ely to be co me gh ost s (n o.
133). In
or in
ex tre me cases,
an un h a p p y gho st cou ld bec om e a harm ful go d (no. 28 ). Th e Go d of Fire an d T h u n d e r (n os .
101,
103),
a mo de l of this
kin d,
the stat esm an Su ga wa ra no Mic hiz an e. Mic hiz ane died
wa s srci nall y hea rtb rok en, in
unjust exile. When his ghost started causing disasters, he was first post humously promoted in rank, then a major shrine to him was built in Ky ot o an d his wo rs hi p de vel ope d into a wi de sp re ad cult. Death was a difficult issue for most native gods, who abhorred any taint
of bloo d, si ckne ss, or
de at h. No do ub t the peopl
e of pr e- Bu dd hi st
Japan found ways to deal with this problem. Buddhism seems to have met a nee d, h ow ev er , since so th e fate of th e soul after
mu ch of it s tea ch ing wa s co nc er ne d wi th
de at h, a nd sin ce in pr in ci pl e it s div ini tie s fe lt no
suc h revu lsi on . In fact , th e ca re of th e de ad bec am e in tim e th e fun da menta l task of Bu dd hi sm in Ja p an es e society . Buddh ist mo nk s co nd uct ed mortuary rites, Buddhist ascetics practiced in the mountains which were the "ot he r w o rl d " of th e an ces tra l spir its, and
Bud dh ist tem ple s gr ew up
in association with the places where the dead were disposed oh In no. 46 a w o o d c u tt e r he ar s g ro an s from a w ar n "the priests of
cof fi n han gi ng in
a tre e a nd goes
the temp le ne ar by ." Th e tem ple may
sort of co nne ct ion wi th th e place .
hav e had
to this
X
X
X
V
1
Th e native god
s' att itu de to wa rd deat h is beautifully
4 1 . A m o n k is m ak i ng daily
illustrated
in no.
pil gr im age s from Kyo to to the Hi e Shr ine ,
ov er a low mo u nt ai n pa ss to the eas t of th e city. O n his w a y ho me one da y he find s a y o u n g w om a n we ep in g bec aus e she cannot dispose of co rp se of he r mo t he r w h o has jus t die d. T he villagers be ca us e th ey are bus
y wi th pr ep ar at io ns for
the
will not help her
a fest ival in hon or of the ir
local go d; if th ey to uc h th e co rp se , th e god w ill be an gr y an d misfo rtu ne will strike the whole village. The monk generously helps carry the body aw a y. N o w , ho we ve r, he is pol lut ed himself
an d mus t eith er br ea k of f his
pilgrimages or risk the Hie God's wrath. Though afraid, he decides the next morning to make his pilgrimage as usual. On arrival he keeps well away from the sanctuary building. When the god nonetheless orders him (through a medium) to approach, he is so terrified that he almost faints. Th is fear
of pol lut ion w a s so de epl y ing rai ned in
th e J a p a n e s e tha t it
infl uenc ed the Bu dd hi st est abl ish men ts thems elve s, even
tho ugh it
had
no canonical basis in Buddhist teaching. When thieves manage to rob a te mp le of its bi g b r on ze bell
(n o.
143), t he ke y to th ei r suc ces s is the ir
ce rt ai nt y th at the m o nk s of the te mpl e will not
go near
a de ad b ody .
Li ke wi se , th e te mp le mo nk s in no. 17 4 are afraid tha t the her o of the st or y will die of st ar va ti on rig ht befor e the ir alt ar an d in so do in g pollute the temple. This fear was not confined to shrines and temples, for a courtier polluted by direct contact with death could not appear at court, as no. 132 suggests.
BU
Bu dd hi sm began in India
B.C.,
abo ut 500
A.D.
ral Asia, China
th ro ug h a th ou sa nd ye ar s o f evolution. India
an d faded
in Chi na.
In time
that the
In between it
, and Korea, and
gone
i t all but vanished from
Du ri ng the thirt eenth century,
nese B ud dh is ts even beg an claim ing
M
and first came officially to the
Japanese court's attention in the mid-sixth century ha d pe rm ea te d Sout hea st Asia, Cent
D D H IS
certain
Ja pa
cent er of Budd hi sm wa s
now Japan. So old, complex, and sophisticated a religion is hard to summarize, eve n for th e limit ed pu rp os e of in tr od uc in g the se stories . Pe rh ap s it is best to begin with some basic terms. Th is bo o k is fu ll of Bu dd hi st "m on ks ,' ' wi th a few "p ri es ts " scat ter ed he re a nd th er e. S om e we re saintly , so me frivolous, some rich. The religious or quasi-religious population was large, as in medieval Europe, and many monks who appear in these stories were sons of great families. Subclasses of varying standing and outlook made up the reli-
wo rl dl y an d
gious population, but I have not tried to distinguish them in translation. Instead, I have called everyone a monk unless he is obviously ministering to the laity; then I have called him a priest. I have left out all ecclesiastical titles. M o n k s had boy s of va ry in g ages (aco
lytes) to
serve them
, an d oft en
disciples studying under them. In their all-male society, there naturally occurred certain things that are made quite explicit in nos. 154 and 155. Monks were attached more or less closely to religious establishments con ven tio nal ly called
"t em pl es " in English
, alt hou gh in
ma ny cases
the
word "monastery" might do as well. (It is also simply a useful convention to call the native gods' holy places "shrines.") Typical temple names are Todaiji,
Kofukuji,
an d Tennoj i, wh er e the
such
tem ple
nam es as
elem ent
-ji element is
An ot he r pro nun cia tio n of the sam e
Shig ader a, Koy ader a,
and
-ji means "tem
M i d e r a . Tw o othe r
endings that for our purposes also mean "temple" are -do (Ro kk a ku do ).
Nos . 22
th ro ug h 26 are
ple. "
-dera, which occurs in
-in (Urin'in) and
a tiny
sampl ing of Ja p a n 's
many temple srcin legends. Im po rt an t tem ple s we re large
an d com ple x co mmu nit ies . Kofukuj i an d
Todai ji in Na ra , Mo u n t Hiei ne ar Kyoto , an d the M o u n t Ko ya of no . 26 each ha d a total popul ati on of ma ny tho usa nd s, a nd consisted of coun tle ss buildings great and small. They also had vast, widely scattered estates which supported their activities. The most prominent temple complex in the se sto rie s is M o u n t Hie i. M o u n t Hiei is 3,00 0 fee t high tha t rises
fi rs t of al l a mo un ta in abo ut
ne ar the no rt hw es t co rn er of Ky ot o. Th e te mp le
co mp le x tha t g re w up ther e after ab ou t
A.D.
800 came to wield enormous
religious, political, and even military power. Since its doings were of special int
eres t to the no ble s, al mo st a ll of w h o m ha d relative s on the
mo un ta in , the re w a s a lot of traff ic, mate rial
an d intellectual, b
et we en
Kyoto and Mount Hiei. Buddhist scriptures are called sutras. The one most commonly men tio ne d he re is th e Lot us Sut ra , but th e H ea rt Su tr a (no s. 74, 182), the Su tr a of Go ld en Light
(n o.
149),
the Di am o nd Wi sd om Su tr a (no . 151),
and others also appear. "Sutra," a Sanskrit word, means a text accepted by the tradition as having been spoken by the Buddha. The Japanese used Chinese translations. Sh ak ya mu ni , the histo rical Budd
ha , wa s call ed Sha ka in Ja p a n . Sha ka
was a man and taught as a man, without claiming to be a god or to share in any divine nature. His aim was simply to teach the way things are. One who understood his message would be free from bondage to the co mp lex seduc
tio ns
of the physical and mental realms, char
ab ov e al l by th e rou nd of bir th and
de at h. This
act eri zed
th em e re ma in ed vital
throughout Buddhist history, and the Japanese monks followed through on it as thoroughly as anyone. Although the Buddhist cosmos became filled with divine beings, Buddhist philosophy continued to hold that th ese divini
ties ha d no ult ima te exist ence , bu t only
poi nt ed to, or act ed
from, a reality beyond name or description: the ways things really are. Since "the way things really are" obviously does not exclude the round of bi rt h a nd de at h (we
ar e al l bo rn an d we all die) , medie val Ja p a ne s e
Buddhism taught routinely that enlightenment and the world which en sl av es us ar e not differe
nt from
ea ch oth er . I t w ou l d be fo olish
eve n to
try exp lai ni ng this par ad ox further , but I me nti on it bec aus e it underl ies no . 38, t he sto ry of a saint and a
pr os ti tu te . I t de mo ns tr at es that
to the
en li gh te ne d eye (th e sai nt' s), al l th in gs, ev en the incar nat io n of base, ens lav ing
desi re (the prost
itu te) , sp eak of
their
tr ue natur e, which is
freedom and enlightenment. The effort to realize or, better, to embody this understanding had profound consequences in Buddhist thought and practice. One approach hel d th at th e pa th to wa r d freeing op en in g the eye of
onself
from
sla ver y (th at is , to wa rd
en li ght en me nt ) we nt th ro ug h c lose em br ac e with this
ap pa re nt ly ensl avin g wo rl d. Si nce the detailed Budd his t code of con duc t for m on k s is de si gn ed precis ely to disco ura ge an yt hi ng of the kind, t hose w h o to ok this app
ro ac h we re likely
to brea k vari ous rules. Tr
line of ad ep t s w h o do seem t o ha ve lived
be yo nd the rules ma
no s. 182 an d 21 1, a nd pe rh ap s in no. 212. Al
ac es of a
y be seen in
l th re e mo nk s we re from the
same temple in Nara, and at least the first two were from the same lin eag e; th e vi si on ar y of no . 10 1 m ay ha ve be en con nec ted wi th th em . Me an w hi le , the mo nk 's l if e told
in no.
21 3 is a ga rl an d of tr iu mp ha nt
affronts to respectability. A related approach avoided rule-breaking, upholding instead orthodox co nd uc t to achie ve the sam
e enlig hte ned e mb ra ce of the wor ld of birth
and death. This was the tradition founded in Japan by Kobo Daishi, who is st il l a pow erf ul pre sen ce in J a p a n e s e Bu dd hi sm . Kob o Dais hi tau ght th at a ll objec ts of sens e an d th ou gh t ar e the "p re ac hi ng " of th e Co sm ic Bu dd ha , an d stres sed for
eve ry on e the possibility
of enl igh ten men t
in this
body. His own legend naturally exemplifies this achievement, for he did
not die (n o. 26) . I nste ad, he
ent er ed eter nal medita
tion on
K o b o Dai sh i an d th e ot he rs all pra cti ced one varie
his mou nt ain .
ty or an ot he r of the
Esoteric Buddhism that underlies the Buddhism of these stories. One or two terms from this tradition need explaining. Nos. 26, 87, 88, and 101 mention the vajra (a Sanskrit word), which is a ritual as well as a sym bolic bol t,"
imp lem ent . "Va jra " is variously an d refers
to
spiritua
transl ated "dia
l po we r. T he
mo nd " or "th unde r
Vaj ra- Bea rer
(no .
101 ) is
ther efor e a bei ng of pu re po we r. T he Vaj ra- Rea lm Ma nd a la is pai red (nos. 101,
127))
with
the Wo mb -R ea lm Ma nd al a: both
di ag ra ms of the cos mo s su m up a vast and com
com ple men tar y
ple x un de rs ta nd in g of "the
wa ys thi ngs ar e. " Th e heal ing de scr ibe d in no.
127 wo rk s bec au se the
healer endows the mandalas with living potency and so briefly transforms the area around him into a perfect realm where sickness is impossible.
B U D D H I S T
DI
VI
NI
TI
ES
Shaka must have seemed more than human to his disciples, though he preached purely as a man, for people's tendency to deify great beings and principles is very strong. In any case, as Buddhism developed and spread it wa s influe nce d in m a n y w a y s by oth er, the istic religions.
By the tim e it
reached Japan it was rich in divinities, having even absorbed the Hindu gods Indra and Brahma, who appear in these stories respectively as Ta is ha ku (no s.
11,
147) an d Bo nd en (no . 36). Of
cou rse the Budd hi st
divinities have Sanskrit names, but I will use their Japanese names as they appear in these tales. I have retained two Sanskrit titles, though, bec au se the y are so well k n ow n in English
: b ud dh a an d bod his att va.
Buddhcu. " B u d d h a " me an s a fu ll y enli ghte ned being. Na
tu ral ly the
tit le
applies to Shaka himself, who is mentioned here once as a divinity (no. 101) and once as a mountain (no. 88). But it also applies to other divini ties w h o re pr es en t one aspe ct or an ot he r of the timeless, universa acter of
l char
enl igh ten men t.
Bu dd hi sm ca me to tea ch that Sha
ka , the bu d dh a of our age,
wa s one
of a li ne of b u d d h a s ext en di ng out of the re mo te pas t an d into the indefi nite
future. T
(no s. 101,
w o of the past
bu dd ha s, Biba shi an d Kasho , ap pe ar here
197). Th e nex t b u d d h a after Sh ak a is Mi ro ku , w h o at pre sen t
is st il l tec hni cal ly a bod hi sa tt va . He will from no w, as no. 88 88,
102), the
de sc en d into
ou r wo rl d eo ns
exp lai ns. Acc or di ng to a Ja pa ne se legend
ea rt h will th en be co ve re d wi th gold . This
(no s. 22,
no do ub t me an s
that the earth will be made new, since Miroku has at times been wor shi ppe d in Ja p a n as a deit y of wo rl d ren ewa l. In the mea nti me he wai ts in th e Inn er Sa nc tu m of the Tos ot su H ea ve n (no s. 73 , 86 ), wh ic h is a kind
of pa rad ise w he re certain ear
ne st prac titio ners longed
to go. O n e
monk (no. 73) reached the gate but unfortunately could not get in. The Tosotsu Heaven was associated with salvation achieved through the Lo tu s Su tr a (n os . 73 , 111 ). Dai nic hi (" Gr ea t Su n" ), des cri bed as "th e Cosm ic Bu d d h a " in no.
101,
X
1
is ass oci ate d especially
wit h K ob o Daishi'
cally int eres ting , b ut too ab st ru se ever
s teach ing.
He is philos ophi
to have been popula
r.
No buddha required sole allegiance, but many people (like the nun in no.
160) ce nt er ed thei r devo tio n by choice
on Ami da, wh o m the Ja pa ne se
imagined and depicted as a simple buddha in meditation. Amida is the loftiest savior figure in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon. His name means bo th "Infini te Li gh t" an d "Infinite Life." In the
thi rtee nth cent ury ther e
emerged a trend toward exclusive faith in Amida, but this develop me nt lies
ou ts id e th e wo rl d of th ese stor ies .
Amida presides over a paradise that lies a vast distance away from our world, toward the west. This paradise is sometimes called the Pure Land an d so me ti me s the L an d of Bliss. Am
id a est abl ish ed it f or al l thos e w h o
have faith in him, and he vowed that whoever calls his name sincerely shall be reborn there. That is why the key practice for the Amida devotee is simply to chant Amida's Name, "Namu Amida Butsu" ("Hail Amida Buddha!"). Many people in these stories call on Amida, but none so urgently as the robber who actually hears Amida answer him from the d ep t hs of th e sea (n o. 115) . Cal lin g the N a m e wa s also a co m mo n prac tice at funera ls, for th e benefit of th e de ce as ed (no s. 143, 203) . Unlike the "enlightenment in this body" approach just described, Amida faith was almost entirely concerned with the life to come. At the m o m e n t of de at h, A mi da wo ul d co me do w n f rom his par adi se in a blaze of glo ry, p re ce de d by th e t w o Bo dh is at tv as Ka nn on and
Seishi, and by
a
j o y o u s h o s t o l m u s i c i a n s a n d s ai n ts , t o w e l c o m e t h e soul into t h e L a n d o f Bliss (n os . 118,
119). T he pe op le ar ou nd the dy in g per son wo ul d not see
this vision, but they would know by certain signs that the soul had gone to gl or y: t he y wo ul d hea r str ain s of celestial music
, smel l an indes cri bab ly
sweet fragrance on the air, and see a purple cloud trailing away from the sp ot in th e dir ect ion of th e we st (no s. 113,
160).
Vo lu nt ar y ren unc iat io n of the bod y (r at he r tha n "suici de") is an iden tifiable strain in Japanese spiritual endeavor, especially in medieval times. A few people thirsted so strongly for paradise that they sought de at h to hast en their
jo ur ne y the re. T he wa y to seek Amid a's paradi
this ma n n e r wa s by dr ow ni ng . T he sea of f Tennoji (m
ent ion ed in no.
se in 43)
was a well-known place for this, but the two stories on the theme here (n os .
116, 1 61)
invol ve the Kat su ra Ri ver
ne ar Kyo to. Both
sh ow in
different ways how dangerous the practice was, and how complex piety could be.
Bodhutattvaj. A bo dh is at tv a is, in
the ory , a be ing w h o has vo we d not to
enter final Nirvana (enlightenment) until all beings in the world can enter
it with him, and who in the meantime helps and saves all those who are ca ug ht in the ro un d of bir th an d de at h. Fo r ex am pl e Am ida , as a bu dd ha , does not intervene directly in this world, although he welcomes to his far-off pa ra di se the soul of
an yo ne wh o calls his N a m e wi th faith. O n the
other hand Kannon, as a bodhisattva, works actively in the world to save those in distress. Th e Bodhi sat tva Ka nn on , toget her with ac co mp an ie d Am id a to we lc om e the soul Ka nn on 's religious
role
the relatively into
obs cur e Seishi,
the L and of
in J a p a n wa s mu ch bro ad er and
Bliss. But
mo re au to no
mous than that of an attendant to Amida. It was based partly on the "K an no n Su tr a, " actually
a ch ap te r of the much longer Lotus Sutr
a,
where Amida is only briefly mentioned, and partly on other scriptures and traditions. Ka nn on is often
ident ified
as the "G od de ss of Me rc y. " Th e "m er cy " is
quit e righ t, but f or J a p a n the "go dd es s" par t is doubt ful, i f only be ca us e in te rm s of the L otu s S ut ra a female specific
bod hi sa tt va is impo ssib le. Se xua lly
de pi ct io ns of Ka nn on are a ll male . In an y cas e, the
var iet y of
Ka nn on ' s for ms ma ke s the que sti on less inte res ting th an it mig ht so un d. Th e " K an n on S ut ra " tel ls ho w Kann on ma y take an y concei vable form to sa ve be in gs from an y co nc eiv ab le peri l. (In no . 137, f or ex am pl e, he appears as a huge snake.) Moreover, Nyoirin Kannon (no. 23), Th ou sa nd -A rm ed Kann on (nos.
70, 98, and others)
, and Ele ven -He ade d
Ka nn on (n os . 27, 82 , an d ot he rs ) ar e only som e of the forms
of Ka nn on
that are depicted in religious art. Th e main im age on th e alt ar of a tem ple dedi cat ed to be a specific
form suc h as El ev en -H ea de d Ka nn on , and
Ka nn on wou ld that form
alon e
would be associated with that temple. Nyoirin Kannon usually has six ar ms , E le ve n- He ad ed K an no n looks cr ow n formed of Ka nn on has
face s wit h different
quite normal except
fo r a sort
of
expr essi ons, an d Th ou sa nd -A rm ed
ab ou t that nu m be r of ar ms . The
th ou sa nd -a rm ed f orm sim
ply shows graphically the countless ways Kannon saves beings from danger (sickness in no. 70, a frightful snake in no. 98), but the reasons for the othe r form s are mo re comp lic ate d. All wield saving Ka nn on
has
a par adi se called
Sa nsk ri t na me , is visibly the Lha sa, until rece
Fu da ra ku in
po we r.
Ja pa ne se . Potalaka
sa me as tha t of the famou
ntly th e ho me of the Da lai La ma . (F or the Tibet
Dalai La ma is an inca rna tion
, its
s P otala Pa lace in
of Ka nn on .) Som e mou nta ins
we re tho ugh t of as Fu da ra ku , but the J a pa ne se kne w that Buddh
ans , the in J a p a n ist texts
identify it as a mountain at the southern tip of India. To the J ap an es e, the
location
of F ud ar ak u mea nt that
Ka nno n' s par a
dise, unlike Amida's, was in our own world and that in principle it could
x
1
i
i
be re a c h e d in thi s bo d y. A few pe op le , like th e ma n in no. sa il th er e. But alth oug h F ud ar a ku was
157, trie d to
a geog raph ical ly real place, it
wa s
so remote from Japan that the journey there was actually impossible. In other words, to set out for Fudaraku meant to renounce one's body. (P e rh a p s the id ea of sailing pa ra d is es in th e sea, as
to Fu da ra ku wa s colore d by legend s of island
in no s.
106 an d 18 6.) Th e de vo te es w h o did so
can have had little doubt about this. They had themselves cast adrift from so me w he re on the
Paci fic coast
of J a p a n , some tim es s ealed in
a cabin
a b o a rd a rud de rl es s boat . O n l y a sto ry like tha t of the nice li ttl e road god who sailed to Fudaraku (no. 159) can make the theme bearable. Peo ple could hard J a p a n imagine
ly imag ine par adi se wi th ou t imag ining
hell . Med iev al
d h el l vividl y. Wh er ea s Kan no n normal ly saved
people
from earthly dangers, the Bodhisattva Jizo specialized in saving people from
hell. H e w a s na tu ra ll y ve ry po pu la r. Th e Ka su ga Go d in no . 21 5
was identified with Jizo, among other Buddhist divinities. Jizo looks like a mild little
m o n k (n os . 104,
180). Th e wi za rd of th e mo un ta in s (n o. 88)
rejected him on the grounds that he did not look tough enough to keep the unruly Japanese people in line, and perhaps the wizard was right; but many miracle stories show what a tireless savior Jizo is. Th e Bo dh isa ttv as Mo nj u an d Fug en are clos ely associate Bu d d ha Sha ka , especially
in conne ction with Sha
Lot us Su tr a. O n e mo nk sees, in
a vision
ka's preac
d wit h the hing
of the
of this pre ach ing , "the B ud dh a,
flanked by Monju and Fugen, [sitting] before him on his Lion Throne" (n o.
120). Mon
ju em bo di es the Bud dh a' s wi sd om . In no. 24 an Indian
m on k reco gni zes a J a p a n e s e saint Fu ge n em bo die s the
as an incarn
atio n of Mon ju.
Bu dd ha 's Tea chi ng an d rides
a white elephant
(nos. 38, 121). Since he plays a major role in the Lotus Sutra, he shared par tic ula rly in the Su tr a' s po pu lar ity . Th e to uc hi ng idea that Fuge manif est himself
as a w o m a n of ple asu re (n o. 38 ) got sympa
n could
thet ic re
sponse, for a major medieval play is based on it, and the theme lived on in later woodblock prints. Th e Bodh isa ttv a Koku zo had
no pop ula r cult
in Jap an , but
some
scholar-monks honored him because invoking Kokuzo could dramatically im pr ov e one's
po we r to un de rst an d an d reme mb er sacred
Ko ku zo 's dec isi on to manifest himsel
texts
(no . 177) .
f as a beautifu l w om a n (also no.
177) is akin to Fugen's appearing as a prostitute. It illustrates perfectly the en lig ht en ed tactic of
usi ng peop le's own wea
kn es se s and desires
to
draw them toward the true goal.
Lower Buddhi.it Divinities. A third class of Buddhist divinities has a less
exalt ed stan di ng th an the
bu dd ha s an d bodhi sattva s, but includ
es divin i-
ties w h o ar e pr om in en t in these stories
. Th er e are , fir st of all , the pro tec
tor s. Th e prot ecti ve atti tud e of the native
god s to wa rd Bu dd hi sm has
al re ad y bee n note d, bu t B ud dh is m had
a co rp s of of fi ci al pr ot ec to rs
before
it even reache
d J a p a n . They
gua rd t he budd ha s, the
bodhisa
ttvas,
and the devotee as well. The only one who figures here is Bishamon. Im age s of such divinitie
s sh ow th em as war ri or s, often
tra mp lin g de mo ns
underfoot, and that is why Bishamon wields his spear so effectively (no. 1-46). H e co ul d also di sp en se we al th (n o. 155) . A class dhism,
of wr ath fu l divinities
rep
res ent
energy-in-
, asso cia ted especially action,
destr
lig ht en me nt . Ev en imp or ta nt , peaceful
oying
wit h Es oter ic B ud
wha tev er
divinities
imped es
ap pe ar an ce . Ka nn on , lo r ins tan ce, ha s at tim es a terrif ying visualiz
en
can ta ke on a wra thf ul form
ed su rr ou nd ed by flames . F ud o ("T he Unm ovi ng" ), the
tha t is
wrathful
em an at io n of Dai nic hi, ap pe ar s in sever al stories , an d is st il l po pu la r. He is espec ially
to be lou nd on mou nt ai ns , nea r a wate rfal l. U sua lly blu e-
blac k in color, (n o. 95 ).
F u d o sits or st an ds on a roc k an d is su r ro un de d by flames
Pr ac tic es ass oci ate d wit h him involve
the ener gy of fir e (n o.
34 ). So me ti me s this en er gy is tu rn ed to the purp os e of healing
(no s. 74,
126 ). T h e fierce asc
eti c of no . 73 is also a pow erf ul heal er, a nd it is F u d o
w h o car ries him up
to the Tosot
su H ea ve n.
Two stories feature a gorgeous feminine divinity named Kichijoten, pr ob ab ly
de sc en de d
from
k n o w n as an object for
the Indian
god des s
La ksh mi . Tho ug h well
a mo nk 's sexual fantasie
s (n o. 20) , she
was
act uall y on e of m an y diviniti es y ou co uld pr ay to for we alt h (no . 172). T he r e is also
the kin g of hell. I n Bu dd hi sm th er e are mult iple hells,
just as t h e r e ar e multiple par adi ses a n d h ea v e n s . In these stories, t h o u g h , hel l is not too comp li ca ted . No . 149 ev ok es it nicely. E hel l an d ju dg e of th e de ad , app ea rs in nos. 46,
149,
m m a, the king
an d 21 5. He wa s
usua lly imag ine d in J a p a n as a Ch in es e mag ist rat e, aided bu re au cr ac y of ass ist ant s, offi cia ls, bai lif fs, etc.
of
by a wh ol e
For tun ate ly, h e cou ld be
influenced by savior figures like Jizo.
R E L I C S
A N D
I M A G E S
Fai th i n the mir ac ul ou s po we r s of relics co mm on in J a p a n . "Re lic s" we re not
an d of spec ific holy
the bones
of saints, how
ima ges wa s eve r, as in
the Christian world, but were certain hard bone fragments or mineral particle lieved
s (p er ha ps galls tones ) that surviv to co me from the Bu
ar e of this kind,
ed crem ation
an d that we re be
d d h a S ha ka . The re lics me nt io ne d in no. 43
an d so ar e the dr ea m ed one s in no. 20 9. Relics
th oug ht to be fil led with div ine pow er .
we re
x
1
i
v
Boons, miracles, or spiritual power did not always come from a divinity generally conceived, but were sometimes granted by specific icons (stat ue s or pa in ti ng s) . N o . 27, whi ch relates the ula r ima ge of
mir acu lou s srcin of a part ic
El ev en -H ea de d Kan no n, s ho ws ho w special
a per son 's
relationship with such an image could be. Appeals to the Kannon of Ha se d er a (n os . 76,
173, 174)
we re ad dr es se d not to Ka nn on in gener al
but to the image of Eleven-Headed Kannon enshrined at that temple. The Fudo who takes a monk up to the Tosotsu Heaven (no. 73) is "the on e [the m o n k ] himself
ha d mad e, lif e-s ize , an d en shr in ed in his temp le" ;
and the wizard in no. 88 receives an important dream message from the Mi r o k u tha t he himself
ha d ma de an d en shr in ed .
B U D D H I S T
Su tr as are of
co ur se fu ll of phi loso phy,
TEXTS
an d Bu ddh is t philo sop hy is f as
cinating. But it can be said too that not all sutras convey their philosoph ical
mes sa ge
eco no mi ca ll y;
t hat
ph il os op hi ca l; a n d th at some do
the
point
of
some
sutra
s
is
not
not eve n ma k e sen se unle ss yo u ar e an
advanced initiate. In any case, the Chinese versions used in Japan are difficult for the poorly educated to understand; and being Chinese rather than Japanese, they are unintelligible as language when spoken aloud or ch an te d. An im po rt an t asp ect of the sut ras has
alwa ys been
outside their
meaning, for their sound alone, when they are chanted, carries power. Ex am pl es here inc
lud e the mo nk w h o has dedi cat ed him self to ch ant in g
th e Su tr a of Di a mo n d Wi sd o m (n o.
151),
an d the mo nk wh o heals
th e
cha nce llo r by ch an ti ng the Su tr a of Gol de n Ligh t (no . 149). How ev er , the issue would be a minor one without the Lotus Sutra, which figures in tw en ty -n in e tales
an d is th e sup re me pow er text
in the wor ld of the se
stories.
The Lotiu Sutra. Th e Lot us Sut ra is pr ob ab ly th e single
most
imp or ta nt
sutra in Japanese Buddhism. Its impressive parables, its awesome vision, an d i ts fer ven tl y pu t mes sa ge of uni ver sal salv atio n give it endl ess ap pe al . Th e Su tr a' s f ul l title
is "S ut ra of the L otu s of th e Won der fu l Tea ch in g, "
and in Chinese, "Wonderful" is the title's first word. This "Wonderful," wr it te n on th e only sc ra p of p ap er l ef t from an anci ent co py of th e Sut ra , sav es a ma n from a d e mo n in no.
148: s uc h wa s th e Lo tu s Sut ra 's po we r.
In on e br an ch of J a p a n e s e Bu dd hi sm , cha nt in g the tit le alone fundamental observance that many people still do today. The Lotus Sutra states that it was preached by the Buddha Shaka on Vulture Peak, a real mountain in India. The mountain's Chinese name was applied to a good many hills and mountains in Japan, and the image
be ca me a
of the B ud dh a pr ea ch in g the Lotus Sut
ra on Vul tur e Peak
be ca me in
Japan an image of paradise (no. 120). At th e ti me of th es e sto rie s, s tu dy of th e Lo tu s Su tr a w a s basi c for a grea t ma ny mo nk s, especially
thos e on M o u n t Hie i (no . 177).
Te mpl es
mig ht spo ns or lec tur es on it fo r th e lait y (n o. 138), an d lay pa tr on s often had monks lecture on it in order to gain spiritual merit for themselves or ot he rs (n o. 139) . In fact, be ga in ed from
the Su tr a itse lf de sc rib es the en or mo us mer it to
ho no ri ng i t. A no th er w a y to ac qu ir e this merit
w as to
copy out the text. No one here copies the Sutra for himself, although pe op le cer ta in ly di d so; b ut th e her o of no . 149 co pie s it, like
a so rt of
scribe, for patrons who think his beautiful writing will bring them still mo re merit th
an if th ey co pie d it on the ir ow n. O fte n peo ple copie d the
Su tr a int ent ion all y for the bene fit of so me on e else, especi
ally for the de ad
(nos. 81, 216, and others). Chanting the Sutra worked much the same way as copying it. You cou ld cha nt it as a re gu la r pra cti ce on y o u r ow n behalf. also heal
A holy ma n cou ld
so me on e by ch an ti ng it (no . 128), an d a saint (no . 66 ) get s
him sel f t h r o w n in jai l so tha t he ca n ch an t th e Su tr a f or th e benef it of th e pri son er s. Th e de ad partic ula rly val ued hea rin g the Su tr a ch an te d fo r th em be ca us e it hel ped to dissolve thei r lingerin g at ta ch me nt to the eart h. In no.
159 a go d go es to para di se th an ks to a mo nk 's ch an ti ng of th e
Lotus, and in no. 216 the flames of hell dim at the sound. The Lotus Sutra's saving power did not take the spirit to any one par adi se, the of Bliss. But it
wa y dev oti on to Am id a alw ay s mea nt rebirth in wa s often linked to
Mi ro ku , the Fu tu re Bud dh a, waits
the L an d
reb irt h in the Toso tsu H ea ve n, wh e r e to be born
For wo me n, t hou gh, the re wa s a catch. App
into ou r wo rld (no.
111).
are ntl y the Tosot su He av en
was too lofty for them. In these stories, all the women are reborn into the Tori Heaven, a lower realm presided over by the deity Taishaku (nos. 81 , 111, inferior
147). to me n.
St an da rd Budd hi st tea chi ng defined In the Lo tu s Su tr a a y o u n g girl
wo me n as spritually dra ma ti ca lly
att ain s
enlightenment, thus giving hope to all women; but she has to pass th ro ug h a mal e in ca rn at io n, h ow ev er briefly,
in or de r to do so.
Many monks chanted the Sutra in order to purify themselves spiri tually. The most successful of them memorized it, as the monk in no. 177 finally manages to do. Singleminded chanting of the Lotus, a common ascetic
prac tice , could
en d ow on e with mirac
ulo us po we rs (n o. 151),
gre at est of wh ic h w as sim ply end les s li fe (n os . 85 , 86, p ow e r of flig ht, th e Imm or ta l of no . 85 closely
the
100). Wi th his
res em bl es th e Ch in es e-
style Immortals discussed earlier. As with the Amida and Kannon cults, devotion to the Lotus Sutra could lead to renunciation of the body. The Sutra itself contains a clear
x
1
v
i
mo de l of suc h act io n: a
bo dh is at tv a w h o bu rn s his
ow n bod y as an
offer ing to the Bu dd ha . Self -immo lati on in the Lo tu s trad iti on wa s do ne b y fire (no . 157) . In no. 2 2 th e em pe r or himself
follow s this ex amp le on
a small scale by lighting a flame on his own finger (no doubt dipped in pe rf um ed oil)
a nd th en cut ti ng off th e finger
as an offering. The
Lot us
asce tic of no . 158 cho os es an ot he r, bu t no less dis tre ssi ng wa y.
Mantrcu and Daranif. Besi des
the
su tr a tex ts
the re
we re
mu ch
sho rt er
formulas which carried concentrated power. Some were called mantras and others daranis. For "mantra" I use the Sanskrit word because it is relativel
y familiar
in Eng lish . "D ar an i' ' is the Ja pa ne s e version of
the
Sans kri t wo rd prope rly writt en "d ha ra ni " in ou r alphab et. M a n y ma nt ra s inv oke s pec ific divinities. The N
a me of Amida , alread y
ex pl ai ne d, is a ki nd of ma nt r a; so is the title of th e Lo tu s Su tr a. But th e M a n t r a of Fu do and the
Ma n t r a of Fire (no. 34
) are better
examp les.
Bo th illus trat e a pec uli ari ty of most ma nt ra s: th ey ar e not even in bu t in hopeless
ly dis tort ed Sanskr
it.
In other
Chi nes e
wo rd s, the y are unintelli gi
ble not only as spoken but also as written text. The unusual Chinese ch ar ac te rs use d to wri te th em con vey only soun d, not ma nt ra s in Ja p a n are "mys tica l" indeed.
mea nin g. Bu ddhi st
T he sa me is tr ue of th e gen era ll y lon ger formulas kn
ow n as dar ani s.
Some sutras give daranis that are described as summing up the deep me an in g of the wh ol e text, ho we ve r long. T he Son sh o Dara ni , a great ly re ve re d ex am pl e of the gen re , oc cu rs thr ee tim es in these ext ra ord in ar il y powe rful prot ecti ve spe ll (no s. 85,
108 , 168).
SA CR E D
For
reasons
connected
Bud dhi st ideas
as
much
with
Chinese,
stori es as an
Buddhist,
MO UN TA I NS
and
pre-
as with J ap an ' s nebulo us "lo ve of nat ure ," landscape
figured prominently in medieval Japanese religion. "Landscape" means mou nt ai ns , f or in J a p a n most land scap e was a tendency in Japanese Buddhism to
u mountains and valleys. There affirm that mountains, valleys,
riv ers , etc . (in oth er wo r ds , al l of na tu re ) did not just symbol ize bu t
were
enlightenment (no. 38). Bu dd hi st ideas of mou nt ai ns.
par adi se and h el l wer e projec ted onto
In st and ard Ja pa ne s e Buddh ist cosmology,
a great
countl essmount ain
na me d S hu mi se n stan ds at the cent er of the unive
rse. A bov e it s summi t,
wh ic h is th e Tori H ea ve n, rise
of incr easin gly eth erea l
level
alt er level
he av en s, whi le on th e ea rt h be ne at h it are multip nese
mountains
could
easily
support
Mo un ta in ( no. 3 1) wa s associated
several
paradises.
le levels The
of hells.
Japa
Kasuga
with K ann on s Fud ar ak u paradise
.
Vul tur e Peak
wh er e the B ud dh a pre ac hed the Lotus
It also ha d a hell. So
Sutra , and others.
did Mo u n t Hiei . Mo u n t F uji (n o. 32)
wa s cr ow ne d
wit h a ll sor ts of pa ra di se s, a nd its hell be ca me fam ous aft er th e th irt ee nt h ce nt ury . T he volca nic hells
of Ta te ya ma are vividly
des cri bed in nos.
147
and 216. Mo st pr om in en t of all , in thes e stories, are the
mo un ta in s of the Om i n e
range south of Nara. They have been revered since the earliest times, and their
sac red cha ra ct er st il l linger s on tod ay. Go ld en P eak (no w Sanjo-ga-
tak e on Ja p a n e s e ma ps ) is the chief pea k of the rang e. N o . 10 1 d esc rib es both its paradise and its hell. No. 88 passes on the shamelessly tall tale tha t Go ld en P ea k wa s srci nall y a co rn er of Vu lt ur e Pea k in In dia an d flew to Japan in
A.D.
552, which means that the mountain is nothing less
than the Buddhist Teaching itself. Nos. 23 and 102 both involve the leg end tha t Go ld en Pe ak is f ul l of gold , alt ho ug h th ere actua lly is no gold in the Omine Mountains. Small gold buddhas recently discovered at the temple site on Golden Peak may have been offered there by Emperor U d a (n os . 190, 1 91) in 900 ; a nd Lor d Mi ch in ag a (n o. 63 ) ma de a gr an d pil grim age th er e in 1007. Apart from being Buddhist paradises or hells, sacred mountains in J a p a n also ha d loca l go ds of the ir ow n. Za o Go ng en , the go d of th e Omine Mountains, was especially famous: the wizard En no Gyoja called him in to exis ten ce as a sort of
gu id e for th e pe opl e of J a p a n (n o. 88 ).
Zao Gongen is closely related to wrathful Buddhist divinities like Fudo an d looks
ve ry f ierc e ind eed . He bec am e the pa tro n god of the mo un ta in
asce tic tradi tio n, f ou nd ed by En be found
no Gyoja , an d ima ges of him ca n n o w
on ma ny Ja p an es e mou nta ins .
S U P E R N A T U R A L
M O N S T E R S
AND
BEAS
TS
The supernatural monsters and beasts in these stories include demons, tengu, foxes, badgers, dragons, turtles, snakes, and a boar. All can be found in recently collected Japanese folktales, but not as deeply colored by Buddhism as they are here. D e m o n s ar e a mo tl ey cr ew . As no . 169 pu ts it , "s om e we re red dr es se d in green, some were black with a red loincloth, some had one eye or no mouth, and most were just indescribable." They are also terrifying. In no. 14 a rider sees behind him "a red face with one amber-yellow eye as huge and round as a cushion. The thing was greenish and nine feet tall. The three fingers on each hand had five-inch, knifelike nails, and the hair w a s like a snar l of w e e d s ." Sin ce the y ar e called
oni in Japanese, I have
consistently translated them as "demons," with two exceptions: in no. 92
x
I
v
i
i
they are "devils" and in no. 169 they are "monsters." (Actually, the of no . 92 see m to be exotic hu Demons
fre quen t
oni
m an s .)
ab an do ne d
sto reh ous es
or
up pe r stori es of city gate s, mo un ta in clearings,
isolated
chapels,
bridg es, and
the
oth er ob
viously twilight-zone places. A human who detects one nearby expects to be eaten, and with good reason, for some people do get eaten (nos. 11, 12, 146). Fo
rtu nat el y, thou gh, de mo ns are
T h ey like pa rt ie s (n o. 64,
169), and
not alwa ys so mu rd er ou s.
so me see m to like pla yin g music (no s.
167) . At ti mes th ey ca nn ot be bo th er ed to ha rm a hu m an seriously
(n os . 74,
170), th ou gh the
least
the ir me re pre se nc e will do is frighten
so me on e half to deat h. A re cu rr in g motif is tha t of the "d em on s' night pro
ces sio n." On e night
eac h mo nt h (cle arl y ind ica ted on y o u r cal end ar, a s lon g as yo u too k the trouble to consult it) the demons would parade through the streets of Ky ot o, a nd y o u ris ked y o u r li fe if yo u wen t out of do or s. th in gs on his
Ha vi ng ot her
mi nd , one y o u n g ma n ru ns str aig ht int o th em and is
to ge t off wi th no t hi ng w or s e th an a few da ys of fever
( no . 168).
luc ky In no .
74 the demons spit on a man they find cowering under a bridge, and he discovers to his horror that they have made him invisible. In so Bu dd hi st a land as mediev al J ap a n , even
de mo ns we re boun d
sometimes to be religious. In most demon stories, demons simply exist; th er e is no sp ec ul at io n ab ou t h o w th ey got that wa y. No . 97, h ow eve r, presents a Buddhist morality demon: he used to be a human being, but si ng le mi nd ed hate tu rn ed him into form forev
a de mo n an d got him stuc k in tha t
er. S om e de m on s act ual ly
serv e Bu dd hi st divinities
Bu dd hi st divi niti es in disg uise (no s. 98,
or ar e
172). S till ot her s are pio us de
vo te es , hu n g r y onl y for th e mys tic so un d of the Lo tu s Su tr a (no . 100). Te ng u, an ot he r kin d of tr ou bl es om e cre atu re, play
tricks
on hu ma ns .
They are shape-changers. Tengu live in the mountains — not in the wholly de se rt ed mo un ta in wild ern ess , but closer mo nk s, live
or pass by. Ma
ing M o u n t Ibuki 34,
to wh er e people, fo
(n o. 118) an d M o u n t Hi ra (no . 35) . Mo un t Hiei (nos .
120) se em s to ha ve te em ed wi th the m. Se vera l stories
vis iti ng th e Ca pi ta l (n os . 35,
even hav e th em
119, 120) .
In th es e st ori es te ng u a p p e a r as a kit e (n os . 35 , 120), 119), a
r insta nce
n y sacr ed mo un ta in s had their tengu, includ
w a r r i or - m o nk (n o. 35), a
a kest rel (n o.
dec re pi t old mo nk (no s. 34,
120),
a
cheerful, well-fed monk (no. 123), the Buddha Shaka (no. 120), and the B u d d h a A m i d a (n o.
118). I n eff ect , th ey often
pa ro dy the solemn Bu d
dhist world. Unfortunately, the form most familiar in art and illustration (t ha t of a lon g-n ose d, wi ng ed mou nt ai n ascetic) does
not ap pe ar here,
perhaps because the image developed relatively late. As birds of prey,
th ey ar e natu ra l ene mi es of sn ak es ( no . 35) an d may mo nk (no s. 35,
eve n carr y of f a
118). T he y also ar e k no w n to ca rr y of f chi ldr en.
A tengu's greatest pleasure seems to be tormenting pious monks (nos. 33 , 34 ).
No do ub t an yo ne lea din g a li fe of religi ous
pra cti ce, i n an y
tradition, has to distinguish at times between true inspirations and those that "come from the devil." Japanese monks had to look out not only for te ng u tal ons bu t for te ng u visio ns, since
te ngu cou ld cr eat e ou tr ag eo us ly
convincing hallucinations. One unhappy ascetic is done in by a fake Am id a wi th a ll his sain ts (n o. 118), whil
e in no. 120 a te ng u's Lo tu s Su tr a
sh ow w or ks a ll to o well, ev en th ou gh the
te ng u himself
ha s w a r n ed his
spectator not to believe it. Th e bad ge r an d the boa r too can conj ure up dece ptiv e visions, ho mu ch they may
we ve r
so un d l ike "re al " anim als . O n e ba dg er put s on a wo nd er
ful show as the Bodhisattva Fugen (no. 121) and another haunts a chapel in th e for m of an ab su rd l y tall m on k (n o. 122) . T h e on e bo ar in this boo k st ag es a fake fune ral for
th e benefi t of a lon ely tr av el er (n o. 5 2) . H o w
ever, all these tricks end in the trickster's death, whereas tengu do not get killed. A far gr e at er tr ic ks te r is th e fox. I n th ese storie s foxes leav e m o n k s alo ne, in ste ad pe st er in g la ym en wi th conf usi ng visio ns an d illusions (n o. 20 8) . Pe r ha ps the fox es' lack
of int eres t in mo nk s ha s to do wi th thei r
relatively more familiar presence in the everyday human world. It was a commonplace that an abandoned mansion, like the one in no. 84, soon became a foxes' lair; and even an inhabited mansion could be infested with foxes (no. 80). Apparently foxes could move into a house just the way raccoons and even skunks do in the United States, but I wonder whether a raccoon family has ever carried on the way these foxes do. Some fox tricks are simple mischief. Whereas tengu and their col leagues like to play on religious feelings, foxes play especially on sexual des ire . T he fox
co un te rp ar t to the te ng u vision of
(no . 118)
is the
dr ea m- ma rr ia ge of the fox-en
Fox es are
famo us in J a p a n for
Am id a an d his sain ts
chan ted hero
ma sq ue ra di ng as bea utiful
in no. 82. wo me n — so
m u c h so th at if a m a n ru n s ac ro ss a pr et ty girl alo ne, e spec iall y at twili ght or in th e eve ni ng , he is a fool if he do es no t su sp ec t he r of be in g a fox. ot her wo rd s, e nc ha nt re ss es are , l itera lly, f oxy ladies.
In
Th e st un ni ng fox -
w o m a n of no . 47 is an ot he r ex am pl e. S he doe s not exac tly mis lead the regent who sees her, but she certainly plays on his maleness. Foxes do not appear to women as handsome men, but possess them inste ad as spirits.
No t that a fox spe aki ng th ro ug h a wo ma n' s mo ut h talks
ab ou t an yt hi ng ro ma nt ic . Oft en , al l the f ox w an t s is food (n os . 124 , 206) . In the end, t
ho ug h, s om et hi ng else see ms to be goi ng on — so me th in g th at
has as much to do with the woman as the fox-bewitched man's infatuation ha s to do wi th himself. No
. 125 se em s to su pp or t this imp ress ion . At the
be gi nn in g of th e stor y, t he emp re ss is pos ses sed by a fo x wh ic h the hea ler manages to transfer to a medium and then capture. Next, the empress is ov e rw he l m e d to the poi nt of ins ani ty by th e hea ler' s ow n lust. It
is hard
to believe that the srcinal fox had nothing to do with her susceptibility. T h e Da ki ni rite of no . 47 invo lves foxes in
so me sort of
me sse ng er role.
"Dakini" refers to a triad of demonic figures who were absorbed into Esoteric Buddhism, and who became associated in Japan with the god Inari, who grants abundance and whose messenger is the fox. The story's G o d of G o o d Fo rt un e, a by -p ro du ct of th e Da ki ni rite, is
so foxy tha t he
even smells like a fox. The fox in no. 209 is probably a messenger too, signifying that a magic cha nne l of com mun ica tio n betw een the dre
am er and the highe
st an ds op en . (T he app ea ra nc e of the gold en re lics seem s to A lt ho u gh I do
not k n o w just
w h y the wh it e fo x sho ul d have
d re a me r to w e a r red, th e image is
close ly ass oc iat ed, in
this.)
ask ed the
fascinating.
D r a g on s an d sna ke s con stit ute an entirely Bo th are
r divi niti es confirm
differe nt class
al l Ja p a n e s e folklore,
of cre atu res .
art, and
lit erat ure
(including these stories), with water. Related associations are with thun de r a n d lig ht ni ng on the on
e ha nd an d with lust
wo rd s, wit h pri mo rdi al manifes
on the oth
er — in ot he r
tatio ns of ene rgy and vital ity. Th e bo un d
ary between dragons and snakes is often vague, but on the whole dragons are nobler and are more likely to be thunder-beings than snakes, while snakes are more likely than dragons to stand plainly for lust. Neither is given to gratuitous mischief, but snakes can sometimes be destructive. Japanese dragons have distinguished continental ancestors. In the Buddhist sutras they appear as spirits of the cosmic waters who honor and protect the Teaching, while imperial imagery in the Sino-Japanese tr ad it io n is
fu ll of d ra go n s. F or
ins tan ce, t he em pe ro r' s fa ce is
"t he
dragon visage," and an angry emperor has "ruffled scales." Pe rh ap s the dr ag on is best tho
ug ht of as the
rai n, river , sea, vap or , an d rain again
en er gy of the wa te r cycle:
. Th e ima ge of a dr ag on spor ti ng
among the clouds, obviously representing rain and the blessing its brings, is so common in East Asian painting that it is familiar to many in the We st . Th e dr ag on of no . 36,
a Lot us Sut ra dev otee , mak es rain,
an d
dragon gods were normally invoked in rainmaking rites (no. 183). The emperor, who blesses his people from high atop a metaphorical mountain, is dr ag on li ke be ca us e it is from mo un ta in s tha t th e life-gi ving wa te rs f low down to the plain. Dragon (or snake) shrines are common on watershed su mm it s a nd rid ges for
this reaso
n.
Prac tica lly an y bo dy of wa te r in Ja p a n ma y ha rb or a Dra go n King.
Mano Pond (no. 35) may be imposing; but Sarusawa Pond (nos. 37, 183), which practically every visitor to Nara has seen, is unimpressive; an d th e pool at
Ko ze n (n o.
183), t he site of ra in ma ki ng rites
eve n into
the tw en ti et h ce nt ur y, is tin y. In fac t th e Dr a g o n Ki ng of no . 183 lives in a cave on a
mo un ta in si de , wh er e the
wa te rs begin their
jo ur ne y to the
fields below. A pr op er D ra g on
Kin g lives
in a sple ndid palac
e. Th e dr ag on of no.
183 has his inside a cave, but a dragon with a pond will have his palace at the bo tt om of the pon d . N o . 18-4 pr ov id es a fin e ex am pl e. Th e D ra g o n Pal ace at th e bo tt om of th e sea, well
k n o w n in J a p a n e s e lore, doe s not
figure directly in these stories, but it is probably related to the Eternal Mo un ta in of no.
106.
Sn ak es , the most am
bi gu ou s of al l "rea l" creat ure s, can be
go ds or at
least supernatural powers; can embody sinful, especially lustful thoughts; an d ca n be a form of K a n no n (no . 137). Th ei r lack of dig nit y in co mp ar ison with dragons no doubt has to do with their familiarity in normal life. N o.
187 featu res a sn ak e go d w h o rese mbl es a dr ag on in man
y wa ys ,
but who lacks a dragon's philosophical or poetic aura. He controls a fruitful island, and lives high up on the island for the same reason that dragons often live on mountains. (A related god still lives high on a small sac red island in La
ke B iw a. ) Th e sn ak es of seve ral ot he r stori es ar e mor e
plain ly wa te r- be in gs . In no. 98
a ma ss of sn ak es ev en look s like wa te r,
an d in no.
no pa rt ic ul ar rea son to
136 a sn ak e tries for
dr a g a wr es tl er
into a deep pool. Snakes are easily recognizable even to us as an image for evil, deluded, or lustful thoughts. In these stories a snake seems sometimes to be lust it se lf . Th e w o m a n in no.
I l l , frantic
wi th frustrated
sexua l desire, tu
into a hu ge sna ke an d pu rs ue s th e ma n she wa nt s. I n no.
rn s
109 a y o u n g
man dreams a girl makes love to him, then wakes up to discover that a sna ke has ma de him ejacula
te; whi le in no . 110 a y o u n g w o ma n ends up
me sm er iz ed by a sn ak e tha t has acci denta lly seen betw stori es ass oci ate the sn 107, 108,
ak e motif wi th a y o u n g girl's
ee n her legs. F ou r
sexu al fantasies (
no s.
112, a n d 18 5) .
An av ow ed ly Bu dd hi st cont ex t ma y give sna ke s a wid er, ic an ce . In no .
139, a y o u n g girl 's on ly sin is to love her
moral si gn if p lu m tr ee 's
blossoms so much that she cannot forget them even after death. As a res ult of thi s clin gi ng to th e pl ea su re s of he r pa st l ife , sh e is re bo rn as a litt le sn ak e th at w r a p s itsel f a r o u n d the plu m tre e. Th e sto ry ma ke s a pr ett y Budd hi st se rm on again t at ta ch me nt to the thing it too, of
co ur se , m a y all ude silently to
s of this wor ld, b ut
sexu al fan tasies.
Th e la st an ima l to me nt io n is th e tur tle . Th e im mo rta l lady of no . 106 is a turtle. Marine turtles are magic creatures who stand for immortality
I
i
i
an d w h o see m relate d, like
dr ag on s an d sna kes , to
ideas
of spiritual
tr an sf or ma ti on (n os . 103 , 104 , an d 105).
THE
J a p a n e s e scho lars distinguis
h a bo dy of wri tin g they ca ll
S O U RC E S
sctduwa bungaku.
The term just means "tale literature," but it refers specifically to about forty-five collections (they vary greatly in language, quality, and intent) put together between thi s boo k,
A.D.
210 com e from
822 a nd ro ug hl y 1350 . Of th e 220 stor ies in ten of th e mor e im po rt an t of the se medi eva l
collections, while the remaining 10 are from other medieval works out side "tale literature." (All the sources are listed in "The Works These Tal es C o me F r o m, " in the ba ck of the boo k. ) Ho we ve r, 165 of the stories, far more than a two-thirds majority, are from two collections, the master pieces
of the ge nr e:
Ujishutmonogatari("'A La te r Col le ct io n of Uji Ta le s, "
earl y thi rte ent h ce nt ur y) with 5 4, Ti me s N o w Pa st ," ca.
and
Konjaku monogatari dhu
("Tales of
1100) wit h 111.
W h a t ar e the subj ect s of "tal e lit era tur e"? O n e ca te go ry of stories
deals
wit h Ch in a an d India. Konjaku, for instance, devotes the first 185 of its more than 1,000 tales to India, and the second 181 to China. Needless to say, I left such tales out because they are about the wrong country. Th e seco nd an d by far the larges
t cate gor y deals with B udd his t top ics.
If I had kept the same proportion of Buddhist stories as in my sources, Japanese Tales would be a far more pious book, for the medieval collec
tions include many more Buddhist stories than any other kind. A good ma ny , like
no s.
115 a nd
137, mu st ha ve be en use d in pr ea ch in g; whil e
ot he rs ev ok e th e mi ra cu lo us src ins of fam ous tem ple s (n o. 26) or imag es (n o. 27) , or the de ed s of gr ea t mo nk s (n os . 182 , 213) . Th e th ir d ca te go ry of stor ies co nc er ns th e cou rt an d its worl d. So me of th es e tal es ar e ve ry go od (n os . 7 an d 1 91, for ma ny ot her s unsui tab le:
brief
items
ex am pl e) , but I foun d
ab ou t cour t mann er s or abo ut the
do in gs of gr ea t lord s; sc en es of co ur t life in te re st in g onl y to the initiat ed; cu ri ou s inc id ent s in his tor y an d politics ; a few ac co un ts of battle s; mo me nt s of tr iu mp h fo r mas ter artists, craft ers
of
co ur t
football
(kemari),
par tic ula rly successful, movin
etc.;
smen, h ors eme n, wrestlers, play and
nu me ro us
anec dot es
g, or unu sua l poe ms. M a n y of these
abo ut items
can hardly be called stories at all. They interested compilers and readers less as ente rt ai nme nt tha n as exa mpl es of con duc t, j udgm ent , or ski ll. Th e fou rth cate gor y, from
wh ic h I hav e dr aw n the most heavily,
sists of le ge nds an d po pu la r tales.
Ho we ve r, this cate
of th e four, a n d fo r thi s re as on alon e
con
gor y is the smallest
Uji abui, Konjaku,
sources should not be thought of primarily as folktale collections.
and the other
What is the relationship between "tale literature" and the modern folktale ?
A
co mp ar iso n
wit h Ancient
pu bli she d vo lu me of folktales
told by
Tales i n Modern
village
a
Japan,
recently
stor yte ller s in the twen tie th
century (see Bibliography), can serve as an illustration. Fanny Hagin Japanese Tales: no. 127 (m y no . 3) ;
Mayer's work shares five stories with
no . 183j (m y no . 17); no . 140 (m y no . 16 9); no . 69 (m y no . 174 ); an d no . 164 (my no. 217). A few of its stories also include parts of tales present in this bo ok — for ex am pl e, n o. 99 (m y no . 75) , no. 30 ( m y no . 107), a nd no. 311 (my no. 219). The two works also share various motifs. This is re ma rk ab le in a wa y, since th e so ur ce s for ea ch . On
six hu nd re d to eight
hu nd re d ye ar s sep ara te
Ancient Tales in Modern Japan
the oth er ha nd ,
rep res ent s fai rl y the rang e of the mod er n Ja p a n e se fo lktal e, Japanese Tales exa gg er at es the folktal
Seen in
this light,
wh er ea s
e co nte nt of the medi eval collections.
the rese mb la nc es are not
necessarily
impre ssive . H o w
ever ancient the recently collected folktales may be, many things have ch an ge d in th e last eigh t h u n d r e d y ea rs . Fo r inst anc e, nos . 3 an d 169 in this book follow the symmetrical "good old man/bad old man" pattern well
k n o w n in mod er n folktales
, an d well
rep res ent ed in Fa nn y Hag in
Mayer's book; yet they are the only examples of this pattern in all my kappa, a water-goblin that has become almost the emblem
sources. The
of Japanese folklore, is not to be found in medieval tale literature at all. Above all, farmers and their preoccupations, so basic to the modern folktale, are rar
e in th e ol de r lit era tur e.
Al th ou gh they
do includ
e po pu la r elem ents, the
medieva l collections
ar e not fo lk lit era tur e. Th e co mp ile rs an d thei r re ad er s w er e high ly liter ate, and p
art icu lar ly con sci ous
of history. Of
cou rse
edu cat ed peop le
were bound to be interested in history anyway, but the Chinese tradition of meticulous record-keeping influenced the Japanese, who also valued deta iled re co rd s. I n this
spirit, m a n y stories
give prec ise inf orm ati on by
which they can be dated. (I have indicated these dates whenever possible in the notes, usuall y wit h the help of the mo de rn Ja pa n e se co mm en ta tors.) The compilers' interest in accuracy is only emphasized by occa sional gaps in the sources, especially in
Konjaku. He re the com pile r see ms
to have left a blank when he found he was missing a name, so that he could fill it in later. The stories were supposed to be true, and it was the transmitter's responsibility to situate them correctly in his and his read er's world. W h e r e did the
co mp il er s get the ir tales ? Th e prefa ce to
gatari give s a fasc inat ing glimp
collection, no
se of
a com pi ler at wo rk on an imp
w unf ort una tel y lost . This
("T he Uj i Ma jo r Cou nse lo r's
Uji shui mono-
wa s
Tal es" ), put
cou rtie r na me d Mi na mo t o no Ta ka ku ni (d.
or ta nt
Uji no Dainaaon monogatart
tog eth er by a hig h- ra nk ing 1077)
w h o retire d to U ji ,
1
i
between Kyoto and Nara. There he would "enjoy the cool reclining on a ma t a n d fa nn in g him sel f wi th a gr ea t big fan . He wou ld c all ov er an y passerby, high or low, and get the person to tell him a story, which he would take down in a big notebook, straight from the teller's lips." The an on ym ou s au th or of the preface surmises that sht'ti comp iler meant to
the equ ally un kn ow n
Uji
conti nue Tak aku ni' s wo rk.
Perhaps Takakuni used written sources as well; later compilers surely did. Anyway, written and oral sources probably did not exclude each other even for a single tale. In cases where an earlier, written version certainly existed, a compiler still might not use it, at least not directly. He might rely instead on an intermediate written version; on his own familiarity with several versions, written or oral; or on someone else's telli ng. I n fact th e dist inct ion bet we en "w ri tt en " an d "o ra l" ma y not be very useful for
Japanese Tales. Ta ke the exa mpl e ol Ta ka ku ni noting
do wn
tales from "any passerby, high or low." A "high" passerby would have been someone whose thinking had been formed largely by the written word, wh et he r poe tr y (w hic h wa s essen tial the n) or prose; a
nd Tak aku ni would
still have edited his telling. A "low" passerby might have been illiterate or semiliterate, and Takakuni would have tidied up his words even more. Ev er y co mp il er pu t his ma rk on his wo r k. S om e seem to ha ve re du ce d a lot of mat eri al to ske let on no tes , whil e ot her s dev elo ped stories lovingly. At the ver y least, t he re wa s the que st io n of cho osi ng the kind of
lan gua ge
to write in. Writing in medieval Japan could vary between classical Chinese and pure, natural Japanese. These and many transitional styles are present in "tale literature." (People then wrote in Chinese rather as the medieval Europeans wrote in Latin, though they could not speak it.) Written language was not the same as speech. Even the pure Japanese of pr ob ab ly doe s not simply
tra nsc rib e speech, for
Ujishui
Ja pa ne s e was a literary
language too, with many masterpeices to its credit by the time the ev ok e na tu ra l spe ech tha nk s to shui co mp il er lived. H is stories wr it er 's craft,
a nd th ei r con si st enc y of to ne could only
have been im
the
Uji
pos ed
on them by a fine writer. W h o w er e th e "c om pi le rs " I keep say ab ou t th em . Mo st collections, lik knows who put together
men ti oni ng? T he re is not mu ch to e
Uji shut, are an on ym ou s. No
Konjaku, alt hou gh schol ars make
one
one conject ure
or another. Perhaps the man was a monk; and perhaps several people worked on it. At any rate all the compilers, whether monks or laymen, mu st ha ve been ed
uc at ed men
wit h som e kno wl ed ge of court
T ak ak un i , for his par t, w a s a for mer me mb er of th e Coun cil ol Among my ten source collections normally classified as "tale literature,"
society. Sta te.
the com pil er s ar e k n o w n onl y for the following thirty tales: century);
Kojidan (" Ane cdo tes
("Th ings Seen of Sa nd ca.
wo rk s, from wh ic h I got
HoMhimhu ("T hos e W h o Aw ok e to
of the
and He ar d, Ol d and
thir teen th Kokonchomonju
Shcmekuhu ("A Book
Tjurezuregiua ("Essays in Idleness,"
ar e from
Kaluga Gongen genki ("The Mir
of the K as ug a G o d , " 1309), wh ic h, th ou gh not lit er at ur e, " i s a fin e collection of
1215);
N e w , " 1 254);
an d Pe bb le s, " 1287); and
1330) . Th re e mo re tales
Fa ith ," early
Pa st, " ca.
mir acle stori
es. So me of the se com pil er s
were monks and some laymen, and all except perhaps the comp iler we re of dist ingu ishe d birth an
acles
co un te d as par t of "tale
Sbadekifbu
d kne w the wo rl d of the Capit
al.
I name and describe them in "The Works These Tales Come From."
T R A N S L A T I O N
AN
D
ED
IT
IN
G
All my translations are edited, more or less so depending on the character of th e srcina l. O f co ur se stud iou sl y fait hful bu t I felt
th ey wo u ld be
ou t of pla ce in
tra nsl ati ons are
val uab le,
this bo ok . T he se ar e ve ry old
sto rie s, af ter all, fr om a di st an t co un tr y. If the ir ge ni us is to sh in e for us , in ou r tim e, t he y need a litt le co mb in g an d br us hi ng to rid th em of small idios yncras ies wh ic h might tu rn ou r atten tion fro m wh at ma tte rs . I have ta ke n no cas ual liberties
, ho we ve r, an d ha ve not de na tu re d the stor ies in
an y wa y. It is tr ue, t ho ug h, th at in a few ins tan ces I co mb in ed el em en ts from differe nt so ur ce s into a
single
tale —t he out st an di ng ex am pl e is no .
213 . Th ro ug ho ut , I wo r ke d especially storie s, the ir style, the large
on four pro ble ms : the titl es of the
a mo u nt of
unfa mili ar inf orm atio n m an y
contain, and their form. Al th ou gh n ea rl y ev er y tale has
a title in th e src inal , I m a de up all the
titles in this book. The old ones sound like this: "How Retired Emperor U d a Reve al ed the Gho a c e " (n o.
st of Mi ni st er of the Left
To ru , of Riv ers ide P al
190), an d this : " H o w th e Fo x of Ko ya River
W o m a n an d Rod e on the
C ha ng ed into a
Cr ou ps of Ho rs es " (no. 207). Old-
fashio ned
titles like these are usefully descriptive, but they seem awfully poker-faced. As for
style,
I ha ve al re ad y no te d th e va ri et y of la ng ua ge s in th e
so ur ce s. C lassica l Ch in es e (n o.
101) pr od uc es a ve ry different
eff ect from
pure conversational Japanese (no. 150). There are also differences of tone, since some srcinals sound light, others serious or stiff. The style of Konjaku is often
ra th er pl od di ng . I trie d to ble nd al l the se var iat ion s into
ab ou t th e sa me sort
of Eng lis h. Oc ca si on al ly I fou nd I ha d to ch an ge the
or de r of the st at em en ts in natu ral in
English
th e nar ra ti on so
— an interest
as to ma ke a stor y so un d
ing disco very. T he medieval J
not value forward movement in a story as much as we do.
ap an es e did
1
V
i
The srcinals often supply information that for the uninitiated modern re ad er mak es the text
unn ece ssa ril y obs cu re . Na me s and tit les of histori
cal peo ple , a nd the nam whi le
es of prec ise locations, are displayed promin
el se whe re details
care full y re co rd ed . I hav e to ne d d o wn the pla ces , often
entl y;
of arc hit ect ure , cos tume , equ ipm ent , etc.
simpli fying
identifi cations
are
of peo ple an d
an d occ asi ona lly even supp re ss in g th em; an d I
have also simplified some descriptions, or replaced technical terms with mo re familiar
ap pr ox im at io ns — like "ve ra nd a. " Somet imes
I hav e in
serted short definitions or explanations into the text. T h e pr ob le m of for m ha s to do wit h the beg in ni ng s an d the end ing s of the stories. First, while most collections set the tales out pretty plainly, t h e Konjaku compiler carefully began each tale with a set formula resem bling "once upon a time," and ended it with an editorial comment, a little mo ra l or bit of sa ge adv ic e, a n d a set closi ng fo rmu la . I le ft out a ll th es e for mula s an d kept part
s of the com me nt s only wh en I thou ght they
we re
amusing or particularly appropriate. Beginnings could present another sor t of pr ob le m. Th is is w h e r e ma ny stori es cr am in a par tic ula rl y large am ou nt of ba ck gr ou nd information,
and sometimes
rhetorical
or nam ent s
that the modern reader may not admire. In such cases, I simplified. Th e con clu si ons of the stories are
the las t thi ng to mention
. J ap an e se
writing has always avoided snappy endings. Even modern novels may se em to fade out
gr ad ua ll y, or even to
br ea k of f in mid -t ho ug ht . Mos t of
these tales end softly, too. This approach does not produce punch lines, but it has its own virtues and I have not tried to change it.
TH E
P A T T E R N
OF
THE
B O O K
T h e 220 tal es ar e g r o u p e d in sets of five , wi th a few ir re gu la r sets of four or six, and each set has its own thematic heading. This arrangement is meant to make convenient units for reading and to allow interesting j u x t a p o s i t i o n s o f s t o r i e s . T h e n o r m a l p a t t e r n for a set — a n d t h e r e a r e ma n y exc ep ti on s — is to sta rt wit h a sho rt tale,
co nt in ue with
tw o of
medium length, feature a longer story in fourth position, and close with another short piece. Do not be held back by the themes suggested. Some are very specific, others catch-all. Most stories could easily have been put under other headings, including ones I did not mention at all. In any case, few head ings exh au st thei r an no un ce d subject . Th e pre sen ce of tw o sets on foxe s, for example, does not mean that are no fox stories in other sets; and the bo ok is eve n mor e f ul l of sn ak es tha n of foxes, t ho ug h the re is only on e set entitled "Snakes."
In K uri ta co un ty of O m i prov inc e the re once
gr ew a giant oak tree.
Sinc e
the trunk was five hundred fathoms around, the height and the spread of its branches can easily be imagined. In the morning its shade reached Tamba province, and lay over Ise in the afternoon. No storm could move it and no typhoon could set it swaying. On the
ot he r ha nd , the farme
rs of Shiga,
Kurita, an
d Ko ga cou nti es
could not grow anything because the tree blocked the sunshine from their fields. They presented a complaint to the emperor, who sent a party to cut the oak do
w n . Th e farmer s got go od harve sts onc e it wa s gon e, an d
their descendants are working those fields still.
2
.
MELON MAGIC Late one summer a train of pack horses was on its way up from Yamato pro vin ce tow ar d the Capita
l, loa ded wit h mel ons. N or th of Uj i the driv
ers sto pp ed to rest un de r a pe rs im mo n tree. The
y too k the melon bask
et s
4
off th e ho rs es a n d loafed
in the sha
de , eat in g so me mel ons of
their own
which they had brought along. An old man shuffled up to them, leaning on a cane, and stood there while they ate, weakly fanning himself and staring greedily at their mel ons. Finally he said he was thirsty and asked for one. The drivers said he would be welcome to a melon but unfortunately the ones in their load w er e n 't th ei rs to give aw a y — th ey we re just
de liv eri ng th em to the city.
"Y ou boy s ar e me an ," th e old ma n co mp lai ne d. "Yo u shoul d be kin der to old people. Well, all right, I'll grow my own." While the drivers laughed, the old man picked up a stick and began to w o r k a tin y pa tc h of ea rt h into
a mi ni at ur e fie ld. Ne xt he pla nte d som e
melon seeds the drivers had scattered. The drivers looked on with grow ing amazement as the seeds sprouted before their eyes and melon vines began snaking everywhere. Soon the flowers had bloomed and the fruit swelled into big, ripe melons. By no w a dr ea d ha d co me ov er the driv
ers — the old ma n sur ely mus t
be a god. The old man helped himself to a melon. "See?" he said. "The me lo ns y o u wo ul dn 't shar e hav e gr ow n me my o w n !" He
passe d out
melons to all the drivers and even to people passing by. When all the melons had been eaten he got up. "Well, I'll be going now," he said and wandered out of sight. It was time to load the baskets back on the horses and get going, but the ba sk et s we re em pt y. Th e mel ons we re go ne ! T he drive rs deci ded that the old ma n had so m e h o w co nfu sed th ei r vision
an d got ten a ll the mel on s
ou t of th e ba sk et s wi th ou t be in g see n. Th ey we re furious. Al
l they could
do was turn around, much to the onlookers' amusement, and set off lamely back to Yamato.
3
THE SPARROWS' GIFTS O n e w a r m spr in g da y an old
w o m a n was sitting
wh ile a sp a rr ow ho pp ed abo ut in her
at ho me picking l
ic e
ga rd en . Th en a li tt le boy th re w a
stone at the sparrow and broke its leg. As the sparrow fluttered helplessly along the ground, a crow came circling overhead. "The poor thing!" thought the old woman. "The crow'11 get it!" She picked the sparrow
.
up, breathed on it, fed it, and put it in a little tub to keep it safe for the night. In the morning she fed the sparrow rice mixed with powdered copper to m ak e it bett er.
H e r chi ldr en an d gr an dc hi ld re n mad e fun of her. "Silly
ol d thin g," they sai d, " n o w yo u ' r e baby ing sp ar ro ws !" She tended the sparrow for a month or two till it could hop again, and the sp ar r ow wa s as hap py as coul d be.
If she we nt out she ma de so me on e
watch and feed it for her. The family kept teasing her unkindly. "What's al l this
fus s over a s p a r r ow ? " they gr um bl ed .
"It 's such a
de ar l itt le thi ng, y ou se e! " she ans we re d.
At la st the sp ar r ow se em ed me nd ed . "T he crows 'll never
get yo u now ! "
she said, taking it outside and lifting it on her open palm. "Let's see how you fly!" The sparrow wobbled into the air and flew away. Having spent so long lussing over the sparrow, feeding it every day and putting it to bed, she missed it very much. Sometimes she talked about it and even wondered aloud whether it might come back. Mocking laughter was all she got in return. Three weeks or so later she heard a sparrow cheeping loudly nearby. Sure enough, it was her sparrow back again. "How lovely!" she cried. "Yo u haven 't forgotten m e! " Th e sp ar ro w cocke d an eye at h er, dr op pe d so me th in g tin y from its
be ak , and flew ol f. It wa s a single
go ur d se ed.
She kept it because the sparrow had brought it to her. Her children jeered at her lor being so happy about a present from a silly sparrow, but she had to plant the seed to see how it would grow. By tall the vine was huge and laden with lar more fruit than any ordinary go ur d vine.
Th e old wo m an was
very
pleased. T
aw ay to all the ne ig hb or s th er e we re alw ays plenty
ho ug h she gave
go ur ds
mo re . The famil y w h o
had mo ck ed he r no w ate go ur d fo r eve ry meal . Finally, she
sh ar ed out
the gourds with the whole village, then hung seven or eight of the very biggest up inside to dry. Months later, when the gourds were ready, she began taking them do wn . H o w heav y th ey we r e ! Sh e cut the
top off one to mak e a stor
age container, and on finding the gourd was full she poured out a litt le of w h a t wa s inside it . It w a s wh it e rice ! Aft er she had emp
ti ed w h a t
seemed like a whole gourdful into a bucket, the gourd was still as full as before. It was the sparrow she had to thank for this miracle! She was in ra pt ur e. T he othe r go ur ds we re just as f ul l, an d no ma tt er ho w mu ch she po ur ed out the re was
al wa ys mo re le ft th an she kne
w wh at to do wi th .
Her family grew rich. Th e neig hb or s coul d not believe
thei r eyes
an d we re terrib
ly jea lous .
6 " W h a t ma ke s y o u an d her
so dif fer ent ?" the y com pla ine d to their
w o m a n . "S he 's ma de them rich T h e w o m a n w en t to her
. We don 't see yo u doi ng that f or
old uA"
succce ssful ne ig hb or to fin d out ho w she had
done it. "I gather it had something to do with a sparrow," she said, "but I don't quite understand. Please tell me the whole story!" The first old w o m a n admi tt ed caut ious ly tha t i t had al l star ted with a seed a sp ar ro w ha d bro ug ht her, but pe tt y of h er not to sp a rr ow
w he n pre sse d fo r details tell
wit h the bro ke n le g,
sp ar ro w' s seed.
she tho ug ht it
wou ld be
all. S h e ex pl ai ne d ho w sh e ha d ca re d for th e an d ho w she had plante
Th e nei gh bo r be gg ed for just one
d the
grateful
seed fro m the bountiful
vine, but the first old woman said no, she really could not give out the seeds. She offered rice from the gourds instead. Th e dis ap po in te d neig hb or dec ide d she wo ul d fin d he r ow n injured sparrow and kept a sharp eye out for one, but in vain. Then she noticed the spa rr ow s ho pp in g ab ou t at her ba ck do or each mo rni ng,
feeding
on
the rice grains scattered there, and she tried throwing stones at them. There were so many sparrows and she threw so many stones that she finally managed to stun one. In glee she broke its leg properly, then fed it food and medicine. As far as sh e co uld see, i f on e wo ul d ma ke her rich then mor e wo ul d ma ke he r richer, and she would get still more praise from her children than that neighbor woman had gotten from hers. So she scattered more rice and threw more stones at the sparrows till she had hit three. That seemed e n ou g h . Sh e pu t th em in a tu b an d loo ked after
th em for a few mo nt hs
till they were better, then merrily took them outside and watched them flutt er a wa y. Sh e w a s ev er so ple ase d wi th hersel f. The
sp ar ro ws , on the
other hand, were very unhappy to have had their legs broken and to have been shut up for months. In ten days the three sparrows came back, and the woman peered ea ge rl y at th ei r be ak s. Ea ch dr o p p e d a go ur d seed and flew " T h e r e ! " she cho rtl ed, an d pla nte d the seed s. The
off.
vines
gre w faster
than normal and became very large, but they did not bear many gourds — sev en or
eig ht pe r vin e, no mo re . Th e w o m a n looke d on with
gr in . "Y o u told me I wa do in g be tte r th an that
s usel ess ," she said
a big
to he r chi ldre n, "bu t I' m
w o m a n nex t do or !" H o w the children hope
d she
was right! Since there were so few gourds they gave none away and did not even eat an y them selv es. Th ey re me mb er ed , tho ugh , that the neighbor had shared her gourds with the whole village, and given them some as well. Perhaps they should offer some to other people, since they had three vines. The old woman agreed to give their nearest neighbors some
wo ma n
gourds, and even sat down to a meal of gourd with her family. Everyone took a liberal portion, but the gourds turned out to be horribly bitter, an d wh oe ve r ate an y th re w up. Th e neig hb or s the y had been so ing, " W h a t kin d of stuff
wa s
ge ne ro us to besiege d the house, s that yo u gav e us?
to uc he d it is nea rly de ad from nau se a an d vo mi ti ng !" But an d he r chi ldr en, w ri th in g on the
W h a t a disas ter!
the old w om a n
floor an d re tc hi ng helplessly, we
no con dit ion to an sw er . F or tu na te ly, the
hout
Ev er yo ne wh o' s even
re in
vict ims re co ve re d in a few da ys .
Th e old w om a n dec ided she
had been
over eage r an d
ought to have waited longer for the gourds to turn into rice, so she hung up th e rest
to dr y. M o n t h s later,
w h e n she ju dg ed the y we re do ne , she
got together enough containers to hold her harvest. Her toothless old mouth gaped wide in a shameless grin as she took down the gourds. Then she po ur ed . Ou t ca me horsefli wh ic h bat te ne d on to her
es, wa sp s, centipede
eyes,
s, lizards,
and snake
s
he r ear s, an d eve ry par t of her bod y an d
stung her without pity. But she was so sure she was pouring out rice that she ne ve r fe lt a thi ng. S he just kep t mut te ri ng, " J u s t y o u wait, y o u lit tle sp ar ro ws , I' ll get som e from
eac h of y o u ! "
Swarms of venomous snakes from the gourds bit the children and stu ng the old w o m a n herself to dea th. Tho se three spa rr ow s had enlisted the he lp of ev er y nas ty cr ee py -c ra wl y in the
wo rl d an d pu t th em in th e
gourds. Envy is something to avoid.
4 •
THE MAIDEN FROM THE SKY O n e da y long
ag o an old ma n w h o ma de ba m bo o ba sk ets we nt to the
ba m bo o gr ove to
cut some m
or e ba m bo o and saw
st ems wa s shini ng. Ins ide the stem he found a
that one
of the ba mb oo
ba by girl only th re e inc hes
long. Never having come across anything like to his wife
that before, he hurried home
wi th th e li ttle girl in on e han d an d his bu nd le of b a m b o o in
the other. He and his wife were very happy. They put the tiny baby in a ba sk et an d ca re d fo r he r te nd er ly . In thr ee mo nt hs she wa s a no rm al size for a child, an
d the bigg er she gr ew , the lovelier
she bec am e. M ea nw hi le
8
the old man kept going for more bamboo, and each time he found gold in the stems he cut. So on he w a s ri ch . He built a va nt s an d ret ai ner s, and his
pala tial h om e pe op le d by flocks
of ser
st or eh ou se over flow ed with tre asu re s of al l
kinds. He and his wife, who now had their heart's desire in everything, co nt in ue d to lavish
love on their
da ug ht er .
She was so dazzling that it was hard to believe she belonged to this world. Rumors about her beauty began to get around and soon many lords were courting her, but she would have nothing to do with them. W h e n th ey sh ow er ed he r wit h lov e letters
an yw ay , she tried
to put them
of f by set tin g th em hop ele ss task s. " I' m y o u r s , " she wr ot e to one, "if you'll bring me the thunder from the sky." She told others she wanted the flower that grows in paradise, or the drum that sounds without being beaten. But her beauty had so intoxicated the suitors that they did their bes t to ob ey . Of f th ey wen t to as k peopl e wis e in old lore
w he re the y
should look for such things. Some ended up roaming the beaches like va ga bo nd s, while
othe rs wa nd er ed
homeless
th rou gh
the
mount ains.
Some died, others never returned. Finally even the emperor heard she was the most beautiful woman in th e wo r l d, a nd h e de ci de d to go an d see he r for himself. "If it's tr ue ," he th ou gh t,
"I'll ma ke he r my em pr es s. " He set out wi th a ll his mini sters
and officials and was surprised to find, when he reached the house, that it was fit for a king. The girl came to him when he called her. No, there was no one like her in all the world. Why, she must have refused every o ne ju st so as
to ke e p hers elf for hi m!
" F i n e ! " he said hap pi ly. "W e'l l go ba ck to my pala ce an d you'll be my empress." "That would please me very much, Your Majesty," she replied, "but y ou see, I'm
not actua lly h u m a n . "
"We ll , wh a t are y ou the n? A dem on or a g o d ? " "Neither, Your Majesty. But they'll soon be coming from the sky to ta ke me aw ay . You shoul
d go hom e no w ."
The emperor hardly knew how to take this. "What's she talking a b o u t ? " he wo nd er ed . "N ob od y' s com ing do wn fro m th e sky to get her! Sh e' s just s ayi ng th at to get rid of
me!"
But a throng soon did descend from the heavens, and they carried the ma id en aw ay . Th ey look ed quit e unli ke the people of
ou r worl d.
Well, it had been true. She had not been of this earth. The heartbroken emperor never forgot her, but not even he could follow her to her home. What kind of being
bad she bee n, th o ug h? A nd w h y had she
the old couple's daughter? It's all a mystery.
be com e
THE FLEA A wife
an d her
lover
we re onc e in bed
w he n the hu sb an d ca me ho me .
Since the lover had no time to run or hide, the woman rolled him up in a str aw mat,
ma rc he d out wit h the mat und er her arm , an d an no un ce d tha t
she wa s go in g to kn oc k the flea s out of it. As she ju mp ed ov er th e he ar th , the naked lover slid out and fell thump into the ashes. The husband's eyes widened. "Biggest flea I ever saw!" he exclaimed. He seemed to register nothing else. The big flea fled on all fours.
S
U
R
P
R
I
S
E
S
THE LITTLE SPIDER A
s h o i>
a
sort
of bamboo
mouth
Once there was no one to play the the former
organ.
oho for the emp er or , an d so Kane to sh i,
go ve rn or of Chi kuz en provin
ce, was
gra nte d spec ial perm is
sion to audition at the palace. He put the priceless instrument they gave him right to his lips and began to blow. Unfortunately, the imperial
obo
had a little spider inside it. The next time he inhaled, the spider shot stra igh t to th e ba ck of
his
th ro at . Th e co ug hi ng an d ch ok in g fit tha t
seized him then made the emperor and his officials almost split their sides la ug hi ng . H av i ng ma de a ter rib le f oo l of hims elf, th e po or ma n wa s neve r asked to the palace again. He should have realized that an imperial treasure like that is seldom played and tried it out cautiously first.
I
0
7
•
A FLASH IN THE PALACE Ea rl y in his
ca re er Lor d Fuj iw ara no Nor
ik un i wa s a cha mbe rla in of the
fifth rank. One day when he was on duty he had to go into the Palace Cou nci l C h a m b e r to receive an imperial dec Righ t San es uk e, to ge th er wit h so me instruc
ree from
Mini ster
of the
tion s on wh er e to take i t.
The room was open to the breezes. As Norikuni approached the min ister, he
gl an ce d to w a rd the nex t bu ild ing (th e Gr ea t Hall
of Sta te) an d
spotted Lord Minamoto no Akisada, a lieutenant in the Imperial Police, on the ve ra nd a of th e hall.
Ak is ad a ha d just w hi p pe d out hi s tool. Th e
min ist er w a s to o far inside the
ro om to see him,
bu t No ri ku ni , wh o had a
perfect view, could not help bursting out laughing. "I ta ke it y o u realize this
is a pr oc la ma ti on from His Maj
es ty ," said the
min ist er sh ar pl y. "I fa il to un de rs ta nd w h y yo u fi nd it so am us in g. " He reported Norikuni's mirth to the emperor immediately. Though desper ate ly fri ght ene d, po o r No ri ku ni could not ve ry well expl ain his la ugh te r by revealing that Lord Akisada had exposed his penis at the palace. Akisada must have been very pleased with his joke.
8
SALT FISH AND DOCTORED WINE Wh il e go ve rn or of Ech ize n (th ou gh he
actuall y liv ed in Kyot o),
Fu ji wa ra no Ta me mo ri faile d to co nt ri bu te his
Lord
sh are of the ri ce stip end
due the Palace Guards. The six contingents of the guards responded by rising
up as one ma n an d mar ch in g to Lo rd Tam em or i's residence
th ey lined
up sh ou ld er to shou lde r, seated on ca
mp st ools, und
th ey ha d tho ught full y br ou gh t with the m. T he y had the
wh er e
er aw nin gs
hous e bloc kade d,
a n d refu sed to let a n y o n e in or ou t. It was the sixth moon, and the days were long and very hot. The gu ar ds ha d bee n th ere since
early
mo rni ng . By mi dd ay the y we re roas t-
.
ing, but they managed to hang on by reminding themselves that they could not leave without satisfaction. Then the gate opened a crack and a senior retainer stuck his head out. "H is Ex cel len cy the Go ve rn or has reta ine r an no un ce d. " H e says
ask ed me
to spe ak to y o u , " the
he wou ld l ike to meet yo u immediat
but unf ort una tel y tha t is impos sible beca
use y o u r pre sen ce has
ely,
terrib ly
frightened all the women and children. He does realize, though, that in this heat
y o u mu st a ll be thirst y, a nd he th in ks he migh t dis cus s thi ngs
wi th y o u inside, t
hr ou gh a scr ee n, as long as y o u do n't mi nd com in g in
in small parties. He suggests some refreshments. We might first have the Lef t an d Right ge nt s can follow.
In ne r Gu ar ds , i f yo u hav e no objecti on. Th e ot he r conti n Hi s Exce ll en cy k no w s he ough t to ha ve y o u al l co me in
at once, but unhappily his residence is too small and poor to allow that. So please be pat
ien t, th e rest of yo u. Will the I
nn er Gu a r d s n o w be go od
en ou gh to co me in? H is Exce lle ncy wil l receive
y o u ."
were th irst y, a nd the th ou gh t of get tin g not only a
The guards certainly
drink but a chance to say their piece pleased them very much. "How kin d of h i m ! " th ey repli ed. "W e'l l be h ap py to go in an d explain to him wh y we'r e here ." " F i n e ! " said th e reta in er an d op en ed the gat e. T he me n of the Left Rig ht In ne r G u a rd s qui ckl y ga th er ed before Lo ng ma ts had b ee n laid
ou t in the
an d
it .
gall ery nor th of the mi ddl e gat e,
and on them stood several dozen individual tables arranged facing each other in two rows. The tables were piled high with sliced sea bream, dri ed an d well salted
; slices of ve ry sal ty- loo kin g salt sal mon ; salte d hors e
mac ker el; a nd sea br ea m pickled in
muw. Fo r frui t th er e we re ten
gr ea t
lacquered bowls heaped with nicely ripened purple plums. "This way, please!" cried the retainer. "Just the
Inner Gua rd s now, if
you don't mind!" In they trooped: Kanetoki from Owari province and Atsuyuki from Shimosa first, followed by all the oldest and most senior officers. "The other contingents will all have their turn!" called the retainer to those left outside, then locked the gate behind him and kept the key. The retainer pressed the guards politely to step up into the gallery and ta ke the ir seats, wh
ic h the y did.
ro ws , the ret ai ne r called for
W h e n they
we re al l in place , in twi n
wi ne . I n fa ct, th ou gh , the wi ne wa s slow to
ap pe ar , an d in the mea nt im e the hu ng ry gu ar ds quick ly pick ed up thei r chopsticks and helped themselves to the victuals. "What
can have hap
pe ne d to the w in e ?" the retainer
kept mutteri
ng,
but still it did not come. At last it was announced that although the go ve rn or did so
mu ch wa nt to
mee t wit h the gu ar ds,
he wa s just no w
1
2
suf fer ing from a t he m quit e ye t.
bo ut of so me st om ac h ailmen t and could not be He wo ul d be out
w h e n th ey ha d finished
wit h
thei r refresh
ments. Fina lly the
wi ne ca me . T w o y o u n g me n br ou gh t in a pair of big cup s
on tray s an d set th em do w n before Kane
tok i and Ats uyu ki, wh o we re
opposite each other. With generous ladles they then filled the cups full. Kanetoki and Atsuyuki picked them up and drank greedily till wine dribbled down their chins. The wine was a bit cloudy and sour, but having broiled so long in the sun the men had a powerful thirst, and they ke pt p o u r i n g it d o w n . In fact,
th ei r cu ps ha d to be refille d twi ce before
they would pass them on to the next in line. T u r n by t ur n th e men a ll dr a nk the ir fill wh ic h, p ar ch ed as the y we re , was for some as many as five cups. Next they had the plums. Soon the wine was back again and kept coming round (with plums in between) until e ve ry on e had wet his
whi stl e half a do ze n tim es.
O n l y n o w di d th e go ve rn or em er ge an d seat himself of th e blin ds whi ch sc re en ed the "A h, g en tl em en ," he beg an,
gal lery from
on the othe
r side
the int erio r of the hou se.
"I nev er imag ined that
an y fail ure of gen
er os it y on my pa rt w ou ld set y o u ag ai ns t me thi s w a y an d hold me up shame before all the world! There's been a drought in my province ever sin ce l ast ye ar , y o u see, least, the tiny amount we Th ei r Exce llen cies at
to
an d we 'v e ta ke n in not hin g, n ot hi ng at all! At did harvest was claimed quite persuasively by
cou rt. T he y took
ever ythi ng,
I'm afraid . The re' s
not a grain left. My own household is out of food, and the serving-girls ar e go in g hu ng ry . We ll , I su pp os e I des er ve d it. But, gen tl em en, please un de r st a nd th at I ca n't of fer y o u a single mis
era ble potful
awfu l k a r m a of mi ne tha t ke pt me fo r ye ar s from
of rice.
It's this
an y of fi ci al app oin t
ment, and that now has gotten me a hopeless province so poor that it yie lds
me no th in g but
em ba rr as sm en t. I
an yt hi ng , I assu re yo u ! N o,
certa inly
don't blame
you for
I'm only gett ing wh at wa s com ing to me !"
The governor sobbed aloud. Kanetoki and Atsuyuki reassured him that they quite understood his predicament, but they reminded him too that they did not represent only themselves. "We have nothing at the guards' headquarters either," they w en t on, "a nd the men pr ob l e m affects us pr es su re y o u like
are very unh ap py . Th at 's w hy we' re al l her e: the
all. N at ur al ly we fe el for y ou , sir, this,
bu t at th e sa me time
co me if we ha dn 't fe lt we had
an d we 'r e so rr y to
we cert ainl y wo ul dn 't have
ver y goo d reaso n . . . "
Their stomachs rumbled shamelessly as they spoke, which was partic ula rly em ba r ra ss in g since they
w er e so close
to the go ve rn or . F or a time
some tried covering the squawks and gurgles by tapping their formal
T
batons against their tables, while others tried different dodges to distract attention from their problem. But the governor behind his blind could hear that bowels were in loud rebellion all down the line and could see perfectly well that the men were doubling up with cramps.
L
"Excuse me a moment!" exclaimed Kanetoki, and he bolted out. Ev er yo ne else
lea ped up
an d pel ted helte r-sk elt er after
E
him . Som e cut
loose right on the edge of the gallery, even as they were jumping off. So me ma d e it
to
the car ria ge hou se an d burs t before
tr ou se rs off. O t h e r s got their
th ey got
the ir
tr ou se rs of f an d squ irt ed like noz zles . Th en
there were those who did not even look for a place to hide but shat, oblivious to all else, wherever they happened to be. All the while they were laughing their heads off. "I knew the old boy would pull some th in g! " th ey cho rtle d. " N o , no,
we 'v e got
no com pla int !
It' s ou r ow n
fault. We were too greedy for that wine!" And laughing still, bellyache and all, they shat on in chorus. Meanwhile, the retainer opened the gate again. "Very well," he an nounced, "you gentlemen may leave. Could we have the next contingent, please?" " O h y e s , " th e men chu ck le d as the y le ft , "b y al l me an s get a nd tr ea t 'em to a g oo d shit th e w a y y o u did u s ! "
em in he re
The were wiping at their filthy trousers as they emerged. The men of the ot he r four co nt in ge nt s bu rs t into lau gh te r at the sight It ha d go ne exactly an d hot.
as Lord Ta
me mo ri had pla
an d fled .
nne d. Th e da y wa s go od
He wo ul d le t th em ste w for ho ur s un de r the ir aw ni ng s, the n
bring them in parched, stuff their empty stomachs with salt fish and pl um s, a nd wa sh it al l d o w n for th em wi th ple nty of sour , clo udy wi ne — wine liberally fortified with that trusty medicine for innards in need of en cou rag em en t,
gro un d
morni ng-g lory
seeds.
Oh
yes ,
those
r ascals
would shit all right! Actua lly,
Lor d Ta me mo ri was
peo ple lau gh . Th is was just
a cage y old sc am p an d a whiz at
his sort
ma ki ng
of thi ng. T h e wh ol e co urt enjoye
the incident hugely. Those guards had picked a slippery fellow to tangle with! Perhaps the guards learned their lesson, too, because they never again descended on a provincial governor who failed to make his contribution. Tamemori was very clever to catch them out the way he did. He could never have gotten rid of them by main force.
d
1
A
9 •
THE TAPEWORM'S SAD END Walnuts
are
still
recommended
against
O n c e a w o m a n w h o ha d a ta pe wo rm inside bo re a son . W h e n the son cu lmi nat ed in his
gr ew up, he beg
in
intestinal
Japan worms.
her married, conceived, and an a go ve rn me nt career
whi ch
ap po in tm en t as go ve rn or of Sh in an o provin ce.
On arrival in Shinano the new governor was met at the border by the rep rese nta tiv es of the provinc a ba nq ue t. T og et he r, the
e, as
cus tom requir
ed, a nd wel com ed with
go ve rn or 's ow n men
an d the thr on g of loc al
people made a large party. Gazing out over the gathering, the governor noticed that every single table, his own included, was liberally heaped with walnuts. The sight bothered
him
intensely.
He felt
somehow
as
though
he was
being
sq ue ez ed dr y. O n as ki ng w h y the gu est s shoul d be given so ma ny wa l nuts, he was told that since walnut trees grew all over the province, walnuts were routine at every meal. This news made him feel still worse and the squeezing sensation continued. He was getting desperate. This was not missed by the deputy gover nor, a
sea son ed old
— so od d,
ha nd w h o found his
ne w sup eri or' s beh avi or cur iou s
in fac t, tha t he wo nd er ed wh et he r the
go ve rn or might not
act ual ly be a ta p e wo rm whi ch h ad ma na ge d to get i ts elf bor n as a hu ma n. The thought inspired him to try a little experiment. Th e d e pu ty mi xe d ple nty of gr ou nd wa ln ut meat into a n d he at e d th e w i n e well in
som e aged
win e
a jar . Th e n he p u t th e c up on a tra y, lifte d
the tray respectfully above his head, and went to present it to the gover nor . W h e n the gov er no r took the cup,
his de pu ty promp
tly fille d it with
win e, wh ic h the gr ou nd wa lnu t ma de a clo udy whi te. Th e sig ht mad e the go ve rn or ver y ner vou s. "Th is win e looks
stra nge ,"
he said. "Why's it all cloudy?" "It 's an old
cu st om of our s, sir , tha t w h e n we welc om e a ne w go ve rn or
we of fer him win e ag ed th re e ye ar s an d mixed with gro
un d wa ln ut.
the n e w go ve rn or drin ks the wi ne ." Th e depu ty' s tone of voice that the custom was not lightly to be ignored. The new governor looked even more ill than before and trembled uncontrollably. "You must drink it, sir," the deputy insisted. Shaking violently, the governor brought the cup to his lips. "I'm really
The n
suggested
a tapeworm!" he blurted. "I can't take this stuff!" Then he turned to wa te r, sl um pe d to th e floor,
an d flowed
aw ay . Th er e wa s no bo dy at all.
The governor's retainers were overcome by confusion and dismay. "Y ou n ev er realized, did
y o u ? " said th e de pu ty . H e an d the rest
of the
party from Shinano packed up and went home. The governor's men could only return to the Capital and report what had hap pe ne d. T he go ver nor 's wife , children, and sur pri sed , bu t ev er yo ne wh o he ar d the story
1
o
hous ehol d we re ver y
got a go od lau gh.
.
A TOAD TO RECKON WITH Once a big toad lived in the so-called Guards' Gate into the palace c om p ou n d an d use d to trip peopl
e up . E ve ry eve nin g at twilight
it wo ul d
come out and sit there looking like a low rock. No one heading in toward th e pa la ce w o u l d fa il to ste p on it an d f all flat , as th e to ad h o p p e d o ff int o the gloom. The victim might learn his lesson and look out next time, but for some reason he would always step on the toad again anyway and take the same tumble. N o w a cert ain st ud en t at the Ac ad em y wa s a gre at f oo l, alw ays br ay in g with laughter or spouting loud abuse. In time he heard about the toad an d al lo we d th at it mi gh t get him
onc e, pe rh ap s, b ut not a se co nd tim e —
no in de ed , not eve n if so me on e we re lurk in g in th e sh ad ow s to hel p it with a push. Darkness was falling. As the student left the Academy, he remarked tha t he w a s of f to see a lad y w h o lived
on the pal ace gro un ds . Wit hi n th e
Guards' Gate sat the toad. "O h , th ere yo u are, ar othe r peop le but
e y o u ? " the stude
yo u won 't get
nt sneer ed. "Well,
yo u may get
me\" As he jumped over the toad his hat
unfortunately slipped off, hitting his foot as it fell. "S o yo u' d like see about
to tri p me , wo ul d y o u ? " the studen
tkat\" He st am pe d violen tly on this
t bell owe d. "We 'll
toa d of his, bu t the hat wa s
the stiff, lacquered kind worn by the gentry, and it resisted being crushed
. "D a mn e d toad!
Stupi d toad!
Thi nk you 're so tough, h
student summoned all his pitiful strength and stamped like one possessed. Some gentlemen came out to see what the commotion was about, sending servants ahead to light the way. The student knelt according to etiquette as the servants approached.
u h ? " Th e
Co m in g up on a dish eve led y o u n g ma n, the y ask ed him do in g th er e. T h e stu de nt identified hi
mself in the tone of
wh at he wa s
a wa rr io r on the
fi eld of ba ttl e. " Y ou ha ve sure ly hea rd of me ! " he dec lai me d. "I his tor y st ud en t at the Ac ad em y,
am a
Fuj iwa ra no Thi nga maj ig by nam e, an d
concurrently charged with visiting justice upon this toad which trips people up at the Guards' Gate!" "What in the world is he talking about?" laughed the servants. "Get him up. Let's have a look!" They pulled him roughly to his feet, tearing his cloak and wounding his dignity in the process. When he felt over his head, he lound his hat w a s go ne . T he ser va nt s mu st have take
n i t. " W h a t did yo u s teal my hat
for?" he roared. "Give it back this minute! Give it back!" The servants lunged at him and chased him away. As he fled down the avenue outside, he fell flat and scraped his face all bloody, but he picked hi ms el f up a n d ra n on, h id in g his face
be hi nd his slee ve, til l he w a s qu ite
lost. Finally he glimpsed a light. It was a little house. Alas, despite all his knocking at the door the people inside naturally refused to open up. By now it was so late that all he could do was lie down by the ditch till morning. When the neighborhood awoke at dawn they found him there in his sad state and cried out with surprise. It was only by asking constantly for di re ct io ns th at he m a na g ed to find his w a y ho me . T h e r e rea lly u se d to be fools like Ac ad em y, ap pa re nt ly , since
th at i n th e old day s — ev en in t he
th e fell ow w as a stu den t the re. H o w od d tha t
he sh ou ld ha ve bee n so hope les s, ye t so cle ver in sch ool !
H A U N T S
11
BETTER LATE THAN EARLY T h e staff of th e Co un ci l of St at e used to hold sess ion s," wh ic h took place before carrying torches.
w ha t we re called
da wn . The partici
pants
"m or ni ng
wou ld arrive
Once a certain secretary arrived after the controller, who outranked him, had already taken his seat. The secretary had been afraid this might happen, and his fears were confirmed when he got there and saw the controller's carriage by the gate. Rushing to the council building he found the controller's servants waiting for their master by the wall. Next, he ran in panic to
the doo r of the
East Counc
il Ch am be r an d pee red cau
tiously into the hall. The lamps were out. No one was there. TbL< was a surprise. Back he went to the controller's servants, who cou ld only
tel l him
th at th ei r ma st er wa s al re ad y inside. T he secr et ar y
called a guard with a torch and had him light the way into the chamber. At the controller's seat there was only a bloody head. The hair was scattered far and wide. Nearby lay a ceremonial baton, a bloody pair of shoes, and a fan on which the controller had written the procedure for the meeting. The matting was soaked with blood. There was nothing else. The horror of the scene can scarcely be described. At dawn an excited crowd gathered while the controller's servants left with their master's head. After that, the morning sessions were no longer held in the East Cham ber, but were shifted to the West.
1
2
.
THE RAVENOUS STOREHOUSE Th e gre at lover kn ow n to
Ar iw ar a no Nar ih ir a ma de sure he
be a bea uty , wh e th e r palace lady
da ug ht er . He be ca me especially fascinated pos ed to be lovely
cou rte d eve ry w o m a n
or co mm on gentl ema n's
with one
be yo nd imag ini ng, but unfortu
girl w h o wa s sup
nate ly her pa re nt s ha d
their hearts set on getting her a far more exalted husband than Narihira. He was not even in the running. Somehow, though, he managed to persuade her to run off with him. But no w th at he had her,
w h e r e w a s he go in g to hide her ? Final ly, h e
rem emb ere d an aba ndo ned , tumb le do wn mansion
in the mount ains. The
door on the big storehouse was lying broken on the ground, but since the house no longer had a floor, he spread a mat in the storehouse after all. He had just lain down on it with the girl when lightning flashed and the re wa s a cras h of th un de r. D r a w i n g his swo rd, he
got the gir l behi nd
him and kept watch through the storm. At dawn it finally passed.
I
8
Pu zz le d to he ar no so un d from the
girl, N ar ih ir a gla nce d be hi nd him.
Sh e w a s go ne . N ot hi n g w as l ef t of he r but he r clot hes an d her hair.
He
fled, terrified. La te r he lea rne d that that
st or eh ou se wa s kno wn to eat people . It wa s
not the thunder that had gotten her after all, but the demon in the building. It jus t go es to s h o w th at y o u sho ul dn 't go near
a place y ou don 't k no w.
And as for spending the night there, you shouldn't even consider it!
i
3
THE GRISLY BOX Ki no Tosuke lived on an estate the regent owned in Mino province. W h e n th e reg en t sen t a ge nt le ma n to look after the estate, this
ge nt le ma n
came to rely on Tosuke above all; and it was Tosuke who was sent to serve the regent during a lengthy period when the regent was on duty at the palace. Finally Tosuke got leave to return home. On the way he naturally cr os se d the br id ge at Set a w h e r e the rive r flows
from th e so ut he rn end
of L ak e Biw a. A w o m a n w as st an di ng th er e on th e brid ge, hol din g her skirt in her hand, and Tosuke as he passed thought she looked rather odd. Just then she hailed him. " Wh e r e are yo u go in g? " she aske d. He dis mo un te d politely. "I 'm on my w ay to Mi no , " he replied. "I' d appr eci at e it so muc h if yo u' d tak e some th ing the re fo r me. W ou ld you do that?" "Certainly." " O h, th an k y o u ! " said the wo ma n, d ra wi ng a silk-w rapped box f th e inn er fold of he r ro be . "Pl ea se ta ke this You' ll find
to Mo ro ko sh i village
ro m
in Mi no .
a w o m a n at the we st er n end of the br id ge the re . Gi ve this bo x
to her." By now Tosuke was uncomfortable about the whole thing. Not that th e req ue st itself
w a s diff icul t, but the
w o m a n w as awfully
st ra nge . I n
the end, though, he found it impossible to refuse. "What's the name of this woman?" he asked. "Where does she live? Where should I look for h e r if sh e isn 't on the br id ge ? An d w h o sh ou ld I tell
he r this is fr om ?"
.
"D on 't wo rr y, " the wo ma n an sw er ed . " Ju st go to the end of the bridge a n d she'll co me , y o u can co un t on tha t. All y o u nee d do is wa it . I ha ve to te ll yo u, t ho ug h, th at y o u abs olut ely must not
open the box."
Me an wh il e T o s u k e s serva nts, wh o saw no wo ma n, could
not imagine
what their master was doing. Tosuke took the box and the woman walked off. He rode on to Mino but forgot all about the box until he was home, even though he actually crossed the bridge where he was supposed to make the delivery. This slip bothered him a good deal when he noticed it, and he decided to make a special trip back to the bridge. But since he could not go right away, he hung the box for the time being high up in an outbuilding. Un for tun ate ly, his
wife,
a jealo us w om an , spotte d him hiding
the pack
age. She assumed immediately that it was a present for some mistress, and as soon as he was gone she took it down and opened it. It was full of go ug ed -o ut hu m a n eyes
an d sev ere d male
me mb er s wit h the hair st il l on
them. He r scream br
oug ht Tos uke running
. R eme mbe ring with horror
wh at
the woman had said about opening the box, he frantically put the lid back on and wrapped the box up again. Then he took it straight to the brid ge and waited
. S ure enoug
h, a wo ma n ap pea red . He ha nd ed her the
pa ck ag e wi th a sh or t ex pl an at io n of h ow he had com
e by it .
"This box has been opened and looked into," the woman observed as she took it. " N o , no it ha sn 't! " To su ke protested
, "I assure
you!"
The woman's expression became dreadful. "You've done a terrible thing," she said, but accepted the box nonetheless. His mission com pleted, Tosuke hurried home. Ill now, he took to his bed. His wife bitterly regretted opening the box, but it was too late. Shortly he was dead.
1
4 •
THE BRIDGE A go ve rn or of Om i pro vin ce had ma ny brave
y o u n g men in his
service.
One morning they were amusing themselves playing games, drinking, an d telling
stor ies w h e n on e of th em said, "
H a v e y o u ever hea rd of Agi
2
0
Br id ge ? It's ri gh t he re in Om i . P eo pl e us ed to use it all the ti me, but no w they say no one can cross it, so nobody takes that way any more.'' O n e of his listene
rs se em ed to
ha ve hea rd of
the brid ge alr ead y (or
perhaps he simply did not believe the story) because he quickly declared that
h e would cross the bridge. "I don't care what kind of demon is
bl oc ki ng it, " he co nt in ue d, "I'll get
ac ro ss as lo ng as I'm
ri din g Hi s
Lordship's best horse, the roan." The others thought this a fine idea. "All right, let's find out!" they crie d. "L et 's see wh a t sort of
co ur age yo u' ve got !" The
gat her ing got
quite rowdy while they egged him on, till the governor himself heard the noise an d w a n t e d to k n o w wh at it w as al l ab ou t. W h e n he found
out he
was not impressed with the demon-baiter's good sense, but he did not object to the use of his horse. "This is crazy!" the daredevil exclaimed. "I'm sorry I ever brought it up!"
"S ha me , sha me !" the others
shouted.
"C ow ar d! "
"Getting across the bridge is nothing," the man went on. "What makes me sorry is that I should ever have seemed to covet His Lordship's horse!" Loud voices objected that the sun was already high and that they were wasting time. The roan was saddled. T ho ug h he
wi sh ed he had
nev er op en ed hi s mouth , the
de te rm in ed to see the th ing th ro ug h. He
sm ear ed the horse's
ma n wa s hi ndq uar
ters liberally with grease, cinched the saddle on tight, and lightened his clothing, then slipped his wrist through the loop on the whip handle so that he could not drop it and rode off. By the time he reached the bridge his heart was pounding and he was frightened half to death, but there was no turning back. Th e sun wa s sin kin g to wa rd the
mo un ta in s an d the dese rted lands
cape
lo oke d indefi nab ly ble ak. W is ps of sm ok e ros e f rom the house s of a di st an t village . H e gri tte d his teet h an d pr ess ed on. Hal fwa y acro ss the bridge a woman was leaning against the railing, though from further off she had not seemed to be there. This no doubt was the demon. He looked her over with deep misgiv ing. Under her pale cloak she had on a dark gown and a long red trouserskirt, and she was holding her sleeve over her mouth. She looked so pathetic that at first glance it was hard not to feel sorry for her. She mig ht ha ve just bee n ab an do ne d the re. T he de mo n wa tc he d him com in g wit h signs
of mingl ed em ba rr as sm en t
and pleasure, and for a moment he could think of nothing but the desire to lift her up on his horse and take her away; but the thought that she
ha d no bu si ne ss be in g th er e let hi m steel him self to ride on by. S he cle arl y expected him to stop, and when instead he galloped past with his eyes tigh tly sh ut she sho ut ed , "S ay , are y o u just goin g to leave didn't
ask to be d r o p p e d her e in the midd
me her e?
I
le of this br id ge ! Y ou could at
least take me on to the next village!" H er hair
see med to swel
l an d thi cke n as she spok e. He only wh ip pe d
his horse on harder. "You brute!" she screamed, and the earth shook. Now she was alter him. "Sure enough!" he thought, and prayed to Kannon to save him. Despite the horse's tremendous speed the demon ca ug ht up, b ut the horse
's
r u m p wa s too
th or ou gh ly gre ase d for
its
clutching hands to find a hold. Glancing back, he saw a red lace with one amber-yellow eye as huge and round as a cushion. The thing was greenish and nine feet tall. The th re e fingers
on each h a nd ha d five-inch, knifelike nails, an
like a sna rl of we ed s. M a d d e n e d no w wi th fear
d the hair
he gal lop ed on, calling
was on
Kannon with might and main, till at last he reached the village. "All right
, I'll get y o u next
ti me !" said the de mo n, an d su dd en ly va n
ished. Pa nt in g an d exh au ste d, th e man dra gg ed himself
ba ck as f as t as he
could to his lord's mansion and arrived at twilight. He was too weak to an sw er the ba rr ag e of que sti on s tha t gre ete d him.
Al l the hous eho ld could
do was try to bring him round. But when the governor, who had been concerned all along, finally asked him to tell his story he did so. The go v er no r sco ld ed hi m for ha vi ng risked his l
ife ov er a trifling
wa ge r, th en
gave him the horse. The man went home well satisfied and told the tale again to his horrified family and servants. A spiri t b eg a n to h a u n t th e ho us e afte r th at , an d th e man called in
a
yin-yang diviner to find out what the trouble was. The diviner told him to be ve ry carefu l th e next
ti me the day
w h e n he ha d th wa rt ed the dem on
came round. When the day did come, the man shut his gate to all comers. N o w , he h ap pe ne d to hav e a y o u n g e r br ot he r w h o had go ne off wit h their mother to Mutsu, in the provincial governor's entourage. This was the da y w he n th e y o u n g e r br ot he r ca me back
an d kn oc ke d at the gate .
His older brother refused to talk with him except through a servant, and the only reply he
got was , " I' m in stric t secl usio n. I'l l see y o u to mo rr ow .
Try somewhere else in the meantime." "W ha t do y ou m e a n ? " the yo un g er broth alr ead y set! /
ca n go so m e w h e re else, I
er protest
ed. "T he s un has
su pp os e, since I'm
alo ne . But
wh at am I goi ng to do wi th my bag ga ge ? I only just man ag ed to co me at all, and today was the only day I could find. Our mother has passed awa y, y o u see, an d I w a n te d to tel l y o u myself."
2
2
Th e older bro
th er had been
wo rr yi ng ab ou t his mo th er fo r yea rs , both
be ca us e sh e w a s old an d be ca us e he love d he r dea rl y. Wh e n this w a s rela ye d to him , he bro ke do w n and in tears ha Th e y o u n ge r bro th er ent ered , al l in black, an
ne ws
d his br ot he r let in. d fi rs t ha d some thi ng to
eat on the veranda. Then the older brother came out to talk to him. Both wept. The older brother's wife stayed behind the blinds that curtained th e v e r a n d a off from
th e hous e pro pe r an d listened to
th e tw o men 's
conversation. Suddenly, for no reason she could see, the brothers fell to grappling fiercely
an d cr as he d ove r an d over, lo cked toge th er, on the f loor.
sh ou te d at them to
sto p. W h e n he r hu sb an d got
Sh e
his yo un ge r bro the r
under him, he demanded the sword he kept by his pillow. She answered that he must have gone mad and refused to budge. "Gi ve it to me ! " he bar ked . " D o y o u wa nt to get me kill ed?" J u s t th en the y o u n ge r br ot he r tu rn ed the tables, got on e cr un ch bit o ff his ol der bro th er 's he ad . As he glance at the wife.
on top, and
wit h
fle d he tu rn ed bac k to
"That's better now!" he exulted. His face was the
de mo n' s. The n he vani shed . There was nothing the distraught household could do. As for the awful intruder's baggage, it turned out to contain only animal bones and skulls. So the man died for a petty wager and everyone who heard the story called him a fool. Afte r pl ayi ng a few mo re tricks, t
he de mo n dis app ear ed.
i
5
THE ROOTED CORPSE T h e el de r of tw o sist ers w a s ma rr ie d an d lived to wa rd the ba ck of he r late father's mans
in th e mis tres s's ap ar tm en t
ion . T he yo un ge r had served fo
a ti me in a no bl e ho us eh ol d bu t n o w lived at ho me . S he had
r
no hu sb an d
or accepted lover, only occasional, casual visitors whom she saw in her ro om at the front
of the ho us e, by the dou bl e do or s in the wes t wi ng . Th e
ho us e wa s ne ar
th e cros sin g of Takats uji
an d Mu ro ma ch i streets in
Kyoto. At the age of
tw en ty -s ev en the
y o u n g e r sister f ell i ll and died.
Her
body was left in her room, since there seemed to be nowhere else for her in th e ho us e, till
he r ol de r sis ter an d th e rest of th e ho us eh ol d to ok he r
of f to the bu rn in g gr ou nd at To ri be no.
.
T he y we re ab ou t to un lo ad the co ff in from the car ria ge, in pr ep ar at io n for the usual funeral rites, when they noticed that it was oddly light and that the lid was ajar. Why, the body was gone! This was a shocking discovery. The body could not possibly have fallen out on the way, but the y ret ra ced their
ste ps to ma ke sure . Of cour se, th ey found no thi ng.
But on reaching the house they thought they might as well check the room by the double doors. There she was, lying there as though she had nev er been mo ved ! Th e night
wo re on whil e the m ou rn er s discus sed anxiou
sly wh at to do .
At dawn they put the body back in the coffin and carefully sealed the lid, the n wait ed for
night an d an ot he r chan ce to pr oc eed wit h the crem
ati on.
But at nightfall they again found the coffin open and were really terrified this time. The body was lying as before by the double doors, and it defeated every attempt to get it back where it belonged. They simply could not budge it. They might as well have tried to move a rooted tree. There she was, and apparently that was where she meant to stay. "T ha t' s w ha t yo u wa nt , is it ?" one
level- headed mo
th e co rp se . " Yo u lik e it he re ? Al l right, this is
ur ne r fin all y said
w he r e we'll leave
to
yo u. But
w e are goi ng to ha ve to get yo u out of sight, y ou k n o w ! " T h e y to ok up the floor, an d sh e w a s as light as a fea th er w h e n the y lowered her through the hole. So they buried her under the floor and built a good-sized mound over her. Then the family and servants all moved away, since no one wanted to stay on in the same house with a cor pse . O v e r the ye ar s the ho use f ell to ruin and
eventu ally di sap pea red .
For some reason, not even the common people seemed to be able to live near the mound. People claimed that awful things happened there. As a result, the mound stood all alone, without a single hut for forty or fif ty feet a r o u n d it. In ti me a sh ri ne w a s bui lt on to p of it, for on e rea so n or another, and they say the shrine is still there.
AN OLD, OLD GHOST D e m o n Ha ll is in the
Cap ita l, no rt h of Th ir d Av en ue an d east of th e Eas t
Toin Palace. The place is haunted. Long ago, before the Capital ever grew up, there was a great pine tree at th e site. An
ar m ed ri der pas si ng by got ca ug ht in a viole nt th un de r
storm, so he dismounted and led his horse under the tree to seek shelter
2
4
from the downpour. A lightning bolt split him and his mount in two and killed them. That rider is the ghost. La te r on , the Ca pit al ca me an d pe op le built
ho us es al l ov er the area,
but the ghost refused to leave. They say it's still around and that that's why awful things have often happened there. It certainly is an old ghost!
Th e sting y sen ior mo nk of a mo un ta in tem ple m ad e a bat ch of swee t syrup, guzzled some all alone, then carefully put the jug up on a shelf. His little acolyte got none. In fact, he warned the acolyte that the stuff w o u l d kill y o u if y o u at e it. T he bo y ba dl y w an te d some too, an
d on e da y w he n his mas ter wa s out
he got the jug down. Unfortunately, he spilled some syrup in the process and got it all over his robe and hair, but this did not discourage him from gulping several mouthfuls. When he was done, he smashed his master's precious jug to bits on a rock outside. T h e m o n k ca m e bac k to find th e bo y cr yi ng as th ou gh his
he art wo ul d
break. "What's the matter?" he asked. " Y o u r j u g !" so bb ed the
boy . "I bro ke y o u r go od jug by
j u s t d i d n ' t k n o w whaty o u ' d do to me, so I dec
mista ke and
I
id ed I'd be bet te r of f de ad
a n d I a te a bi g mo ut hf ul of th at stuff y o u tol d me w a s poi son , b ut it di dn 't work. I ate more and when
that didn't work I tried smearing it all over
my robe and hair but I'm still not dead!" T h e mo n k got no m or e of his sy ru p, a nd he l ost his nice jug , too. W h a t a cle ver bo y!
H e' d no do ub t hav e ma de a
fine scholar.
8
i
.
NOT QUITE THE RIGHT ROBE Once a very great monk was making clandestine visits to an exalted gen tl em an' s resid enc e. T he ge nt le ma n kn ew not hin g of the
aff air until
one day, late in the third moon, when he went to the palace. Wh il e he wa s go ne , the m on k got in
an d ma de himsel f at hom e wi th
the gentleman's wife. A lady-in-waiting hung his nice, soft robe right on her master's clothes rack. Meanwhile the gentleman sent a servant back from the palace to fetch him a less formal outfit than the one he had on, since he
wa s no w of f to hav e a go od time wit
h a ba nd of cou rt ier s. "B ri ng
me my hat and my hunting cloak," he ordered. The lady-in-waiting took the hanging cloak from the rack, put it in a bag with the hat, and sent it off. By the time the servant caught up with the gentleman, he and his friends had already gotten where they were goin g. Th e ge nt le ma n op en ed the bag. T he re wa s the hat. B ut wh er e wa s the cloak? He took out instead a rumpled, brownish robe. He und er st oo d imme diat ely. Of cour se, a ll his co mp an io ns sa w the robe too, and he was as embarrassed as he was angry. There was nothing he could do, though. He simply folded the robe up, put it back in the bag, and returned it with a curt verse that let his wife know he now kn ew . H e ne ve r w e n t ba ck to his ho us e aga in. T he lad y-i n-w ait ing wa s a sil ly wo ma n, a nd the roo m had In he r has te she had tak
en the
bee n da rk .
mo nk 's ro be inst ead of the lord's
hu nt in g
cloak, since both were on the same rack and felt equally soft. When the wife saw her husband's letter she was distraught, but there was nothing
i
9
she could do either.
.
THE NOSE The monk Zenchin was so learned and holy that people often commis sioned pra
yer s fro m him, whi ch m ad e him quite
comfo rtabl y we al th y an d
well able to keep his chapel and his own lodging in very good repair.
2
6
There were always offerings on his altar, the altar lamps were always bu rn in g, a nd the smal plac e li vely.
l cr ow d of mo nk s w h o liv ed ar ou nd him kept
Th e ba th
the
wa s hea ted ever y day , an d the bath ho use re
sounded with cheerful voices. When laymen added their houses to the co mm un it y, a bus tli ng village
gr ew up.
Zenchin had a long nose. Its five or six inches, reddish-purple with a pi mp ly surf ace like
a ma nd ar in oran ge , da ngl ed belo w his chin and itched
terribly. Zenchin had a hole made in a square tray, just big enough to put the nose through, to protect his face from the fire while he boiled the no se in a
po t of wa te r. W h e n don e th e nos e w ou ld be
a da rk pur ple .
Next, Zenchin would lay it out flat on a pad and have someone trample it. A va po ri sh so rt of stuff w ou ld puff
ou t from ea ch pi mp le , a nd with
diligen t pre ssi ng a wh it e w o rm wou ld ooze fr om eac h po re . Ea ch pore w ou ld yie ld to the twe ez er s ha lf an inch
of w or m . T he n Ze nc hi n wo ul d
put his nose back in the pot and bring the water back up to a good boil. So on h is no se wo ul d shri nk to ab ou t the size
of an yo ne else's, bu
t in two
or three days it would be as bad as ever. So mos t da ys Z en ch in s nose
w a s big, an d to eat he
wo ul d hav e to
have an acolyte sit opposite him with a sort of paddle, a foot long and an inc h wi de , to l ift his no se up an d out of th e w a y ti ll he w a s finis hed. w h o di d th is for hi m lifted
So me
wi th a bit to o m u c h en th us ia sm , an d th en he
would get angry and not eat. That is why he made sure that the one acolyte who did it right was always there to help him. O n e d a y thi s ac ol yt e w a s ill an d fai led to a p p e a r for his usu al du ty . Zenchin wanted his breakfast but there was no one to hold up his nose. W h a t a pic kle ! Fina lly on e of th e se rv an t bo ys piped up no se !
I can do
re po rt ed this
, "/'//
hold up
his
it jus t as wel l as th at ot he r fel low !" An old er se rv an t
to Zen ch in , w h o dec ide d he liked
the boy
well eno ug h an d
would give him a try. He called the boy in. The boy picked up the nose paddle, sat very nicely opposite Zenchin, and held up his nose just right, neither too high nor too low. "He's wonderful!" thought Zenchin as he sipped his gruel. "Even better than the other one!" Alas, the boy felt a sneeze coming on, turned aside, and let out a go od a-ch oo.
Hi s ha nd shook , the
slip ped of f a nd p lo pp ed into ch in' s
fac e
an d
be ll ow ed as he
the
boy' s.
the gruel.
pa dd le
qui ver ed, and the
nose
Gr uel spla shed a ll ove r Ze n-
Ze nc hi n w as
furious.
"Yo
u
ras cal !"
he
wi pe d gru el of f his fa ce an d pa te . "A nast y lit tle be gg ar
is just wh a t y o u are ! Yo u wou ld n' t have don ho ld up th e nos e of so me fi ne ge nt le ma n!
e that
if yo u' d gon e to
Di sg us ti ng lit tle idiot!
Get out!" The boy got out, but on his way he loosed a parting shot. "I certainly
Ge t out !
woti/t) go ho ld up so me f ine ge nt le ma n' s no se, '' he retor ted , "if an y gen tle ma n in all th e wo rl d ev er had Ze nc hi n' s
st ud en ts
had
a nos e like y o u r s ! " to
dive
fo r
cov er
before
they
exp lod ed
laughing.
2
O
.
TWO BUCKETS OF MARITAL BLISS At a te mp le in
Izu mi pro vi nc e, e ach trip to
ringe r mon k past
a stat ue of Kichijoten
the bell
to we r too k th e bell-
. E ve ryo ne kno ws ho w beautiful
this goddess is. Seeing her day after day was quite enough to drive every other thought from the monk's mind. He took to hugging the statue, pi nc hi ng i t, or ev en goi ng th ro ug h the moti ons of kissin g it. In time he
d re a m e d he w a s fondl ing Kichijoten as
usua l, on his
w a y to
ring the bell, when she suddenly moved. " M y de ar ," s aid she, "I' to be y o u r wife. Go I'll meet
m tou ch ed by y o u r loving
atte ntio ns. I'm goi ng
to In am in o in Ha ri ma on suc h-a nd- suc h a dat e an d
yo u th e re ."
The bell ringer awoke blissfully happy. He could still see her lovely face bef ore him. T
h e da y she ha d men ti on ed seem ed so far aw ay !
Fev eri sh wit h anti cipa tion , h e coul d har dly bel ieve the da y wo ul d eve r arrive; but when it did, there he was at Inamino, pacing impatiently up and down. At last he saw a radiantly beautiful woman coming toward him, dr es se d in brillian
t col ors. C ou ld she be the one?
He w as tr em bl in g
an d coul d not b ri ng himse lf to hail her. " H o w nice to
see y o u he re !" she
said
wh en she
got to him. "N
ow,
make us a house!" "How am I supposed to do that?" "Why, there's nothing to it. You just get to work!" A ma n ca me up
to th em . " W h o are y o u ? " he aske d, "W h at are yo u
doing out here in the fields?" "W e' re plan nin g to li ve he re ," an sw er ed the
mon k, "bu t we have no
house and I don't quite know where we're going to get one from, either. I'm wondering what to do."
2
8
"Say no more! You've nothing to worry about as long as I'm here. /'// get y o u y o u r ho us e built. Wai
t an d I'll brin g som e men ."
T he ma n wa s soon bac k wit h a go od cre w ol wo rk er s. Eac h brou gh t a joist or a b e a m , a n d e v e r y t h i n g else t h e y n e e d e d just ke pt c o m i n g w hi le the y wo rk ed . S om e ol the materials appa
ren tly belonged to
the wo rk me n
themselves, while some seemed to have been purchased by the lady. At al l eve nt s, a beautiful h
ou se qui ck ly ros e on the spot.
Besid e himself
wit h
jo y, t h e m o n k led his l a d y i n a n d lay d o w n w i t h h e r. "I' m y o u r wile
no w, " the god des s remi nde d him. " If yo u love
mu st n' t get invol ve d wi th an yo ne else. Fo r yo u,
I'm the only
me, you
on e.
Re
member that." Ev en if she ha d been a fond
perfectly
of, he wo ul d hard ly have
or di na ry w o m a n he hap pe ne d to be
objec ted; bu t und er the circu
ag re ed wi th al l hi s hea rt. "O f co ur se !" he
pro mis ed. "I
mst an ce s he
wo uld n't dre am
of wa nd er in g aw ay fr om yo u !" " T h a n k y o u , my dea r," sai d the godde ss. He began growing rice and found that the least plot he worked gave more than anyone else's whole farm. Every comfort was his now, and in fact he was the richest man in the whole county. People came from far away just to ask for his help, and he always gave them what they wanted. Hi s her ds of hor ses and cattle
we re vast.
Finally
even the
go ve rn or of the
province began to defer to him and listen to his advice. Af te r se ve ra l y e a r s of thi s pl e as an t li fe, he ha d to go o ff for a few da ys on business to another county. While he was there, a retainer of his just happened to mention a very nice girl he knew of. "You could have her co me an d ma ssa ge y o u r fe et or som eth in g, sir,"
the reta iner sugg este d.
"W el l, " th ou gh t th e go dd es s's hu sb an d, "even if su pp os e it do es n' t reall y ma tt er as long
I start gett ing ideas, I
as I do n' t actu ally
d o anything
with her." "Fine!" he said. "I'll try her." T h e girl ar ri ve d, dr es se d to ki ll. He had he
r beg in wo rk in g on his fee t,
but one thing led to another and soon they were a lot more intimate than that. Not that he had fallen in love with her, but he did keep her by him as long as his trip lasted. His business over, he got back home to find his wife looking very put out. "Y ou s wo re y ou wo ul dn 't ," she it! Oh, how
sai d, "a nd no w yo u'v e gone and done
could y o u ? I'm leaving . I can't
He sta rte d justifyin
g himself
stay here
an y mo re ."
an d ma ki ng exc uses , assu rin g her
she was still his only love. She, meanwhile, went to fetch two big buckets of wh it is h l iqui d.
that
"Here," she said, "I've saved it all since we've been together. You can keep it!" Then she vanished. It was, of course, all the semen he had ejaculated into his heavenly wife. Life was never quite the same for him after that, but he was still far from po or . S o he ga ve up be in g a mo n k for go od and lived
on sim ply as
a prosperous farmer.
2
1
.
HOME IN A CHEST At one time K
ais hu , th e ab bo t of Gio n templ e, wa s pa yi ng secre t visits
to
a mansion which belonged to one of the Capital's most prominent provin cial go ve rn or s. T h e g ov er no r ca ug ht wi nd of the aff air bu t f or so me time pretended not to notice. O n c e whi le the ma de himself
go ve rn or wa s out,
Kaishu slipped
into
the hous e an d
righ t at ho me . Wh e n the go ve rn or ca me ba ck, he
tha t his wife an d the ot he r w o m e n see me d a bit flustered, an sto od right aw
a y w h a t the trou bl e mus t be.
not ice d
d he un de r
In the w om en 's pa rt of the
house he noted that a long storage chest which normally stood open was now closed and locked. Obviously that was where they had the fellow hidden. The governor called a senior retainer and had him summon two workmen. Then he ordered the chest carried immediately to Gion as a fe e fo r havi ng som e sut ra s ch an te d ther e. Of f the
che st we nt on
wo rk me n' s sho uld ers , acc om pa ni ed by the retaine r bea rin g a formal Th ou gh horrified
the note .
, the wife an d he r w o m e n kep t quie t.
The Gion monks came out to receive the chest and were much im pressed with the donor's generosity. "Go get the abbot!" they said to each other. "We can't very well open it without him." But the one who w en t ca me bac k, after
a lon g dela y, to rep or t tha t the ab bo t wa s no wh er e
to be found. The retainer complained that he had no time to wait. he re ," he
insisted. "N
"I'm
ob od y' s go in g to acc use yo u of any thi ng. J u s t go
ahead and open it. I'm in a hurry." The monks were still wondering what to do when a doleful little voice from inside the chest piped up,
"Any mon k wi ll do, yo u kn o w ! " Th e
mo nk s cou ld har dl y belie ve the ir ear s, but
ve ry ging erly th ey op en ed the
3
0
ch est . O u t p o p p e d the hea d of the ir ab bo t. Th e sight
so ala rme d the m
that they all fled, and so did the retainer. Meanwhile the abbot extracted him self from th e che st an d ran to hid Of co ur se the
e.
go ve rn or cou ld h av e haul ed K ais hu straight out of
ch es t a n d gi ve n him
a few go od , swift
lo ok ed ve ry go od . It w as wis e of him to
kic ks, b ut this
the
wo ul d not have
sh am e the man inst
ead.
Kais hu
w a s al wa ys a fast tal ker , and eve n in th e ch est he ha d so me th in g to say.
Wh il e visi ting a ce rta in shr ine at of Om i, y e a r 66 5.
E m p e ro r Tenji
A w a z u in Shi ga co un ty of the prov inc e
dec ide d to build a
But w he re sho uld the temple stan
tem ple . This
was abou t the
d? Th e em pe ro r pra yed fo r
help. That night he dreamed a monk came to him and announced that there was an excellent spot to the northwest. The monk said he should look that way right now. W a k i n g up , the em pe ro r sa w a ligh t in that direct ion. Th e next morn ing he sent someone to investigate, and the messenger, still following the gl ow , ca me to th e foo t of M o u n t Sas an am i. Fa r up a ravine he
ca me to a
deep cave under a rock face and peered inside. He was lace to face with an extraordinary old man who seemed infinitely holy and wise. The messenger announced that the emperor had sent him to find out why the mountain was shining, and asked the old man politely who he was. Th e old ma n igno re d him. Th e me ss en ge r w as ups et, but
we nt ba ck to
His Majesty to report. "I'll have to go there and question him myself," said the emperor and set out. His bearers brought his palanquin as close to the cave as they could, and he walked the rest of the way. The old man was still there. He had on a brocade hat and a pale violet robe and looked more like a god than a man. Apparently the emperor did not impress him a bit. " W h o are yo u, an d wh at are yo u doing he
re ?" the
emp ero r asked.
The old man brought his sleeves together a little, made a slight gesture of deference, and said, "Immortals have always lived in this cave." Then, after a few more cryptic words, he vanished. Th e e mp er or de ci de d this wa s a ve ry holy
spot indeed
, and certa
inly a
good place for the temple. Th e tem ple , S hig ad er a, wa s built
the next
high stat ue of Mi ro ku . Whil e the construc
ye ar , with
tion was und
a sixteen-foot-
er way, th e wo rk
men dug up a miniature pagoda that obviously was not Japanese. It could only
hav e been on e of the
th e wo rl d, ea ch wit h a relic
84,00 0 pa go da s distr ibute d th ro ug ho ut
of th e B u d d h a inside it , by th e gre at In dia n
king As ok a some n ine hu nd re d ye ar s before. In front
of the tem pl e sto od a gr ea t la nt er n.
Fo r the con sec ra ti on of
the temple the emperor kindled a flame on the tip of his own right ring finger
a n d l it th e la nt er n wi th it. T h e n he cu t of f th e finge r an d bu ri e d it
under the lantern, in a stone box, as an offering to Miroku. Having considerable power, the emperor's finger would send any visi tor w h o wa s th e least unc lea n tu mb li ng do w n into the ne ig hb or in g ravi ne. This discouraged pilgrims completely, and a priest who took over the tem ple mu ch later got bor ed with hav in g no visitors. Th e pr ob le m wa s th at finge r. T h e prie st dec id ed to di g it up a n d get rid of it. As soon as the workmen began, a frightful storm broke, with thunder, lightn ing,
rain, an
d violent win
d. T his just mad e the priest
an gr ie r tha n
ev er, a n d he ke pt his
me n dig gi ng ti ll th ey go t to th e bo x. T he finge r
loo ke d perfec tly fresh
a n d ga ve o ff a pal e glo w, b ut it soon tu
rn ed to
liquid and disappeared. Soon the priest went mad and died.
2
3
.
JAPAN'S FIRST GOLD Todaiji in and
it.i
Nara Great
Buddha
wa.i
attended
by
u
a mii.it for every touri.il,
Buddha dedicated
monk.t
Li in
from
famous. 752, all
in over
The a
srcinal
magnificent
Great ceremony
A)ia.
W h e n E m p e ro r Sh o m u built
Todaiji,
a hug e, sea ted bro nz e image
of the Cos mic B ud dh a, a nd he en shr ine d it
in a co rr es po nd in gl y va st hall. This sta Todaij i Bu dd ha we kn o w toda y.
long ago, he
had h is w o rk m e n cast
tue w a s th e src inal of the Gr ea t
3
2
For the emperor, this Great Buddha was the priceless jewel that was to d r a w ou r la nd tog et he r in the B ud dh is t fa ith, and he
gav e himself
th e pro jec t he ar t an d soul . W h e n th e tim e ca me to build the
to
dais fo r the
Buddha to rest on (the dais would look like a lotus flower), the emperor d u g th e fir st spa def uls of ea rt h him self, and his empr a w a y in the lon
es s carrie d the ear th
g sleeve s of he r rob e.
The temple was quickly built, with willing support from all, and the Gr ea t B u d dh a w as cast. T
he next thin
g wa s to get th ou sa nd s of sheets of
gol d f oil to gild the B u d d h a wi th . B ut w h e r e w e re they
to co me from?
Japan had never had any gold. The emperor sent an envoy to China, lad en wi th tre as ur e, to
b u y th e gold req uir ed, a nd the next spri ng the
envoy returned. Craftsmen were assembled and started work, but the col or of th e gol d w a s wr on g, an d besi des,
th er e st il l wa s not eno ug h of it
even for the Great Buddha, let alone the many smaller images in the ot he r, less er halls of the te mp le . In this desperate situation the emperor called in the greatest monks of th e ti me to as k th ei r adv ic e. T he y told him ab ou t Go ld en Peak , a mo un tain in Yos
hi no cou nt y of Ya ma t o prov inc e, and
said this mou nta in w as
b o u n d to ha ve gol d. B ut th ey re mi nd ed Hi s Ma jes ty tha t a powe rful go d wa tc he d over Gol den Peak, an d re co mm en de d that befo re taking any gold His Majesty should first speak to this god. T he em pe ro r or de re d Ro be n, th e mon k in cha rge of the who le p roject, to be g th e go d respe ctf ull y for so me of his gol d. Aft er pr ay in g for sev en days and nights, Roben had a dream. The god appeared as a monk and said to him , " T h e gold of my mo un ta in wa s pla ced her e by Mi ro ku , the Fu tu r e Bu dd ha . I t will be given
out wh en Mi ro ku comes into
the wor ld,
a n d m u s t be ke p t till t h en . My rol e is on ly to g u a r d it. B ut I will w h a t to do . I n Shi ga co un ty of O m i pr ov in ce , alo ng the river
tell y o u tha t run s
into Lake Biwa, there is a spot called Tagami. Nearby is a low, isolated hi ll w h o s e ea st er n sp ur for ms Ts ub ak i Poi nt. You of st an di ng ro ck s. T he r e al wa ys used to of th em . B uild a ch ap el on that
will fin d th ere a gr o u p
be an old man fishi
ng from on e
ro ck an d en sh ri ne Ny oi ri n Kan no n, then
pr a y th er e f or y o u r gold . Yo u will get i t, I pro mi se ." R ob e n re po rt ed his
dr ea m an d the em pe ro r sent him
stra ight
of f to
Omi. The hill was there and Tsubaki Point had the strange rocks the god had mentioned. Among them was the one the old man had fished from. Roben had soon made a Nyoirin Kannon and built the chapel, and he pr ay ed the re for gol d. Shortly Mutsu and Shimotsuke provinces in the north sent a gift to the em pe ro r in the form
of some gold-colored sand.
to mel t it foun d that it really
Met al wo rke rs summ one d
w as the mos t beautifully
ye ll ow gold.
Th e
delighted emperor sent for more, and it quickly arrived. So much was left over from gilding the Great Buddha that there was plenty for all the other Buddhas too. Th at wa s ho w gold w as fir st found in Ja
pan.
a 4 . GYOGI AND BARAMON Baramon '•< "brahman,
name "
is
meaning
simply an
a japanization
Indian
of high
of caste.
Long ago Emperor Shomu invited Gyogi to preside at the consecration ce re mo ny for the Gr ea t Bu dd ha of Todaiji. This
wa s nat ura l bec aus e
Gyog i w as a belo ved saint: a gre at teac her, pr eac her , an d buil der wh os e work helped everyone throughout the land. But
Gyo gi declin
ed. "N o , Yo u r Maj est y, " he said,
T he ma n y o u ne ed is on let Gyo gi lead
his w a y he re from
"I 'm not wo rt hy .
acr os s th e se a. " Hi s Ma je st y
a hu nd re d mo n ks an d a ba nd of cou rt musi cian s to Na ni w a
in Sett su pro vin ce, w he re th ey wa it ed on the
sho re to we lc om e the fo r
eign monk. Th e mo nk Gyog i me an t wa s Ba ra mo n, an Indi an from the Bu d dh a himself
wa s bo rn . B ar am on , wh o longed
Kab ira e wh er e
to mee t the Bodh i
sattva Monju in person, had learned in a dream that Monju lived on a Chi nes e mo un ta in na me d Go da is an . He le ft for Go da is an immedia tely, bu t an old ma n he me t on t he wa y to ld hi m th at for
t he bene fi t of all
sentient beings there, Monju had now been born again in Japan. So Baramon went on to Japan. Thanks to divine inspiration, Gyogi knew he was coming. W h e n B ar a m on fail ed to ar ri ve at Na ni w a, wa te r afloat
in the
sea. T he bow l sailed
Gyo gi set
a bow l of holy
of f we st wa rd , un di st ur be d by th e
waves, till it vanished from sight. Then it reappeared, sailing landward this time in f ront of Ba ra mo n' s ship . B ar am on kne w ab out the consecra tion and hoped he would be in time. Ba ra mo n an d Gyog i joyfully ho w the Ja p a ne s e an d the
to ok eac h oth er' s ha nd s. It wa s a wo nd er
Ind ian see med to
the ir l ives an d talk ed to ge th er like the bes
hav e kn ow n each
oth er al l
t of friend s. Gyo gi said in vers e,
4
3
"The love we pledged each other as brothers in truth, before Shaka on Vu lt ur e Pe ak , is st ill alive; a nd so we me et ag ai n! " An d Ba ra mo n, wh o recognized in Gyogi the bodhisattva he sought, answered, "How rightly we pl ed ge d ea ch ot he r love in
Ka bi ra e, for
n o w at last
I see Mo nj u' s
face!" Th at w a s h o w we in Ja p a n found out inca rnat ion
tha t Gy ogi
wa s actual ly an
of Mon ju .
Gyogi brought Baramon to the emperor, who was very happy to meet him and imm
edi ate ly ap po in te d him to pres ide over
the conse crat ion.
It
2
5
w e n t off beaut iful ly.
THE OLD MACKEREL PEDDLER W h e n Todaiji had been built
an d the Gre at B ud dh a wa s rea dy to be
cons ecr ate d, Em pe r or Sh om u app oin ted the Ind ian monk Baram
on,
re
cent ly arr ive d in J a p a n , to pres ide ove r th e cer em ony . But w h o should Ba ra mo n' s assi stan t be? T he em pe ro r could not
decide, and he
wor rie d
till he had a dream in which a holy being came to him and said, "You must appoint as assistant the first man to pass the temple on the day of the consecration. Never mind whether he is a monk, or a layman, or a nobl e, or a no bo dy ." T h e co ns ec ra ti on w as set 75 2. T h e e m p e r o r ma de up
for the fo ur te ent h da y of the third mo
on of
his mi nd to do ex act ly as he had been
an d po st ed gu ar ds at the appr op ri at e time to
told
ke ep wa tc h. Alo ng cam e an
old ma n ca rr yi ng a bask et of ma ck er el ove r his sh ou ld er on a pole. T he gu ar ds wh is ke d him strai
ght o ff to the emp er or , wh o dres sed him
in
priestly robes and had almost appointed him when the old man finally pr ot es te d, " D e a r me, Y ou r Maj est y, I'm not for!
I'm jus t an old ma ck er el pe dd le r !" But
at al l the ma n yo u' re looki ng the em pe ro r ign ored him.
So on i t w a s ti me for th e ce re mo ny , an d th e old man wa s insta lled on a throne right next to Baramon with his basket of mackerel beside him. Hi s pole wa s st uc k in the gr ou nd east
of th e en tr an ce to the hall.
the rite was over, Baramon came down from his throne and the old man just vani shed. "I thought so!" said the emperor to himself. "He uvw magic!" Then he
When
.
had a look at the basket. Those had definitely been mackerel in there, bu t no w the y we re the eighty
scrolls
we pt an d pro st ra te d himself
of the Ke go n Sut ra . Th e em pe ro r
in awe . His
v o w to build
the temp le had
been well conceived and a buddha had come to help him! Th e mac ke re l pe dd le r' s pol e is st il l by th e en tr an ce to th e hall. It has gr ow n, or bur st into
n't
blo om, o r do ne anyt hi ng in part icul ar. It's just the re .
6 .
a
KOBO DALSHI Kobo is
Dauhi
(Daishi
credited
with
accompluihments phonetic
script,
meaiu<"Grcat
many including
and
his
Teacher")
extraordinary the temple
invention
of
on
Koya
Mount
still an important pdgrunagc center. Women allowed there only since the late nineteenth A The
vajra
i<
term
means
a
key
ritual implement "diamond"or
in
the
Japanese L>
have been century.
Esoteric
"th underbolt"in
Buddhism. Sanskrit.
Lo ng ago K ob o Dai shi br av ed the voy age to Ch in a to stu dy the Tea ch in g an d br ou gh t ba ck th e Esot eri c Bud dh is m wh ic h he the n spr ea d far an d wid e. W h e n he wa s ge tti ng old, he dist ribu ted a mo n g th em the
disciples
tog eth er an d
ma ny tem ple s he ha d foun ded.
ga th er ed his
But the re wa s
on e temp le, th e gr ea te st of all, wh ic h he had ye t to foun d bec au se he s ti ll did not
k n o w w h e r e to build i t. Thi s w a s the one
on M o u n t Ko ya .
Kobo Daishi had planned this temple even in China. The day before he l ef t Chi na , he st oo d on a cli ff ov er lo ok in g th e sea a n d hu rl ed a th re epronged vajra toward Japan. As he did so, he prayed that the vajra sh ou ld la nd at th e rig ht pla ce for a tem pl e — a te mp le th at w o u ld last
til l
Miroku comes into the world. The vajra soared high up and disappeared into the clouds. Now that his disciples were provided for, Kobo Daishi decided to go looking for the vajra. He set out from the Capital in the sixth moon of 81 6. Fin ally, in U ch i co un ty of Y a m a t o pr ov in ce , he me t a hu nt er , an im me ns el y pow er ful , red- fac ed man eight
feet tall,
we ar in g a gre en ish
coat and armed with a bow and arrows. The hunter had two black dogs,
3
6
one big and one little. He asked Kobo Daishi where he was going and K ob o Da is hi ex pl ai ne d a bo ut his
vajra.
"I pr ay ed fo r it to land
mo un t ai n go od for me di ta ti on ," he w en t on, "a nd now I'm "I' m a hu nt er from y o u r va jr a is.
on a
look ing fo r it."
M o u n t Koy a, " the hu nt er replied. "I
kn ow wh er e
Le t me tell y o u th e w a y . " He loose d his do gs an d th ey
quickly disappeared. Kobo Daishi followed the hunter's directions till he reached a large rive r on the bor de r be tw ee n Yam at o an d the provin ce of Kii . The re he met a mountain man, who told him that the place he wanted was a basin in th e mo un ta in s so me w ay to the south
. Th e ma n we nt wit h Kobo
Daishi. "I'm the Mountain King," he told Kobo Daishi as they walked al on g. "Al l this la nd is my
gif t to y o u . "
They got to a place that was just like a bowl, with eight peaks all around it. Huge cypresses towered there, as dense and straight as bam bo os . O n e of th e tr ees w a s fork ed, a nd in the fo rk wa s the vajra.
Ko bo
Daishi was overjoyed. He asked the god his name and learned it was Nifu no
My oj in . "A nd the hu nt er yo u me t, " the god we nt on, "is Koya
no Myojin." Then he vanished. offices,
Kobo Daishi went back to the Capital, resigned all his settled his affairs. Then he returned to Mount Koya, where he built the
o f the Vajra
temple and named it, by imperial wish, Kongobuji, Temple Pe ak . Fin ally he pr ep ar ed the place On th e twen ty -f ir st day
and
f o r his own passing.
of th e thi rd mo on of 83 5, he sat in a
cav e, i n
lotus posture, and passed into eternal meditation as his disciples around him ch an te d the nam e of the B ud dh a Mi ro ku . Long afterwards his disciples opened the cave, shaved his head (for his hai r ha d co nt in ue d to g r ow ) , and ch an ge d his clot hes.
But the y neve r
came back, and it was only much later that someone opened the cave aga in . Thi s w a s Ka nk en , a st ud en t of one of Ko bo D aish i's disciples
an d
a high-ranking monk on the mountain. W h e n K an ke n op en ed the cave, h
e wa s met by a thick cloud
of dust .
W h e n the dus t cle are d, he sa w tha t it had bee n fr om K ob o Dai shi' s rob e, which had disintegrated and been swept up by the wind as he opened the ca ve . K ob o Dai sh i' s ha ir w a s a foot long. K an ke n, wh o ha d wa sh ed an d pu t on a fresh rob
e be fo re ha nd , shav ed the
a n e w ra zo r. T he cor d of th e sain t's crystal ro
saint 's hea d onc e mo re wi th sa ry had
rot ted aw ay, an d
the beads lay scattered before him. Kanken gathered them up, strung them on a new cord, and put the rosary back in Kobo Daishi's hand. Finally he dressed the saint in a new robe. As he left the cave he wept, ov er co me by a feeling
of de ep per son al loss.
No one has ever opened the cave again, but when a pilgrim comes th er e th e do or s of th e chape l built agai
nst it
op en of the mse lve s, an d the
mo un ta in is hea rd to ru mb le . So me tim es people hea
r the soun d of a small
gong. It is also remarkable that here, so deep in the mountains that even birdsong is rare, no one ever feels afraid. Th e tw o go ds , Nifu an d Ko ya , hav e the ir shr ine s side
by side
be lo w
the mo un ta in a nd st il l pr ot ec t it as th ey vo we d to do so lon g ag o. C ou nt less pilgrims still visit Mount Koya, all men. Women have never been allowed on the mountain.
2
7
•
THE KANNON IN THE PINE O n e hall sta tue
at Kofukuji,
th e gre at te mp le in
of El ev en -H ea de d Kan no n. This
Na ra , en sh ri ne s a mi ra cu lo us is ho w the
stat ue ca me to be
there. On the very first day of 1007, a monk named Chokon was on his way ba ck to the pl ace called
D ee r Par k, a lit tle wa y sou th of the temp le, w h e n
a small boy came up to him, asking to go home with him and serve him. Ch ok on readily
agr eed .
Six y e ar s later, i n 1013 , the boy he told
lay dy in g. "I wo n' t las t mu ch lon ge r, "
Ch ok on . "W h e n my br ea th in g stops, don'
t dist urb
my bo dy in
any way. Put me exactly as I am in a coffin, then hang the coffin in the pine tree at Deer Park where we first met. After seven days, but not earlier,
y o u ma y ope n the c off in and look at
me ." The n he died as
th ou gh
falling asleep. Weeping, Chokon followed the boy's instructions and hung him in the pine . He wal ke d on fro m th ere several hou
rs to Ha se de ra and we nt into
retreat before that temple's own most holy Eleven-Headed Kannon. Now and again he could not help bewailing his advancing age and charging Kannon with having neglected him. Seven days later he headed back to Nara. A delicious fragrance filled the air around the pine at Deer Park, and when he opened the coffin a blaz e of light
bu rst forth . Insid e wa s a life- sized sta tue of El ev en -H ea de d
Ka nn on . Ast oni she d an d overjoy ed, Ch ok on regrett
ed al l his com pla int s.
He carried the statue on his back to Kofukuji and enshrined it in its present hall. After he died an oracle revealed that he had passed on to Fudaraku, Kannon's paradise.
3
8
An epidemic sickness that caused a terrible cough was once going round, and everyone from peasant to emperor caught it. A cook had finished working in his employer's kitchen and left for home late in the evening after the household had retired. At the gate he me t a ha ug ht y,
frigh ten ing ge nt le ma n in a red cloak
an d for mal head
dress. The cook had no idea who the gentleman was, but since there was no doubting his quality he knelt and bowed. " D o y o u kn ow wh o I a m ? " the gentl eman
asked.
"No, sir." "I use d to be a ma jor co un se lo r n am e d Ba n no Yos hio , an d I died exile in Iyo
pr ov in ce . Th e n I be ca me a go d of pest ilen ce an d dise ase.
co mm it te d a se ri ou s offense
in I'd
ag ain st Hi s Maj est y, y o u see, an d I w as qui te
j u s t l y p u n i s h e d . B u t I o w e m y c o u n t r y a g r e a t d e a l for t h e f a v o r I e n j o y e d wh il e I s til l serv ed at co ur t, a nd w h e n it tu rn ed out
tha t this y ea r the re
w a s to be a w a v e of sic ke nss wh ic h wo ul d k il l ev er yo ne , I pe titi one d to have the epidemic commuted instead to coughing. That's why everyone is down with a cough. I was waiting here because I wanted to let people know. Don't be afraid." When he had spoken, he vanished. The cook fearfully continued on his way and told others what he had seen an d he ar d. Th at wa s ho w peo ple found out
that B an no Yos hio wa s
n o w a go d of pes til enc e. But why did Ban choose that cook to talk to? He could have chosen anyone else. Well, no doubt he had his reasons.
2
9
•
THE DOG AND HIS WIFE A y o u n g man of rise so
the Ca pit al on ce we nt for a wal k in the mou
at tr ac ti ve ly nor th of th e city. As
be ca me mo re an d mo re lost
nt ai ns that
th e su n sa nk in the sky, he
a nd en de d up wi th no idea h o w to get bac k.
There seemed to be no shelter anywhere, a problem which worried him greatly till at last he glimpsed a hut lar down in a hollow. It was a human dwelling, at least, and he gratefully made his way to it. A pr et ty girl of t w en t y ca me out w h e n she he ar d him, and the
sight of
her gl ad de ne d his hea rt st il l mor e. S he , on the othe r han d, seem ed tr ou bled and asked what he was doing there. He explained. "I couldn't find an y she lt er for th e ni gh t, " he said, "a
nd I w a s ve ry gla d to see y o u r
place!" " N o one ever
co me s her e, " she an swe re d. "T he maste r wi ll be back
soo n, an d w h e n he finds
y o u he'll
be sure yo u' r e so me boyfr ien d of mi ne .
Wha t'1 1 y o u do t h e n ? " "I'll think ol something. The thing is that I can't possibly get home tonight. I just have to stay." "All ri ght, seen for
if y o u mus t. I' ll tel l him yo u' re an ol de r br ot he r I hav en 't
ye ar s. Yo u we re wa lk in g in the mou nt ai ns wh en yo u got lo st
an d ca me her e by ch an ce . R em em be r that . An d wh en yo u get ba ck to town, don't tell anyone about us." "I un de rs ta nd ," said the y o u n g man . "Th an k yo u very muc h. I wo n' t te ll a soul,
if th at 's th e w a y y o u w a n t it."
She led him inside and spread him a mat to sit on. Then she came very close. "Actu
all y," she wh is pe re d, " I'm a gen tle man' s da ug ht er from the
Cap ita l. T his cre at ur e stole me, an he ple ase s. He'll be
d for ye ar s no w he's do ne wit h me as
ba ck an y mi nu te . You'll
see wh at I me an . No t tha t
he doesn't give me everything I need." She sobbed pathetically. As f ar as th e y o u n g ma n co ul d t ell, this "c som e sort
of de mo n.
re at ur e " of he rs mus t be
He wa s terrifie d. Ni gh t fe ll . Out si de , som et hi ng
howled. Wh il e the y o u n g ma n' s inside s ch ur ne d wit h fea r, the girl we nt to ope n the door. In came an enormous white dog. Why, the girl was his wife! At the sight
of th e vis ito r th e do g st op pe d sh ort and ho wl ed agai n. T he
girl hast ene d to tel l her
sto ry ab ou t the y o u n g man be ing her bro th er .
"I'm so happy to see him!" she cried and burst into tears. The dog seemed to listen. Then he came in and lay down by the fire while the girl sat
4
0
be si de him
sp in ni ng he mp . Sho rt ly she ser ve d a ve ry nice meal . W h e n it
w a s ove r, t he y o u n g ma n lay d o w n to sleep
whi le the do g reti red to an
inner room and went to bed with the girl. T he nex t mor ni ng the girl br ou gh t the y o u n g ma n breakf ast and whi s pered to him again that he must never tell anyone. "Come back sometime, t h o u g h , " sh e said, " n o w he beli eves yo u 'r e my br ot he r.
I'll gladl y do
an yt hi ng I ca n fo r y o u . " Th e y o u n g ma n prom ise d sil ence an d said w ou l d ret ur n. T he n he finished
he
his br eak fa st an d set of f to to wn .
He had no sooner arrived than he began blabbing the story to every on e. T h e w o r d sp re ad , and som e spir ited br av es wa nt e d right an d shoo t the
of f to go
d og an d br in g his w o m a n back . Th ey got the y o u n g ma n
to guide them. A co up le of h u n d r e d set off, each well
ar me d wi th bo w, ar ro ws , an d
club. They reached the place soon enough and spotted the hut down in the hollow. "There it is!" they shouted. The dog heard them, came out to see, and rec ogn ize d th e y o u n g ma n. Da rt in g bac k inside, he
re eme rge d in a mo
ment, driving the girl before him. Both fled deeper into the mountains. T he in tr ud er s sho t ma ny ar ro ws at the m but scor ed no hits. Nex t they tri ed pur su it , b ut the dog an d th e girl f airly flew , unt il th e yo ut hs deci ded they must be supernatural and gave up. Once back in town, the man who had started all the trouble felt ill and lay d o w n . I n t w o or th re e da ys he wa s de ad . The dog was surely a god, and the man who told about him was very foolish indeed. No one ever saw the dog again.
3
o
AN OLD GOD RENEWED As soon as Taira no Korenobu reached Mutsu as the province's new governor, he went around greeting all the local gods. By the roadside one day he came across a sparse little grove with a small shrine inside it. There was no sign that anyone ever came there. Korenobu asked the local officials with him whether any god was present here, and an old man who looked as though he might know many a tale rep li ed, "Y e s, sir,
th er e us ed to be . He w a s pow erf ul , to o. Bu t
wh en G ene ral T am u r a wa s gove rnor , a violen t quarre l broke
out am on g
.
the shrine priests. It got so bad that even the court heard about it. As a result the governor stopped sending his monthly offerings, and new gov ernors never came to greet the god again. The shrine fell to pieces, and he
pilgrims practically disappeared. That's what my grandfather told me ha d he ar d, an d he wa s eig hty at th e tim e. It mu st ha ve ha pp en e d a go od tw o hun dr ed ye ar s ago. '' Thi s w a s sad ne ws . T he qua rr el h ad not been the
go d' s fault,
Ko re no bu decl are d tha t from no w on he wou ld ho no r the
after all.
go d just
as
people had done long ago. He lingered till the weeds could be cleared and the place tidied up, then left orders with the county administration th at the shri ne sho ul d be reb uil t on a ge ne ro us scale. He had
th e shr ine 's
na me in scr ibe d on the o ff ici al regi ster of th e sa nc tu ar ie s of the pro vi nc e, an d he sent formal offerings
ev er y mo nt h. He w a s sur e the go d wo ul d be
pl ea se d by all thi s at te nt io n, b ut du r in g his te rm of off ice he not ic ed no special sign and had no special dreams. When his term was over, he started back to Kyoto. A few days later the official who had told him about the god in the first place did have a dr ea m. So me on e un kn ow n to him ente red his hou se and an no un ce d, "H e is out sid e the gate an d su mm on s yo u to att end him. G o n ow ." The old man wondered who on earth could be "summoning" him now that the governor was gone, since no one else in the province could possibly "summon" someone like himself. The whole thing seemed so odd that at first he did not move, but the visitor insisted till the dreamer decided that he would jus t h av e a lo ok . A big, be aut iful ce re mo ni al ca rr ia ge , fit for an e mp er or , stoo d at his gat e, an d the ge nt le ma n inside of att end ant s stood nea
it loo ked ext rem ely dist ingu ishe d. R ow s
rby .
"Perhaps there's something to all this!" thought the old official as he knelt in awed greeting. "You, my man, come here!" called the gentleman in the carriage. The frightened dreamer froze for a moment, but when the gentleman called ag ain h e forced him
sel f to ob ey .
Th e gen tle man mo ved the
carri age blinds
slig htly aside. "D
o y o u kn ow
who I am?" he asked. " H o w could I
kn ow Yo ur Wo rs hi p? "
"I 'm the god wh o w as ab an do ne d al l tho se ye ar s. Th e go ve rno r gav e me such joy that I'm seeing him back to the Capital. When he's safely the re I' ll re tu rn , of co ur se , bu t not bef ore I've
ma d e sur e he get s an ot he r
goo d post . In th e mea nt im e I 'l l be aw ay . I'm lett ing y o u k n o w be ca use it oc cur s to me tha t yo u 'r e th e on e w h o srci nally
told him
ab ou t me ."
Th e old of fi ci al sa w th e ca rri ag e mo ve o ff to w a rd K yo to a nd aw ok e in a swe at. W h e n he realiz
ed it ha d be en a dr ea m, he w a s fi ll ed wi th gra ti-
A
2
tude toward the god, and all those who heard him tell the dream were similarly moved. In tim e th e ne w go ve rn or ar ri ved , an d in the com mo ti on the o ld of fi ci al forgot
all ab ou t his dr ea m . Yea rs later
the gat e and su mm on in g him. He hurr
he dr ea m ed agai n that "h e " w as at ied out, wo nd er in g wh et he r it was
the same god as before. Sure enough, he saw the same ceremonial car riage. This time it seemed somehow less alarmingly awesome and so did th e go d. T h e o ffi cia l kne lt as
he ha d ye ar s ag o an d rece ive d th e sam e
summons to approach. " D o yo u rem em be r m e ? " the god asked. "I have n't forgotte
n yo u, Yo ur Wo rs hi p. "
"V er y wel l. Fo r the last
few y ea rs I've be en wit h the former
go ve rn or
in the Capital, and I've been able to have him appointed governor of Hi ta chi . N o w I'm bac k agai n. I just th ou gh t I shoul d le t yo u kn ow ." The old official told the same colleagues as before about his dream, and they were impressed with the god's kindness and power. Meanwhile th e list
of th at ye a r' s off ici al ap po in tm en ts rea ch ed the pro vin ce fr om
Ky ot o, an d the form er go ve rn or had indeed been
pos ted to Hitac hi.
Aft er th at th e pe op le of th e pr ov in ce serv ed the god wi th incre asin g dev oti on, a nd the god, w h o wa s the sou l of gra tit ude, r ew ar de d the m richly.
T he w on d er s he wo r ke d we re many , an d the old of fi ci al pro spe re d
too.
3
i
.
COME TO MY KASUGA MOUNTAIN! The god but
the
in
tb 'is
makes
T he Ve ne ra bl e M y o e had
story
intensely feminine
u
definitely
quality
thu<
of the
hard
a gen ius f or co mm uni ca ti on with the
to
divine,
this wa s the
time to act at last on his lifelong wish to visit India, where the Buddha lived and taught. Thi s w a s a br av e idea.
Tra vel to Ch in a is da ng er ou s eno ugh , but India
is so far from J a p a n , a nd the diffic th at few
ulties
of th e jo ur ne y are so imm ens e,
J a p a n e s e can ha ve rea ch ed it an d few er sti ll, if any , have
medium
remember.
and his link with the Kasuga God was truly exceptional. He was staying wi th rela tiv es in th e pr ov in ce of Kii w h e n he de cid ed that
male,
eve r
returned. Myoe knew this, and he must have known too that the Bud dh a' s Te a ch in g is al mo st de ad , alas, in th ou gh t wa s to seek
out and ho
th e lan d of its bi rt h. B ut his onl y
no r the sourc
e of the Teac hin g, at wh at
ever risk to himself. In the f ir st mo on o(
1202, on
the nin et ee nt h da y, his u n c l e s wil e be ga n
a total fas t. Sh e eve n sto pp ed dri nk in g. Al th ou gh the
family
feared she
wa s ill , she looked if
an yt hi ng mor e rad ian tly hea lth y th an before.
da y she bath ed , read
the sutr as, and cal
Ev er y
led the Bu dd ha 's holy Na me . She
could give no special reason why she was doing this. "It's just that I'm so lull ol the perfection of the Teaching!" she said. "The things of this world no longer touch me at all." At noon on the twenty-sixth, she threw a new mat over the beam un de r the ceiling
of he r ro om , th en ros e a nd sat on the be am .
"I am the Ka su ga Go d ," she said,
ad dr es sin g My oe . "G oo d mo nk , I'm
so so rry ab ou t th e tri p yo u 'r e pla nn in g th at I've
co me to ask y o u not to
go . Y ou 'r e so mu c h wi se r th an a ll th e oth ers , y o u see, that I prot ev er yo ne w h o ha s faith in y o u . P lea se visit me so me tim es!
ec t
My ho me is in
Nara." "I'll give up my pilgrimage, then," answered the awed Myoe. Although pregnant the lady descended, as she had risen, with the greatest ol ease, like a moth fluttering its wings. Three days later she began fasting and purifying herself as before, then shut herself in her room, from where a marvelous fragrance spread to fill the wh ol e ga rd en . M y o e s li d op en he r do or an d found
he r lying
do wn
with the covers over her face. She lifted her head and smiled at him. He asked about the fragrance. "I do n' t k n o w w h a t it is ei th er ," she replied , "bu t wh en w a s c om in g from me I got re
I notice d it
a dy to recei ve y o u . N o w I w a n t to sit up
high again. Please leave a moment and close the door." M y o e did so. Wh
e n he op en ed the
do or again, the
re she wa s up nea r
the ceiling. A ceiling plank had been removed so that she could sit com fortably. Th
e fragra nce w a s st ro ng er th an ever. He
an d his at te nd an ts
prostrated themselves, saying, "Hail to the Kasuga God!" Th e lad y be ga n in a kin d an d ge ntl e voic e. "It's rud set myself
ab ov e y o u by sp ea ki ng from her
afrai d I'm so
us ed to be in g hig h up th at I've ta ke n th e lib erty of ra isi ng
the w o m a n I'm ad dr es si ng y o u th ro ug h. After to say, seem to "You
I'll be ha p py to co me d o w n . I'm here, be quite sure
mudt
e of me, I kn ow , to
e, " she apol ogiz ed, "b ut I'm
yo u believe
yo u' ve heard
wh at I ha ve
y o u see, bec au se yo u do n' t
wh at ha pp en ed at ou r la st me et ing ."
st op pro stra tin g you rse lve s to me !" she
inte rrupt ed herse lf
to protest, but Myoe and the others continued nonetheless. She insisted that their manners left much to be desired.
A
A
"All
th e go ds prot ec t y ou , goo d m o n k, " she the n we nt on, "especially
the Su mi yo sh i Go d an d I. y o u , so eve n if y o u do
I'm al wa ys wit h yo u, yo u kno w, de ep in side
go to In dia
pe rs on al ly min d. Bu t I can't th
we wo n' t be par te d an d I wo n' t
in k of y o u r tri p wi th ou t feelin g sor ry for
al l the peo pl e he re in J a p a n w h o m y o u mig ht ha ve insp ired love
al l tho se w h o ho no r the B ud dh a' s Tea chi ng, of
no on e I love
to faith!
I
cour se, but there's
qu it e as I do y o u ! "
W h e n she w a s finished, sh e ca me do w n as silently as a sw an 's feathe r fall ing. Th e fragra nce wa s mo re pro no un ce d tha n ever. It wa s not mus k or an y ot he r suc h perf um e of th e hum an worl d, h ow ev er rare,
but it wa s
very fine and rich. The people present were in ecstasy. They pressed in to lick her hands and feet, which were deliciously sweet. (One woman's mouth had been hurting for days, but when she licked her the pain was gone.) She did not resist. On the contrary, she stayed perfectly still with an expression of pure love on her face. Though her eyes were wide open, rolled up to sh ow far less pup il tha n wh it e, sh e ne ve r eve n bli nke d. In fac t, not hi ng ab ou t her
w a s or di na ry in
an y wa y.
Sh e wa s as clear
an d bright as
crystal. "I've never come down into human presence this way before, in my true form," she now continued, "and I never will again. Only my love for y o u , go od mo nk , coul d ha ve ma de me do it ! It's a wo nde rfu l thin g, of co ur se, for he art set
y o u r ow n spiritual
on this
dev el opm en t, tha t yo u should have
yo u r
gre at pilgr imag e of yo ur s. But wh en yo u' re gon e, yo u
see, th os e y o u 'd ot he rw is e ha ve a ch an ce to to uc h wil l los e the ir op po r tu nit y to con ceiv e, th ro ug h yo u, their
ow n f ait h in enl igh ten men t. Tha t's
what I find so sad!" She continued in this vein for some time. "This has been a long meeting!" she finally said. "I'd meant to leave ea rli er, b ut I wa s so h a p p y to be wi th y o u th at I co ul dn 't bri ng myself
to
go." She pressed her palms together and bowed to Myoe. Myoe tried to avoi d ac ce pti ng this homa ge , but she bo we d to him again an yw ay . The n she s po ke briefly of an o th er mo nk the god loved, an older f riend of Myoe's. "It's extraordinary how much I care for him too," she said, "but I can't accept his living as a hermit. Please tell him so from me!" "Ah, but
youl" she we nt on aga in. " Yo ur ar do r to ad ore the Bu
th e la nd w h e r e he act ual ly lived
gi ve s me suc h joy ! I love y o u mo re th an any par en t loves But I
an onl y son .
must go no w. Co m e to my Kas ug a mo un ta in ! Y ou wo n' t see me,
bu t y o u ca n be sur e I' ll be th er e a nd will late!
co me to gr ee t y o u . O h , it's so
Goo d-b ye, goo d-b ye !"
She drew Myoe's hands to her, and her fragrance grew still more intense
dd ha in
ma ke s y o u uni qu e in al l the wo rld , an d
. Ev er yo ne , includin
g My oe , wa s crying.
"D o n' t be sa d! " she said. "T
he worl d has com e into a de ge ne ra te age
when no one follows the Buddha's path heart and soul. Now that people love everything but the Teaching, there's little hope that truth can pre vail. Please don't let time slip wastefully by! Study the sacred writings til l yo u gra sp their
de ep est me an in g. Go od mo nk, y o ur wi sd om is of the
highe st, bu t y o u r le ar ni ng is st il l not qui te ma tu re . If y ou 11 stop y o u r en er gy to be scat ter ed hit her an d y on into this wo rt hy task
all ow ing an d that,
an d kee p y o u r eyes on th e Teac hi ng alone, th en you'll com what the Buddha knew. Be willing to take on many students, a hundred
e to kn ow
or a t h o u s a n d of th em , ev en if all th ey me an to ga in from thei
r st ud y is
for tun e an d fame!
A nd for yourse lf, simp ly w e e p tha t he ar ts can 't hel p
be in g ba se in this pre se nt a g e ! " Th e go d' s grief an d pain sho we d plain ly in the te ars th at ran do w n her ch ee ks . Sh e w a s pu re co mp as sio n in visible form.
After a moment of silence she lifted her head again. "Now I she said, "b
ut I'll leave my
a m going,"
fra gra nce be hi nd to re mi nd y o u of me . You
must all take comfort from it. Good monk, come soon to my Kasuga mo un ta in ! An d I p rom ise yo u this. If y e a r on this
you'll
ga th er peop le tog eth er each
sa me nigh t, an d pa ss on to th em th e Bud dh a' s me ssa ge,
co me d o w n to be with
yo u, w he re ve r the place
I' ll
ma y be ."
Of co ur se M y o e ne ve r set of f for Indi a. Inst ead , he we nt to the K as ug a Shr ine , wh ic h is be lo w the go d's mo un ta in. W h e n he rode up, several do ze n of the ta me de er tha t ro am t he re ben t thei r forelegs
to kneel be
fore
him and bowed their heads; and once again that marvelous fragrance floated on the air. When he returned to Kii, he learned through the same medium as before what had actually happened. "You know," remarked the god in the cou rs e of a co nv er sa ti on , "t he dee r di dn 't really me. I wa s in the air ov er y o u r he ad , y o u see. You
b o w to yo u, b ut to
did n't kn o w it , bu t the y
did." "I had no
id ea !" an sw er ed My oe . " If I' d realized
wh at wa s ha pp en in g
I'd have dismounted. It was very rude of me not to. I'm so sorry!"
4
6
" N e v e r mi nd ," the
god con sole d him. "T he y say a beloved chi
ld can
do no w r o n g . I ce rta in ly ne ve r th ou gh t of sco ldi ng yo u f or it . Any wa y, th er e w a s no ha rm don e since I
w as alr ead y hig her tha n y o u ! "
Myoe did hold the meetings the god had asked for. Much given to dreams and visions, and to intense spiritual struggle, he led an exemplary li fe a n d be c a m e o ne of th e gr ea t figures
of his ti me .
3
2
PRINCESS GLORY In the reig
n of E m p e r o r Y u r y a k u an old co up le lived
at the foo t of M o u n t
Fuji. Having no child made them sad. Then one day the old man found a beautiful little girl in the bamboo grove behind their house. She seemed to ha ve com e from no w h e r e . He an d his wife w er e ve ry ha pp y, an d since she shone with a lovely light they called her Kaguya-hime, Princess Glory. Princess Glory grew up to be so beautiful that even the governor of that province courted her, and the two were married. When the old couple finally passed away, she confessed to her husband that she was not real ly from M o u n t Fuji,"
this ear th at
all.
"I 'm actu ally
she exp lai ned , "a nd I only
the
Im mo rt al L ad y of
ca me do wn in
an sw er to the
de ar old peo pl e's pr ay er s. N o w I'm no lon ger tied to th em , and I mu st go home to my palace." Th e go ve rn or wa s dis tra ug ht, b ut she
did
he r best
to comfor t him.
"Y ou 'll fin d me on the to p of M o u n t Fuji, " she said. "C o m e th er e w he n y o u miss m e, or look in to this b o x ." An d she gav e him a bo x of the ma gic inc ens e called I nce nse to
Recall
the Soul . The n she van ish ed.
Heartbroken now, he missed her so badly that he soon opened the bo x, b ut a ll he cou ld see so me ti me s faded
th ro ug h the sm ok e wa s a sh ad ow y wra ith that
alt oge the r. In de spa ir he clim bed Mo u n t Fu ji as she had
invited him to do. At the top he found a large pond with an island in the middle. The island seemed to have a palace on it, but through the vapor that rose from the water he could only barely make out Princess Glory's for m.
Bitt erl y di sa pp oi nt ed , he pr ess ed the
j u m p e d from a precipice, a n d died.
bo x of ince nse to his hea rt,
.
T h e hea t of his bu r ni ng love
set th e box aflam e, an d the sm ok e from
this fire is the smoke of Fuji that so many people have put in their poems ab ou t love
an d long ing.
Lat er on he an d Princ ess Glo ry both app ea re d
as the god of the mountain. The god is one, but may be seen as either a ma n or a w o m a n.
O n c e an In di an te ng u set of f to visit lines in
Ch ina , an d on the
w a y he ar d the se
th e mu r m u r i n g of th e sea:
All
things
this of
is
the
birth
Once
that
and
birth
likewise peace
pass: law death. and
death
have is
passed, bliss.
Th e ast oni she d te ng u w on de r e d ho w in the
wo rl d the sea
could
mu ri ng this dee pe st exp res si on of the Bu dd ha 's Tea chi ng, and
be mur he dete r
mi ne d to fin d out w h a t set th e sea ta lki ng tha t wa y. " An d w h e n I d o , " he pr om is ed himsel f, "I'll
give it
a go od dos e of tr ou bl e! "
He followed the murmuring all the way to China, but since the sea th er e w a s st ill m u r m u r i n g he we nt ri ght by an d on to th e sea of f J a p a n . Th e sea w a s sti ll m ur m ur i n g. He flew ov er th e po rt of H a k at a in K yu sh u, and at the strait between Kyushu and Honshu he listened again. The murmuring was a little louder. More astonished than ever, he flew on over
pro vi nce after
pro vin ce until he rea
ch ed the mo ut h of the Yo do
4
8
Ri ver , the rive r th at flow s from nea r the Capi tal into
the I nla nd Sea. U p
th e rive r he fl ew , an d the m u r m u r gr ew lou der st il l. The
Yo do na rr ow ed
to the Uji River, and the tengu soared on up to where the Uji empties out of La ke Bi wa . H e r e th e r u m o r of the wa te rs w as distinctly
loud.
He
pressed on over the lake to where a brook came tumbling down from Y o k a w a on Mo u n t Hiei.
H er e th e voice of the wa te rs cha nti ng the sacre d
verse rose to a roar, and he saw upstream the Four Heavenly Kings and count less oth
er glorious G
ua rd ia ns of the Tea chi ng wat chi ng o ver the
brook. Awed and amazed, he dared not go further, but he could not resist hiding awhile to see whether he could find out what this place was. When a lesser celestial spirit happened past, the tengu plucked up enough courage to ask, "Why is the water chanting this deepest expres sion of the nobl e T ea ch in g? " " T h e r e ar e a lot of le ar ned mo nk s up on the mo un ta in ," the
spirit
replied, "and this brook runs through their privy. That's why its waters pro cla im the nobl
e tr uth , an d w h y we spirits
T h e ten gu for got a ll tho ug ht of
gu ar d it."
mischief.
"If eve n the stre am that
flushes their privy proclaims the deepest truth," he reflected, "then the m o n k s of this mo un t ai n mus t be mo re hol y th an I cou ld ever ima gin e! I'll become a monk on Mount Hiei!" And as he made this vow he passed away. N e x t he lodg ed in th e w o m b of a ve ry gre at lady, t he wif e of Pri nce Ar ia ke wh o w as a son of E mp er or Ud a, an d he wa s bor n as the prince's so n. In time he
did be co me a m on k on Mo u n t Hiei an d ac qu ir ed a gre at
re put at io n f or lea rni ng an d sancti ty.
JAPAN MEANS TROUBLE! A pow erf ul Chi ne se ten gu na me d Chir ayoj u once ca me to J a p a n an d met on e of o u r local ten gu . "In
m y country," he boasted, "there are lots of
rough, tough warrior-monks, but now that I've got them all eating out of my ha nd I th ou gh t I'd co me and
have
th er e ar e so me pr et ty po te nt asce tics can do
a look
ar ou nd J a p a n . The y say
he re . P er ha ps I migh t see wh at I
wit h th em . W h a t do yo u th in k? "
The Japanese tengu thoroughly approved. "I've got all the good, brave
monks of
tbii country eating out of
m y han d, " he an sw er ed , "b ut if yo u
want to give them a bad time, go ahead. One's just asking for it, in fact. I'll sh ow y ou . C o m e o n ." Off he we nt wit h the Ch in es e te ng u in tow . Th ey f lew up to the st one to we r on the main pe
ak of M o u n t Hiei
an d sto od to ge th er besi de the
trail. "People here know me," said the Japanese tengu. "I'd better not show myself. I'll jus t hid e do w n the hill a little. T u r n yo ur se lf int o an old mo n k an d wait. M a k e sure yo u take care of
an yo ne w h o com es by !"
The Japanese tengu hid in a thicket and from there kept an eye on his Chinese colleague, who turned into a perfect, bent old monk. The weird glea m in his eye sh ow ed he wa s pl an nin g so me thi ng goo d, and
the J a p
anes e ten gu looke d forwa rd wit h pleas ure to wh a t wo ul d com e next. Along came a palanquin from higher up the mountain. Inside it rode Yo ky o, a mo nk of ra nk an d repu tat ion wh o wa s on hi s wa y do wn to the Capi tal. Wh e n he reac he d the tow er, the ch ec k on the old
Ja pa n e se ten gu glan ced ove r to
m o nk . He w a s go ne . Yo ky o an d a cr ow d of disci ples
passed by in peace. Thoroughly puzzled, the Japanese tengu went looking for his Chinese colleague and found him cowering down in the ravine with his behind in the air. " W h y are yo u hidi ng ?" aske d the Ja pa ne se tengu. " Wh o wa s that mon
k wh o we nt by ?"
"Th at wa s Yok yo, a famous
wo nd er -w or ke r. He 's on h is wa y do wn to
th e pal ac e f or a spe cia l rit e. H e 's so hol y I tho ug ht y o u 'd sh ow him
up a
bit, bu t y o u jus t let hi m go . T o o b a d . " "Right, right, I could see he was very holy and I knew he must be the on e y o u w er e talk in g ab ou t. W ell , tha t wa s fin e, an d I wa s just go in g to hav e at him wh en he disa pp ea re d. Inst ead there
wa s a col umn of flame
risi ng from his p al an qu in . I cou ld see I'd ge t b u rn e d if I go t to o close , so I th ou gh t, we ll, I'll jus t pa ss on thi s on e. Th e n I sor t of go t mys elf ou t of sight." Th e J a p a n e se ten gu laug he d mocki ngl y. " H e re yo u f ly in al l the w ay from Ch i n a , " he said, " a n d y o u can 't eve n r oll a fellow
like th at ove r a
few tim es? Yo u just le t him by ? I'd say yo u' re path eti c. Ne xt time, st your man and
"Ab solu tel y!" said the Chine sel f to
op
d o something to him!"
wai t as before by
se ten gu. " Ju st yo u wa tc h! " He set him
th e ston e to we r whi le the Ja p a n e s e te ng u
crouched in a thicket. A noisy
ba nd cam e d ow n the
pa th . It w as the great prelate Jin
z en
he ad in g of f to to wn wit h aco lyt es ru nn in g ah ea d of his pa la nq ui n to clea r
5
0
th e w ay . W h e n the acoly tes got to the old
te ng u mo nk , they just he rd ed
him on ah ea d wi th m er r y w h ac k s of the ir stick s. T he old mon k pu t his arms up to protect his head and cleared out. He obviously was going to get no wh er e nea r the pal an qui n. Th os e acolyte s had gott en ri d of him in no time. The Japanese tengu went after him and heaped ridicule on him again. The Chinese tengu protested. "With all due respect," he complained, "y ou don 't k n o w w h a t yo u 'r e say ing ! I wa sn 't goi ng to get close to tho se acolytes, not the way
they looked, and I thought I'd better get out before
th ey c au gh t me a n d c ra ck ed my sku ll. S o ye s, I l et th at mon k by. I can me. N o
fly here from China in a flash, but those acolytes were too fast for sir, I hid ins te ad ! "
next one at least! You can't
"W el l, for pit y's sa ke do so me th in g to the co me a ll the w ay here
an d do not hin g! Wh y, you'l l be an em ba rr as sm en t
to y o u r co un t ry !" Ha vi ng tried again
to sh am e h is colleague into
action,
the J a p a n e s e te ng u we nt o ff to hide. So on a ba bb le of voi ces rose to A m o n k wi th a re d stole
wa rd th em from
him y o u n g mo nk s bor e a cer emo nia l chest contai eler's
a pa rt y on its wa y up .
a pp ea r ed f irs t, clear ing th e pat h, an d be hi nd nin g the illustrious
trav
mon ast ic robe s. T he pa la nq ui n beh in d the m carri ed J i e of Yo ka wa ,
th e ab bo t of th e ent ir e te mp le co mp le x on the mou nt ai n. "Will they h i m ? " wo nd er ed the
Ja pa ne se tengu, as
tw o dozen boy
by on ei the r side of th e pa la nq ui n. Bu t the old
acolytes
get
passed
mo nk wa s go ne . H e ha d
hidden again. "I noti ced a susp icio us ch ar ac te r ar ou nd he re ," said one of the boys . fierce
"Let's spread out and look!" The the path, b
ran dis hin g sticks,
boys dispersed on either side of
an d the Jap an es e tengu prud
ent ly sto le
further down the slope into a deeper thicket. "Here he is! Get him!" shouted a boy's voice. "What?"yelled an answering chorus. "There's this old monk hiding here! He doesn't look right!" "H o ld him!
Do n' t le t him get aw a y! " Th e oth ers das hed o ff to pro vid e
reinforcements. " H o w awf ul! "
the Ja pa ne se tengu groane
d, but he
wa s fa r too
frightened to do anything but burrow deeper into his thicket and flatten him sel f to th e g r o un d.
Pe er in g fearfull y out,
he saw
a do zen boys dra
g
the old monk to the stone tower, beat and kick him, and give him a very bad time indeed. The old monk bellowed and roared, but it did him little good. " W h o are yo u, yo u old th ey sp ok e. "Tell
m o n k ? " the boys
us! Tell u s ! "
shout ed, wha ck ing him
as
"I' m just a po or ten gu fro m Chin a, y o u n g ma ste rs!
I thou gh t I' d hav e
a look at the monks passing by. But the first was Yokyo, and he was reciting the Ma the next
n t r a of Fire so
th er e wa s a hu ge fla me in his
pa la nq ui n;
wa s Ji nz en , wh o wa s doi ng the Ma n tr a of Fu do so that F udo 's
own minions were guarding him with their iron staffs; and the third, the ab bo t, wa s po nd er in g Perfect
Me di ta ti on . The fir st tw o frighten
ed me so
I hid, but the abbot didn't seem frightening at all and I was careless. That's how I got caught!" Th e boys coul
d not see
tha t he w a s mu ch of a th rea t, so th ey de ci de d
j u s t t o let h i m g o , b u t n o t b e f o r e e a c h h a d f i l e d p a s t a n d g i v e n h i m a swift kick in the behind. Once the abbot was by, the Japanese tengu crawled up from the bo tt om of th e ra vi ne a nd we nt to find th tered and bruised. "How'd it go
e old m o n k w h e re he l ay al l ba t
thit ti me ?" he asked.
" D i d y o u get hi m? "
"S hu t up . J u s t lay of f m e ," the Chi ne se ten gu gro wle d. "I cam e her e all the way from China, innocently believing I'd get a little cooperation from
th e likes
of yo u,
bu t y o u w ou ld n' t give me
an y stra igh t hel p, no ,
you had to put me up against men like living Buddhas, and all I've got for my trouble is a bruised backside and a good beating!" And he burst into tears. "I don 't blam e y o u , " the Ja p a n e se ten gu replied see, y ou 'r e a te ng u from
consolingly, "b
ut y o u
a gre at big co unt ry, a nd I tho ug ht yo u' d be able
to ta ke ca re of an yo ne from a
small cou
nt ry like mi ne . I'm sorr
y y o u got
your behind kicked!" He took the Chinese tengu to a nice place in the mountains where the poor fellow could soak the sore part in a hot bath an d ma k e it f ee l be tte r, a nd th en he pa ck ed the visitor
ba ck of f to Chi na .
Wh il e th e t w o w e r e bat hi ng , a co up le of ser van ts from th e city ca me into the mo un ta in s to fetch fir
ewo od. Pas sing the bat h shed, the
y noti ced
smoke rising from the chimney, and decided that as long as someone was already heating water they might as well go in and have a soak them selves. They put down their loads and went in to find two old monks in the big tub
. O n e of t he m see me d to ha ve some sort
of pa in in his
bu tt.
The monks wanted to know who the two men were, but the men, for the ir pa rt, not ice d tha t th e bat h she d sta nk to high he av en — so horri bly ,
5
2
in fact, that they both instantly got a splitting headache. Terrified, they escaped as fast as they could. Later on the Japanese tengu possessed someone and told the whole story.
3
5
THE INVINCIBLE PAIR In Sa nu ki p rov in ce th er e st il l is a large bod th at Ko bo D ais hi ma de out
of
y of wa te r na me d M a n o Po nd
ki nd ne ss to wa rd
the
peop le w h o li ve
nearby. It is so big, and the dikes around it are so high, that it looks more like a lake than a pond. Its deep waters harbor countless fish great and small, and at the bottom there once lived a dragon. O n e da y this dra go n c am e out of th e wa te r to sun
him sel f, and slith
er ed a r o u n d on an iso lat ed sect ion of th e di ke in the sh ap e of a littl e sn ak e. J u s t th en th e te ng u of Mo u n t Hira , far off in Om i pro vin ce , flew ov er in th e form of
a ki te . H e do ve at th e litt le sn ak e, ca ug ht him in his
talons, and soared up again into the sky. A d ra g on is , of co ur se , imm en se ly str ong , but this on e ha d bee n tak en so suddenly that all he could do was hang
i n the tengu s claws. The tengu
for his part meant to crush the snake and eat him, but that turned out to be impossible since, after all, it was a mighty dragon he had seized and no we ak li ng ser pe nt.
No t kn ow in g quit e wh at else to do, the tengu took
the dragon back to his lair on Mount Hira and stuffed him into a hole in the rocks so small that the dragon could hardly move. The poor dragon wa s miser abl e. N ot ha vin g a dr op of wa te r he could not fly aw ay , and for several days he lay there waiting to die. Meanwhile the tengu was planning a little foray to Mount Hiei to ca tc h hims el f a nic e fat m on k. Th at ni gh t he pe rc h ed in
a tall tre e an d
kept his eyes on the dormitory across the valley on the side of the hill. A m o n k c am e ou t on the ve ra n d a to relieve hims wa te r jar to wa sh his hand
s, the
elf. Wh e n he pic ked up
ten gu po un ce d, seized him,
the
an d carrie d
him off to Mount Hira, where he stuffed him into the hole with the dr ag on . Th e terrified
mo nk tho ug ht he wa s do ne fo r, but
the ten gu we nt
off again. Fr o m out
of th e da rk ne ss a voice
yo u co me fro m? " Th e mon k explain
ask ed, " W h o are y o u ? Wh er e did ed wh at had happ
en ed —so sudd enly
.
that h e st il l ha d his wa t er ja r — an d as ke d w h o had spo ke n. T he dr ag on in tr od uc ed hims elf an d told his
ow n story. "It
's ve ry tight in
this hole,
yo u k n o w , " he gr oa ne d, " bu t I can 't fly aw ay be cau se I hav en' t a dr op of water! " M a y b e th ere 's so me le ft in this ja r, " sug ges ted the mo nk . " O h , ho w wo nd er fu l! W h a t luck y ou 'r e he re ! If th er e is, I can save us bot h. I'll tak e y ou bac k h o m e ! " Wi th joy ous anti cipa tio n the mo nk tur ne d the jar upsid e do wn over the dr ag on an d a d r o p of w a t er f ell out . T he dra go n wa s we t. "All ri gh t, " said th e dr ag on , "do n' t be afraid. J u s t close y o u r eyes an d sit on my ba ck . I' ll nev er forget
w h a t I ow e y o u . "
The dragon turned into a small boy, took the monk on his back, sm ash ed the rock walls of an d bolts of
thei r hole, an d bur st forth
amid thun
li ght nin g. H u g e cl ou ds ga th er ed in the sky
de rc la ps
an d he av y rain
fell. The monk was frightened but trusted the dragon enough to hang on. He wa s depos it ed instan
tly right
w he re he had started, on the
ve ra nd a of
his dormitory on Mount Hiei. The dragon flew off. Wi th all
the cr as hi ng an d roari ng, t he other residents
of the do rm it or y
were sure that any second a bolt would destroy them. Then suddenly the thunder stopped and blackness fell. When the sky cleared, they discov ered their colleague who had vanished the other night, and he answered their astonished questions by telling them his story. Th e dr ag on pu rs ue d the
te ngu eve ry wh er e in search of
rev enge . At
last w h e n the te ng u wa s cr ui si ng th e str eet s of the Capi tal, di sgui sed as a warrior-monk soliciting donations for his temple, the dragon swooped down and killed him with one blow. Suddenly the tengu was a kestrel with a broken wing, and he was trampled underfoot by the passersby. On Mo u n t Hiei the mo ful ly on behalf of his
n k re pa id his
de bt by re ad in g the su tr as faith
frie nd the dr ag o n. Ea ch ha d sa ve d th e ot he r' s lif e —
sure ly th e resu lt of a de ep ka rm ic bo nd be tw ee n th em in li ves gon e by.
RAIN In N a r a th er e used to
be a te mp le called Ryuenji
, or Tem pl e of th e
Dragon Garden. The single monk who lived there served the Lotus Sutra, expounding a chapter a day and chanting its text. A dragon,
5
A
moved by the chanting, would come in human Form every day to listen, an d w h e n the m on k found out
w h o his visitor
wa s the tw o be ca me fa st
friends. Then a drought struck. Without rain the crops withered and died, till nob les an d co mm on er s alike
faced
terribl e suffering
. Th e em pe ro r got a
petition reminding him about the monk and the dragon (for their friend ship had become widely known) and suggesting that the monk be com manded to have the dragon make rain. The emperor called in the monk and made him a little speech at the f o r your daily
end of which he gave his order. "When the dragon comes
rain.
sermon," he said, "you're going to direct him to make yo u from Ja
p a n forever
I'll banish
if yo u don 't ."
The monk was very upset. When he got home he explained the situa tion to the dragon, who said he would gladly give his life for his friend in thanks for all the Sutra had done
f o r him o ver th e ye ar s. " Bu t / do n't
govern the rain," he went on. "King Bonden decides these things. If I o f t h e rains
open the gate
my head will fly. I'll do it, though. Rain will
fall th re e d a y s from n o w , an d I'l l be kille d.
Pl ea se , pi ck up my
bo dy , is up
bury it, and build a temple over it. You'll find it in the pond which in the hills in the western part of Heguri county. And there are three ot h e r pl ac es I' ll visit on my w a y th er e. Build
a te mp le in ea ch o n e ."
Despite his sorrow, the monk could not ignore the imperial order. He agreed to the dragon's last request, and the two parted in tears. On lea rni ng wh at the
dr ag on h ad s aid, H is Majes ty looked forward
with relief to rain. Sure enough, on the promised day the sky clouded f o r three days
ove r, the re w a s t h u n d e r an d lig htn ing , an d he avy r ain fell an d nigh ts.
N o w tha t the re wa s plen ty of wa te r again
the cro ps ripened
an d al l wa s well . Th e e m p e ro r an d his peo ple w er e ve ry ha pp y. The monk found the pond in the hills where he had been told to look. The fragments of the dragon's dismembered body floated in its reddened wa te rs . We ep in g, the mon k buried the m an d b uil t over them called Ryukaiji, or Lotus Sutra there daily
Te mp le of the Dr ag on L ak e; and he
a templ e
ex po un de d the
f o r his friend. With the emperor's help he built
three other temples too, as he had promised to do. These were Ryushinji, Te mp le of the Dra go n Mi nd ; Ryutenji and Ryuoji, Temple chanted the Sutra
, Te mp le of the Dr ag on Heav en ;
o f th e D r a g o n K in g. A n d al l his f o r the dragon's final enlightenment.
life th e mo nk
3
•
7
NO DRAGON Ein, a monk in Nara, had a big, red nose. At first people called him "Ein the Red -N os ed Cler ic,"
but
sh ort en ed it later
to "Ei n Re d- No se " an d
finally to just "The Nose." Legend has it that a dragon lives in Sarusawa Pond, by Kofukuji's Gr ea t Sou th Ga te right on pos ted
a notice beside the
th e ed ge of Na ra . In his po nd , an no un ci ng that
yo ut h Th e Nos e
on su ch -a nd -su ch a
date the dragon would rise from the pond in broad daylight. The passers by w h o rea d it we re intri gue d, an d the w or d beg an to get ar ou nd . Th e resul ting r um or gre atl y tickle d Th e Nos e, w h o after
al l ha d sta rte d
it himself, and he was amused at people's foolishness. Resolving to see the
joke thro
ug h, h e we nt on
pre te nd in g he kn ew nothin
g abo ut the
notice. As the da y dr ew near, the r not only f rom ne ar by but was impressed. "What
um or abo ut the dra gon attra
cted cro
wd s
eve n from the nei gh bor ing pro vin ces . The No se are they all here for?" he wondered. "How very
stra nge ! Pe rh ap s som et hin g really
wi ll ha pp en !" But
he we nt on looking
as innocent as ever. On the day, t take the
he str ee ts w e r e so ja m me d tha t even Th e No se be ga n to
story seriously. Since app
are ntl y the drago
n
he w an te d to go an d w at ch . Of co urs e it wa s impossible to
uw.i going to rise, get an yw he re
ne ar th e po nd , so ins tea d he cl im be d up on the fou nda tio ns of th e Gr ea t Sou th Gat e, whi ch sta nd s on a high
em ba nk me nt . Gaz in g out over
the
pond and the whole enormous throng, he waited eagerly for the dragon to appear. T he ver y idea ! By su ns et th er e w a s st il l no dr ag on . W h e n nigh t fe ll , Th e No se ha d to give up . He w a s cr oss ing a lit tle br id ge on the
way
home when he nearly bumped into a blind man. "Goodness," he ex clai med , "yo u sh ou ld n' t be ou t in th e da rk like the h an d in front of
this!
W h y , y ou can't
see
y o u r fa ce !"
" Th e no se ," the blind man cor
node." It had not been The Nose's day.
re ct ed him, "Y
ou mea n yo u can't s ee the
5
6
P
U
R
E
H
E
A
R
T
S
3
8
.
THINGS A S THEY ARE Th e Ve ner abl e Sh ok u of M ou n t Sh os ha had
found ed a great
temple and
inspired countless people to faith. He was in fact a saint, and by chanting the
Lo tu s Su tr a ha d gai ned a won der ful
freed om from
the tyra nn y of the
sen ses . B ut the tho ug ht of the Bo dh isa ttv a Fu ge n, wh o plays
in the Su tr a
so grand a role, still filled his mind, and he knew he would have no peace until his o w n eye s ha d seen F ug en in the fle sh. Aft er se ve n da ys spe nt pr ay in g for this boon
, h e fin all y saw, at daw
n
on the last
da y, a divi ne bo y w h o told him , " L o ok at th e chief har lot of
M u r o . She
is the tru e Fu ge n. "
Th is ne ws as to ni sh ed Sh ok u, b ut he hur ri ed to the lit tle por t wh ic h, as he well kn ew , wa s fa mo us f or its wh or e s. It wo ul d be odd , thou gh , for a monk in his black robe to enter a brothel, so he changed into a plain wh it e ga rm en t. In M u r o he found
the house, an
d the harlot
ca me out to
greet him. Then she poured him wine and danced to a singing-girl's song: Down
in
among of the
sh e sa ng , a n d he r girls
Suo the
marshes
Mitarashi swift
winds
blow
to ok up the refr ain, and
waves
are
(lancing,
look! the
pretty
waves!
"So this is the living Fugen!" thought Shoku. Closing his eyes to co nt em pl at e quie tly the pre se nce of his belo ved bodh isat tva, Fu ge n perfe ctly
real
befor e him, exquisi
tely
he now
sa w
ad or ne d, radi atin g wis dom
an d kin dne ss , an d mo un te d on his cu st om ar y wh ite ele phan t. Fu ge n wa s singing: On
the
how
brightly
W h e n he op en ed his
great
jea the
of truth moon
unsullied,
of pure
insight
eye s aga in, th er e w a s the
shines!
har lot
sin gin g ab ou t
waves dancing in the wind; when he closed them, there was Fugen. Deeply awed, he finally took his leave. He had not
3
9
go ne mo re than a
hu nd re d ya rd s w he n the harlot
died.
.
THE PORTRAIT Reti red E mp er or Kaz an th oug ht so he once took
a pa in te r wi th him
mu ch of the Vene rabl e Sh oku that
to M o u n t Shosh a. T he pai nte r wa s
supposed to hide where he could get a good look at the holy man, then pai nt hi s por tra it while he mo un ta in
an d Ka zan talke
d. As the pai nte r wo rk ed , the
ru mb le d and s ho ok — in re spo nse , as the asto
nis hed K az an
immediately realized. Kazan confessed his plan to Shoku and revered him even more after that. Now, the painter had neglected to put in a few moles on Shokii's face. One tremor, which almost made him drop his brush, shook several drops of ink o ff on to the port rai t. T o eve ryo ne' s am az em en t the y co rr es po nd ed precisely to the moles. The portrait is still in Mount Shosha's treasure hall.
A
o •
WHAT THE BEANS WERE SAYING Sh ok u, t he holy ma n of M o u n t Shos ha , ha d achi eved the highest by continually chanting the Lotus Sutra, and he took in through all his senses things that ordinary people never perceive. Once in his travels he
sanct ity
5
8
he ar d a pot of be an s bub bl in g ove r a fire of bea n husk s. "B rut es, b ru te s," th e be an s in th e po t w er e say ing , "y ou 'r e br ut es to b oil us, for
we 'r e
beans too!" But the husks were crackling back, "We hate to do it but we mu st!
It hu rt s us so! O h , don 't bl am e u s! "
4»• MERCY O n c e a qu it e or di na ry mon k, tire d of li fe in the Capit
al, vo we d to ma ke
a hundred pilgrimages (one each day) from Kyoto to the Hie Shrine and ba ck . O n his w a y ho me on the eightie
th day , he pas sed a y o u n g w o m a n
so bb in g as th ou gh he r hea rt wo ul d bre ak.
He r violent
sor ro w mov ed him
to ask her what was the matter. " N o , no , I can see really can't!"
y ou 'r e a pi lg ri m! " she crie d. "I
can 't tel l yo u,
I
He insisted so kindly that she spoke at last. "My mother was sick for so lo ng ," she said, "a
n d this mor ni ng she fin al ly died. Th at 's ba d en ou gh ,
bu t th e w or st is th at I've no idea a w i d o w , y o u see , an d I've no
w h a t I'm go in g to do wi th her bo dy . I'm on e to ask for
he lp.
Be in g a w o m a n , I'm
not strong enough to manage it alone. My neighbors talk about how sorry they are, but they're so busy now with festivals for the gods that I'm sure they won't really do anything. I just don't know where to turn!" She burst into fresh weeping. T h e m o n k un de rs to od , an d f el t so mu ch for
he r that he
too ha d tea rs
in his eye s. He kn e w the god s en te r this di ng y wo rl d of ou rs only beca
use
they take pity on us, and he did not see how he could simply ignore her pli ght . "I' ve nev er do ne muc h in the w a y of go od dee ds ," he "L oo k up on me, O bu girl he
dd ha s!
reflected.
O yo u gods , forgi ve me no w !" An d to the
co nt in ue d al ou d, " D o n ' t be so sad . I'l l he lp y o u as bes t I ca n. We
should go inside, people may wonder about us." Through her tears the y o u n g wo ma n smiled
assent.
That night, in the dark, they took the body where it had to go. But when the deed was done, the monk could not get to sleep. He kept th in ki ng ab ou t the eigh ty day s of pilgri mage he had
th ro wn away , and
about what a pity it was to have to stop now. Well, he had never meant to gain anything special by his hundred days anyway, so he might as well
go back to the shrine and see how the god felt about it. The pollution of bir th or de at h w as superficial eno wit h one 's real state of
ug h, after
mi nd . So th e next mor
all , an d not muc h co nn ec te d ni ng he was he d an d set out
for the shrine. All the way there his heart beat fast because actually he was afraid. A large crowd before the shrine was listening to a medium deliver oracles from the god. Not daring to go near, the polluted monk hid instead some distance away to pray on his own. He was glad at least to have come and not missed a day. The medium spotted him leaving. "You monk there, come here!" she called. It was an awful shock, but there was no escape for him now. Shivering with dr ea d he obe yed , u nd er the suspiciou
s gaze of
the who le cro wd .
Th e me di um br ou gh t him ver y close. " I saw w h at y o u did last ni gh t! " she whispered. The hair stood on end all over his body and he thought he was going to faint. "D on 't be afra id," she we nt on.
"I th ou gh t it wa s won der ful ! I'm not
really only a god, you know. It's compassion that brought me here. I want
peo ple to believe th
e Te ac hi ng . T ab oo s are just a w a y of go in g ab ou t it ,
as an yo ne enl igh ten ed kno ws . Don 't te ll an yo ne els e, th ou gh . People so foolish. Th
e y wo n' t un de rs ta nd that y o u really
they'l l thi nk they too
are
act ed fr om de ep merc y,
can br ea k the tabo o wh en ev er the y wa nt, wh ic h
me a ns th at they'l l ju st get all mi xe d up a n d ruin the tin
y bit of faith th ey
have. It's not the rules that really count, it's the person." The monk was moved to tears, and after that was often inspired to acts of special ki
nd ne ss .
4* • AMONG THE FLOWERS Saigyo, a monk and a wonderful poet, was roaming the East when one night in brilliant moonlight he crossed Musashino Plain. The carpet of flo wer s he trod wa
s sparkl ing wit h dew, a nd in sect
mu rm ur s ming led
wi th th e sighin g of the wi nd . F a r ou t on the moo r he hea rd a ch an ti ng voice.
6
0
He ad in g tha t wa y, he
ca me to a hut hed ged with pink, nod
bagi
din g
an d ye ll ow valer ian, an d cha rm in gl y tha tch ed with pam pa s grass, pl
ume
gra ss, an d re ed s. Insi de a hoa rse -vo ic ed old ma n wa s ch an ti ng the Lot us Sutra. Saigyo asked him who he was. "I use d to serve E mp er or Shir aka wa' s you nge st dau ght er, " the m a n rep li ed. " S he w as only
old
t w e nt y w h e n sh e die d, an d after tha t I fe lt I
w a n t e d no m or e of th e wo rl d. I t oo k up a life of religi on. Lo ng in g to live w h e r e no on e w ou l d find me,
I w a n d e r e d of f wi th ou t an y goal ti ll I ca me
here, and the flowers were so beautiful that I stayed. That was many y e a r s ag o. T h e flo wer s of fa ll, my favo rit es, l inge r in my mi nd w he n all the flowers are gone. Yes, I love the flowers so much that I'd say I have no cares! Te ar s sp ra ng to Saigyo's eyes. "B
ut h ow do yo u live ?" he asked .
"Oh, I don't waste my time going round the villages begging. People br in g me food if th ey w a n t to . S om et im es I go wi th ou t fo r da ys at a tim e. I wou ld n' t w a n t to ma ke a fire here
a m o n g the flowers, so
yo u cou ldn 't
call what I eat proper meals at all." W a s eve r a man 's hear t mo re wond erf ully pure
M
U
S
I
C
A N D
D
A
N
C
?
E
4
3
FOR LOVE OF SONG On a festival day at Tennoji around relics of
1202,
when the temple's famous
th e B u d d h a w er e to be br ou gh t out as usual for
the pilgrims
divine powers refused to let the doors of the reliquary open. Apparently someone in the crowd was unclean. The priests had the people step back a little, but still the doors could not be budged.
, the
.
"Is any on e her e a go od sin ge r or d a n c e r ? " cried no w' s the time to sh
an old
Mi dd le Cap tai n Mo ri mi ch i ca me forw ard and san g a kind so
often
priest . "If so,
o w of f y o u r ar t! "
offered
kagura song, the
to the god s. Th e rel iqu ary do or s op en ed imm ed i
ately. It was so like the time when the Sun Goddess pushed open the door of her Heavenly Rock Cave, and light again burst upon the world!
4 4 •
THREE ANGELS The versatile Makoto, a son of Emperor Saga and the Minister of the Left, was an especially fine musician. On the long, mellow-sounding zither called the
koto, no on e cou ld co mp ar e wi th him . O n e ev en ing
he
became so absorbed in his playing that he went on all night, never even closing the latticework shutters that swung up horizontally to open onto the ga rd en . Finally , ne ar da w n, he be ga n a rar e an d dif fic ult piec e. Hi s ow n he art swelled with
the w on de r an d beau ty of the music.
light ove r on e of th e sh ut te rs he stole
out , mystified,
Not ici ng a
for a look . Th re e
angels, each a foot tall, were dancing on the shutter and the light was their
shin ing pr es en ce . T he y had come dow
n to hear
him!
He wa s fil le d
with a tender awe. What a lovely thing to have happen!
4 5 .
GIVE ME MUSIC! Th e mo nk Ri n'e lived
in N a r a in Em p e r o r Ichijo's
pr ot ec te d his tem ple , Kofukuji, wa O n e day , after
time. Th e god w h o
s at th e Kasu ga Sh rin e ne ar by .
pr es id in g ov er an especial
ly sole mn ri te,
Rin' e ca me to
the shrine and meditated awhile. He reviewed in his mind as he did so th e fu ll ran ge of his sac re d lea rn in g a n d offered it was sure, could only be pleased.
all to th e go d w h o , he
6
2
Suddenly the shrine attendants began making music for the god with d r u m s a nd bells.
Ri n'e fr ow ne d. "Th is is al l ve ry we ll ," he th oug ht , "but
I can't have them making such a racket while I'm offering the god the B u d d h a ' s o w n w i s do m . If I ev er get to be ab bo t, I' ll see th at this sor t of thing doesn't happen again." When Rin'e did become abbot he silenced the music, and the shrine became so cold and lifeless that people were afraid to come near it. No on e co mp la in ed be ca use Rin 'e w as so power ful. Ha vi ng re ac he d the pinna
cle of glory in
thii life, Rin'e finally began a
seven-day retreat at the shrine to pray, with many a heartfelt tear, for the god's protection on the path to enlightenment in the life to come. When the god gave no answering sign, he stayed on another seven days. At da w n on th e last in formal cour
da y he do ze d o ff a mo me nt an d sa w a ge nt le ma n
t dre ss emer ge from
the sanc tua ry. T ear s of grat itu de
s pr a n g to R in 'e s eyes be ca us e this w a s sur ely th e go d co mi ng to gra nt him his
pr ay er . B ut w h e n the ge nt le ma n ha d co me f ar en ou gh d ow n the
sanctuary steps for Rin'e to see his face, his expression turned out to be an an gr y sco wl. Afrai d no w, R in' e hu rr ie dl y re mi nd ed the
god
of his
blameless life and his countless merits, and he protested bewilderment at this disp
lay of divin e wra th .
For some time the god just glared at him. Then he said: The In
drums'
lively
wisdom \i
beat
mirror
resounds
may
be
seen
in
the the
palace lightly
of truth. shaken
bells.
And he vanished. The horrified Rin'e rued his folly. Before leaving, he carefully ordered that the drums and bells should never again be silenced for any reason whatsoever.
A6• THE WEIGHT OF TRADITION Haruto, a dancer from Nara, belonged to a family that had specialized ge ner at io n after
gen er at ion in
per for min g the
noble
dan ce
Unfortunately, he fell ill and died before he could teach the dance to his successor.
Genjoraku.
Since it was late summer and still hot, his coffin was hung in a tree in Ha ha so Wo o d . Tw o or thr ee da ys later,
a wo od cu tt er pass ing that
w ay
heard groans from the tree and reported this disturbing incident to the priests of
the n ea rb y tem pl e.
Finding that he had come back to life, Haruto's family took him home and looked after him. This is what he told them when he regained his senses. "I w e nt to Ki ng Em m a ' s pal ace in h ell, an d whi le I w as be in g ju dg ed one of the king's o
ff ic ia ls obs erv ed, 'Th e da nc er Ha ru to , from
J a p a n , ha s
Genjdraku. That means that the
been called here before he could pass on
dance will now die out in his country. We should send him back and call him in again when he's been able to teach it to his successor.' The other offi cials ag re ed , an d I rea liz ed I w a s to be se nt h om e . Th e n I c a me t o . " Once Haruto had taught the dance to his successor, Suetaka, he died again. Th e foun de r of H ar ut o' s l ine dire ctly
srci nally
got
th e ma sk fo r
Genjdraku
from hea ve n. T h e ma sk 's n am e is Ibur i, an d th ey say it's n o w
on e of th e tr ea su re s of N a r a . Ib ur i too , like th e da nc e it se lf , is pa ss ed on fro m gene rati on to
gene rati on.
H o w wonde rful that
Ha rut o's
tradition
should also be prized at King Emma's royal palace in hell!
4
7
•
THE GOD OF GOOD FORTUNE The biwa
u the
East Asian
coiuiin
o f the
lute.
Lo rd Ta da za ne w an te d so des per ate ly to be ap poi nte d rege nt that he sent for a mo nk , a w o n d e r- w o r k e r , to do th e Dak in i rite, ho pi ng its mag ic wo ul d get him
th e pri ze . H e told the mo
n k he nee de d resul ts by a cer tai n
date. "D on 't wo rr y, Yo ur Exc el len cy ," replied failed
the mo nk , "the
rite has ne ver
me ye t. I' ll ha ve re sul ts for y o u wi th in sev en da ys , an d if I don 't
I' ll go on an ot he r sev en . I f it has n' t w o r k e d by th en, Y ou r Excell enc y, you can send me straight into exile." Lord Tadazane provided all the offerings and other necessities, and the monk began. After seven days nothing had happened, and he let the monk know he was worried.
4
6
"S en d so me on e to obs erv e the rite,
Yo ur Exce lle ncy !" the mo nk an
sw er ed . "I thi nk y o u r ma n will find th er e' s go od rea son to Lo rd T ad az an e' s rep res ent ati ve saw
be opt imi sti c."
a fox , com pletel y unafraid of
the
people present, come and eat all the offerings. Since the Dakini rite involved fox magic, this was indeed a hopeful sign. The monk started another seven-day period, as he had promised to do. On th e clo sin g da y T ad az a ne doz ed o ff for a mo m en t an d saw a w om an wa lk by him wi
th t hr ee fee t of he r magn ific entl y lon g hair trailing behin
d
her along the floor. She was so beautiful that without thinking he reached out and grabbed her hair. " D o n 't do th at !" she cried, tur
ni ng bac k to look
at him. " Wh at do yo u
want with me?" Her face and voice might just as well have been an angel's, and the enthralled Tadazane only held on harder. With a sharp tos s of he r he ad she freed
hers elf an d pas se d on. T ad az an e wa s horrified
to find that he still had her hair. Then he woke up. His hand was gripping a fox's tail. Astonished, he called the monk and described what had happened. "I told yo u, Y o u r Exce lle ncy, I told ne ve r do ub te d th e rite
y o u ! " the mo nk bur ble d. "O h , I
w ou ld wo rk , bu t I mus t say, in
exp er ie nce it 's ne ve r w or k ed quite l ike this! at mid da y to mo rr ow .
all my ye ar s of
You'll have
Pe rh ap s y o u wo n' t have to
wh at yo u wa nt
exi le me after
all! "
Ta da za ne los t no tim e in mak in g him the ha nd so me prese nt of a wo ma n' s robe. The next day at noon Lord Tadazane's appointment was announced. He made it his first official act as regent to name the monk to a distin guished ecclesiastical post. As for the fox's tail, he carefully put it away. T h e n he set
ab ou t le ar ni ng th e Dak in i r ite
hims elf an d pe rf or me d it
whenever he had a special wish. They say it worked beautifully for him. Eventually Tadazane enshrined the tail in a hall on Mount Hiei, one already dedicated to a healing spirit. But for one reason or another ( pe rh ap s bec au se this sha ri ng of th e h all wa s not a go od idea ) a special shrine was eventually built for the tail down in the city. The god was give n th e na me Fu kut enj in, or
Celestial
Go d of Go od For tu ne. Th e
shrine is still there. T he most
cu ri ou s of Fuk ute nji n s ma ny wo nd er s occ urr ed in
1229. It
in vo lv ed a m a n k n o w n as Sa e m o n no J o , the son of a fo rm er off ici al in Echizen province. O n e ev en in g at twi lig ht Sae m on no Jo
ha d just l eft his mas ter 's resi
dence when at a nearby crossroads he stopped and exclaimed, "Oh, what beautiful him said
koto mus ic !" Th en he just
stoo d th ere listening. Th
e ma n with
he hea rd not hi ng . "W h a t a pi ty !" said Sa em on no J o , roote d to
the spot in fascination.
As soon as Sae
mo n no Jo got hom e, s om et hi ng we nt ve ry w r o n g in his
chest, and he became terribly ill. He also went completely mad and tried to ru sh o ff w es t wa rd . It to ok six st ro ng men
to st op him . Th e n he lea pt
high in the air, came down head first, and hit the floor so hard with his sho ul de rs that it looke
d as th ou gh h e wo ul d da sh himself
to pieces.
A ge ntl ema n na me d Tak at ok i wa s the n rent ing par t of a man sion jus t east
of the s ick ma n' s ho us e. W h e n Sa em on no
dir ec tio n an d aga in stra in ed to ru sh off, his
Jo no w poi nte d in tha t
fath er d e m a n d e d to k n o w
wh er e he wa nt ed to go. "I s it Tak at ok i yo u wa nt to se e? " he aske d. T he sick man n
od d ed y es . "T h e n w h y not just l et me call him ov e r ? " Th e sick
ma n looked pleas
ed an d agai n no dd ed ye s.
The father went over to Takatoki's place, explained the strange situa tion to him, and brought him back. As soon as the sick man saw Taka tok i, h e lef t off ra vi ng . Ve r y qu ie t no w, h e pi ck ed up a form al hat, p u t it on (he wanted to be properly dressed), and bowed deeply to Takatoki. Ne xt , h e gla red meanin
gfully
at the half-doz
a ro u nd him . Th e y too k the hint
en men
an d wi th dr ew . The
w h o we re stat ione d father
ma de himself
as inc on sp ic uo us as he cou ld in a cor ner , bu t w he n the sick ma n gla red at him in the same way, he left too. The sick man and Takatoki were alone together. Th e sick ma n look ed perfec tly ha pp y an d we nt on bo wi ng to Ta ka to ki . "Well?" said Takatoki. "What is this all about?" Th e sick bor, y ou see,
ma n bo w ed even mor
e dee ply tha n before. "Yo
u' re a neigh
an d I so mu ch wa nt ed y o u r co mp an y! "
"S o her e I am . Tell me fran
" I intuit he ar y o u sing, an
kly w h a t I ca n do for y o u . "
d play th e
koto a n d biwa."
" W h y , of co ur se , I' ll be ha p p y to m a k e mu si c for y o u as long cheer
as i t'l l
yo u u p ! "
Takatoki had a
biwa br ou gh t ov er an d beg an to
play. Th e sick
ma n
nodded on and on as he listened, and rocked from side to side. He looked as blissful as when he had stood listening to the music at the crossroads. Ta ka to ki w e n t on to
sin g all sor ts of so ng s as th e sick
ma n req ue st ed
them, and the sick man was in ecstasy. "We ll, n o w I've pla yed or su ng for y o u practicall Ta ka to ki fin all y de cla red . " D o n 't hesita
y ev ery thi ng I kn o w ,"
te to te ll me wh en yo u' d like
to
hear me again, because I'll happily oblige. There's no need to carry on the wa y y o u did . N ex t time, just Th e sick
ask quie tly !"
ma n starte d bo wi ng aga in. "O h , I wo ul dn 't pr es um e to ask
y o u ov er aga in ti ll I' m be tt er !" he pr ot es te d. "F in e . Th en I' ll be go in g. Bu t fir st I'd like to see yo u eat so me th in g. " When the sick man agreed, Takatoki had him brought some rice and dried abalone. The sick man gobbled up the rice with a great clicking of
6
6
teeth, then scraped the abalone into a pile which he swallowed easily in a couple of mouthfuls. His manners were not exactly normal. Next, Takatoki offered him wine. Normally Saemon no Jo barely drank at all, but now he downed two large cupfuls in quick succession, then disposed wil lin gly of a third. "All right, I'll be going now!" Takatoki announced. "Good-bye!" Near dawn the sick man's father came for Takatoki again. "He went back to raving once you were gone," he explained. "Could you possibly come?" Takatoki arrived to find the sick man in a terrifying frenzy. "All right," he said firmly, "what's this act you're putting on? I did eve ryt hi ng yo u aske d, a nd I p lay ed yo u all my music. You should have been fine then. What do you mean by carrying on like this instead?" "Well, you see," the sick man replied, "you wanted! There's that wonderful
didn't do everything I
te style on the biwa, and I wanted to hear
that, too!" "Fine! Why didn't you tell me in the first place?" Takatoki played a couple of pieces like that and the sick man listened attentively, nodding as usual. "All right, you've played the
biwa for me," he said. "How about some
koto now?"
"Certainly, if that's what you want." Takatoki played a couple of pieces while the sick man listened again in rapture. Finally day came and sunlight streamed in through a hole in the wall. When a dog's nose suddenly appeared in the hole, sniffing vigorously, the sick man stra ight ened up, paled , and showed ever y sign of terror. His father and Takatoki realized that the dog must have smelled a fox, and it dawned on them that the cause of all the trouble was Fukutenjin. They chased the dog away. "Well, I'm sure you feel fine now," said Takatoki, speaking quite consciously to the god. "I think I'll be going. Thank you very much for hav ing had me to pla y for yo u! I promise yo u music at yo ur shrine, too." Saemon no Jo lay unconscious till late afternoon while Takatoki, very upset over what had happened, took his two sisters to the Fukutenjin Shrine and went on playing the of the god.
koto and biwa with them, for the pleasure
E
4
8
•
DIVINE APPLAUSE Thr ee maste r da nc ers na me d Nor ita ka, Masa
su ke , and Tok isu ke acco m
panied the new governor of Bitchu when he went down to his province to salut e its go ds . Th ey da nc ed the tra dit ion al offering Wh en
Nor itak a performed
da nc es at eac h sh ri ne .
Rydd (always a favorite) at the Kibitsu
Shrine, the sanctuary creaked and shook. The crowd was amazed. Ma sasuke and Tokisuke were equally startled, but glad, too, that the god was so pleased. Then the god threw open the sanctuary doors, though of course he still could not be seen, and the crowd was transported with joy and awe. Soon it
wo uld be Mas
as uk e an d Tokisuk
bar ras sed t hey wo ul d be if the god to wa rd the sanc
ga ve
e's turn
to dan ce. H o w em
them no such sign! Both turned
tu ar y an d pray ed , in tears, t
hat their
art should be
just as
enjoyable. When the time came, they began
Raktuon. In a moment the sanctuary
was shaking so violently that it was quite alarming!
M
4
9
A
G
I
C
•
BRING BACK THAT FERRY! A l itt le cr ow d of pe op le wa it in g for th e ferry ince
at Kor aki in Ec hi ze n pr ov
w e re join ed by a mo un ta in asc etic n am ed
Kei tob o — a fellow
who
had done the pilgrimages to Golden Peak, to Kumano, and to every other sacred mountain of any importance in the land. When the ferry arrived, the people paid their fare and went aboard, but Keitobo demanded to be taken across free. The ferryman refused and cast off. " H o w can y o u do this man ignored him and rowed away.
to m e ? " Ke ito bo sho ute d, bu t the ferry
6
8
Ke it ob o cl enc hed his
tee th a nd bega n ru bb in g the bead s of his rosa ry
intently together, making a buzzing sound. He was casting spells, as anyone could tell. The ferryman glanced back at him from a few hundred yards offshore, showing plainly enough by his look that he thought Kei tobo a pathetic fool. Keitobo stared after him and stamped his feet into the sand halfway up his shi ns. T he n, gl ar ing red- ey ed at th e ferry an d almost his ros ar y wi th the fury Bring it back!"
demo lis hin g
of his ru bb in g, he bega n to shou t, " Br in g it back !
The boat kept going. Keitobo strode to the water's edge. "Guardian spiri t," he th un de re d, "b ri ng that ferry
bac k! I'm th ro ug h with the Bud
d h a for ever if y o u do n' t !" Nex t, he thr ea te ne d to th ro w his priestly
stole
into the sea. The bystanders turned pale when they saw what he was doing. The boat began gliding back toward the shore even though there was no wind. "That's it, that's it!" Keitobo roared. "Hurry, hurry, bring it in!" The onlookers turned paler still. " Fi n e! " he bello
wed
wh en the ferry
wa s les s than a
hu nd re d ya rd s
offshore. "Now, roll it over, capsize it!" This time the onlookers cried out in protest. "What a horrible thing to wi sh ! Yo u br ut e! W h y can't yo u leave the m al on e! " Ke it ob o on ly ro se to a st ill high er pitc h of ferocity. "
Tu rn that ferry
over / M »'!" he thundered. There was a huge splash as the ferry capsized and the two dozen passengers were pitched into the sea. Keitobo wiped the sweat from his brow. "The idiots!" he muttered. "When will they ever learn?" And he stalked off.
5
o
.
THE MAN-MADE FRIEND
Saig yo, t he poet
an d wa nd er in g monk , was liv ing on Mou nt Koya wh en
he ran i nto an ac qu ai nt an ce of his, a
fello w religi ous wa nd er er w h o wa s
staying on the mountain too. They met on a bridge and paused there to ch at an d ad mi re the brill iance of the moon . Sai gyo' s frien d rem ar ke d that he was off to the Capital. Sa ig yo wa s sa d to lose thi s co mp an i on a nd fou nd himself
lon gin g for
someone else to share his pleasure in moonlight and flowers. Then he hea rd a ma n wh os e know le dg e he resp ect ed desc ribe ho w a de mo n can collect human bones and make them into a human being. He went straight to a wild moor where people left the dead, put bones together, and made a man himself. At least, it looked like a man, but it ha d poo r co lor an d no he ar t or sp ar k of lif e. Its
voic e (for
it had on e)
sounded like a musical instrument. It is the heart which is essential in man, however pleasing the voice may be. Having nothing more than a voice, the thing he had made was like a damaged flute. Still, it was astonishing that he had come so close, and he hardly knew what to do with his creation. He considered breaking it up again, but tha t mig ht be mu rd er . Of co ur se it had
no con sci ous nes s, an d in that
look human. He left it in a deserted
sense was just like a plant. Yet it did
spot. No doubt anyone who found it would be frightened and think it some sort of apparition. Pe rp le xe d as he wa s,
Sa ig yo set of f for th e Cap ita l too , to see Lo rd
Tokudaiji, from whom he had learned many things in the past. Unfortu nately, Lord Tokudaiji was away at the palace. Saigyo decided to visit Lord Moronaka instead. He explained how his experiment had turned out, and Lord Moronaka asked him exactly what he had done. "I went into the wilds where no one could see me," Saigyo explained, "a nd put hu ma n bo ne s tog eth er to ma ke a comp lete skeleton. Th paint ed the bones ch ic kw ee d leaves
with arsenic, and
crum bled snake
ove r th em . Ne xt I tie d the bones
an d vin es, an d wa sh e d th em in hair wo ul d be gr ow in g,
en I
-st raw ber ry an d
tog eth er with thre
ma ny wa te rs . On the skull,
I ru bb ed ash es from the leaves
of
ad
wh e re the saikai an d ro se
of S h a ro n . F ina lly I sp re ad a ma t on th e gr ou nd , laid th e bo ne s on i t, a nd wrapped them securely so the wind couldn't get at them. Fourteen days later I
ca me bac k. I bu rn e d mu sk an d re gu lar ince nse an d did th e Sec ret
Rite of the Soul's Recall." "T ha t wa s abo ut ri ght ," s aid Mo ro na ka , "b ut yo u did the Rite
of the
Soul's Recall a bit soon. For myself, it happens that I've made people by the Shijo major counselor's method, but I'm afraid I can't me th od bec au se if I did,
the pe op le an d ot he r thi ngs I've
van ish . Yo u do kn o w a go od deal, th
at tra ct ed to inc ens e. An d since
devilish
ange lic bei ngs have
the
ma de wo ul d al l
ou gh , so I' ll help yo u. Fo r one thing
don 't bu rn in cen se. It's ange lic bei ngs , y o u see, not
ro un d of birth
tell y ou
,
on es w h o are
a de ep ho rr or of th e
an d de at h, y o u ar en 't goin g to get an y life-spark into
your
creature that way. You'd do better to burn musk and milk. And then, an yo ne w h o do es the Se cre t Rite of
the S oul 's Recall
sho uld hav e f asted
7
0
for se ve n da ys . If y o u follow
th os e dir ect ion s,
I gu ar an te e i t' ll wo rk .
You'll see." Bu t Saig yo th ou gh t bet ter of
the who le thing
an d decided to
go no
further.
i
5
.
THE LAUGHING FIT When Takashina Shumpei was sent down on an official assignment to Ky ush u, his
yo un ge r brot her, w h o had no
gov er nm ent pos t, went
with
him. Shumpei's brother soon met a newly arrived Chinese master of magic . Th e meth od involved manipu
lati ng the hexag
Changed by me an s of six w oo de n sticks
ab ou t th re e inches long
in section. These were called Shu mpe i's brot
dan
ram s of the
Book of
an d squ ar e
dan.
her wa nt ed t o learn
dan magic too. At first the Chinese
refused to teach him, but realized when he tried him out a little that he actu ally had
a re ma rk ab le talent. "
th ou gh ," the Chine
Th er e' s no point in
se wa rn ed . "J a p a n is hopeless
I' ll teac h y o u if y o u 11 co me b ac k wi th me to Chi
y o u r staying
here,
fo r wor kin g the
dan.
na ."
Shumpei's brother agreed right away, promising that he would happily do an yt hi ng to ma st er the art. "I'll be lo ng as I
glad to
go to Ch in a wit h yo u as
ca n ser ve y o u , " he as su re d the ma n. So
th e Chi ne se bega n
giving him lessons. He lear ned "There are many understand the China!"
wi th ama zi ng spee d, whi ch pleased his dan mas te rs in my
co un tr y, " he said, "bu
dan the w a y y o u do. Ye s, y ou
" O f cou rse I will," "I n the ar t of th e
tea che r greatly. t no ne of th em
mudt come back with me to
his stu den t ans wer ed. "A ny th in gy ou say." dan, " the Ch ine se con tin ued , "th ere are
me th od s fo r
healing the sick, as there are also methods for killing instantly anyone y o u m a y ha ve ca us e to dis lik e. I' ll giv e y o u fu ll kn o wl e dg e of th em all. Only
jwear tha t you 'll co me bac k to my co un tr y wit h me ."
Shumpei's brother swore, but not quite wholeheartedly. This did not esc ape the Chine
se , wh o tau gh t him ma ny thi ngs but with hel d the tech
ni qu e fo r killing. "I'll tea boat," he said.
ch y o u h o w to ki ll peo ple wh en we' re on the
O n e da y Ta ka sh in a Sh um pe i had busi ness , an d his
to leave
for the Capital on
br ot he r pr ep ar ed to go with him. Th
urg en t
e Chi nes e pr o
tested, but Shumpei's brother refused to stay behind. "The idea!" he ex cl ai me d. "I ca n't jus t let him go by himself!
Bu t I'l l k e e p my pr om is e,
don't worry!" "All rig ht, " ag re ed the Chin ese , "bu t co me bac k! I'v e been pla nn ing to leave f or Ch in a an y da y now . We'll
go to ge the r w h en y ou re tu rn ."
Wi th t his un de rs ta nd in g con clud ed, He w a s th in ki ng he mi gh t really
Shu mp ei' s bro the r left fo r Kyo to.
go to Ch in a after
all, but his
rel ati ons ,
as one might well imagine, persuaded him to stay on in the Capital inste ad. T he n S hu mp ei himself stop to
got win d of his br ot he r's plans
an d put a
the wh ol e idea. H is br ot he r ne ve r w en t ba ck to Kyu sh u.
The Chinese waited, and when he heard nothing from his student began to send him accusing messages. All he got back were excuses about "my aged parents," and about wanting to see them through to the end of their l ives
before un
de rt ak in g so long
a jo urn ey . Th e Chin ese realized
that his student had never meant to keep his promise, and he sailed to China alone. But before he left he laid a thorough curse on the miscreant. Shumpei's br ot he r had alw ay s bee n highl y intelligent but now , un de r the influence of th e cu rse , he g r e w va gu e, forgetful, an
d stu pid . In the
en d he co uld
onl y m a k e himse lf int o a sor t of m o n k at a mo un ta in te mp le, an d he sp en t his life trudging back and forth between this temple and Shumpei's resi dence. He had become a useless fool. He w a s on ce at Sh um pe i' s ho use on vigil , wh e n eve ry on e has to
th e night
of the mon th ly Kos hin
sta y a w a k e ti ll d a w n on pai n of sufferin g
some calamity.
Th e y o un g w om e n of the hou seho ld had
aw ay the night
tog eth er, an d in the small
gat her ed to while
ho urs , w h en they
w er e begi n
ning to feel awfully sleepy, they noticed their master's brother over in a corner, looking as witless as ever. "How about high-spirited lady. "Maybe she called
to him, "tell
hini\" cried a particularly
h e kno ws a go od story
or tw o!
Co me , sir,"
us a sto ry an d m ak e us la ugh ! La ug hi ng will ke ep
us awake!" "I can't talk very well," the poor fool answered, "and I don't know any funn y stor ies . Bu t if y o u jus t w a n t to lau gh, ye s, I can ma ke y o u laug h, I certainly can!" "Y ou won 't te ll us a sto ry bu t you 'll ma ke us laugh an yw ay ? W h a t ar e yo u go in g to do ?
Da nc e, p er ha ps ? Oh , that'll
story!" The lady laughed at the very thought. " N o , no, "Well,
I'm just go in g to ma ke y o u la ug h."
how? Com e then , sh ow us ! "
be even bette
r th an a
7
2
The women watched eagerly as Shumpei's brother moved up to the lamp, untied the bag that held
his
and emptied the sticks on the floor.
"What's funny about those things?" the women complained. "Why, no th in g at all!
Co me , come, we
Sh ump ei 's brot he r ignored wit h the sticks
w a n t to la ug h! " the m.
Instead, he
began maki
ng passes
an d arr ang ing the m in pat ter ns.
W h e n he w a s finis hed,
he h ad one l ef t ov er , an d he hel d it up befo re
them. "Now, ladies," he said, "you're going to laugh, and let's hope it doesn't hurt too badly. Yes indeed, you're going to laugh!" " H o w stupi d can yo u b e ? " the wo me n mut ter ed. " H o w could
laughing
hurt?" Sh um pe i' s bro th er ad de d the las t stick to the pat te rn . A spa sm of mirth abruptly seized all the women. They laughed and laughed and simply could not stop. Tears poured from their eyes, their sides felt as though they were literally splitting, and they thought they were going to die. Un ab le even
to speak, th
ey w r u n g thei r ha nd s before
the to rm en to r w h o
just n o w h a d b ee n thei r victim, begging him t o desist. "I told y o u ! " he s aid. "H av e yo u had en ou gh ?" They nodded frantically, rolling around the floor and laughing hilar iously even as they pleaded. When he thought they had suffered enough, he broke up the pattern. There was a sudden, dazed silence. "I'd have be en de ad if th at h ad go ne on mu ch lon ge r, " on e w o m a n fi nal ly ga sp ed . "I 'v e nev er ha d su ch an awful ex pe ri en ce in my
life!"
T he y we re a ll lying
in a heap, practically ill with exhaustion. Peo pl e said it
w as a go od thin g tha t Shu mp ei 's brot he r had never
taught how to kill people with the
san. If he had , so me th in g
been
really awful
might have happened.
5
2
SMALL-TIME MAGIC Long ago Emperor Yozei sent Michinori, an imperial guard, down to the east to collect
ta x re ve nu es . On the
pr ov in ce at the hou civilly
se of a co un ty magistr
bef ore ret ir in g wi th his reta
Un ab le to
w a y Mi ch in or i st op pe d of f in Sh in an o
sleep, Mi
ate, w h o ente rta ine d him very
ine rs fo r th e nig ht.
chi nor i quietly
got
up again and
bega n pokin g
about the house. He soon found a beautiful room with fine new matting
.
on th e floor and
a scr een ed- off sp ac e insi de. A la mp wa s b ur n in g wit hin
the screens, and a delicious fragrance floated on the air. Peeking curi ously between two screens, he saw a woman in her late twenties, exqui sitely lovely in face and figure, lying there all alone. The more he looked the less he felt like leaving. No one was around. He th ou gh t it over . T he ma gis tra te had been ver his wife, he
ou gh t not to
y kind, a nd if this wa s
ta ke ad va nt ag e of he r. On
the ot he r ha nd , he
could not resist trying his luck. He slid into bed beside her. The woman just smiled. Michinori was as pleased as punch. Her scent was delicious. Since it was early fall and the weather still warm, neither of th em had mu c h on . He und re sse d. W h e n he sl id his ha nd s un de r he r shift, she put up only token resistance and let him fondle her as he pleased. Fee ling
a su dd en tickle bet
we en his
legs, Mic
hin ori rea ch ed f or his
me mb er . It w a s not the re. He gr op ed ar ou nd feverishly
like a ma n try ing
to catch a bug in his beard, but it was gone as though it had never been. Al l th ou gh t of the w o m a n , w h o lay th er e smiling
enigmati
cally, va
ni she d
from his mind. Finally he got up, went back to his own bed completely confused, and made another minute inspection. It was hopeless. Mi ch in or i w as no t to o pa ni ck ed to use his men , told
he ad . H e calle d on e of his
him ab ou t th e st un ni ng w o m a n he ha d found, and men
tha t she wa s av ail abl e. T he m a n w h o we nt o ff wi th high hop
ti on ed
es soon ca me
back looking deeply disturbed. "He got it too!" thought Michinori, and passed the tip on to the next victim, who came back in his turn with an gu is h wri tt en al l ov er his
face. M ic hi no ri sent a ll eigh t of his me n to
the woman, and they all looked the same way when they came out. Th e sky paled
wi th the
co mi ng of da wn . Con si de ri ng the nigh t's disas
ter, Mi ch in or i pr ef er re d to leav e as qu ic kl y as poss ible , de spi te his hos t's ki nd wel co me , an d he a nd his men h
ur ri ed of f bef ore it w a s f ull y light.
Th ey ha d not gon e mor e tha n a qu ar te r of a mile w h en a ma n gall ope d up behind them, hailing them urgently and holding aloft a package w ra p p e d in wh it e pa pe r. T he rider "T he ma gis tra te told me y ou h ave le ft th em b eh in d? we re in such a
ru sh that
pic ked the m up
wa s one of their
host's retain
ers.
to deliv er thes e to y o u ," he said. "H We had
y o u r brea kfast
y o u mus t hav e just forgotten the
for y o u an d here the
ow
could
al l ready , bu t y o u m. An yw ay , we
y ar e. " Mi chi nor i an d his
pa rt y
wondered what he was talking about. Th e pa ck et co nt ai ne d a he ap of male orga mu sh ro om s. D um bf ou nd ed , the each count
ing nine. Su
men
ns ; the y looke d ra th er like
inspected
dd en ly the organ
s vanishe
the m one d, and
afte r ano the r, the
wheeled his horse around and galloped away. Michinori and his men sh ou te d fo r joy, "It's
ba ck ! It's ba ck !"
mess eng er
7
4
On his return journey Michinori stopped again at the magistrate's ho us e a n d ma d e him a ge ne ro us gif t of gold, ho rse s, eagle
feather s, and
the like. He explained to the puzzled magistrate that he hoped to learn j u s t w h a t h a d b e e n d o n e t o h i m d u r i n g h i s las t v i s i t. T h e m a g i s t r a t e fe lt he coul d har dl y refus e. He told Mic hi no ri ho w in hi s y ou t h he had an affair an old
ha d
wi th t he y o u n g wife of th e ma gi st ra te of an ot he r cou nty , himself ma n, a nd how
su dd en ly his m em b er too had dis app ear ed.
He ha d
done his best to be very, very nice to the old magistrate until he had su cc ee de d in get tin g himself
ta ug ht the same mag
ic.
But
he remin ded
Mi ch in or i tha t Mi ch ino ri wa s pre sen tl y tra veli ng on imperial business
. If
he wanted to learn the magic too, he should go straight back to the Capital, conclude his mission, and then come back privately. Michinori readily agreed, and set off. When he came again he brought this magistrate another suitable pres ent, and the magistrate cheerfully undertook to teach him all he knew. " H o w e v e r , " he cau tio ned , "yo u don 't learn
this
sort
of thi ng casually.
Fir st yo u'l l ha ve to spe nd sev en day s fasting
an d pur ify ing yo ur se lf wi th
cold water." Michinori did as he was told, and on the appointed day the magistrate took him far up into the mountains. They came to a stream beside which the magist
rate
we nt th ro ug h vari ous ritual
pro ced ure s and ma de Michi
nor i s we ar a te rri bl y sinfu l oath . Th en the magi " N o matt er wh at come s do wn the
str at e set of f up st re am .
st rea m," he wa rn ed , "grab it
ar ms . Dev il or de mo n, I do n' t care, just
in yo ur
th ro w y o u r ar ms ro un d it!"
Soon a heavy rainstorm blew in from upstream. The sky blackened an d th e w a t er ro se . D o w n th e st re am cam e a colossal
sn ak e. Its head
alone was big enough to fill a man's arms and its eyes were like great br on ze bow ls . T he sna ke 's bac k wa s a de ep blue
an d its belly wa s red.
Michinori knew well enough that he was supposed to throw his arms around it but instead was so terrified that he collapsed on the spot. The magistrate quickly returned. "How did it go?" he asked. "Didyou hold on to it?" Michinori reported what had happened. "Too bad!" said the magistrate. "You won't be able to learn. Well, anyway, let's try ag ai n. " An d of f he wen t. In no tim e an en or mo us bo ar ca me hurt lin g do wn , bristli
ng with fury ,
crushing great boulders, and belching fire. Once again Michinori was terrified, but he desperately screwed up his courage and dashed forward to cla sp it in his
a r m s . It t u r n e d ou t to be a bit of old log.
He w a s ter ri bly
let down, especially when he realized that the snake too must have been a log.
He w a s kic ki ng himsel f for not ha vi ng go ne after
the magistrate reappeared.
the sna ke w he n
Michinori told him how it had gone this time. "Well," replied the ma gis tra te,
"yo u lo st y o u r fir st ch an ce an d tha t mea ns y o u can' t learn
wh at yo u wa nt ed . But I th ink y ou could man me nt.
ag e som e oth er li tt le am us e
I' ll teach y ou on e. " Mi ch in or i learn ed wh at he could
and re tu rn ed
disappointed to the Capital. Back at the palace he bet his fellow guards that he could turn all their shoes into puppies, then did it, and the puppies scrambled around all ov er th e plac e, y a p p i n g ma dl y; a nd he tu rn ed an old st ra w san dal into
a
great big carp flopping around on a dinner tray. When the emperor heard abo ut these
goin gs-o n, he su m m on ed Mich ino ri an d got
himself
tau ght
mag ic too . H is Maje st y us ed it to m ak e th e gr an d pro ces sio n of the K a m o festival go by over the screen he always sat behind. Peo ple deepl
y di sa pp ro ve d of the em pe ro r himself
lear ning
an art
which offended the Buddha's way, and one has to agree that not only wa s Mich ino ri ( wh o after
al l was a
no bo dy ) ver y wr on g to teach him,
bu t tha t ho we ve r ra re thes e sort of te ng u tri cks ma y be, Hi s Maj est y wa s a bit crazy to want to learn.
5
3
.
THE LITTLE OIL JAR Sa nes uke , the Mn
i s t e r of the Right, was
traveling
up Om iy a Ave nue
one day on his way to the palace when he saw a little oil jar rolling and ho pp in g al on g in front of
his carr iag e. T his was so
spirit
Ev en tu al ly the jar tu rn ed wes t of f Om iy a, a nd
m us t be at wo r k.
od d tha t he gue ss ed a
after still another turn rolled up to a certain gate. The gate was locked, and the jar began jumping against it in an obvious effort to get in through the keyh ol e. Af ter miss ing tim e after
time,
it f ina lly su cce ede d, a nd in
through the keyhole it went. S an es uk e l ef t now , bu t he identified an d ha d the ma n fi nd ou t as dis cre etly
the hous e to one of his se rv an ts as possible
w he th er an yt hi ng
unusual had happened there. The man came back to report that the da ug ht er of the ho us e, w h o ha d been i ll fo r som e time , h ad just died. Sanesuke realized that the jar had indeed been a spirit, and that it had killed the girl once it got in. His cleverne
ss grea tly im pre sse d eve ryo ne w h o kn ew him.
7
6
T H E
S E X E S
4 .
5
A HARD MOMENT K ot od a lived
wi th his
wife an d da ug ht e r in th e ma nsi on of Lo rd Sa da -
fusa , for all th re e w e re in Sad afu sa' s serv ice.
He w as ver y pr ou d of the
expert way he saw to all his master's affairs, and he had taken care to provide his daughter with a very fine husband. Ha vi ng just spent
the night
with
Ko tod a's dau gh ter , the y o u n g man
w o k e up on e mo rn in g to fin d th at it wa s po ur in g wi th rain;
so instead of
leavi ng as usua l, he stay ed wh er e he wa s. Me an wh il e the da ug ht er we nt to look
al te r he r mis tre ss, l eavi ng th e y o u n g ma n lying
in their
bed
completely surrounded by screens. The spring rain showed no sign of letting up. In time Kotoda decided that his son-in-law must be getting rather bo re d. W i th a tr ay of sn ac ks in
on e ha nd an d a go ur d of wi ne in the
othe r, he he ad ed f or the y o u n g coupl e's roo m. Discre tion pro mp te d h im to enter not from the garden, as he would normally have done, but from inside the house. Naked under the covers, his son-in-law was lying staring up at the cei ling , ho t for his wif e. T h a t so un d of a do or in th e hou se sliding obv iou sly mea nt that
op en
she w as f ina lly bac k f rom He r Ladysh ip's . Whi sk
ing th e co ve rs ov er his face a n d off ev er yt hi ng else, he r u bb e d up a go od hard-on and arched his back to display it. The screens parted. Kotoda's shocked recoil sent food and drink flying. He fell flat on his back with his beard in the air and hit his head so hard he saw stars.
K
5
5 .
T
A NICE MUG OF MOLTEN COPPER E
S
A ch am be rl ain c our tin g the dau gh te r of the abbo t of Daianji in Na so mu c h in love da wn , as
r a wa s
wi th th e girl th at so me ti me s he did not eve n lea ve her at
he sh ou ld have , bu t sta yed on
into
the
da y. On one
su ch
occasion he was napping in her room when he dreamed he heard the whole household weeping and wailing. He went to see what was the matter and found them all, from the abbot and his wife (now a nun) on down, holding mugs and sobbing. Th is se em ed ver y o d d ti ll he rea liz ed th at the mu gs w e r e fu ll of mo lt en copper. The most fearful demon could hardly force anyone to take so gruesome a refreshment but, tears or no tears, these people were drinking it; and when in agony they had emptied one mug, some were even asking for mo re . T he ser va nts w er e dr in ki ng up too, ev ery one of the m. When a maid came to call the chamberlain's sweetheart, she got out of bed an d we nt . In ho r r o r he wa tc h ed the maid f co pp er an d give it
ill a silver
m ug wit h mol ten
to his Bel ove d. T he girl too k it , ut ter ed a he ar t- re nd in g
little cry, and downed the liquid metal, whimpering pathetically. Smoke po ur e d from her
eye s an d nos e.
"S er ve ou r gu es t! " co mm an de d the abbot, and th e ch am be rl ai n wi th a cu p on a tr ay . "Am
the maid
ap pr oac hed
I goi ng to ha ve to dr in k it
to o? " he wo nd er ed in terror , and wo ke up. On op en in g his eye s he sa w tha t the maid
ha d br ou gh t lunc h, an d he
heard loud slurping and chewing from his future father-in-law's room. Cl ea rl y th e mo n k w a s in fact gu ilt y of a gr av e sin: h e w as eati ng up w h a t rightful ly be lon ged to
the temp le . Sa dd en ed by hi s discovery,
the y o u n g
ch am be rl ai n w a n te d no mo re to do wi th the fami ly, an d his love for the girl ev ap or at ed . He exc us ed hims elf wit h the plea without eating a bite, and never came back.
that he fe lt unw ell , le ft
7
8
5
"6 .
THE LITTLE BOTTLE OF TEARS Heichu, the great lover, was quite prepared to feign dramatic sobs when reje cted , e ven if he did
not really
ca re for th e w o m a n tha t muc h; a nd he
w e n t co ur ti ng wi th a littl e bottle of
w at er fast ened to his
ar m so that he
could produce tears and wet sleeves whenever he needed them. O n e d a y He ic hu 's wife notic in thei r ho us e, a nd the
ed him slip so me th in g up on top of a be am
nex t tim e he st ep pe d out she
too k it do wn . I t w as
a l ittle bot tle of w a t er an d a pac ke t of the ti ny drie d flower bu
ds th at
people chew to make their breath smell nice. She emptied out the water, filled the bottle with rich black ink, switched the flower buds for mouse turds, then put the bottle and packet back on the beam. H ei ch u w e n t of f th at nigh t as he al wa ys did. He cam
e back at
d aw n in
a ve ry sou r mo od an d sp at vig oro usl y as he lay d ow n. " M u s t be som e goblin got into that packet!" he muttered. By daylight he noticed his sleeves were all black. Then he looked in the mirror. His smudgy, black face, alm os t invisible bu t for t w o eye s shi nin g out of th e da rk ne ss , gav e him quite a turn. Next he checked the little bottle. Yes, that was ink in there, all right; and he knew a mouse turd when he saw one. D ee pl y morti fied,
He i ch u ga ve up his fake te ars an d his fl ow er bu ds .
5
7
ELIMINATION Taira no Sadafun, commonly known as Heichu, was the deputy com m a n d e r of the
Pala ce Gu ar ds . He wa s a ma n of resp ect able rank, ha
nd
some and elegant, and in everything he did or said the most amusing fellow
of his ti me . N at ur al ly he co ur te d eve ry wife, ever
y da ug ht er , and
ab ov e all , ever y lad y-i n-w ait ing with in reach. A cer ta in mi ni ste r had in his ho lad y as ever
the re wa s, a nd her
us eh ol d as lovely
an d as wit ty a y o u n g
na me wa s Jij u. He ic hu kn ew abo ut her
since he often visited the minister, and in fact had been pursuing her for ag es , b ut she ha d not de ig ne d to an s w er a singl e on e of his let ter s.
.
M u c h pu t out,
He ic hu fin all y tri ed a not e th at beg ge d he r at least
to
answer the one word "acknowledged"; and he ended it, "Yours in cease less tears." When he saw the messenger return actually carrying a reply, he ran out and opened it feverishly. The lady had torn the "acknowl ed ge d" ou t of his ow n letter, s
tu ck it on ano th er piece of
pa pe r, a nd sent
it right back to him. Heichu went wild. "All right, that's enough!" he swore to himself. "I give up." Th at wa s on th e last da y of th e se con d mo on . He ic hu sent
Ji ju not hi ng
between then and well into the fifth moon when, on a dark and dismally rainy night, he found himself brooding over her again. "If I wen t toni gh t it'd surel if she 's got
something to her," he ruminated, "even
y do
a hea rt of st on e. " T he h ou r w a s late, t he rain
d o w n inter min ably , and the blac
kne ss of the night
w as be at in g
wa s fin al. Th e helpless
Heichu found his way to the minister's residence and called for a little maid who had passed messages for him before. "Here I am. I can't stand it any more." That was what he sent the maid of f to tell Jij u. T h e mai d wa s soon ba ck wi th w o r d th at Jij u wa s pr es en tl y at te nd in g Hi s Exc ell enc y an d H e r La dys hip , and couldn
't retire
just ye t
because the household was still up. "Wait a bit," Jiju's message con cl ude d. "I'll talk
to y o u in pri va te later
on ."
He ic hu 's hear t beat fa st. "Wel l, well, " th ou ght he, tu rn a fellow
"she really
coul dn't
a w a y on a ni gh t like th is ! I'm so gla d I ca m e ! "
He wa it ed by the da or mo re later he
rk en ed do or for w ha t see med l ike ye ar s. An h ou r
he ar d th e so un ds of peo pl e goi ng to bed . Th en so me on e
came to his door and quietly opened the latch. With bated breath he tes ted it: it slid easily
as id e. He w o n de r e d wh et he r he wa s dr ea mi ng . In
fact he was shaking with joy, but he managed to calm down enough to steal inside. A swee t frag ranc e of ince nse fille d the roo m. He ic hu grop ed his toward where he knew the bed must be and found someone was lying
wa y
th er e. Ye s, i t w a s a w o m a n a n d sh e ha d on ly on e ro be on. H e fe lt ov er her hea d an d sh oul der s.
H e r feat ures we re fi ne , an d the hair
str eam ing
out along the floor was as smooth and cool to the touch as ice. All but delirio us now,
He ic hu wa s te mp or ar il y dep ri ved of speech by
a fit of
trembling. " O h de ar ," excl aim ed the w o ma n, " I've po rt an t!
I di dn 't lock
the do or into
forgotten
som eth in g ver y im
this par t of the hous e. I' ll be righ t
back." That sounded all right to Heichu. "Don't be long!" he called after her. Sh e got up a nd we nt jus t as she
wa s, whi le He ic hu und re ss ed an d lay
8
0
d o w n . A lock
clic ked . A n y m o m e n t she
wo ul d be ba ck . But
no, the
footsteps faded out deeper into the house. Time passed. With grave mi sg iv in g He ic h u w en t to ch ec k th e doo r. It w as locke d, a ll right — from the other side. He danced up and down and wept with rage, then just stood there in a daze, against the door, pouring as many tears as the rai ny skies
out sid e. " W h a t a tr ap she led me in to !" he gro an ed . "O h , this
is aw ful ! It I'd onl y reali zed, to lock
I cou ld hav e sta ye d wi th her wh e n she we nt
th e do or ! I su pp os e sh e w a n ts to see h o w far she can
pu sh me .
She must think me a perfect idiot!" This thought, even more than the miss ed op po rt un it y, b ro ug ht Hei ch u to the l ast pitch of
desp air.
"Well, let the day dawn!" his mind ran on. "I don't care, I'm going to sle ep right he
re , an d if th ey co me in
an d find me , so mu ch the
be tt er !"
But as dawn actually approached and he heard the household waking up, he dec id ed tha t disc reti on
wa s the bet ter part of
valo r and sn ea ke d
qu ic kl y o ff wh il e it wa s s ti ll da rk . Forever after, Heichu longed to hear some rumor about Jiju that w ou l d really
pu t him o ff her , b ut since he nev
er did he
we nt on bu rn in g
for he r ins tea d. T h e n on e d ay he ha d an idea . F or al l Ji ju 's be au ty an d wit, the matter she deposited in her chamber pot was bound to be the sa m e as w h a t he l ef t in his o w n . If by ho ok or cr oo k he co uld get hold of some of that,
that
ought to cure him! "I'll ambush her maid when she
go es to w a s h th e po t,
I' ll stea l it, a n d I' ll ha ve a go od look in si de !" he
promised himself. He ic hu we n t str aig ht of f to lurk (as innoc
entl y as possible
) outside
Ji ju 's roo m. O u t ca me a sm ar t y o u n g maid wit h hair do wn almost he m of he r pin k an d gr ee n jacke t, wh ic h she wo re over
to the
a pur ple trous
ski rt ca sua lly tu ck ed up . Sh e w a s ca rr yi ng a pot (a box , actually, as th e cu st om th en ) w r a p p e d in fi lmy , ligh t-or ang e si lk , discreetly
erwa s
scr een ing
it from view with a red paper fan that had some scene or other painted on i t. Sh e ma d e a ve ry stylish out of
sight of
pi ct ur e. He ic hu sh ad ow ed he r ti ll she wa s
th e hous e, th en cha rg ed up
an d sna tch ed the
box . S he
burst into tears and refused to let go, but Heichu tore it ruthlessly from her grasp, fled into a deserted building, and locked the door from the inside. The maid was left crying outside. He ic hu e xa mi ne d the box . It w a s beautifully
lac que red — so pretty , in
fact, that he hated to go further. The contents were one thing, but for a c h a m b e r po t this
w a s a un iq ue wo rk of art . To thi nk he
op en it an d de st ro y for eve r his fond
visions of
its ow ne r!
wa s going to He cou ld not
bear the idea, and for a while just stared at the box instead. Still, this was no time to turn back. Tremulously he removed the lid. A rich fra gra nc e of inc ens e pe rf um ed the air. Wh a t on ea rth ? Go lde n wa te r
half filled the box, and in it swam three brownish, cylindrical objects abou t the
thick ness of
a th um b. "W el l,"
tho ugh t Heic hu, " there
the y
are!" But this heavenly scent was not exactly what he expected from th e m. He sp ea re d one wi th a slip of wo o d an d held it Mu sk , clove,
sa nd al wo od : these
gi ng er ly to his no se .
per fume s an d mo re mingle d in an exq ui
site blend which floated into his nostrils like a giddying caress. He wa s out of
his de pt h. Th is w o m a n w as not of
co mm on mor tal . Wi th awful certa
inty he
saw that the
the sa me or de r as a ver y idea of bri ng
ing her round was absurd. He drew the box to his lips and sipped the go lde n wa te r:
it w a s re do le nt of clove s. He licked
b ro w n objec t he had
sp ea re d: b ot h bit ter
the tip
an d swe et, it
of the ro un d w as end less ly
fragrant. Heichu was clever too, and he could see perfectly what Jiju had done. Fo r the ur in e she had simpl
y boiled cloves
an d d r a w n of f th e wa te r. Fo r
the othe r ma tt er she had gro
un d tog eth er ya ms , incen se spices, and
swe et vin e, an d mo ld ed the mix
tu re in the co ve r of a large
wr it in g br us h.
An yo ne coul d do tha t, of co ur se . Bu t for he r to ha ve div ine d tha t he wo ul d w an t to co nt em pl at e the cont
en ts of her cha mb er pot —
be yo nd any th in g. A ge ni us li ke Jiju wa s just not of this wo rl d. Wi th these th ou gh ts whi rli ng deliriously th ro ug h his head,
that was
He ic hu
sickened, suffered awhile, and died.
5
8
.
BUT 5HE COULDN'T HELP IT! Late one evening the future Major Counselor Tadaie was courting a coy an d beauti ful lady. S
he w a s sitt ing de mu re ly in he r roo m, be hi nd her
curtains, while he talked to her from the veranda. The moonlight was br ig ht er th an da y. F ina lly Ta da ie cou ld no lon ger sta nd it. He cr aw le d under the curtains, took her shoulders, and tried to draw her to him. "Oh, don't!" she cried, hiding under her long hair and struggling to escape. In doing so she let out a loud fart. There was dead silence. She lay very still. " O h n o !" gr oa ne d Tad aie . "T hi s is the en d! H o w can I fac e the wo rl d agai n? I'll hav e to ent er religion
!" Du ck in g ba ck out un de r the cur tai ns
8
2
he s n ea k ed o ff, f ully in te nd i ng to ma k e hims elf int o a mo nk . But in m o m e n t he be ga n to w o n d e r w h y he sh oul d hav e to ent er religion
a
just
be ca us e so me w o m a n ha d di sg ra ce d herse lf, an d inst ead simp ly got out of t h e r e as fast as he co ul d. No one knows what happened to the lady.
THE GENIE O n c e the fam ous yi n- ya ng divi ner Seimei
wa s wa tc hi ng the
par ade of
gentlemen arriving at the palace in fashionably ostentatious style when he notic ed a han ds om e an d elegan t y o u n g cha mbe rla in alighting car ri age . The
ch am be rl ai n ha d har dl y sta rted
to wa rd
the
fro m his Gre at Hall
when a passing crow dropped filth on him. "Oh dear," thought Seimei, "he 's so y o u n g an d ha nd so me , and so pity th at geni e got him
well received by
— be ca us e th at bir d cer tai nly
eve ryo ne!
Wh at a
wad a genie. Some
thing awful seems to be in store for him!" He fel t so sor ry fo r th e y o u n g m a n tha t he w e n t ov er to tal k to him . "A re y o u on y o u r w a y to H is Maj es ty ?" he ask ed. " It's for ward of
me to
spe ak, I kno w, b ut I w on de r w ha t y o u r pu rp os e is , beca use , yo u see, yo u mu st n' t sp en d the night in
the palace. Th
at' s quite
clear. No
, come
wit h
me in st ea d. I' ll hel p y o u as bes t as I c an ." It was about four in the afternoon. The two went to the chamberlain's house in his carriage, and all the way the chamberlain trembled and begged Seimei to save him. After sunset Seimei kept his arms tight around the chamberlain and laid protective spells. He spent the night in endless, unintelligible muttering. The fall night was long. At dawn there was a knock on the door, and Seim ei ha d the cham be rl ai n send some
one to an sw er . I t wa s a mess enge r
from th e en e my divi ner. T he cha mbe rla in' s bro the r-i n-l aw, wh o live d in
an ot he r par t of the hou se, wa s so jealo us of the cha mb erl ai n that he
ha d
had this diviner set a genie on the chamberlain to kill him. Seimei had spotted the genie. "The gentleman was so strongly protected," the mes senger loudly announced, "that the genie came back and killed my master instead!" "You see?" said Seimei. Th e fathe r-i n-l aw dr ov e the villain chamberlain gave Seimei a rich reward.
b~
o
ou t of the hou se, a nd the
gratef ul
.
ONE FROG LESS Seimei wa
s visiting
a gre at prel ate he k n e w w he n a y o u n g mo nk in the
prelate's entourage said he had heard that Seimei kept genies, and asked Seimei whether he could kill a man easily. "Not easily, no," Seimei replied. "It would take a big effort. I suppose I could kill a small creature rea dil y en ou gh , but I can'
t see an y poi nt in do in g so. Sinc e I w ou ld n' t
k n o w ho w to br in g it bac k to li fe , I'd just end up comm J u s t the n so me fr ogs po nd . " T r y killing
sta rte d ju mp in g acros s the
on e of th os e for us ," said
"Y ou 'r e wi ck ed , aren 't y o u ! " Seimei lenge, th
ou gh ." He picke
it ti ng a sin ." ga rd en to wa rd the
th e mo nk .
replied. "A
chall enge is
a chal
d up a bla de of grass , mutt er ed som eth ing , and
tossed the grass at a frog. The grass crushed the frog and killed it in stantly . Th e mo nk s loo ki ng on tur ne d pale with fear .
b~
i
.
THE SPELLBOUND PIRATES Ch ito ku , a mo nk and a pro vin ce.
profes sional
yi n- ya ng diviner, lived
He wa s an un usu al ma n.
One day a ship came sailing up the Harima coast toward the Capital,
in H ar im a
8
A
lade n wi th a rich carg stole eve
o. J u s t of f Ak ash i it wa s bo ar de d by pirates, w
ry th in g on bo ar d an d killed most
w e re the vessel's own
er and a
ho
of th e cr ew . Th e only sur viv ors
cou ple of
his ser van ts, w h o plu nge d into
the sea and managed to drag themselves, weeping, up on the shore. When Chitoku happened by, leaning on his staff, he asked them what the matter was. The owner told him how the day before they had been set upon by pirates. " W h y , that' s te rri ble !" Ch ito ku expla ine d. "I' ll bri ng the m to justice an d get y o u r thin gs b ack for y o u ! " Th e o w ne r did not to say, thr
ou gh his
tak e him seriously, tear s, " I'd be very
bu t he hu mo re d Chito ku enoug h grateful if
y ou w ou ld !"
" W h a t time ye ste rd ay did it ha p pe n? " Chi tok u asked, an
d the ow ne r
told him. Chitoku took the owner out in a small boat to precisely where the at ta ck
ha d oc cu rre d, the n wr ot e thi ngs
al ou d over
the sea.
Ba ck on land he
on
the
wa te r an d read
wo rd s
pos ted wa rr io r gu ar ds just as tho ug h
he meant to arrest someone who was actually present. On the seventh day after the attack, a ship came drifting in from n o w he re , fu ll of a rm e d me n. T he g ua rd s ro we d out to mee t it , but the me n, w h o loo ked as th ou gh th ey we re de ad dr un k, m ad e no att emp t to get aw ay . I t w as th e pira te shi p. E ve ry th in g the pirates had
stolen
wa s
still on board, and the cargo was now unloaded and returned to its rightful owner. The local people wanted to seize the pirates themselves, bu t Ch it ok u had the m tu rn ed ov er to him th at ag ai n! " he w a rn e d th em . "B y rights th at wo ul d just be
instea d. "D on 't yo u eve r do yo u shou ld be exe cute d, but
an ot he r sin. R em em be r, the re's
an o ld monk in th
is
pr ov in ce th at y o u 'd bet ter not cro ss !" An d he sent the m pack ing . So on th e sh ip ow ne r wa s able to begin fi
tti ng out ano th er ship.
THE TEST M a n y ye ar s ag o a do dd er in g old mo nk sho we d up at Seimei Ts uc hi mi ka do Av en ue in K yot o in the comp
Seimei asked him who he was. He answered that he was from Harima province and that he wanted to learn divination. He had come because Seimei was supposed to be a real expert.
s hou se on
an y of tw o ten-year-old boys.
Seimei guessed that the old fellow knew more than he let on and had actually come to test him. On his mettle now, he decided to have a bit of fun himself. The two boys seemed to be genies. Seimei prayed silently that if
th ey w er e, t he y sh ou ld vani sh;
an d he secr etly cast
a spell
an d
made the appropriate passes under his sleeves. Then he promised the mo nk that he
wo ul d teach him
wh at ev er he wa nt ed if he cam e ba ck on
some other, more auspicious day. The monk thanked him, bowed, and left. He was nearly out the gate when he stopped and began poking about among the carriages parked there. Then he came back to Seimei. "Those two boys I had with me have disappeared, sir," he said. "I'd appreciate yo ur ret urn ing the m before I "I 'm
afraid I
should
I have
go ."
don 't kn o w w ha t y o u me an ,"
"Why
tak en y o u r bo ys ?"
"I see wh at y o u me an , si r, but none "V er y well. Yo u had me gen ies to test me, b won't catch
Seimei replied.
thel ess, p lease acc ept my ap olo gy ."
wo rr ie d a mo me nt , comi ng ar ou nd wit h tw o
ut I adv ise y o u to do y o u r test ing el se wh er e. Y ou
m e like that." Then he murmured a spell, and shortly the two
boys came running up to their master from somewhere outside. "I t' s tr ue , sir ," th e mo n k said, " I did me an to test y o u . It's ea sy to kee p genie s, but
I coul dn' t possib ly ma ke some on e else's
geni es di sap pe ar.
Plea se l et me be y o u r dis ci ple ." Seimei accepted him on the spot.
6
3
.
MAN'S BEST FRIEND A long time ago the Regent Fujiwara no Michinaga built Hojoji in Kyoto, an d after
th at m a d e a ha bi t of visitin g th e tem pl e daily.
br ou gh t wi th him
wa s ab ou t to pass thr ou gh the gate stood in
He al wa ys
a wh it e do g he part icu la rly liked. O n e da y his ca rri ag e as usual whe
the ga te wa y, an d sto pp ed the
car ria ge.
n the do g da rte d ah ea d, Its beh avi or see med ve ry
strange. Michinaga alighted and tried walking through, but the dog ca ug ht the hem of
his ro be in
its te et h a n d hel d him bac k. C le arl y th e
do g ha d a reaso n fo r ac ti ng this w ay . In ste ad of insisting, M d o w n on a shaft soon arrived.
of his ca rr ia ge an d cal led for
ic hi na ga sat
Sei mei , the di vin er . Sei mei
8
6
Lo rd M ic hi na ga as ke d him w h at he coul d ma ke of al l this. Seimei
we nt
through a divination procedure and announced that someone who wished Mi ch in ag a ill ha d bu rie d u n d e r the pat h, in the tem ple gr ou nd s, an object designed to put a curse on His Excellency. "Ifyou were to walk over it," Seimei explain
ed,
"so me thi ng terrible
wo uld ha pp en . Yo ur dog's
spe cial
po we rs ena ble d it to wa rn yo u. " "W he re 's this thing
bu ri ed ?" Michin
aga de ma nd ed to kno w. "Sho
w it
to me!" "Cer tain ly, Yo ur Excel
lenc y."
Seimei
per form ed an oth er divination.
"Here it is," he said, pointing to a precise spot. Something
w
gla ze d cu ps bo un d toget her , lip to li p, with stri pa pe r. T h e str in g w a s tied in
It con sist ed of tw o un -
ng ma de of twis ted ye llo w
a cr os s. Th e objec t tu rn ed out
ex ce pt fo r the ch ar ac te r "o n e " wr itt en in ci nn ab ar on the
to be em pt y
bo tto m of each
cup. "I 'm th e only
on e w h o kn ow s this
kin d of ma gi c," sai d Seimei . "I
w o n d e r w h e t h e r it cou ld be tha t form er stu den t of mine , D om a . Well, find ou t. " He too k out a she et of pa p er wh ic h he folded
into the
I'll
sh ap e of
a bird, pronounced a spell, and tossed the paper into the air. It turned into a wh it e her on an d flew of f to wa rd the sou th. Seimei ord er ed two underlings to mark where it came down, and they ran after it. Th e plac e w a s an old mo nk 's ho use . Th e mo nk wa s sum ma ril y arr este d and brought before His Excellency. He confessed under interrogation that he had been commissioned to lay a curse on the regent by Lord Ak im its u, th e M n i s t e r of the Left . Mc h i n a g a fel t he really th e fellow
int o dis tan t exile, bu
shou ld send
t ins tea d he just pac ke d him ba ck to
Harima province, where he was from, with a warning never to do it again. After Lord Akimitsu died, he became a vengeful ghost whose further at te mp ts to curs e Mic hi na ga ea rne d h im the nick Le ft. " As f or th e do g, Lo rd Mi ch in a ga loved it
nam e "G ho ul of the
eve n mo re after tha t.
R
6
4
O
B
B
E
R
S
•
GENJO In
Em pe ro r Mu ra ka mi 's
reig n the
biwa Genjo suddenly disappeared.
Sin ce th e mus ica l in st ru me nt w a s on e of th e impe rial family's
gre at es t
tr ea su re s, th e e m p e r o r to ok it s loss ve ry ha rd . To thi nk th at Ge nj o ha d
hu< reig n! Pe r ha p s it ha d be en stolen, but
vanished during
if so, the
thief
wo ul d ne ve r be abl e to ke ep it . N o , no on e wo ul d hav e ta ke n the ins tru ment unless he had a special grudge against the emperor and wanted only to damage or destroy it. Hakuga no Sammi, the renowned musician, was still grieving over Genjo's disappearance when, late one night at the palace after everyone ha d go ne to bed, h e he ar d it bei ng playe d so me wh er e to the south. ex tr ao rd in ar y!
He th ou gh t his ears
mus t be play ing trick s on him
How an d
listened again. No, it was certainly Genjo. Sammi could hardly believe it. Without a word to anyone, he set out with a single page, passed the Ga te G ua r ds ' he ad qu ar te rs , an d le ft the palace Ga te . Gen jo w a s st ill s om ew he r e in front
gr ou nd s by the Suz ak u
of him . He sta rte d do wn Su
za ku Ave nu e. It s ou n de d as th ou gh the thief mu st be pla yin g for his ow n pleasure in the lookout tower further on, but no, that was still not it. At last Sa mm i stop ped u nd er the Ra sh o Gat e at the oth er end of the av en ue . Someone was playing Genjo in the gate's upper story. This was an other mystery, because in a place like that the player could hardly be hu ma n. Wh y , it mus t be a de mo n! Th e musi c sto ppe d, the n bega n agai n. "W ho 's that up
th er e pla yin g Ge nj o? " called
Sa mm i. "Hi s Maje sty' s
been looking for it ever since it was missed, and tonight I heard it all the way up at the palace. I've come to get it!" The playing stopped again, then with a start Sammi noticed something co mi ng d o w n from up
th er e. It wa s Genjo , be in g lo we re d at th e en d of a
rope. Sammi nervously caught it and took it back to the palace. T he
em pe ro r w as
tr em en do us ly re lieved, but
he certai nly
found it
8
8
al ar mi ng tha t Genj o sho uld ha ve been stolen ev ery one wa s ve ry impr esse d with wha
by a de mo n. As f or Sam mi,
t he had done.
Genjo is still an imperial treasure. It is like a living thing, for when badly played or allowed to gather dust it gets angry and refuses to sound. And once, when the palace burned down and nobody rescued it, Genjo got out into the garden away from the flames all by itself.
b~ 5
THE RASHO GATE O n c e a m a n c am e up from Sett
su prov in ce to the Capi tal in ord er to
steal. Since it was still daylight when he arrived, he hid out under the Rasho Gate, the southern gate to the city. Northward, straight toward the palace compound, stretched Suzaku Avenue. At this hour it was still bustling with people, and the man waited patiently under the gate for the city to quiet down. Then he heard a large group approaching the gate from the south. To avoid being seen, he stole up to the gate's top story, which formed a room. A di m light
wa s bu rn in g in th e glo om. S tr an ge ! He pee red in
the l att ice wo rk w in do w s an d saw stret y o u n g w o m a n . Th e light
wa s by her
che d before
th ro ug h
him the corpse
of a
hea d wh er e an ancie nt cro ne wa s
roughly picking out the corpse's hair. F or all th e frig hte ned thie f kn ew , th e cr on e could be gh os t, bu t he de ci de d to try giv ing her
a de mo n or a
a sc are . He ope ne d the do or sof tly ,
drew his dagger, and charged in with a shout. The terrified crone wrung her hands in a frantic plea for mercy. " W h o are yo u, old wo ma n, a nd wh at are yo u doin g her e? " snarled the
thief. " M y mi st re ss die d, sir, a n d th er e w a s no on e to do th e needfu l for her, so I brought her up here. You see, sir, her hair is longer than she was tall, an d I'm pic ki ng it ou t to m a k e a wi g. Pl ea se , sir, do n' t kil l m e ! " T h e thie f to ok the cor
pse 's clo the s a nd the
old wo ma n 's , pic ke d up th e
pile of loose hai r, da sh ed ba ck do wn , an d fled . Ye s, th e up p e r st ory of
th e Ra sh o Ga te us ed to
ske let ons . If pe op le cou ldn 't pro vid e a pr op er funeral times just leave the corpse up there instead.
be fu ll of hu m an they wo ul d some
.
6 Q . THE SELFLESS THIEF Ha vi ng no
settled place
to live , a Lo tus Su tr a devo tee na me d Shu nc ho
wandered here and there as the spirit moved him. When he saw someone in pain, th
at pai n be ca me his ow n; a nd the sa me wi th an ot he r' s joy.
T h e sig ht of th e Cap it al 's tw o pr is on s, o ne in the east
of th e city an d
one in the west, caused Shuncho deep sorrow. He understood that the prisoners had been sentenced for their crimes, but he still wanted to help th em by pl ant ing in th em the the y died in prison
seed of future
bu dd ha ho od . Oth er wi se , if
, the y wo ul d be re bo rn am on g the beasts or
the starv
ing ghosts, or even worse, squarely in hell. He would have to commit a cr im e to get hi mse lf ar re st ed an d sent to
jail so th at he co ul d ch an t the
Sutra for the prisoners. Sh u nc h o br ok e into a man si on, stole
a gold en bowl, and
we nt straigh
t
to a gambling den to show the bowl off. The gamblers were surprised to recognize it as one that had just been reported stolen, and the tip soon rea che d the autho riti es. Sh un ch o wa s arrested, inte rrogated, and
th ro wn
in jail. O f co ur se this wa s just wha t he wa nt ed . H e st ar ted right i ch an ti ng Sut ra f or the inmat
es, w h o we pt to
hea r him
n
an d reve rent ly
touched their foreheads to the ground. W h e n w o r d of his imp ri so nm ent re ach ed the lords cou rt, th ey inf or me d the chief
an d la dies
of the
of the Im peri al Poli ce th at Sh u n c h o wa s a
hol y m an a n d ur ge d his rele as e. T he chief
of poli ce, for
dr ea m. Th e Bodh is at tv a Fu ge n, shini ng an d riding
his pa rt , h ad a
a whi te elep hant ,
came to the prison with a bowl of rice. He told the guards that he was bri ngi ng ri ce, as he did ever y day, to Sh On aw ak in g, t he chief Al th ou gh he
of police had S
un ch o w h o wa s imp ris oned th ere . hu nc ho released immedi
ately.
got hi msel f int o jai l half a do ze n time s, S hu nc h o ne ve r
managed to stay there long. Then one day the police caught him again, an d this time ha
d a me et in g ab ou t him. T he y we re sure by
no w tha t he
was a hardened criminal and that thanks to repeated release he was simply enjoying free license to steal. He would have to be dealt with more seve rely . T he y de ci de d to cut
of f his kn ee ca ps an d ma ke sur e he serv ed
a go od lo ng sent en ce . A cor ps of officers the
imperial ridin
ma rc he d Sh u n ch o of f to one of
g gr ou nd s to exe cut e the
pu nis hm ent , but
Sh un ch o
chanted the Lotus Sutra so movingly that they dissolved in tears and let him go. Ag ai n the chie f of pol ice ha d a d r e a m . A beautiful bo
y in cou rt dr es s
9
0
told him that Shuncho stole only in order to get into jail and save the prisoners there. "This is his seventh arrest," the boy reminded the dr ea m er . " H e mig ht as well be the B
ud dh a himself!"
Th e chief of police
was even more deeply impressed than before. In time S h u n c h o die d by the ho rs e stall s on the
sa me riding
gr ou nd
where he had once nearly come to grief. Since there was no one to look after him, his body lay there untended, but the neighborhood be gan to hear every night a voice chanting the Lotus Sutra. Nobody knew wh er e it wa s co mi ng fro m. The n an ot he r holy man took
Shu nch o' s
skeleton away deep into the mountains, and the voice was never heard again.
6
7
AUTHORITY The seasoned warrior Fujiwara no Chikataka lived in Kozuke province. O n c e a ro bb er got ca ugh t in Ch ika ta ka 's house and
wa s clapp ed in irons
on the spot. Then he slipped free somehow, and since escape was impos sible, he
too k Ch ik at ak a' s litt le son hos tag e, das he d into a room , pin ned
the boy to the floor, and waited with his dagger poised at the child's stomach. Ch ik at ak a wa s at hom e at the time. "H
e' s tak en the yo un g mast er
hos ta ge, sir !" cri ed th e re tai ner w h o ru sh ed to him with the repor
t.
When Chikataka saw with his own eyes how true this was, his sight d i m m e d a n d he th ou gh t al l wa s lost. from th e ma n! Bu t th e rob be r had the
If onl y he coul d get the da gg er aw a y glitte ring blad e pre sse d to his son's
ski n. " Yo u get an y clos er an d I' ll ru n him th r ou gh !" he snar led. not wo r t h th e risk, no
It wa s
in dee d!
"S ta y a wa y ! " Ch ik at ak a or de re d his retaine rs. " Ju st kee p an eye on him from a di st an ce ! I' ll go an d infor m the go ve rn or ." The governor was Minamoto no Yorinobu, a very old friend indeed since Chik
at ak a' s mo th er
had been
Yor ino bu' s wet nurse
. He
liv ed
nearby. Chikataka burst in on him in a panic, blurted out the story, and wept. Yo r in ob u smi led. "I un
de rs ta nd ho w yo u feel,"
he said,
"b ut this is no
time for tears. You should be standing up to this fellow, never mind
.
wh e th er he's
a ma n, a god , or a de mo n.
awful fool, ca
rr yi ng on thi s w a y like a ba b y ? H e' s on ly a little
know! Let him be killed!
Do n' t y o u realize
y o u look
an
bo y, y o u
That's th e w a y a wa rr io r th in ks . A ll this te nd er
love fo r wife a n d chi ldr en just dr ag s a ma n do wn . B ein g fearless not car in g ab ou t y o u r ow n li fe or y o u r family's.
me an s
But an yw ay , I'll go an d
have a look." Wi th his
sw or d at his side, Yor
in ob u strode o ff to wa rd Chik at ak a' s
hou se. Th e ro bb er rec ogn ize d him wh en he
looke d into
the room. F
ar
from threatening him as he had Chikataka, the robber simply glowered toward the floor, poked his dagger at the boy a little harder, and made it plain that if
the gov er no r ca me any closer
the boy (w
ho wa s baw lin g
lustily) would die. "W el l?
Di d y o u tak e him h ost ag e to ke ep yo ur se lf alive, or
do y o u
plan to kill him?" Yorinobu asked. "Answer me!" " H o w could I
possibl y mean to k ill him, s ir ? " repl ied the rob be r glo om
ily. "But I don't want to die myself. I thought taking him might help me stay alive." "I see. T he n get rid of
th at dag ge r! You' ll do tha t f or me, w on 't y o u ?
I don 't wa n t to see y o u ha ve to kil l a chi ld. Yo u kn o w th e ki nd of m a n I am , I'm su re . N o w , d r o p it! " Th e rob be r th ou gh t for a mo me nt . "T ha nk yo u, sir," he
said. "I
really
have no choice, do I?" He threw the dagger across the room, lifted the boy to his feet, and let him go. The boy ran off. Yo ri no bu st ep pe d ba ck into the ro bb er out by
the collar.
the gard en while one
of his men dra gg ed
Ch ik at ak a ass ume d the
go ve rn or wo ul d
execute the fellow on the spot and let the dogs have his body. "F in e, " said Yor in ob u. " H e le t h is hosta ge go ver y nicely . Pov ert y made him steal, and he took a hostage only to survive. We needn't hold any of that against him. When I told him to release his hostage, he did. He's no fool. Let him go." " N o w th en ," he we nt on to
the rob ber , "t ell me wh at y o u ne ed ." The
robber was too dissolved in tears to answer. "Gi ve hi m some food,"
Yo rin ob u ord ere d. "H e's
already
commi tted
crimes, and he may end up killing someone after all. Get a good strong w o r k ho rse out of
th e stabl es, pu t a c he ap sadd le on i t, an d brin g it her e. "
Someone went for the horse while Yorinobu sent someone else for an old bo w an d qui ver . W h e n the thin gs arri ved , Yo ri no bu put the ma n' s ba ck an d set him on
the hor se , with ten
the quive
da ys ' wo rt h of pa rc he d
rice in a bag slung from his waist. "Now get out of here!" he commanded. The man galloped away at top speed.
r on
G
8
THE WRESTLER'S SISTER Oi Mi ts ut o, a wr es tl er w h o lived in the fierce, im
pr ov in ce of Kai, wa s sto cky an d
me ns el y str ong , an d won der ful ly swif t of foot. In cha
ra ct er an d
physique he was a model for his profession. Mi ts ut o' s yo u n g er sister , a slender, pr
ett y wo ma n in her
late twent ies,
lived a short way from her brother. Once a fleeing robber stormed into her house, drew his dagger, and took her hostage. A servant ran with the news to Mitsuto, who remained untroubled. her hostage," was all he
"He must be a real champion to have taken
would say. The puzzled servant ran back to the house and peered in through a crack. There lay his mistress dressed in a thin mauve robe and a pi nk tr ou se r- sk ir t lined
wi th gr ee n. Th e ma n, hu ge an d terr ible , had
he r cl am pe d bet we en his
legs from beh in d an d wa s hol din g the poi nt of
his great dagger to her stomach. Her left hand was over her face and she was crying. Her right hand was toying with some arrow shafts which lay scattered on the floor. When she picked up a tough bamboo shaft and ran its end along the boards, the shaft would break like rotten wood. The ro bb er do ub te d tha t Mi ts ut o himself
could br eak an ar ro w sha ft l ik e that,
ev en if he ba sh ed at it wi th an iron ha
mm er . Afrai d he mi ght be to rn to
pieces too, he timed his move as best he could and fled, only to be caught, bo un d, a nd ha ule d o ff to Mi ts ut o. Mitsuto asked him why he had run and laughed when he heard the stor y. "Y ou 'd n eve r hav e gott en yo ur da gge r into
her ," he s aid. "She
ha ve to rn y o u r ar m off. Yo u we r e luc ky she did n't . E ve n I could hand y o u wi th ease , b ut sh e's as
'd le
st ro ng as t w o of me . S he loo ks like a pr et ty
slip of a th in g, ye s , bu t I'l l ne ve r be at her.
It's a sh am e she 's a w o m an , it
reall y is. If sh e w e re a ma n, no bo dy wo ul d stand a
ch an ce again st her ."
T h e r o bb e r al mos t died . H e ha d pic ked qui te a hos ta ge. "I sup po se I oug ht to kil l y o u , " Mi ts ut o we nt on, "a nd I wo ul d if yo u' d ev er be en a real d a n g e r to my siste r. H o w rig ht y o u w er e to get out ! Sh e ca n br ea k a sta g's ant le rs ov er he r kn ee , y ou k no w, like Mitsuto brusquely threw the robber out the door.
a dea d tw ig ."
.
6
9
.
TO SOOTHE THE SAVAGE BREAST A hichiriki L< a .una// /'til .nirpruungty lota) reet) iiLUrnmenl math of bamboo.
A musician named Mochimitsu was on his way home from a trip to Tosa province when, at a harbor in Aki, he was attacked by pirates. Having no ski ll at arms, he wa s quite unab le to defend h imself and wa s sure he was going to be killed. He had taken refuge on top of his ship's cabin. At the last moment he took out his hichirikiand sho ute d, "You pirates, listen to
me! I'm def ens e
less, as yo u can see. He lp yo urs el ves to anythi ng yo u want! But I' d jus t like you to hear this piece on the
hichiriki. I've been work ing on i t for
ye ar s. It'll be some thin g fo r yo u to remembe r today by! " "All right, men!" shouted the pirates' leader. "Hold it! We're going to listen to some music!" When the pirates had quieted down, the weeping Mochimitsu began to play. This was the last time he would ever make music, and he poured his whole soul into the piece. The beautiful sound of his instrument floated far out over the waves and filled the bay where the ship was moored. It was just like a scene in an old tale. The pirates listened in perfect silence. When the music was over, their leader loudly declared, "I came because I wanted your ship, but your playing has brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't possibly harm you now! " The pirates rowed away.
9
4
7
°
•
THE BUDDHA WITH LOTS OF HANDS In the summer of 1278 an epidemic struck the East and many people died. A boy I knew well caught the sickness. As he lay there he cried out that some children were tormenting him, and complained that he felt awful. Several
mo nk s the n cha nte d the Dar an i of Th ou sa nd -A rm ed Kan-
non for him. They had only repeated it twenty-one times when he ex cla ime d, " A b u d d h a wi th lots of
h an ds cam e out
of the temp le and hit
those children on the head! They ran away to the north, and they were an gr y an d cryi ng. T he b u d d h a cha sed th em aw ay !" Then he
wa s well
again. I saw this with my own eyes.
7
1
THE PROTECTOR SPIRIT Lord Mototsune, the chancellor, once caught an illness that was going round and had healing rites done for himself. All the best-known monks cr ow de d into No
monk
his mans ion , whi ch ra ng wit h the din of their from
Gokurakuji
was
called,
though
his
lordship
chan ting . had
fo und ed the te mp le hi msel f; bu t one Goku rak uji mo nk w h o kn ew ho w much he owed Mototsune, and what a fix he would be in should Moto ts un e die, we nt to the man si on an yw ay wit h th e Su tr a of the Ben evolen t Ki ng . F in di ng th e pla ce cr ow de d an d noisy,
he sat of f in a dist ant corri
dor and began chanting the sacred text. No one paid any attention to him.
•
Fo ur hour s later
His L or ds hi p ask ed f or the mo nk by
na me an d wa s
told ye s, h e ha d be en see n ou t by the middl e ga te . Wh e n M ot ot su ne actually sent for him, his attendants wondered what he could possibly want with such a nobody. Th e Goku ra ku ji mo nk cam e in an d sat at the edge of the ro ws
of pr ela tes , b ut Mo to ts un e wa s not
the room , be hin d
co nt en t ti ll he had
the
Gokurakuji monk by him. Since so far he had been too weak even to speak, his attendants were amazed to see him go to so much trouble. "I dreamed that fiends were after me," Mototsune told the monk, "till a y o u n g bo y c a m e from th e mid dl e ga te an d beat t he m off wi th his s taf f. They all fled. The boy said he was a protector spirit who served
you, and
he told me yo u ' d be en cha nt in g the S ut ra of the Be ne vo len t Kin g for me . I wo ke up fe eling
mu ch be tte r an d I wa nt ed to th an k yo u pers ona lly. "
M ot o ts un e bo w e d to the mo nk , called put it
for a ro be from a ra ck nea rb y, an d
ov er the mo nk 's shou lde rs wit h his ow n han ds . "Be sure
yo u ke ep
pr ay in g for me whe n y o u get h o m e ! " he begg ed. Th e mon k, w h o m no one had noticed
whi le he cha nt ed so dev ote dly in
his remote corridor, withdrew from the mansion covered with glory.
7
2
•
THE FLYING STOREHOUSE O n c e a m on k from at Todaiji in Na
a remo te par t of J a p a n we nt to get pro per ly or da in ed
r a. Af te rw ar ds he dec ide d to stay on, ra the r tha n retu rn
to hi s primit ive hin ter lan d, an d pr ay ed to the Gr ea t B ud dh a of Todaiji
to
help him choose where to live. At that moment he noticed Mount Shigi looming in the distance toward the southwest. He settled there, built a little chapel, and took up the ascetic life. Soon a fine little image of Bishamon materialized for his modest altar. Th e mo nk 's be gg in g bo wl wo ul d fl y do wn ev er y da y for alm s to a rich man who lived below the mountain, and every day the rich man would fill it. But one day the rich man happened to be working in his big stor ehou se wh en the
begg ing bowl
arri ved. "B oth er that
he m ut te r ed , an d in st ea d of filli ng it , tos se d it into
gre edy bo wl !"
a co rn er . Th e bo wl
waited patiently, but eventually the man tidied up and left, locking the storehouse door behind him. He had forgotten all about the bowl. Th e st or eho us e beg an to tr em ble an d sha ke, m uc h to the hous eho ld' s
9
6
a m a z e m e n t , ti ll it sh oo k it self loose an d ho ve re d, v ibr ati ng , a foo t o ff the g ro un d. " O f co ur se !" the rich man realized. "O
f cou rse ! It must be
that
bo wl ! I le ft it in t h e r e ! " M e a n w h i l e th e bo wl sq ue ez ed it s wa y out, got u n d e r th e st or eh ou se , an d ca rr ie d it of f a h u nd re d fe et up in the air. There was an uproar below. The rich man could only follow to see where his storehouse would go, and everyone else trooped in confusion after him.
Th e st or eh ou se fle w to the to p of the mo un ta in and came dow
n
with a thud next to the monk's hut. The rich man was certainly awed, but he still felt he should say some thing. He reminded the monk how faithfully he normally filled the bowl and explained how today he just happened to have shut it thoughtlessly in th e st or eh ou se . He end ed wit h a plea fo r th e ret ur n of his pro per ty. "This is all very strange," the monk replied, "but now the storehouse is here I don't see how I
can give it back. I have nothing like it myself
an d I ca n cer tai nly use it . Bu t yo u' re we lc om e to the con te nt s. " " H o w am I goi ng to get al l tha t rice ba ck d o w n the
mo un ta in ? Th er e
are a thousand sacks in there!" " Th at 's easy . I'l l do it fo r y o u . " T h e mo n k h ad a sac k loa ded ont o the bowl , the n sent the bow l fly ing in to th e air. All t h e ot h er sac ks follow ed afte r it l ike a flock of ge es e. " W a i t ! " crie d th e rich man . "Do n' t ret ur n th em all! K ee p a cou ple
of
hu nd re d fo r yourse lf!" The monk refused on the grounds that he would not know what to do with so much rice. " Th e n ke ep a co upl e of do ze n sac ks an yw ay ," the rich "as m uc h as yo u can use! T h e m o n k said this
ma n pleade d,
Th ey 're yo ur s! " w a s st il l far too muc h an d refus ed ag ai n.
Ev er y
single sack arrived in good order back at the rich man's house. The mo nk 's fame
sp re ad far an d wi de .
About that time Emperor Daigo happened to become very ill. All sorts of pr a ye rs an d rites trie
d on his beha
lf br ou gh t him no r el ie f. Finall y an
of fi ci al th ou gh t of the hol y ma n of Mo u n t Shigi. "
H e neve r com es do wn
from his mountain at all," the official reported. "He has such extraordi na ry po w e rs , y o u see, th at he
ca n have
itself to ge t hi m food, so
w h a t he nee ds wi th ou t go ing an y wh er e.
he has
his be gg in g bo wl f ly do wn by
If y o u su m m o n him, Y o u r Ma je st y, I thin k y o u will f ind tha t he can
cu re
you." The emperor agreed and sent for the holy man. T h e me ss en ge r w a s aw ed , too, mo ns . Th e m o n k just no sign
w h e n he deli vere d the
as ke d wh a t His
of mo vi ng . T h e me ss en ge r exp lai ned that the
tha t his pra ye rs w er e req uire d.
imperial
sum
Maje sty wa nt ed him f or an d gave em pe ro r wa s ill an d
"I don't have to go to him," the monk said. "I can heal him perfectly well from here!" "B ut if y o u do , h ow w ill he kn o w yo u' re the
one he ha s to t h a n k ? "
"What difference does it make whether or not he knows who cured hi m? As lon g as he' s cu re d, tha t's all th at m at te rs ." "St ill ," th e mes se ng er insist ed, " th er e ar e a lot of pe op le pr ay in g for him and it would be better to be clear about whose prayers worked." "All right, t he n ," the mo n k co nc ed ed . "I'll sen d my spir it-h elpe r, the Sw o r d Gu a rd ia n . If Hi s Maje st y sees th e spirit
in a d re am or vision, he'll
k n o w that he co me s from me . Th e Swo rd Gu ar di an we ar s a cloak
wo ve n
of sw or ds . As for me , I'm sta yi ng he re ." The messenger returned to the Capital and reported what the holy man ha d said. Th re e da ys later
the em pe ro r wa s na pp in g in bro ad dayli ght
when he saw something glitter. He realized it must be the holy man's gu ar di an spirit. relieved
Ins ta ntl y he fe lt perf ectl y wel l. T h e co ur t w as im me ns el y
an d impr ess ed wit h the evid enc e of the mo nk 's po we rs .
O n c e agai n an imperial me
sse ng er ma de his w a y to Mo u n t Shi gi, this
time wit h the of fer of rich r ew ar d s. " Wo u l d y o u like to be a bi sh op or an ar ch bi sh op ?" the
em pe ro r' s messag e ran. "Wo
ul d yo u lik e an estate
pr ov id e inc om e f or y o u r te m p le ? " But th e mo nk said
he had
no use
to for
titles and protested that an estate would be far more trouble than it was wo rt h . "I'll just sta y as I am , " he de cla red , t il l th e me ss en ge r ga ve up an d went away. All th at wa s m a n y y e a rs ag o. T he holy man on the mo un ta in , wit h relics
's f lying st or eh ou se is st il l
of him s ti ll inside, th
wi th age . T ho se w h o ar e blessed to
ob ta in the
ou gh no w it is cr um bl in g small est fragm ent of its
wood make it into a buddha like the monk's own, and are sure to enjoy good fortune, peace, and ease. The monk's Bishamon, too, is still on the mountain, and countless pilgrims pay homage to it there.
7
3
•
NO RESPECT Soo, of Mudoji on Mount Hiei, used to practice regularly at a triple waterfall
just no rt h of the mou nt ai n, inv oki ng the re the fi ery Fu do . O n c e
he pray ed to Lord F
ud o : " Pu t me on y o u r back , take me
to the Tosot
su
9
8
He av en w he re Mi ro ku , the Fut ur e Budd ha , liv es! S a n c t u m fro m w h e re , in th e fullness
Bring
me to the Inner
of tim e, Mi r o ku w ill be bo rn into
this world to save us!" "That's not easy," Fudo answered, "but I'll take you there if you insist. First, wa
sh y o u r bu tt. "
So o du c ke d un de r the waterfa ll, m ad e sur e his but t wa s clean, on F ud o' s hea d, an d flew of f to the Toso tsu th e ga te to the I nn er San ct um , he saw
got up
He av en . Wh e n the y rea che d
ab ov e it the wo rd s, "L ot us of the
Wonderful Teaching." "P eo pl e go in ch an tin g the Sut ra ," Fu do rem ind ed him.
"T he Lotus
Su tr a, y o u kno w , the Su tr a of th e Lotu s of the Won de rf ul Teac hin g. You can 't get in if
yo u' re not cha nt in g it."
Soo lifted his eyes to the boundless heavens. "Drat!" he exclaimed. "I read th e Su tr a, of co ur se , but I can't
ch an t it n o w be ca us e I st il l don 't
know it by heart!" " O h . Th at 's to o ba d. T h e n I su pp os e y o u can 't go in . I' ll just have tak e y o u ho me again
. We'll
com e bac k wh en yo u have the Sut
to
ra do wn ."
Lo rd F u d o dr op pe d So o of f agai n by the waterfall. So o w a s ter rib ly dis ap poi nte d, bu t the y say he did the end an
d got into
ma st er th e Sut ra in
the In ne r Sa nc tu m. Th e Fu do w h o took him
be prec ise , the one he himself
wa s, to
ha d ma de , li fe-s ized , an d en sh ri ne d in his
temple. Soo was known for his miracles. One day the Somedono Empress fell ill, tormented by an evil spirit. When someone suggested Soo as an ou ts ta nd in g hea ler ("a disciple
of th e great
Enn in, yo u k n o w — he live s
on M o u n t Hi ei ") , the em pr es s sent a mes sen ger to fet ch him. W h e n So o ar ri ve d, he wa it ed at th e mid dle gat e of the ma ns io n: a tal l monk more like a demon than a man, wearing rough clogs and a barkfiber
hab it a nd car ry in g a rosa ry of big seeds. T he empr ess 's at te nd an ts
found him the re. "G oo dn es s! " the y whi spe red to each other . "W ha t a tramp! We can't possibly let him into Her Majesty's presence!" They told him he would have to pray from the veranda outside the empress's room, and word directly from Her Majesty immediately confirmed the order. Since the empress was some distance away, all Soo actually had of her w a s th e gr oa ni ng th at ca me th ro ug h her cur tai ns. On hear be ga n loud ly w or ki n g his rites. L or d Fu do himself a shi ver of
aw e ga ve th e at te nd an ts gooseflesh. Su
in g her, he
see med present
, an d
dd en ly the empr ess
shot through her curtains, all wrapped up as she was in two pink robes, and came rolling out to Soo on the veranda. Th e re w as an up ro ar . " O h ! M y lady!
H o w awful! O
h please,
Yo u r
Gr ac e, p lea se pu t her ba ck ! Y o u ca n go right
up to her cu rt ai ns , of co ur se
you can!" Soo wo ul d not bu dg e. " Wh y , I wo ul dn 't thi nk of it!" he said. "A
po or
beggar like me wouldn't dare approach Her Majesty!" Furious at having been denied direct access to the empress in the first place, he had no intent ion of mov ing . On the cont
rar y, righ t out the re on th e ve ra nd a he
raised Her Majesty four or five feet into the air and gave her a good wh ac k.
Panic -stricke
n, he r att en dan ts hustled
the curta ins over
to hide
her, while at the same time chasing all the bystanders they could get at — pas sin g se rva nts , ladie s-in-w aitin g, sight.
Alas, the
gen tle me n of the
cou rt — out
da ma ge wa s alr ea dy do ne . Ev er yo ne had seen
of
the em
press as plain as plain could be. Soo gave her a few more whacks and scooted her back to where she ha d sta rte d ou t from, so
de co ro us ly co nc ea le d. The n he le ft . " O h , do
wait a moment!" the empress's attendants cried out, but he ignored them. "I've been standing around too long as it is," he grumbled, "and my back hurts." The empress found that the evil spirit was now gone and that she felt perfectly well. Soo had been so impressive that he soon got an imperial proclamation appointing him a bishop. "Now what's a beggar like me to do with a fancy title like that?" he muttered, and sent the messenger packing. After that, Soo was constantly being called to heal people in Kyoto, bu t he refu sed to go . H e wo ul d al wa ys co mp la in tha t in the
Cap ita l y o u
don't get any respect.
7
4 •
THE INVISIBLE MAN Th er e on ce l ived in the Capita
l, no on e re me mb er s just wh en , a hu mb le
man wh o wa s dev ote d to Rok ka ku do , a holy temple
dedic ated
to Kan-
non. He often went there on pilgrimage. On t he last ni gh t of th e y e a r he we n t ou t al on e on a visit
a nd c a me
home late. Just as he was crossing the Horikawa Bridge westward, along First
Av en ue , he saw
a tr ou pe of peo ple ap pr oa ch in g wit h tor ch es. N o
doubt a great lord was on his way somewhere. The man quickly hid
0
1
0
under the bridge and sneaked a look as the crowd passed overhead. They were not humans at all but frightful demons! Some had a single eye, so me h ad hor ns , so me had lots
of ar ms , an d som e ho pp ed along
on only
one leg. The man forgot whether he was alive or dead and stood rooted, witless, to th e spot . Me an w hi l e the de m o ns pa ss ed by — al l but one wh
o wa s
trai ling be hi nd an d w h o mu tt er ed, "T her e's a ma n ar ou nd her e! " An ot her
dee any man. "Get him!" shouted a third, and
demon said that he didn't the man thought he was lost.
One demon charged, caught him, and dragged him up. The others agreed that he had done nothing much wrong and decided to let him go, b u t first fo ur or fiv e of th e de m o n s spat in his face. T
h en the y we nt their
way. T h e man wa s h a pp y just not
to have bee
n killed. H is he ad ac hed now
and he felt rather strange, but he was so eager to get home and tell his wife all about it that he went on as fast as he could. When he entered his ho us e, his family
ne ve r said a w o r d to him,
th ou gh the y look ed straight
at him , an d th ey di d not a ns w er w h e n he sp ok e to th em . E ve n wh en he went right up to them they seemed not to know anyone was there. At last he understood. The demons' spit had made him invisible. W h a t a di sa st er ! He coul d see an d he ar as well as could see or hear
ever , bu t no on e
him. He ev en tri ed eat in g so me of th e food his
family
h a d lef t out , bu t no on e no ti ce d. T he y, for th ei r par t, we r e su re by th e time dawn came that he had been murdered the previous night. Several days later there was still no improvement. The man stayed at R o k k a k u d o an d begge d K an no n f or help. "Y ea r after ye ar I'v e visited y o u an d pu t my tru st in y ou , " he praye d. "N o w , please, gra b oo n : m a k e me visi ble as I
nt me
us ed to be ! " He f ed him sel f from the meal
this s of
the others on retreat there and from the offerings they made to Kannon, yet even someone right next to him would never realize he was doing so. Aft er t w o re tr ea t per io ds (se ven
day s ea ch ), he
dr ea me d one night,
toward dawn, that a holy monk stood beside him. "Leave here early in th e mo r ni n g a nd do
as the
fi rs t per son yo u meet tells
y o u , " the mo nk
ordered. Then the man woke up. He left at dawn and met at the gate a weird oxherd with a huge ox. "Hey, you!" the oxherd called. "Come with me!" The man was relieved to gather that he was visible again and gladly followed the oxherd as the d r e a m ha d ins tr uc te d him to
do . After
im po si ng ga te . I t w a s close d, but
half a mile or
so, th ey ca me to an
the oxh er d te th er ed his ox an d star ted
t hr ou gh th e cr ac k b et we en the le aves of
the g ate — a cra ck m uc h too
small for anyone to get through. "Come on!" he ordered. "You too!"
"How am I supposed to get through a crack like that?" the man protested. "Just do it!" The oxherd took his hand and pulled him through. They we re on the gr ou n ds of a big, pr os pe ro us man sio n. They walked into the house unchallenged. In an inner room a girl was lying i ll , wi th wo m e n sitting at
th e hea d an d foot
of he r be d wa tc hi ng
over her. The oxherd gave the man a small mallet, sat him down by the girl, and had him hammer her on the head and hips. As he did so, the girl
half sat up
in ag on y.
H e r pa re nt s, w h o we re th er e too, told
eac h
other the end was near and wept. Someone was chanting a sutra. A servant went to call a famous healer who shortly arrived, sat down bes ide the
girl, an d into ne d the H ea rt Su tr a. At th e so un d of his voic e,
the hair rose on the man's head and he shivered with awe. The oxherd, meanwhile, escaped as fast as he could and disappeared. Ne xt , the hea ler ch an te d Fudo 's Fire
Da ra ni . Th e ma n sc re am ed an d
his clothes burst into flames. Suddenly he was plainly visible again for the whole household to see: a miserable wretch seated right beside the pat ien t. He wa s qu ic kl y seized, hu
stl ed out sid e, an d que sti on ed ; he told
his story as best he could. The household had difficulty believing him. On the oth er ha nd , th ey w e re ve ry h a pp y to fi nd th at the girl w a s n ow perfectly well. Th e heal er as su re d th em tha t the ma n wa s not to bla me, an d tha t on the con tr ar y he ha d just been mercifully blessed by k a k u d o . Th e y we r e to let him go. So
the K an no n of Ro k-
th ey dr ov e th e ma n from the ir do or ,
and he returned home to tell his family the whole adventure. Though d is tu rb ed by it , his wife w a s awf ully gl ad to ha ve him bac k. Th e ox he rd ha d been th e follower
of so me god , an d it wa s he w h o had
been persuaded somehow to possess the girl and torture her. Both she an d th e ma n enjo yed perfect health after Darani is!
tha t. H o w pow erfu l the Fi re
Long ago the great master Ennin went to study the Buddha's Teaching in Ch i na , so as to pa ss it on
to o u r o w n la nd . In
Em pe ro r Wu- tsu ng 's terrible
persecution of
845 he encountered
Budd hism . Templ es wer e
being razed, and monks and nuns were being seized and killed or forced back into lay life. En ni n w a s al mo st ca ug ht , too, w h e n he fled into a hall of the temp le where he was staying. Soldiers went in after him. Desperate, he hid among the sacred images, and the soldiers were surprised to find a new Fudo among the buddhas on the altar. They were also suspicious, how eve r, an d w h e n th ey lif ted th e Fu d o d o w n it tu rn ed ba ck into Th ey rep ort ed this
ala rmi ng transf ormat ion to
En ni n.
the em pe ror w ho decided
th at be in g a foreig n mo nk , E nn in sh ou ld sim ply be expe lled fr om Ch in a. Gr ea tl y relieve d, E nn in fled
fo r the bo rd er . B ey on d the distant mou
n
tains he came to an isolated compound with a high wall around it, pierced by a single gate. It was good to see a human dwelling. He learned from the gatekeeper that the establishment belonged to a certain rich man. The ga te ke ep er ask ed Enn in w h o he wa s. "I 'm a J a p a n e s e mo nk an d I ca me to Ch in a to stu dy the Bud dh a' s Te ac hi ng ," Enn in repl ied. "B ut now I'm
tryi ng to esca pe this
terrible
persecution." Th e ma n re ma rk ed tha t ha rdl y an yo ne eve r ca me the re. "W h y not stay aw hi le ?" he suggest
ed. " Wh e n thing s have
quieted
do wn yo u can
go
back to studying." Ennin accepted gladly. The gatekeeper locked the gate behind him and led him into a
bu st li ng c o m p o u n d fi ll ed wit h bui ldi ngs . H e w a s given a
room off to one side. Next, he went looking for a good place to practice his devotions. He fou nd no
sign of Bu
dd h is m or of mo nk s, but in
th e bac k, to wa rd the
mountains, he heard pitiful human groans coming from a building. Peer ing anxiously through a crack in the fence round the place, he saw people tied up and hung in mid-air, with jars below them to catch their dripping blood.
Horrif ied,
he called
to ask the m w h y the y we re bein g tor tu red ,
but got no reply. Then he tried another spot and heard an answering groan. Beyond the fence people were lying on the ground, deathly pale and emaciated. Ennin beckoned to one and asked again what had brought them to this pass. The victim slipped his wasted arm through the fence an d wi th a bit of w o o d tr ac ed the followi
ng me ss ag e on the gro
un d.
"This is Dyeing Castle," the victim wrote. "People who come here are first given a
dr ug wh ic h depr ive s th em of spee ch, th en fe d an ot he r wh ic h
fattens them. After that they are hung up and their skin slit all over so that their blood drips out. The blood is used to dye tie-dyed stuffs, which are sold. All of
us are be in g to rt ur ed this
ab ou t th e tr ap . Y ou will find in Th es e are the dr
w a y be ca us e we did not kn
ow
y o u r food da rk gr ain s like se sam e see ds.
u g th at r ob s y o u of spe ech . If th ey tr y to feed
th em to
yo u, on ly pr et en d to eat th em . Ge t rid of th em , and gr oa n if an yo ne talks to y ou . T he n es cap e as fast as y o u can,
bu t not thr ou gh the gat e be ca us e
it is locked and impassable." Ennin returned to his room, and a meal was soon brought him. In the food th er e w e re bl ack grai ns, w hi ch h e sli ppe d into
the fol d of his ro be
and later threw away. When a servant spoke to him, he only groaned in repl y. T he ser va nt w a s dec ei ved an d ga ve En ni n nex t th e d r u g to fatten him. Ennin pretended to eat this too, but did not. When he was alone again, he turned to the northeast and prayed with desperate intensity to al l the go od pow er s of Hiei, his
ho me moun ta in an d mo nas te ry in Ja p a n .
Suddenly a large black dog appeared, caught Ennin's sleeve in his j a w s , a n d t u g g e d . E n n i n t h o u g h t it be s t t o follow. T h e d o g led h i m to where a brook entered the compound, a place he would never have found on his ow n. O n c e he w a s out si de, t he do g van is hed . He ran wherever his legs would carry him till he came to a village beyond the mountains and described to a curious villager who he was and where he had been. "How awful!" exclaimed the villager. "That's Dy ei ng Cast le! dh a' s aid could immedi ately prost
No one w h o goes in
th ere ever
ret urn s. On ly the Bud
pos sib ly ha ve go tt en y o u out ! Yo u mu st be a sa in t! " He rat ed himself
before E
nni n.
At last Ennin made his way secretly back to the Capital, and in 846 Em pe ro r Wu -t su ng died. Th
e next
em pe ro r halted
the persecut
that Ennin was able to complete his stay in China profitably and return to Ja p a n wit h a rich
stor e of holy wi sd om .
ion, so
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4
7 ^ •
TAKEN IN A new ly ap po in te d de pu ty vice roy of Ky us hu had ma ny children,
but the
last of t he m w a s his favorit e: a bri ght an d ha nd so me son no w tw en ty ye ar s old. T h ou g h not from a war lik e fa mily , the y ou n g man was rem ar k abl y st ro ng an d bra ve , a nd his pa re nt s we re so fond
of him tha t the y too k
him d o w n to Ky us hu wi th th em . Mea nw hi le the de pu ty viceroy's tant , the gov er no r of Ch ik uz en , ha d a lovely
assis
tee nag e da ug ht er w h o m he
a nd his wife lov ed so mu c h tha t th ey had ta ke n her d ow n to Ky us hu , too. T h e d e p u t y vi ce ro y w a s so eage r for th e tw o to ma rr y tha t his assi stan t co ul d ha rd ly refuse, an
d on an aus pic iou s da y th e pai r we re happi ly
uni ted . B ut the gr oo m had
alw ays aspi red to a go ve rn me nt care er, and
he now planned to go up to the Capital. Parting from his wife was out of th e que st io n, so he de ci de d to ta ke he r wi th hi m — by lan d, si nce th e sea ro ut e se em ed a bit risky . He set of f wi th a pa rt y of tw en ty pick ed retain ers , a n d wi th a tra in of pa ck ho rs es an d of se rv an ts on fo ot. Th ey we re ma ki ng goo d time pro vin ce,
late on
w he n they
a J a n u a r y aft ern oon. A
reac hed
Inam ino in Ha ri ma
st if f wi nd wa s blowi ng, mi xed
wi th sn ow . F ro m the mou nt ai ns to the nort h a mo nk rode
to wa rd them ,
an imposing fellow in a red robe, violet trousers, and straw boots, carry ing a lacquered whip. The saddle on his spirited horse was inlaid with mother-of-pearl. He di sm ou nt ed an d bo we d respectfully
to the yo u ng man.
"I have long
ser ved Hi s Exce lle ncy the go ve rn or of Ch ik uz en ," he said.
"I happ en ed
to hea r, sir, t ha t y o u w e r e on y o u r w a y to th e Cap it al , an d sinc e I live in th e mo un t ai ns n or th of he re I ca me to o ffer my hospitalit mind roughing it a bit." He was ever so polite. T he y o u n g ma n' s ret ain ers al l dis mo un te d in turn while
y, i f yo u do not
the yo u ng man
re in ed in his ho rs e. "I t's ver y ki nd of y o u , " he repli ed, "b ut I wa nt to get to Ky ot o as fas t as I ca n. I ma y re tu rn to Ky us hu next ye ar , th ou gh , an d I' ll be ha p py to visit y o u th e n. " But the monk would not take no for an answer. The sun had almost su nk behi nd th e mo un ta in s by now, an ea ge r to ac ce pt tha t at last
d the retainer
s we re so obviousl
y
th e y o u n g ma n yi eld ed. T he m o nk led the wa y
with a satisfied air, assuring his guests that they had not far to go. Two or three miles brought them to a compound entirely surrounded by a hi gh wal l. T he m on k took ap pe ar ed to
be living
th e y o u n g cou pl e stra ight in to
qu ar te rs on the
wh at
sout h s ide of the com po un d, an d
had refreshments served them while the horses were foddered. The ser vants and retainers, meanwhile, were given lodgings a good way off. After a lively and luxurious feast the couple, alone but for a maid or two , loos ened their
cloth es an d lay do w n. Th e mai ds ha d enjoyed the
m
selves freely and were now asleep, but the couple were wide awake. S o m e h o w ill at ease, th ey ha d ha rd ly eat en or dr un k. As the y as sur ed eac h othe r te nde rly of strange
thei r love
the y ch at te d
an d wo nd er ed , in
ly glo omy moo d, w ha t their jou rn ey wo uld ye t bring them.
a
Slowly
the hours passed. In the
small hou
rs the y he ar d wi th misgiving
footsteps
ap pr oa ch in g
from wi th in the h ou se . S ud de nl y the do or by th e he ad of the ir be d slid op en . The y o u n g ma n ju mp ed up but aw ay . St ro n g th ou gh he wa s, it
wa s seized
by the hair
an d dr ag ge d
ha d al l h a p pe n e d to o fas t. He
ha d not
even been able to pick up the sword he kept by his pillow. Th e assailan
t kn oc ke d a shu tt er op en an d ha ule d him out
" K a n e o m a ru ! " he called. "Ar
e y o u rea dy ? See that
of the roo m.
yo u tak e car e of the
usual!" "R ig ht !" an sw er ed a nasty
voice.
H a n ds se ized the y ou n g man 's collar
and hustled him off. Th er e wa s a fence d ar ea in one cor in the fence ope
ne r of the com po un d, an d the gate
ne d ont o a pit thir ty f eet de ep wit h hu nd re ds of sh ar p
en ed ba m bo o sta kes pla nt ed at the bott
om. Ye ar after ye ar trav ele rs like
the y o u n g ma n, on the ir w a y bac k an d for th to the Capita
l, we re lur ed
in, given wine that left them dead-drunk, then thrown into the pit while their s imilarly
d ru n k retain
ers we re strippe
d of ever ythi ng they own
ed .
Some retainers were killed, while others, the more promising ones, were pre sse d into service
. Th is wa s the tra p the y o u n g man an d hi s pa rt y ha d
fallen into. Ka ne om ar u dr ag ge d the y o u n g ma n to the prop ell ed him cou ld not
th ro ug h i t, but
fen ce, open
the y o u n g ma n clung
be bu d ge d fur the r. K an e o m ar u got
an d pulle d. Th er e w a s a slight
incline
on
do wn from
ed the gate, and
to a gat epo st an d the pi t side
of him
the gat e. T he y o u n g
man shifted his weight and gave a powerful shove which sent Kaneomaru hurtling into the pit. Then he closed the gate and stole under the veranda of the
ho us e.
At last he was able to think. He could try to arouse his retainers, but the y we re unc on sc io us wi th dri nk, a nd besides, the him
re wa s a mo at be tw ee n
an d th em an d the brid ge wa s dr aw n . Ins tead , he cre pt un de r the
floor of th e roo m w h e r e he had
jus t bee n. He hea rd the mo nk com e in to
his wife. " N o d ou bt you 'll be sho
ck ed to
he ar me
conf ess it,"
said
th e mon k,
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6
"b ut in
th e day lig ht, w h e n the wi nd blew
y o u r vei l aside,
I caug ht a
gli mps e of y o u r face an d n ow I can t hi nk only of yo u. Forg ive me ." He slid into bed beside her. "B ef or e I st ar te d up to th e Ca pi ta l, h un dr ed da ys ," the wife th os e th re e da ys are
replied. "
I ma de a vo w to abs tai n for on e
Th er e are just
thre e days l ef t. Wh e n
over , I'll do an yt hi ng yo u sa y."
" W h a t I ha ve in mi nd will br in g y ou far mo re merit tha n th at !" " T h e ma n w h o wa s ev er yt hi ng to me has
van is hed before
I can' t pr ev en t y o u do in g wh at ev er y ou wa n t wit h me.
my eyes, and
I can't refuse
yo u
in th e en d, y o u kn o w tha t. Yo u' ve no nee d to be so imp ati ent ." Sh e wa s holding him off. Conceding she had a point, the monk went away. "T ha t hus ba nd of min e wo n' t die a shameful
de at h! " the wo ma n mur
m ur e d to he rself , an d the y o u n g ma n un de r the f loo r, raging , he ar d her. He pu sh ed a sliver rig ht in front of
of w oo d up th ro ug h a cra ck bet we en the floor
boar ds,
her , an d w h e n she sa w it she kn e w she ha d be en right .
Sh e wa gg le d the sliver
an d he k ne w she had
un de rs to od .
The monk kept coming back to try again, but she always managed to put him off. When he was finally gone, the wife silently opened a shutter and her husband came out from under the floor into the room. Both burst into te ar s an d pro mi se d each oth
er th at if th ey we re to die the y sho uld
die tog eth er. T he y o u n g ma n as ked wh at had happ hid it
en ed to his swo rd. "I
un de r the mat ti ng w he n yo u we re drag ged awa y, " she ans wer ed,
a n d b r o u g h t it ou t. It w a s a ra y of ho pe at last. S w o r d in han d, t he y o u n g ma n stealthil
y ma de hi s wa y to wa rd his
retainers. Seven or eight carving blocks stood beside a long fire pit and the monk's men were sprawled nearby amid the scattered remains of the ir din ner , with
thei r bo ws , quiv ers , armor , daggers, and
th em . T he m o n k himsel f w a s asl eep on his
sw or ds beside
ar mr es t. A pair of tables before
hi m bo r e sil ver ves sel s ful l of th e leavi ngs from his meal. "H e lp me no w, O Kan no n of Ha se de ra !" the yo un g man pr aye d. "Let me see my parents again!" Since the monk was so unexpectedly sleeping, he de ci de d to at ta ck str ai gh t off, cu t off th e mon k' s head, a nd die, for he saw no chance of escape. At the first blow the monk cried out and raised his arms in fright, but the next blow killed him. The monk's men were certainly many, but Kannon must really have pr ot ect ed the y o u n g ma n bec aus e wh en they saw th ou gh t th ey had
their
leade r dea d they
be en inv ad ed by a large for ce. Besi des, the y them sel ves
had all been caught and forced into service by the man, and they had no wi sh to fig ht for hi m. N o w he w a s de ad , it did not oc cu r to the m to resist. Ins tea d, t he y all bl ur te d at onc e, "/ did n't do an yt hi ng wr on g! I used to se rv e Lor d So- an d- So befo re I fe ll into this t r a p! " T he y o u n g man put
on a go od sho w of ha vi ng am pl e rei nfo rce men ts be hi nd him,
he rd ed th em
all off, and locked them up. It w a s a lon g wa it t il l da w n . W h e n day
ca me at last, he
ar ou se d his
ow n reta ine rs, w h o ca me out da ze d an d ru bb in g thei r eyes to clear
aw ay
the fumes of last night's wine. They sobered up right away when they heard what had happened and went to look at the pit. The bamboo stakes do w n at the
bo tt om bristled
up th ro ug h cor pse s ne w an d old. Ka ne o
ma ru , a la nk y y o u t h clad in sti ll on his f eet, lay
a single mis
er ab le w r a p an d wi th the
th er e im pa le d, sti ll tw it ch in g a little. Th
clogs
e sc en e mi gh t
as wel l ha ve be en from hel l. N o w the y o u n g ma n called
the mo nk 's ser va nts
out again, an
d the y
con fes sed al l th e ter rib le th in gs th ey ha d be en m ad e to do ov er the y ea rs . Th ey we re not
pu ni sh ed since
the y the mse lve s we re not respo nsib le. A
messenger was sent with a report for the emperor, who was greatly impres sed with th e y o u n g man's dee Finally the
y o u n g ma n him self
d. we nt on up
to Ky oto,
recei ved an
official post, and found that everthing went for him just as he had always hoped. He and his wife stayed with each other through all the trials and joy s t h a t c a m e t h ei r w a y , a n d m u s t often h a v e t al ke d o v e r th eir m e m o r i e s of tha t awful nig
ht.
No on e ever
dis cov ere d an y relative
or oth er conn ec
tion of th e ro bb e r m on k, s o for hi m th e mat te r w a s close d. It took a
wise an d pr ud en t ma n to do w ha t the y o u n g ma n did!
w h o hear s this story shou night in have
ld consi der himself
w ar ne d not
a plac e he do esn 't kn ow . N ot e, too, that
An yo ne
to spen d the
the y o u n g ma n cou ld
do ne no thi ng wit ho ut Ka nn on 's help. N ot that Kan
no n ever wish es
to kill, but after all, the robber had killed many people himself, and Kan non could hardly
7
7
app rov e!
•
THE SACRIFICE In the provi
nce
of Mi m a sa k a the re are
tw o god s, Ch us an an d Koy a.
Ko ya is a sn ak e an d Ch us an a mo nk ey . Ea ch ye ar , dur in g the an nu al festival, these gods used to be offered a live human, and they had always go tt en the
sacrifice
th ey re qu ir ed : a pr et ty girl wi th a ha nd so me figure,
long hair, and fine white skin. O n e y ea r the choice fe
ll on the da ug ht er of a certa in house hol d. H e r
1
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8
pa re nt s we re he ar tb ro ke n.
After
al l, the t ie of pa re nt to child
springs
from a karmic bond already long established in lives gone by, and even an ill-favored child will always be dear, let alone one as lovely in every way as this girl. The girl, for her part, knew that soon she would never see her mo
th er an d fathe r aga in, a nd she
spe nt her
da ys an d nights in
tears. Then a hunter from the east passed through the village. A strange, fierce
ma n, h e w a s so imm en se ly st ro ng th at his ac cu st om ed prey
we re
wild boar, which he killed and ate at will, thinking nothing of it, though to ordinary people an angry boar is terrifying. The hunter happened to st op at th e girl's hou
se , an d he r fath er me nt io ne d w h y the famil y wa s so
sad. "What did she do in past lives," he groaned, "to have been born here for th is ? W h a t a ho rr ib le fate! A n d I don 't say so just bec au se she 's my ow n da ug hte r, yo u kno w. She 's so very pre tty !" The hunter took all this in. "The gods are harsh," he said. "But don't offer he r at the festival.
Let me ta ke car e of he r ins te ad . She'll die
wi se . Yo u do n' t w a n t y o u r only dau gh te r cut up bef ore the
go d, th at w o ul d be too awful.
alive
ot he r
an d set as mea t
Giv e her to me ! "
Th e father w a s co nv in ce d. An yt hi ng , after all , rat he r tha n le t his daughter die so ghastly a death. So the hunter went to the girl. She was pr ac ti ci ng cal lig rap hy, w er e visibly
bu t wi th a ve ry sorr owfu l a ir, and
we t from we ep in g. W h e n she tu rn ed aside
he r sleeves
at hi s ap pro ac h
and hid her face modestly behind her hair, he saw that it too was wet wi th te ar s. H o w lovely
she w a s! Sh e loo ked so dis tin gui she d that it wa s
hard to believe she was just a villager's child. He fell in love with her and decided to take her place at the sacrifice, though it might mean his own life. "I ha ve a pl an ," he told the
girl's
pa re nt s. " Wo ul d yo u be so rry to die
fo r yo ur da ug ht er ?" " O f co urs e not ," the y an sw er ed . "W h a t goo d is life to us wit hou t her? Ple ase do
as y o u thi nk be st ."
"I n th at case, str
etc h a sa cr ed rop e ro un d y o u r hou se an d te ll peo ple
yo u' ve be gu n purify ing y o u r da ug ht er f or the fe sti val . Do n't l et an yon e in, and be quite sure also to tell no one I'm here." He spe nt th e ne xt few
da ys ve ry hap pil y wi th the girl. Me an wh il e he
chose the two cleverest of his dogs, which had all served him well in the mo un ta in s fo r ye ar s, a nd trai ned them b
y setting
the m da y in an d day
out to catch and eat monkeys. Since dogs and monkeys are natural enemies, the two would soon attack and kill any monkey they saw, and in fact they destroyed a great many. The hunter for his part spent a lot of time sha rp en in g his mu rd er ou s da gg er an d swo rd . Often he the girl, "Ah, what link from past lives can have brought us together, to
sighed
to
m a k e me n o w offer my lite for y o u r s ? I'm h a p p y to do it , bu t th e t h ou g h t of pa rti ng from
y o u ma ke s me
sa d. " Th e gir l an sw er ed in
w or ds of
gratitude and affection. At last
th e festival
d a y ca me , an d th e prie sts arr iv ed at th e hea d of a
large th ro n g to ta ke cha rg e of the victim
. Th ey bro ug ht a long
ches t,
newly made, which they slid into the girl's room. "Put the offering inside as us ua l," the y ord er ed , " an d send her Inst ead,
it wa s th e hu nt er w h o got in , wit h his do gs . "Lis ten , yo u two,"
he said, "I 've given out for
ou t to th e go d. "
y o u a go od lif e latel y a n d no w it's y o u r tu rn to look
mt. Un de rs ta nd ?" He
patte d their
hea ds and they
whi ne d back,
th en lay d o w n on ei th er side of him . N e x t he ha d the we ap on s he had so carefully sharpened laid in the chest too. Finally the lid was secured with stri ps of cloth , a nd the k no ts w er e sealed. W gri ef on hi s face, th e fat her slid
it . T h e pro ce ssi on set o ff wi th a bra nch es of
the
it h an exp res sio n of suit abl e
th e ch es t ou t aga in, a nd the
pr ie st s to ok
gr ea t sha ki ng of spe ars , bells, a
jakaki tr ee de a r to the
nd
go ds , an d wit h a gre at cla mo r
from those who went ceremonially before it to clear the road. Th e girl liste ned to
th e co mm ot io n an d th ou gh t on ce mor e of the ma n
w h o ha d ta ke n her pla ce in
th e che st. S he w on de re d fearf ully wh a t her
pa re nt s wo ul d do if an yt hi ng we nt wr on g. But the y assu red her
that in
the fa ce of the god' s ha rs h c o m m a n d the y them selv es we re quit e pr ep ar ed to die, and that they feared nothing at all. The offering was carried to the shrine. All the priests lined up in front of it , i n or d e r of pr ec ed en ce , an d the chief
pries t solem nly into ned th e
divine invocation. Then he opened the sanctuary doors, slid the chest inside, and closed the doors again. The hunter, meanwhile, had carefully pierced a peephole in the chest wi th his
da gg er . H e n o w sa w be fo re him, in the
seat
of ho no r, a gia nt
monkey eight feet tall with a red face and buttocks, and long, glossy whi te f ur. Tw o hu nd re d lesser
mo nk ey s cr ow de d ar ou nd it on eithe r side,
some with flushed faces, some with eyebrows excitedly raised, and all barking and chattering madly. A huge carving board and a long, long knife lay
befo re th em ; a nd a r o un d the b oa rd stoo d jars fu ll of salt,
vin e
gar, and wine. While the others all clustered round, the giant monkey approached the chest and undid the knots. "Get 'em!" the hunter shouted. His dogs burst from the chest, set their teeth in the giant, got him down, and dragged him along the floor. Out leaped the hunter right behind them, his blade glittering like ice. He hauled the giant onto the carving board, put the sword to his neck, and ro ar ed : " Sc um , this is
w h a t y o u get f or killing
an d ea tin g peo ple ! Yo u
listen to me! I'm going to cut off your filthy head and feed it to my dogs!"
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The giant monkey's red face got even redder. He blinked and great tears rolled from his eyes, while his lips drew back to expose gleaming teeth. Though he rubbed his hands together in abject entreaty, with a gha stl y ex pre ssi on , the hun te r ga ve him no
qu ar te r. "Al l these
yo u' ve be en eatin
people childless!"
g y o u n g w om en and leaving
lo we d. " N o w y o u r he ad 's com in g of f for it! J u s t y ou try
ye ar s he bel
eati ng
me\" H e
struck a savage blow, but the giant monkey's head did not roll quite so easily. Meanwhile the two dogs had chased the others into the trees, where they sat shrieking so frantically that the mountains rang and the ea rt h se em ed r ea dy to split . Ne xt , the god posse me
a live
sse d one of the shr ine priests. "Ne
offeri ng a ga in !"
he
ho wl ed . " Th e pra cti ce
ve r, ne ver ma ke mu st st op !
I've
learned, oh how I've learned not to kill humans! And don't harm the man w h o di d this to me offering!
or pu ni sh the family
th at w a s su pp os ed to pr ov id e th e
I'll pr ot ec t th em an d the ir de sc en da nt s forever!
But
qui ckl y
no w , plea se, b eg this ma n for my li fe! I'm in ter rib le d a n g e r !" The priests and their followers rushed into the sanctuary and pleaded wit h the hun
te r to desist. "W
e un de rs ta nd ," they cr ied, "but pleas
e,
please release the god! He's promised not to do it again!" "D o n' t just
le t him
g o !" the hu nt er retor ted. " He 's a mu rde rer , and
I'm going to teach him a thing or two about suffering!" As he showed no sign of
rel en tin g, th e mo nk ey 's he ad see me d as go od as off. Th e chief
prie st ma de ev er y pr om is e he cou ld thin k of an d the god sw ore that he wo ul d nev er, At last
ne ve r do it aga in.
th e h u n t e r ga ve in. "All
rig ht, all
ri gh t, " he said, "just ma
ke
sure y o u do n' t! " Th e mo nk ey we nt free . When it was all over, the hunter returned to the girl's house and lived on hap pi ly as he r hu sb an d. Sin ce he wa s actua lly of nobl e stock, he ma
de
an excellent match. After that, it was boar or deer which served as live offerings to the god.
7 8 •
THE LURE A fine y o u n g ma n of th e high est bir th (a cap tain of
the
Palace G ua rd s,
let us say) once made a secret pilgrimage to Kiyomizu, where he spotted a v er y pr et ty girl. S he wa s beau tiful ly dre sse d, a nd to th e cap tai n she
w as obv io usl y of gen tl e birt h. S he to o se em ed to be th er e on a secr et pilgrimage. He wa tc he d her
wo rs hi p innocen
tly before
tw ent ie s, s he w a s by far the loveliest W h o cou ld she
the
altar.
In her
early
y o u n g w o m a n he ha d eve r seen .
be ? He w a s go in g to be co ur ti ng her, t he re w as no do ub t
about that, and was already deeply in love. When she left the temple, he had a page follow her. The captain was home again when the page returned to report. "I found out where she lives, sir," he said. "The house isn't in the city at all, bu t in th e h ills so ut h of Ki yom izu , just nor th of M o u n t Am id a. It's a fine , prosperous-looking place. The woman with her noticed me behind them an d as ke d w ha t I th ou g ht I w as do in g. I told
he r I w as just ob ey in g my
master, because he'd seen her lady at the temple and had told me to find out where she lived. The woman said next time I came that way I should be sure to stop by." Greatly encouraged, the captain sent a letter to which the girl replied very sweetly. Several such exchanges followed, and in one letter the girl wrote that living as she did back in the mountains she really could not go into the city. "But do come here," she added. "I'm sure there's no harm in our talking through a screen." De sp er at e to see he r aga in, t he cap ta in ro de o ff gaily at dus k wi th just t wo at t en da nt s: a gr oo m an d th e usua l pa ge . Ne ed le ss to say, he
did not
advertise his departure. W h e n th ey arriv ed, th e page ann
ou nc ed th em and the
older
wo ma n
invited them to follow her in. The compound was surrounded by a sto ut ear th en wall
pi er ce d by hig h gat es an d div ide d by a de ep tr en ch
with a bridge over it. The woman had the captain's attendants and hor se s st op at a lod ge shor t of th e br idg e, t he n led the cap tai n him self on acro ss . Am o n g th e m a n y bui ldi ngs on se em ed to a beautifully
th e ot he r side
w as w h a t
be a gu es t pavilio n. T h e cap tai n en te re d to find
hims elf in
ap po in te d ap ar tm en t, co mpl ete
wi th fold ing
scre ens, a
curtain of state, very nice mats on the floor, and blinds dividing off the
mai n ro om . F or a mo un ta in retreat, the
place
wa s th or ou gh ly im
pressive. T he eve ni ng w a s well alon g by n ow an d the gir l herself
ap pe ar ed . T he
captain went straight in behind her curtains and lay down with her. By the time they had made love he knew she was infinitely more beautiful in his arms than she ever had been at a distance. As they talked, the captain let her know how much he loved her. But she seeme tried
d ver y do wn ca st an d ap pa re nt ly wa s even wee pin g, tho ugh she
to hide i t. No t un de rs ta nd in g, he aske
tha t she
d her wh y. S he only an sw er ed
ha d just tho ug ht of so me th in g sad, wh ic h puzzle d the captain
1
2
1
still more. "But we love each other now!" he said. "You shouldn't hide things from me! What's the matter? What is it?" "It isn't that I don't
want to tell y o u , " sh e rep lie d, " bu t oh,
I can' t be ar
to!" She wept all the more. "S pe ak ! Tell "Oh, I
me ! Am I go ing to die s o m e h o w ? "
miutt tell y o u ! Y ou see,
I'm th e da ug h te r of so -an d-s o w h o used
to live in the Capital. When my parents died I was left an orphan. The ma st er of this hou se is
a be gg ar out cas te wh o m a tr em en do us stroke of
fortune had already brought to live here. He abducted me, and now he sees to my every need and dresses me in the best. From time to time he se nd s me of f on pi lg ri ma ge to Kiy om iz u, w h e re me n see me
an d fall in
lov e wi th me
ju st as y o u di d. I lur e th es e me n her e as I did
y ou , an d
wh il e I sleep
th e ou tc as te th ru st s a sp ea r d o w n from the ceiling. I
gu id e
the point to the man's chest and the spear runs him through. When he's de ad , he's stri side of
pp ed of his cloth es. His at te nd an ts in the lodge
th e mo at are
on the oth er
al l m u r d e re d an d st ri pp ed too, and the
ho rse s are
stolen. I've done this twice already, and all I have to look forward to is m or e of th e sa me . S o thi s tim e I'm go in g to ta ke th e sp ea r poin t instea d of y o u an d die mys elf. R u n aw ay ! I'm sur e y o u r at te nd an ts are dead . O h , to thin k th at I' ll ne ve r see y o u ag ai n! " S he so bb ed as th ou gh he r hea rt would break. Th e ca pta in' s mi nd reeled, b say, " H o w hor rib le!
ut he ma na ge d to ga th er en ou gh wits
An d y o u talk
bu t I can' t esc ape by myself
to
of dy in g fo r me ! No , no, tha nk yo u,
an d leave y ou be hi nd ! We'll go
to ge th er !"
"Y es , I' ve lon ge d for th at to o, m a n y ti me s. Bu t if he do es n' t fe el fles h u nd e r his sp ea r he'l l be d o w n insta ntly to se e wh at 's wr on g. If we 're both go ne , we'll
bo th be
ca ug ht an d killed.
N o , please , save yo ur se lf an d do
pi ou s w o r k s f or th e go od of my soul . I can' t go on com mi tt in g thes e monstrous crimes!" " H o w ca n my go od wo r k s ev er re pa y th e de bt I' ll ow e y o u ? But al l rig ht , I' ll g o . " "Th ey 'll ha ve ta ke n up th e brid ge over
th e tr en ch after y ou cross ed it .
Go ou t the do or th er e an d ma ke y o u r w a y alo ng the na rr ow ban k beyo nd th e tr en ch ti ll y o u ge t to a litt le ope ni ng in
the ou te r wall, wh e re the
brook comes in. You can squeeze out through that. Ah, it's time! When the spear comes down, I'll put it to my own chest and let it stab me to death." Al re ad y the so un d of voices, terrif be hea rd el se wh er e in the
ying
no w be yo nd descripti
on, could
ho use . Wee pi ng , the capta in dr ew on a single
ro be , t uc ke d th e ski rts up into
his belt fo r ease of
mo ve me nt , an d stole
out the door. He got along the bank and out through the opening. So far,
so good. But where was he to head now? He simply ran in the direction he happened to be facing, and as he did so he heard footsteps running be hi nd him. Th
ey we r e after
hi m!
He gl an ce d ba ck in pa ni c. I t w as his
page. "Where did
you come from?" he cried in relief.
"A s soo n as y o u we re go ne the y to ok a wa y th e br id ge , sir,"
th e boy
repl ied . "T ha t wa s a ba d sign, so I got ou t ov er th e wall . W h e n I ga th er ed the y'd kille d the gr oo m, I wo nd e re d wh at th ey mig ht hav e do ne wit h you, so ins tea d of ge tt in g a w a y I hid in a W h e n I hea rd some on e ru nn in g,
thi cke t to see wh at mig ht ha pp en .
I hop ed it might b e yo u, s ir, an d I
followed to make sure." "I ha d no idea
suc h a ho rr or w a s possi ble,
capt ain gr oa ne d as the y ran on On re ac hi ng th e river
I just had no
to ge th er to wa rd the
id ea !" th e
city.
at ab ou t th e le vel of Fifth
Av en ue , the y loo ked
bac k an d sa w a gre at f ire . Ha vi ng th ru st dow n h is spear, th
e out cas te
had assumed he had killed his intended victim. But he expected the girl the n to say som et hin g. A la rm ed by he r silence, he cam wa s wr on g.
He found the
girl
de ad and
the man
e do wn to see wh at
gon e. Ob vi ou sl y th er e
would soon be people there to arrest him, so he had set fire to all the buildings and fled. Once back at home the captain swore his page to silence and never bre at he d a wo rd ol
wh at had
sole mn B ud dh is t rites, and tho
ha pp en ed . E ver y ye ar he commissio
ug h he neve r revea led w h o the y we re f or
th ey mus t hav e bee n for th e girl w h o ha d died to In th e end,
ned
r u m o r of th e inci den t did get
save him . out
an d som eo ne built a
temple where the house had stood; in fact, it's still there. It al l goes to sh
ow th at y o u sho ul dn 't let
of ! so me wh er e yo u don't k
7
9
a lovely
w o m a n sw ee p y o u
no w.
•
JUST LIKE A BIRD As a y o u n g ma n Ta da ak ir a, an of fic er of the I mperi al Police, qu
arr el ed
with some local toughs below Kiyomizu Temple. The toughs had their sw or ds dr a wn an d we re out
to su rr ou nd and k il l Tad aa ki ra if th ey could.
He too bared his sword and broke away up to the main hall. When still more toughs came after him, he fled into the hall.
1
1
A
N o w Ki yo mi zu Te mp le is built out a st ru ct ur e of hu ge w oo de n pillars. te mp le y o u look out
from a ste ep hillside
and sta nds on
Fr om the open platform before
ov er th e tr ee to ps . T ad aa ki ra seized
the
on e of the grea t
shutters that protect the temple from wind and rain, dashed out clutching it un d e r his ar m, an d hu rl ed himse lf of f into the valley
bel ow. Th e wi nd
caught the shutter. He sailed like a bird down to a gentle landing and disappeared with all possible speed. The toughs watched in a row from the railing above. They could not beli eve th ei r ey es.
F
O
X
E
_
S
8
o
EN OU GH L S ENOUGH! Th e foxes
wh ic h infested
the hous e an d gr ou nd s of Maj or Cou nse lor
Yasumichi's old mansion were always making mischief, but since they ne ve r really
did any
ha rm Yas um ic hi le t the mat te r pass. T he y got naug h
tie r an d na ug ht ie r as th e ye ar s w en t by, th ou gh , until one
da y he angri ly
dec id ed that eno ug h wa s en ou gh . Tho se fox es wo ul d have to go. He announced a grand fox hunt to his household, for the next day. Th e serv ants wer
e to bring
bo ws and
arr ows , sticks , or wha tev er wea p
on s th ey cou ld dev ise , an d flush out ever y last on e. Th ey wo ul d su rr ou nd the house, and men would be posted not only on the garden wall but on th e ro of as wel l, a n d even in the spa
ce be t we en th e ceili ng of the ro om s
a n d th e roof. E v e r y fox th at sh ow e d itself w ou l d be killed. Near dawn on the fateful day Yasumichi had a dream. A white-haired old man, looking rather like an aged menial, was kneeling under the tangerine tree in the garden, bowing respectfully to him. " W h o are y o u ? " asked
Yasum ichi.
" S o m e o n e w h o ha s lived
he re in this man sio n for m an y ye ar s, sir,"
old m an an s w er ed nerv ou sl y. " M y fath er lived
the
her e befor e me, si r, an d
by now I have many children and grandchildren. They get into a lot of mischief, I'm afraid, and I'm always after them to stop, but they never
.
list en. An d now,
sir , yo u' re und er st an da bl y fe d up with us. I
ga th er tha t
y o u ' re goi ng to ki ll us all. B ut I ju st w a n t y o u to kn o w , sir, h o w so rr y I am tha t this is
ou r last night of
li fe . W o n 't y o u pa rd o n us, on e mor e ti me ?
If we eve r ma ke tr ou bl e again , t he n of co ur se y o u m us t act as yo u thi nk best . B ut the y o u n g on es , sir— I'm to the m w h y yo u' re so upse
jure they'll
t. We'll do ever
un de rs ta nd wh e n I expla in
yth in g we can to
prot ect y o u
from n o w on , if on ly yo u' ll forg ive us, a n d we'l l be su re to let y o u k n o w wh en anyt hin g good is
goin g to hap pe n! "
The old man bowed again and Yasumichi awoke. When the sky had ligh ten ed, he
got up
an d loo ke d ou tsi de . U n d e r th e ta ng er in e tre e sat a
hairl ess old fo x wh ic h, a t th e sight of him , sl un k un d er the ho us e. The perplexed Yasumichi gave up his fox hunt. There was no more troublesome mischief, and every happy event around the house was an no un ce d by a fox's
8
i
sh ar p ba rk .
.
THE LOVING FOX A man was once walking at twilight along Suzaku Avenue in Kyoto when he met an extraordinarily beautiful woman. She seemed happy enough to let him strike up a conversation with her, and from close up he found her even more alluring. Unable even to imagine letting the opportunity pass, he filled her ears with so many sweet nothings that he soon very nearly had what he burned for. The woman tried to hold him off. "Now that we've gotten this far," sh e said,
"I 'd like so mu
c h to go al l th e w a y ! Bu t y o u see,
if we do yo u' ll
die."
M u c h too exc ite d to listen, the ma sh e ga ve in. "I rea
n kep t pr es si ng himse lf on he r until
lly ca n' t ref use y o u , " sh e said, "s in ce y o u insist
so
urg en tl y. V er y well the n, I' ll do wh a te ve r y o u wi sh and die in y o u r plac e. If y o u wa nt to sh ow me gra tit ude , c op y the L ot us Sut ra an d ded ica te it for me." The man seemed not to take her seriously, and he finally consummated his desire. They lay in each other's arms all night long, chatting like old lovers. At dawn the woman got up and asked the man for his fan. "I me an t w ha t I said,
y o u kn o w , " she told
him, " I' m go in g to die inst ead of
1
1
6
y o u . If y o u w a n t proof,
go into
th e pal ace g ro u nd s an d look ar ou nd the
Butoku Hall. You'll see." Then she left. At daylight the man went to the Butoku Hall and found there a fox lying dead with his fan over its face. He was very sorry. Every seven da ys after
th at he finished a
co py of the Lo tu s Su tr a an d ded ica te d it for
th e fox's
sou l. On the nigh
t following
th e forty -nin th da y he dr ea me d
that she came to him, surrounded by angels, and told him that thanks to the po w e r of th e Te ac hi ng she w as to be bo rn into
the Tori H ea ve n.
8
2
.
TOUCHED IN THE HEAD K a ya no Yoshifuji lived
in the village of
Ash im or i in Bit chu pro vi nc e. He
had made a fortune trading in imported Chinese coins. In th e f all of 89 6, Y oshi fuji 's wife we n t up to the Ca pit al, lea vin g him all alone. He was far too randy a fellow to stand this for long. One ev en in g at twilig ht, he w a s ou t f or a stroll
w h en he spo tte d a lovely y o u n g
girl he had not seen before, and wanted her right away. She tried to run w h e n he gr a bb ed at her, but he sweetly,
ca ug ht her an d ask ed w h o she wa s. Very
she answ ere d, "N ob od y. "
"Come to my place," said Yoshifuji. "Oh no, sir, I couldn't!" She tried again to pull away. "T he n wh er e do y o u liv e? I'll go ho me wit h y o u . " " O v e r th er e ." Sh e s et of f wi th Yoshifuji
besi de her, k ee pi ng a go od
hold on her. It was not far, and the house was lovely. What a surprise to find a place like this so close by! Male and female servants clustered round to greet their mistress, and Yoshifuji realized that the girl was the da ug ht er of the ho use . The two slept together that night, to Yoshifuji's delight. The next morning a man whom Yoshifuji understood to be the girl's father came in. "Yo u we re alwa ys me an t to co me he re ," he said, "and no
w yo u must
stay!" The girl was ever so nice to him, and he was so taken with her that he forgot all about his wife. As for his house and children, he never ga ve th e m a th ou gh t. He an d the girl ple dg ed each
ot he r ete rna l love.
Yoshifuji's household assumed, when he first disappeared, that he was just catting a r o u n d as usual;
b u t a s t h e h o u r s p a s s e d a n d h e failed t o
return, they began to worry. "What a lunatic!" they grumbled. "We'll
ha ve to look
lor hi m !" Se rv an ts sen t in the
mi dd le of the nigh t to c o m b
the neighborhood turned up nothing. Yet Yoshifuji could not have gone far since he had been dressed only casually and all his clothes were still at home. By daybreak every likely place had been searched in vain. The ho us eh ol d wa s at a loss. in a m o m e n t of folly,
If he w e r e y o u n g , he mig ht have be co me a mo n k
or ev en ki lled himself, b
u t su re ly not at his ag e. It
was very strange. Meanwhile Yoshifuji was comfortably installed in his new home and his lady was pregnant. After she had an easy delivery, the two grew closer than ever. Time flew by. Yoshifuji had not a care in the world. Back at his old home, they never found him. His brothers and his only son Ta da sa da , affluent
me n all, w er e ve ry ups et, an d w a n ti ng at least
to
find his body they banded together, felled a tree, and carved an image of El ev en -H ea de d Ka nn on jus t Yoshi fuji 's
height. Wh
e n the
statue
wa s
done, they prostrated themselves before it and prayed to find the corpse. Be it no te d, to o, tha t from bee n calling
th e da y of Yoshifuji's
di sa pp ea ra nc e th ey ha d
the B ud dh a' s N a m e an d re ad in g sutr as to gui de Yo shifuji 's
soul toward the next life. Suddenly a man with a stick arrived at Yoshifuji's new house. While the whole household fled in terror, the man poked his stick into Yoshi fuji's back and drove him through a tight passageway to the outside. Thi s wa s the pe op le at his
th irt ee nt h ev en in g after
Yoshi fuji' s di sa pp ea ra nc e. T he
old h o m e w e re s til l sh ak in g the ir he ad s ov er w h a t ha d
happened when a strangely dark, monkeylike creature crawled out from un de r the store
hou se near by. W h a t could
it be? Th ro ug h the ja bbe r of
the excited onlookers came a voice saying, "It's me!" It was Yoshifuji. Even Tadasada found it hard to believe, but there was no doubt about the
voice. Ta
da sa da ju mp ed dow n fr om the
ve ran da and brou
gh t h is
father up into the house. Yoshifuji
ex pl ai ne d h o w de sp er at e he ha d been fo r a w o m a n wh ile his
wife wa s go ne and ho w he had mar
ri ed a fi ne ge nt le ma n's da ug ht er . N o w
he had a little boy. "He's so pretty I carry him in my arms all the time!" Yoshif uji dec la red . "H e 's my heir,
y o u kn ow . You 'r e only
n u m b e r tw o
from now on, Tadasada. That's because I think so much of his mother." "Where
u this li tt le b o y ? " ask ed Tad as ad a.
"W hy , over
th er e, " Yos hif uji an swe red , poi nting
at the storeh
ouse .
This was strange news. Yoshifuji looked terribly thin and sick, and he had on the same clothes as when he had vanished. A servant sent to look un d e r th e st or eh ou se fou nd lots Th at wa s w he re Yoshi fuji
of foxes, whi
ch fl ed in all dir ect ion s.
ha d been . O bv io us ly a fox ha d trick ed him.
He had married the fox and was no longer in his right mind. A holy mo nk a nd a yi n- ya ng divin er w er e called
imm edia tel y to purify
1
8
1
Yoshifuji, but after repeated ablutions he still was not the man he had once been. It was only later that he finally came back to himself, and he was horribly embarrassed. The thirteen days he had spent under the st or eh ou se had se em ed to him like cl ea ra nc e be t we en the
th irt een ye ar s, an d the fe w inches of
gr o un d an d th e floor of th e bui ldi ng ha d look ed to
him like a stately home. The foxes had done all this. The man with the stick
w a s an ema na ti on of th e Ka nn o n Yoshifuji's
br ot he rs an d son had
carved. Yoshifuji lived on in good health another decade and died in his sixtyfirst year.
8
3
YAM SOUP In his yo u t h Ge ne ra l Tos hih ito belonged ye ar , after
to th e reg ent' s hous ehol d. O n e
th e regent 's Ne w Ye ar ban que t, h e an d th e oth er s w ho had
se rv ed the ba nq ue t w er e all owe d to eat up al l the ge nt le ma n in the regent soup. Though the fifth rank
's service, sat
leav ings . Sir
Goi, a
wit h th em slur ping le ftov er y a m
(go-i) he bore was not much to boast of, Sir
Goi thought it very fine. "Ah," he sighed, smacking his lips, "I can never get e no ug h of th at stuff!" "Really?" said Toshihito. "You still haven't had enough?" "No indeed!" " T h e n I' ll see th at y o u get y o u r fill. " "T ha nk yo u, " mur mur ed S ir Goi . A few days later Toshihito appeared at Sir Goi's lodging and invited him for a bath. Sir Goi accepted, "I
a m a bit itchy this evening," he admitted. "But
I've no conveyance." "D on 't w o r r y, " said Tos hihi to, "I' ve brou gh t yo u a nag to rid e." "W on de rf ul , won de rf ul !" Sir
Goi rose
to go.
He had
on a tatt ered
light-blue outfit with rents and gaps here and there, and not even proper un de r w ea r un de r his tr ous er s. T he end
of his sh ar p nose
wa s red, and
the drop quivering there showed that he had not wiped it for some time. T h o u g h his sas h da ng le d ra gg ed ly from u nd er the bac k of his ou te r rob e, he made no attempt to fix it. All in all he was quite a sight.
.
The incongruous pair rode eastward toward the Kamo River. Sir Goi did not
ha ve a single
mi se ra ble boy
wit h him,
but Tosh ihi to had thr ee :
one to carry his weapons, one to lead his horse, and one to do whatever else wa s nee de d. T h e y had cros sed the river the pass
ov er into
an d we re ne ar in g the foo t of
O m i wh e n Sir Goi fi na ll y as ke d wh er e the y we re goi ng.
Toshihito assured him that they had not far to go and kept repeating these assurances as they passed Yamashina. "W h at 's go in g o n ? " Sir Goi insisted, baffled. "Yo
u keep
telling
me it 's
just a h e a d an d here we are past Y a m a s h i n a ! " " J u s t a litt le fur the r!
It's on just a littl e!" an sw er ed Tosh ihi to as th ey
crossed the pass. Sir Goi had once been to see a monk whom Toshihito knew out that wa y, at Miide
ra, a nd he
th ou gh t pe rh ap s the y we re to have
their
bat h
th er e. Bu t it w a s cr az y to co me so far for a ba th , an d bes ide s, th ey we r e no wh er e near
a bat h an yw ay . "W h e r e is this
bath of y o u r s ? " Sir Goi
demanded to know. "T o tel l the tr ut h, " To sh ih ito confes
sed, " I' m ta kin g yo u up to the
J a p a n Sea coast , to Ts ur ug a. " "Y ou 'r e m ad ! If y o u ' d told me from some men with me!"
the star t I'd at least
hav e ta ke n
"You've as good as a thousand men," laughed Toshihito, "as long as you have On the
me I " sh or e of La ke B iw a To sh ih ito spied
a fox . "Th er e' s my me ss en
ge r! " he cri ed an d ga ve cha se . Th e fox ran hard , but
Tos hih ito got it
cornered, then dove at it and caught its hind legs. His horse did not look like much but it was a remarkable animal. It had not taken long to catch that fox. To sh ih it o held the f ox da ng li ng in front to catch up in time
to hea r him say, "
of him, an d Sir Goi m an ag ed
Fo x, yo u' re goi ng up to Tos hih ito 's
ho us e in Ts ur ug a ton igh t an d y o u re goi ng to say: ' Th e ma st er is br in gi ng a surprise guest home from the Capital. He wants his men to meet him at ten
to mo rr ow morn ing
at
Ta kas him a. The y'r e to
ho rs es .' If yo u do n' t deli ver tha t mess age , you' ll be magic pow
er s,
I kn ow , an d yo u' d better
bring
two saddled
sor ry . Yo u' ve got
get you rse lf the re right
a wa y !"
Then Toshihito let the fox go. "W ha t an odd mes sen ger !" re ma rk ed Sir
Goi.
"Justyou watch," Toshihito said. "He'll go." Sure enough, the fox ran straight off, glancing back again and again. "There he goes!" cried Toshihito, and the fox vanished as he spoke. They stopped that night on the road and set off again first thing the next mor nin g. At ten
the y sa w thirt y rider s ap pr oa ch ing . Sir
Goi wa s
I
2
0
wo rr ie d, b ut To sh ih it o as su re d him th ey we re his me n. Fo r Sir Goi, it was all a mystery. The riders dismounted before them. "You see?" they said to each other. "Our master's really coming!" Toshihito grinned and asked how they had found out. "In a very strange way, sir," the senior retainer answered. "D id yo u brin g the ho rse s? " "Y es , si r, bo th of th e m. " Since the men had food, Toshihito and Sir Goi dismounted too and ate. The senior retainer told them about the previous evening. " A r o u n d eig ht o'clo ck, sir, H e r La dy sh ip f el t a sh ar p pain in her
ches t.
She was very agitated and wanted to call a healer. Then she suddenly said, 'D o n 't w or ry , ma d a m , I'm jus t a fox. I th e sh or e of La ke Biw a, on his he ca ug ht me an d said to
me t Hi s Lo rd sh ip to da y on
w a y from Kyo to . I trie d to run aw ay but
te ll y o u he' ll be here to
mo rr o w wit h a gue st.
He wants his men to meet him with two saddled horses at ten tomorrow mo rn in g at Ta ka sh im a. He thre d a y w a s ov er . I ho pe the
at en ed me if I didn 't get here before
m en will
lea ve rig ht a w a y ! If th ey 'r e late,
the I'll
suffer for it.' She was terribly upset, sir, but once she had given the message she came back to herself. We left right away and came as fast as we could." Toshihito smiled and glanced at Sir Goi, who was feeling terribly confused. Then they hurried on and arrived at dusk. The household was a m a z e d . Si r G oi go t off his ho rs e a n d ha d a look
at th e hou se . It w as
very nice. Toshihito had already given him a good robe to wear over his thin clothing, but still he was awfully hungry and cold. Now there was a big warm fire, and soft mats to sit on. When refreshments were served, Sir Goi felt entirely comfortable. Then he was brought three pale-yellow silk ro be s, lux uri ous ly pa dd ed , an d ask ed s olicitously
wh et he r he had not
been cold on the road. He was fairly swept away. After
ev er yo ne ha d eat en an d settled
ca me in. "W
h a t a wa y to ar ri ve !" he
do wn , Toshihi
to's
father-in-law
comp lain ed. " The mess
enger
yo u
sent wa s insa ne, an d y o u r wife w a s ve ry i ll. Yo u' re m ad !" Toshihito laughed. "I just wanted to see what would happen," he an sw er ed . "Th e fox did com e, didn't
he !"
"Mad!" the father-in-law repeated with a chuckle. "Is this the gentle man yo u bro ug ht with y o u ? " "Y es . He say s he 's nev er had his
fil l of y a m soup,
so I've bro
here to make sure he gets it." "Imagine never having gotten enough of a simple thing like that!" joked the father-in-law.
ug ht him
"He told me we were just going to take a bath!" chimed in Sir Goi lightly. They chatted on till at last Toshihito's father-in-law retired for the night. Sir Goi went to the room where he gathered he was to sleep, and found laid out for him a night robe several inches thick with padding. His own thin garment was pitiful by comparison, and in any case something else seemed to be living in it because he got itchy spots every time he wore it. So he to ok it
off a nd pu t th e nig ht rob e on ov er th e th re e pa le- yel low
ones. Never having known such comfort, he felt as though he were floating. Soon he was sweating. All at once someone moved beside him. Who could it be? "I w as ask ed to ru b y o u r f eet , si r," said Sh e see me d ve ry nice, an
a y o u n g wo m an 's voice.
d he cud dl ed he r agai nst him to
ke ep o ff an y
draft. Su dd en ly a voice
outs ide shou ted , "Liste n, yo u pea san ts!
Eac h of yo u,
to m or ro w mo rn in g at six , b ri ng in a y a m fi ve fe et long an d th re e inche s thi ck !" Th e or de r so un de d ab su rd . Sir Goi just snugg led into bed. At d a w n he he ar d a co mm ot io n in the ya rd , an d wh e n he fina lly got up and opened the shutters, he saw four or five large mats laid outside. He could not imagine what they were for. Meanwhile a peasant came in with what looked like a log over his shoulder and laid it on the ground. An ot he r pe as an t right behi
nd him br ou gh t the same , an d then anot
he r.
The things were three inches thick, all right, and by ten o'clock they were piled as
hig h as the roo f. E ve ry pe as an t ar ou nd had bro
ug ht in his y a m .
Sir Goi's mind reeled. Ne xt , me n mar ch ed in sho uld eri ng half a doz en hu ge ca uld ron s goo d fo r hu nd re ds of gallo ns each.
Th ey drov e stake s into the
gr ou nd and set
the cauldrons up in a row. Once more Sir Goi's mind was boggled. Then ca me a c ro w d of pr et ty girls, all in wo od en buck ets . The y emp tied their
wh it e s ilk an d ca rry in g freshly mad
the y go in g to hea t ba th wa te r? N o , Sir Goi notic ed that not
wa te r but swee tvi ne sy ru p. A
kni ves and set
like the th
the buc ke ts held
doz en y o u n g me n pic ked up
to w o rk pee lin g an d slicing
the y we re m ak in g y a m so up , but he
e
buc ket s into the caul dron s. We re
did not
the y a m s . Sir Goi
long
gr as pe d tha t
w an t an y. In fa ct, he did not
ou gh t of y a m s ou p at a ll.
Th e y a m soup wa s boiling
merri ly awa y an d the coo ks repo rte d it wa s
ready. "Serve it up then!" cried Toshihito. With a monstrous metal ladle they sloshed a gallon or two into a huge bowl and with a "Please, sir," offered it to Sir Goi.
1
2
2
He could not even get through his first serving and confessed he had ha d en ou gh . Ev er yo ne laugh ed. "T ha nk s to yo u, sir," all had lots of
they
said,
"we' ve
yam s oup!"
J u s t the n Tosh ihi to spotte
d a fo x pee rin g at the m rou nd a corn er.
" L oo k ! " he exc lai med . "T he re 's my mes sen ger ! Fee d hi m! " So they
fe d
th e fox y a m so u p too , a nd h e at e up a ll he got . All in all, Toshihito carried through his prank in a wonderfully openhe ar te d w a y . A m o n t h or so lat er Sir
Goi le ft aga in for
the Cap ita l,
burdened this time with robes for both daily and formal wear, with le at he r ch es ts fu ll of bol ts of co tt on an d si lk, and , ne edle ss to say,
wi th
the beautiful bedclothes he had slept in the first night. All this was already loaded onto his saddled horse when Toshihito saw him off. To sh ih it o did not have m
uc h ran k, b ut it just sh ow s ho w well a ma n
ca n do a n y w a y w h e n he is well es tab lis he d an d liked
in his ow n locality.
8
4
THE EVICTION Th e Mi nis te r Mi yo sh i no Kiyoyuk
i, a ma n of ex tr aor din ar y intelli gence
an d lear ning , w as exp er t eve n in yi n- ya ng l ore. ow n,
Ha vi ng no house of
he locat ed a ru in ou s old man si on tha t sto od near
Fifth
his
the cro ssin g of
an d H or ik a w a av en ue s in Kyot o an d bo ugh t the place, even
tho ugh
no one would live in it because it was well known to be haunted. Then, over his relatives' strenuous objections, he prepared to move in on an astrologically suitable day. The right day turned out to be the twentieth of the sixth moon. Kiyo yu k i be ga n his mov e in an unu su al w a y by sett ing ou t in his
car ria ge
about six in the evening, taking only a straw mat with him. T h e hou se w a s so old th at y o u coul dn' t even gues ga rd en wa s f ull of pin es,
s it s age, whi le i ts
ma ple s, a nd ch er ry tre es so anc ien t tha t the y
cer tai nly mu st ha ve had tree
spiri ts living
in the m. Vine s, no w just begin
nin g to red de n wi th fa ll , cl am be re d ev er yw he re , and
the mos s that
ere d th e gr ou nd ha d not bee n swep t for ye ar s. Kiyoyu ki had the raise d. T he inte rior par titi ons we re al l wa rp ed and
cov
shu tte rs
tor n. He had a cor ner
of th e floor cl ea ne d up an d spr ea d out the ma t he had br ou gh t. T he n he had
a
lamp
lit
and
lay
down
on
the
mat
facing
south.
When
his
.
carriage had been put away in the carriage house, he dismissed all his ser vant s an d ox-dr ive rs wit h instruc Ki yo yu ki do ze d off, sti ll facing wa s a wa ke ne d by a sort of face
tion s to co me back the so ut h.
next day.
In th e midd le of th e night he
rus tlin g in the lat
tic ewo rk ceiling
an d saw a
st ic ki ng ou t from eac h cr os si ng of th e lattice . Al l th e faces
different.
W h e n he calml y we nt on looking, they
w er e
dis app ear ed. N ext , forty
or fifty riders, each a foot tall, clattered across the floor from west to east. Kiyoyuki kept watching. A closet lady
al l in
do or op en ed an d out cam e a ve ry dis tin gui she d th ou gh tiny da rk br ow n, wi th her
ha ir d ow n ove r her
sh ou ld er s. Th e
del ici ous sce nt of m u s k fi ll ed th e air as she kne lt befo re him . A re d fan hid most of
he r face, bu t the fo reh ead tha t pe ep ed ab ov e it wa s wh it e
an d the eyes
ele gan tly long. T
h e w a y jus t the pupi ls mov ed as she gla nce d
to either side was both dignified and sinister. Watching her, he assumed th at the rest of
he r face mu st be ver y pr et ty , bu t as she
pr ep a re d to go
she moved the fan aside a moment. Lo and behold, her nose was bright red, a nd cro sse d pairs of he r m ou th ! Th is did
lon g silver
give him a
fangs pro
tr ud ed from
bit of a sho ck, b ut she
the cor ne rs of me an wh il e ha d
vanished into the closet and closed the door. It wa s nearly da wn no w, but ther e wa s a brig ht moon.
Kiyoyuk i wa s
lying there as alert and untroubled as ever when an old man in a lightblue rob e ca me in from
th e di m ga rd en outsid
e, knelt, bo
we d ver y low,
and respectfully held a letter forth. " W h a t ha ve y o u got to say to me ? " as ked Ki yoyuki sharpl
y.
T h e old ma n a n s w e r e d in a little voic e, "I 'm her e to let y o u k no w, sir, tha t we co ns id er it ver y w r o n g of y o u to claim posse wh ic h has be en our s for m an y ye ar s, a nd that we
ssion o f a hous e wish to regist
er a
vigorous protest." "Y ou don' t kn ow wh at yo u' re talking from
one an oth er . It's
perfectly
abo ut.
nor ma l. But
People of ten bu y hou ses you insist on disrupting this
process by frightening away anyone who wants to live here and by occ upy ing the
place
you rs el ves . You
shou ld be as ha me d.
Real
de mo ns
know right from wrong and are perfectly straight about it. That's what ma ke s th em fri ghte ning . B ut
al l yo u do
is
he av en . W hy , y ou ' r e onl y a tri be of old foxes! d og an d I'd ha ve him eat
y o u all. Go
"Y ou 'r e perf ectl y right, sir, perfec
invite
the
pu ni sh m en t of
Giv e me a single ha
wk or
tell th at to y o u r fr ie nd s! " tly righ t. B ut we 'v e lived
long, y o u se e. W e w a n t e d y o u to k n o w h o w we fe el. I'm not in of fri ght enin g peo ple . T he culp rit s, I'm afraid, ar
he re so th e hab it
e a cou ple of yo un gs te rs .
I try to con tro l the m, sir, bu t th ey 'r e al wa ys up to thei r tri cks . If yo u' re go ing to mo ve in her e, th ou gh , sir, I really
do n' t k n o w wh a t we 'r e to do .
2
1
4
W e 'v e no w h e r e to go . Or at least, th
e on ly pla ce is a va ca nt l ot by th e
mai n gat e of the Ac ad em y. M a y we have
y o u r perm ission to move there,
sir?" "That sounds like a very good idea," Kiyoyuki answered. "You might as well get started." T h e old ma n sh ou te d an or de r a nd forty After
da yb re ak K iyo yuk i's house
or fi fty voices shou
te d asse nt.
hol d ca me to fet ch h im ho me again.
He then went about the business of having the house remodeled and made more up-to-date. Nothing special happened while he lived there.
8
5 .
INCENSE SMOKE J o k a n , a holy mo nk on ch an ti ng an invocation
M o u n t Hiei,
had spe nt eve ry night f or ye ar s
call ed the Son sh o Da ra ni . Who ev er hear d him
was struck with awe. O n e night
an I mmo rta l na me d Yo sho f le w over
he ar d Jo k a n s voice,
an d ca me do w n to the railing
J o k a n s dwelling, outsid e hi s room.
Sta rtl ed, J o k a n as ke d w h o it wa s. Yo sh o an sw er ed in a thin, reed like a mosq ui to' s bu zzi ng, a nd J o k a n reco gni zed him
as a former
y voice disciple.
He ope ne d the do or an d Yos ho fle w inside. The two talked over old times till the Immortal felt it was time to leave. But the company of a mortal man had weighed him down, and he found he could not rise. "W
o ul d y o u mov e the incense bur
ne r ove r he re ?" he
asked, and Jokan did so. Yosho mounted the smoke and sailed up into the sky. Jokan had always wondered about his student's disappearance, and now he understood. He wept with emotion that Yosho should have come to see him again.
6 .
8
THE BLESSING A de vo ut m on k w h o lived
by th e Ku zu Rive r, at th e foot of M o u n t Hir a,
took no grain and ate only wild greens. Once he dreamed a holy being told him, "Th er e' s an Im mor tal on Mo un t Hi ra an d he cha nts the
Lotu s.
Go and get his blessing." Th ou gh he cli mbe d M o u n t Hir a right
aw ay , it wa s only after da ys of
hunting that he heard far, far off a chanting voice. He was exhausted, and the day nearly done, when he finally discovered a cave under an overhanging crag. The great pine before it was shaped like a broad, conical hat. Peering in, he saw the Immortal. His bones had no flesh on them and his only robe was moss. " W h o are y o u ? " the I mm ort al ask ed. " N o one
has
ever
been here
before." "I liv e by th e Ku zu Riv er, a n d a dr e am told me
to get y o u r bl es si ng ."
" T h e n firs t kee p a w a y from me for a wh il e. T he sm ok e of th e h u m a n world makes my eyes sting and water. Come to me in seven days." Th e m o nk ret re at ed twe nt y y a r d s or so from
the cave, while
mor tal ch an te d th e Su tr a da y an d night . H is voice
the I m
wa s dee ply movi ng,
and the monk felt as though all the sins he had committed through begi nning less time
we re melting
awa y. T he deer, the
bear s, the
an d al l the oth er cre at ur es of feat her an d fu r br ou gh t the an d see ds, an d the
Im mo rt al had
a mo nk ey give
mo nke ys ,
Im mor tal nut s
the mo nk som e, too.
Seven days later the monk approached the cave. "I used to be a monk and a scholar," the Immortal said, "and I did my best to ma st er the ap pr ov ed doc tr in es . But I
rea d in the Lot us Su tra , 'H e
will regret it, who does not take this Sutra to heart,' and I believed it. The Sutra said to practice in a place apart, so I did. Then my karma led me to this cave, and I left the human world altogether. With the eye of th e O n e Te ac hi ng I se e th in gs far pass ion I hea r al l so un ds . I've
off, an d wit h the ear
be en to the heave
of C o m
n wh er e the F ut ur e
Buddha lives, and I've heard the Buddha speak. The pine shelters me from heat
an d wi nd . Sta y wi th me, since
y o u r ow n k ar ma has bro ug ht
you here!" Th e aw ed m on k dear ly wa nt ed to say like
tha t wa s be yo nd him.
Inst ead,
he
ye s,
but he kn e w that a
pr os tr at ed himself
ed f or ho me . Th e Imm or ta l' s po we r br ou gh t him to th e Kuzu River a day.
life
an d start in
1
2
6
8
7
ANOTHER FLYING JAR A hermit once built a small hut on the upper Kiyotaki River, not far no rt h of Ky ot o. W h e n he wa s thirs ty, he
wo ul d send his
wa te r jar fly ing
d o w n to th e st re am an d it wo ul d br in g him bac k al l the wa te r he nee de d. As the
y e a r s w en t by, h e oft en tho ug ht pr ou dl y to himself
that ther
e
could hardly be a more accomplished hermit anywhere. One day he was surprised to see another water jar fly down from up str ea m, d ra w wat er, a nd leav e, and he
wo nd er ed jealously
wh o el se
co ul d be pe rf or mi ng thi s feat. W h e n the jar ca me aga in, h e f ollowed it
a
few mil es up st r e a m to a hu t — qu it e a la rg e on e, w it h a nice littl e cha pe l of its o w n . T h e pla ce br ea th ed puri ty , holi ness , an d pe ac e. Before
the hut
was an orange tree with a path round it, worn by the inhabitant as he circled the tree chanting his sutras. Pe er in g in th ro ug h the wi nd ow , the
herm it sa w a des k str ew n with
su tr a scrol ls a nd a ro om fi ll ed wi th the smo ke of pe rp et ua l incen se. A sai ntl y-lo oki ng mo nk at least seve nty ye ar s old w as sleeping pr op pe d on an armrest, with a five-pronged vajra in his hand. To test
this ve ne ra bl e old ma n, th e he rm it beg an the Spell of
the Fi re
Realm. Flames instantly sprang up and licked at the hut. Still asleep, the old ma n pic ke d up a w a n d an d sp ri nk le d th e four
dir ec tio ns wit h holy
water. The flames went out, but by now the hermit's own robe was burning fiercely and he howled in terror, at which the old man opened his eyes and sprinkled his visitor as well. The flames vanished. "What happened?" the old man asked. T h e he rm it ex pl ai ne d him sel f an d de sc ri be d his litt le test. "Ple give m e ! " he be gg ed . "I'll
serv e y ou f orever
ase f or
as y o u r disc iple !" But
the
old ma n see me d to ha ve no idea w h at he wa s talk ing abo ut. Th e he rm it ha d be co me puffed pl ea se d,
up wit h pri de an d the Bu dd ha , dis
ha d s h o w n hi m for his edific
least people say.
ation a
lar ho lie r sain t — or so at
.
8
8
.
THE WIZARD OF THE MOUNTAINS En
no
Gydja founded
tradition.
En no
The
Japan
Peacock
Gyo ja, or
\i
King
mountain
u<
En the
an
Esoteric
Buddhuit
Asce tic, lived
wa s from the K ats ura gi region of He lost
ajcetk deity.
in Em p e r o r M o m m u ' s reig n. He
Ya ma t o pro vin ce.
his fathe r w h e n he wa s tw o a nd wa s bro ug ht up enti rely by his
mo th er at their family
ho me . At th e ag e of thir ty-f our, he
tu rn e d th e
house into a temple and respectfully enshrined there an eight-foot-tall ima ge of M i ro k u wh ic h he himsel
f ha d ma de out
of ea rt h. T he n he ga ve
the temple to the court and went to live in a cave in the Katsuragi Mo unt ai ns,
we ar in g clothes ma
Th ou gh he nev er we nt into
de of
ba rk and
eating
pine needles.
th e wo rl d or mix ed wit h peopl e, he pra cti ced
nonetheless as a layman rather than as a monk. Fr om the K ats ura gi Mou n ta in s y o u can look Om i ne rang e. E n no
sout heast
Gyo ja ro am ed the re, too. On
gl imp sed S h a k a Pe ak from far
e day
acr oss to the in O mi n e he
of f a nd wa s st ru ck by its un us ua l form.
The mountain clearly had power. Up close it was even more impressive. En no
Gy oj a fo un d th er e, h an gi ng fr om a tre e, a nine-foot-tall ske
let on
with a bell in its left hand and a single-pronged vajra in its right. The ske let on' s gr ip on th es e tw o im pl em en ts w a s like iron, an d En no
Gyo ja
was unable to pry them loose. So st ra ng e a di sc ov ery insp ire d him to
vi go ro us f aith. Tha
t nig ht he
dreamed that the Miroku he so deeply revered (the one he had made for his te mp le ) said to him, "
F o r seve n of y o u r pas t lives y o u we re an ascet
on this mou
nt ai n. Th e skeleto
bel l and the
vajra, ch
n y o u found is
ic
y o u r ow n. If y ou wa nt the
an t the Ma n t r a of the Pea coc k Kin g."
En no Gyoj a we nt aw ay to learn the
ma nt ra , an d acq uir ed su pe rh um an
po we rs as soo n as he be ga n ch an ti ng it. He cou ld no w fl y th ro ug h sp ac e wh er ev er he wa nt ed on a five-c olored
cloud. W
h e n he ret urn ed to Sha ka
Peak, he found the bell and vajra on the ground below the tree. The skeleton was gone. No r t h of Sh ak a Pea k, in
th e sa me ra ng e, rises
Go ld en Pea k. This
sac red mou nt ai n is actu ally the nort hea st co rn er of Vul tu re Pe ak in I ndia wh er e the Bu d dh a pr ea ch ed the Lot us Sutr a. In 552,
du ri ng the reign
of
Em pe ro r Kimme i, it br ok e o ff an d fle w th ou sa nd s of leagu es on a whi te cloud
to land here in
J a p a n . W h e n Mi r ok u co mes into ou r wo rl d as the
1
2
8
nex t bu d dh a, 5 ,6 70 ,00 0,0 00 ye ar s from
no w, the
wi th gol d; a nd a ll the gol d for this pur po se is
ear th will be cov ere d
sto red in Gol den
Pea k.
That is why the mountain's gravel and rocks are gold, and why the mountain bears that name. Se ei ng h o w pow er fu l Gol de n Pe ak wa s, En no Gyo ja wa nt ed it to have a god who could help sentient beings toward salvation. After he had pr ay ed for a th ou sa nd days,
Z a o Go ng en rose
fro m the eart h. Since Zao
G on ge n loo ked ra th er like the Bo dhi sat tva Ji zo , very
quiet and kind,
En
no Gyoja wondered how a god like that could possibly save deluded beings in the sinful ages to come. As the thought crossed his mind, the peaceful, J
izo -li ke fi gure di sa pp ea re d into the sky.
En no Gyoja prayed anew, and this time Zao Gongen burst forth in a wra thf ul form,
br an di sh in g a th re e- pr on ge d vajra
in h is right
hand , and
st an di ng in th e fierc e pos e of cr us hi ng de mo ns . Fina lly imp res sed, Gy oj a m ad e an imag e of him an d en sh ri ne d it on the
En no
mo un ta in . In time
Zao Gongen appeared like this on mountains throughout Japan. How gr ea t a go d En no Gyo ja ha d called fort
h!
Ne xt , En no Gy oj a w en t into re tr ea t in a cave in the se same
mo un ta in s,
and his magic brought supernatural beings to serve him and bring him wa t er an d firew ood.
He also
spen t ye ar s goi ng ro un d J a p a n , visiti ng
Mount Fuji, Mount Asama, and all the other sacred mountains. Some tim es he als o visited the Pal
ace of th e Imm or ta ls an d ro am ed the I mm or
tals' marvelous realm. Eventually En no Gyoja decided he wanted a stone bridge from the Katsuragi Mountains to Golden Peak, one that his followers could cross; an d he c om m an de d the god Hi to ko to nu sh i to build So me tw o centur ies before,
to hu nt , Hi to ko to nu sh i had ri dd en besi de him lordly
it .
wh en E mp er or Yu ry aku came
to Katsuragi
al l da y in the guise
of a
ma n; a nd w h en the emp er or aske d his un kn ow n comp anio n wh o
he wa s, Hi to ko to nu sh i repli ed simply, "the god of Kat sur agi ," then van ished. Normally, though, the god was so ugly that he was embarrassed to be seen in daylight, and as a result would work on the bridge only at night. T his
ma de E n no Gyoj a an gr y. He insisted
that Hit oko ton ush i
work also during the day. When the god refused, the furious Gyoja b o u n d him
wi th a spell an d lef t him at th e bot to m of a ra vi ne . Th at is
w h y the ro ck bri dge ne ver wa s built. Soon afte
rwa rds , a y o u ng att end ant of
Em pe ro r M o m m u began
to
sp ea k volu bl y a nd st ra ng el y un d e r the influ ence of a go d w h o i dentified himself
un de r que sti oni ng as H it oko ton ush i of Katsurag
on to acc us e En no Gy oj a of usi ng his magic po
i. T he god
wen t
we rs to fomen t rebellion.
"If he is not st op pe d, " w a r n e d th e god , "t he re will be
wa r! "
The astonished emperor immediately sent the Gyoja an order to appear
before him, but the Gyoja ignored it. Next, the emperor sent soldiers to arrest him, but the Gyoja simply flew up and disappeared. The soldiers retaliated by capturing his mother and taking her back to the emperor instead. This brought En no Gyoja to the palace right away, and his innoc ent moth er wa s released En no
an d sent hom e.
Gy oj a w a s exil ed to Os h i m a in the pro vi nc e of Izu, al on g th e
coas t of Sa ga mi B ay.
Du r in g the
wh er e he ha d been put,
da y he beh av ed himself
bu t at night he
an d sta yed
flew th ro ug h the air an d ro am ed
the summit of Mount Fuji. Hitokotonushi got back at him by again posse ssing
the imperial att
wh er ev er he
end ant and accu
pleased in cont
sin g the Gyoja
em pt of the imperial
of wa nd er in g
wil l. Hit oko ton ush i
demanded that the Gyoja be put to death. Th e e mp er or too k this
de nu nc ia ti on seri ousl y an d sent
a soldier
to
execute the sentence. But when the soldier reached Oshima and drew his bow to shoot the Gyoja, the bow broke; and when he lifted his sword to stri ke the Gyoja
, the sw or d br ok e too . Ne xt the Gyoja
as ked fo r th e
sword, and the soldier gave it to him. Before handing it back, the ascetic licked it three times. The soldier now read, engraved on the sword, the na me of the go d of M o u n t Fuji. Ov e r co m e with aw e, he re tu rn ed to th e em pe ro r wit h his re por t, a nd th e em pe ro r, fina ll y realiz ing th at En no Gyoja was no ordinary man, pardoned him and recalled him to the Capital. By now , tho ug h,
En no
Gyo ja no longe r kn ew wh at wo ul d ha pp en
ne xt a n d w a s f ed up wi th J a p a n . So ins tead , he pu t his m ot he r in a bo wl an d set off to Ch in a ac ro ss ten th ou sa nd le agu es of sky, col ore d clo ud. with the Imm
In Chi na , too, he
ri din g on a five -
to ur ed eve ry sac red pe ak an d con so rt ed
ort als . In fa ct , a J ap a ne s e mo nk wh om the
em pe ro r had
sent to China to study Buddhism ran into him and spent some time tal kin g to him. T he m on k re po rt ed this
me eti ng wh en he
J a p a n , m uc h to the as to ni sh me nt of the cou rt since impos sible for
got back
to
it wa s the n alm ost
an yo ne to trave l to Ch in a wi th ou t imper ial aut hor iza tio n.
In th e me an ti me , E n no Gyoj a's fi ght wi th Hit ok ot on us hi wa s not qui te over. The last episode involved the monk Taicho from Echizen province, a great ascetic whose powers were acknowledged throughout the realm. Ta ic ho wa s the
vessel
of the go d of Ha ku sa n, or
Wh it e Mo un ta in , in
Kaga province; for the god often possessed Taicho and spoke through him. Ta ic ho too set
out on a
pilg rim age to al l the holy mou
nt ai ns of J a p a n .
Having heard that the Katsuragi and Omine ranges were particularly powerful, he first climbed Katsuragi and spent the night chanting sutras there for the god. When he dozed off, the god took this chance to speak to him. "En no
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Gyoja has bound me with a spell," he complained, "and he's left me at th e bo tt om of th e ra vi ne . I'm suffer ing hor rib ly. y o u r p o w e r to fr ee me a nd heal my
Pleas e, Yo u r Gr ac e, use
pa in !" In his
dr ea m Ta ic ho sa w that
the god was imprisoned in a mossy boulder. On waking he went straight down into the ravine and found the boul de r. It w a s tight ly im pr iso ne d by wiste ria an d ot he r vines. Ta
ich o could
see how much the god must be suffering, and felt sorry for him. But when he tried a spell to loosen the vines, the Gyoja, whom rumor placed in China, suddenly appeared, roaring and glaring at him in fury. The frightened Taicho gave up and left the mountain immediately. Perhaps En no Gyoja stayed on in Katsuragi. At any rate, he was even tua lly co mm a nd e d in a dr ea m to go to Mou nt Mi no o in the provinc of Set tsu wh er e, high on the
mo un ta in , the re is a magnificent
e
waterfall.
En no Gyoja was performing his practices by this fall when the legendary Buddhist sage Nagarjuna, whom we in Japan call Ryuju Bosatsu, de sc en de d from
th e he av ens , ga ve him the Wa te r of Pu re Kno wl ed ge , an d
sailed up again into the sky again on a cloud. This miracle inspired the Gy oj a to bu ild
on th e spo t a te mp le , whi ch he
called Mi no od e ra . He
stayed at Minoo a long time, and finally rose into the heavens at the age of 104. No one
eve r tried to
fr ee Hit ok ot on us hi again.
8
9
.
AN AWFUL FALL An ascetic at a mountain temple in Yamato province once decided that from now on he would eat only pine needles. He was quite happy to give up rice a n d th e ot he r gr ai ns , an d in fac t muc h prefe rre d this au st er e diet, because he had heard that this was the way others in the past had made themselves into Immortals who could fly. Aft er t w o or th re e y e a r s of no th in g bu t pine need
les, th e ascetic really
did feel very light. He began telling his disciples that he would soon be an Im mo rt al too, a n d w a s so su re of suc ce ss that he
secr etly pr ep ar ed to
fly up into the sky. When the moment seemed at hand, he announced his coming ascension and gave away his hut and all his belongings. He k n e w th at wh e n he too k to the air
he wo ul d fi nd himself
clo the d in
the ro be of an Im mo rt al , so he
put on no th in g bu t the simples
abb re via ted wr ap ; for , he said, he str ode forth wit
t an d mos t
no w nee ded noth in g mor e. Th en he
h his wa te r jar (his last
an d most prize
d pos ses sio n) slu ng
from his waist. A larg e cro wd ha d ga th er ed to
wa tc h him
go to the L an d of th e
Im mo rt al s. W h e n al l the spe ct at or s we re in plac e, he cli mbe d to a sp ur of rock tha t jutt ed from the mou nta ins id e. " O f cour se, I'd straight up," he explained, "but since all these people are here I suppose
ra the r go
I really ought to give them a good look at a proper Immortal in action. So first I'll glide down from here to those pines and land on a branch." It w a s forty
or fi ft y f eet d o w n to the to ps of th e pine s. T h e asce tic do ve
of f he ad f ir st an d the cr ow d ro ar ed . U nf or tu na te ly , his bo dy wa s hea vie r th an he ex pe ct ed , and his
st re ng th far less. Mi ss in g his tar get entirely , he
cra she d to the gr ou nd . Tho ug h sh ake n, the (after
cr ow d rem ain ed confident
all , he mus t sur ely ha ve kn o w n w h a t he wa s do in g! ) tha t at an y
moment he would rise again into the air. Actua lly he
ha d sm as he d into a roc k. His wat er jar wa s in smith ere ens
an d so wa s he, o r ve ry near ly.
Hi s horrif ied disciples
de spe ra te ly called
his name but got no reply. Since he was at least still breathing, though, the y ha ul ed him
ba ck to his
hu t wh il e the
cr ow d dis per sed , la ug hin g
derisively. He survived in the end, but was so twisted and broken that he could hardly even stand. He had to take back the hut and possessions he had so br av el y giv en aw ay , an d lived on cr oo ke d an d hop ele ss. Not everyone gets to be an Immortal.
9
o
.
THE RICEPOOP SAINT A holy ascet ic in
the reign of
E m p e r o r M o n t o k u ha d long ag o give n up
all gr ai n, w hi ch wa s a ve r y difficul t an d vi rt uo us th in g to do . H e ate pin e needles instead. The emperor heard about him and invited him to come and live in the imperial garden. In time the emperor came to revere the ascetic deeply. On e day some brash
y o un g courtie
rs we re joking amo
ng themselves
when they decided to go and have a look at this famous ascetic. The
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3
fellow
2
cer tai nly loo ked impr essive , an d the y o u n g lords
pros trat ed them
selves before him. Then they boldly asked him, "Holy man, how many y e a r s ha s it be en sinc e y o u ga ve up ea tin g gr ai n? A nd ho w old are yo u, anyway?" "I 'm se ve nt y, " th e asce tic repl ied, " an d I gav e up grai n in my yo ut h. Th a t mu st be f if ty y e a rs ago
or so, I su pp os e. "
O n e of th e y o u n g ge nt le me n no w began to w o u l d look like if
w on de r wh at a man 's f ece s
he too k no gr ai n. T he y wo ul d hav e to be a bit un us ua l.
He too k his fri end s off to sn ea k a pe ek int o th e asc eti c's priv y. W h a t th ey s a w w a s fu ll of ric e. H o w co ul d thi s be ? Back they went to the ascetic's hut, and while he was gone lor moment, they rolled up the mat he had been sitting on. There was a hole in the flo or u nd e r it an d the eart h belo w had bee n dis tur bed . The y we re on to so me th in g. A litt le dig gi ng re vea le d a sac k of wh it e rice. "W el l, well !" th ou gh t the y o u n g lords, p ut ti ng eve ryt hi ng bac k as it had
bee n.
When the holy man returned they broke into broad grins. "Riceshit sain t! Rices hit sai nt! " the y ch an te d, ro ari ng wit h laug hter . Th e mortif ied asceti c fled an d w as ne ve r he ar d of agai n.
O D D I T I E S
9
1
WHAT THE STORM WASHED IN La te on e sp ri ng , in Hit ac hi pr ov in ce , th er e wa s a terrific
sto rm, and in
th e co ur se of a furio us nigh t a h um a n cor pse wa s wa sh ed up
on the
beach. It was more than fifty feet long, and even though it was half bu ri e d in the sa nd , all y o u co ul d see of a ri de r pa ss in g by on the side of
it w a s the tip
ot he r
of th e ride r's bo w. Th e hea d wa s go ne , as we re the
right arm and the left leg. No doubt they had been eaten by the creatures of the deep. What a being this must have been when alive and whole! Since the body lay on its front, it was hard to be sure whether it was a ma n or a w om a n, bu t the overall shap
e suggeste
d a wo ma n.
The discovery created a sensation. People came from far away to see
•
the prodigy and to offer one theory or another about its srcin. One lea rned mo nk decl are d tha t the re wa s no th ing in to sugge st that the in
the wo rd s of the B u dd h a
ha bi ta nt s of an y of the la nds in our
wo rl d ar e gi an ts;
he could only suppose that this impressive specimen must belong to the race of Warring Demons who are said sometimes to live at the bottom of the sea. Meanwhile the provincial administration had decided they had to re po rt so unu su al a find to th e co ur t, a nd th ey we re ab ou t to do so w h e n the local will be
pe opl e pr ot es te d. "If we rep or t it," th ey said, "a d o w n he re for
a look, a nd we'll ha
ve no
ex pen se ente rta ini ng him. N o, i t wo ul d be much bet thi ng up ." So in
th e en d the gov er no r kept the
As th e da ys we nt by, the proc
co ur t em is sar y
en d of tr ou bl e a n d ter to hus h the wh ol e
disc over y quiet.
es se s of de co mp os it io n set in an d peo ple
fo r hu nd re ds of y a rd s ar ou nd ha d to ev ac ua te their
hou ses . The stench
was just too much. Of co ur se , th e go ve rn or told th e wh ol e sto ry wh en he got back to
th e
Capital.
9
2
•
SEA DEVILS Eight days into the seventh moon of 1171 a ship put in to Oki Island in the province of Izu. The islanders assumed that it had been blown in by a storm and went to have a look. Th e ship ro de sev ent y or eighty
y ar ds offshore. As the islande
rs
watched, the devils on board let down ropes and moored it on all four sides
to rock s on the sea
bo tt om . Th en eigh t devil s ju mp ed into the
sea
and shortly emerged on land. The islanders offered them food and millet wi ne . Th o ug h th ey ne ve r said
a wo rd , the
devils
ate
an d dr an k li ke
horses. The devils were eight or nine feet tall, with wild and tangled hair. Their bodies were blackish and hairless, and their eyes as round as monkeys' eyes. Apart from some seaweed they had wrapped around their waist s the y we re na ke d, skin, wit
h a sort of
long staff.
but a ll sorts of
pic tur es we re dr aw n on their
out line fra me a ro un d ea ch . E ac h devil carri
ed a go od
1
3
4
A devil ask
ed to see on e of the i sla nde rs' bow and arr
ow s. W h e n the
islander hesitated, the devil killed him with one blow ol his staff. The devil s th en st ru ck eight othe
rs , of w h o m four
died
whil e four, thou
w o u n d e d , su rv iv ed . Ne xt , the devil s bel che d fire from their sides. Thi
gh nk
ing they were all going to be killed, the islanders took out the bows and ar ro ws b elo ngi ng to
the god of
their
shri ne and prep
ar ed to
defend
themselves. At this point the devils went back into the sea and swam underwater out to their ship. Then they sailed away against the wind. On the fou rt een th da y of th e te nth m oon , a rep or t on the incident fo rw ar de d to the provinc
wa s
ial go ve rn me nt , tog eth er wit h a sash that one of
the devils had dropped. They say the sash is now in the treasury of San ju san gen do, the
famous
temp le in Kyoto.
9
3
THE DANCING MUSHROOM Four or five woodcutters from the Capital once went into the mountains no rt h of th e city
an d, as for tu ne w ou l d have i t, got lost.
puz zl ing ove r wh ic h wa y to go wh en they hear
Th ey w er e
d people coming
do wn the
hillsi de. W h o cou ld the y be ? Fo ur or five nuns , sing ing an d da nc in g their w a y alo ng, a s jolly as y o u please . Th e wo od cu tt er s took frig ht. R eal nuns wo ul d nev er be ha ve this wa y! Th ey cou ldn 't be hu ma n! No , they must be teng u, or de m o n s of so me sort! Th e nun s ma de straig
ht f or the wo od cu tt er s wh o, despite their
alarm,
managed to ask the estimable ladies why they were carrying on that way, an d w h y on to p of ev er yt hi ng else th ey w er e co mi ng do wn from high on the mountain. "Oh dear, all our dancing and singing must have rather frightened you!" the nuns replied. "You see, we're nuns from such-and-such a convent. We all went into the mountains to pick flowers for the altar and then got completely lost. When we noticed some mushrooms, we realized we we re hu ng ry . Of cou rse we realized
the mus hr oo ms might
be poison
ous, but we decided we might as well go ahead and eat them as starve. Th ey tas ted goo d. T he n we beg an dan ci ng. We see, we
didn't
mean to dance, you
just fo und our sel ves doi ng it. We we re qui te su rp ri se d! "
The startled woodcutters now noticed how hungry they were. The
•
nu ns had
kept
their
th ou gh t the men,
leftove r mu sh ro om s. "W hy , rath er tha n sta rve ,"
"w e mi gh t as well beg
so me o ff the nu ns and e at to o! "
So they did. As soon as they had eaten the mushrooms they found themselves danc ing. Nuns and woodcutters danced and laughed together, and when the drunkenness passed they went their separate ways, thought by what pat hs no one kn ow s. Ev er since, that
mu sh ro om has
been
calle d
maitakc,
the "dancing mushroom." All in all, the incident is a bit odd. We have this
maitake too, in our
own time, but the people who eat it don't always dance. On balance the story is dubious, as even they who tell it readily confess.
9
A •
THE BEST-LAID PLANS ... Th er e once lived Pe ak.
an old m on k w h o wa s the abbo t of the templ
e at Go ld en
In thos e da ys (al th ou gh no lon ger ) the senio r mo nk of the mo un
tain got appointed abbot, and this one had been a monk longer than any of his c olle ague s. Th e nex t m on k in line die,
often
wi sh ed his sup eri or wo ul d hu rr y up an d
bu t be in g a st ur dy old fello w th e ab bo t ga ve no sig n of po pp in g off.
In fact, at past eighty he was obviously more hale and hearty than anyone had a right to be even at seventy, and the successor knew all too well tha t he himse lf wa s no w in his die and
seve ntie th ye ar . "W hy , I could actuall
y
never be abbot!" the successor groaned to himself. "I can't just
have him murdered. Someone would be bound to find out. I'll have to poison him!" Of co ur se the su cce ss or wa s afraid
of ho w the B ud d ha migh t f ee l abo ut
this, bu t the tem pt at io n wa s too gre at an d he bega n to thi nk ab ou t wh at kind of pois on to use . W h a t poison wa
s really
dea dly ? Wel l, t her e wa s a
toadstool called "great beyond" that was sure to kill anyone who ate it. He wo ul d ga th er plen ty of gre at bey on ds , m ak e a really
delicious dish of
them, and feed them to the abbot as ordinary mushrooms. That would tak e car e of him. It wa s fa ll. He
"A nd then /'//
be abb ot ," the
suc ces sor gloa ted.
w e n t st ra igh t off by himsel f int o th e mo un ta in s, ga th
ere d l ots of gre at be yo nd s, a nd at du sk b ro ug ht them ba
ck to hi s hut.
I
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6
Then he cut them up into a pot, seasoned them nicely, and made them up into a very attractive stew. The new day had hardly dawned when he sent a disciple to invite the ab bo t ove r rig ht aw ay . T he ab bo t arri ved, lean da y I w as given
so me beautiful
ing on h is cane . "Yester
mu sh ro om s, " th e succes sor explained
,
"s o I m a de a st ew of th em an d t ho ug ht y o u sho ul d hav e som e. It's w he n yo u' re old that
y o u appr eci at e delicacies
like this! "
The abbot smiled, nodded, and sat down. His host made rice, heated up the great beyond stew, and set them both before him. The abbot ate heart ily. As f or the host, he
ate mu sh ro om s he had
pr ep ar ed separat ely.
They ended their meal with a hot drink. "Well, that's it," thought the suc ce sso r, a n d wa it ed anx io us ly fo r th e old bo y to star t act ing cra zy an d go in g ma d wi th a he ad ac he . But not hi ng ha pp en ed . It wa s very T he n the ab bo t' s toot hless mo ut h br ok e into
a grin. "B est batch of
odd. great
beyonds I ever tasted!" he declared. He had
k n o w n ! T he suc ce sso r stole
spe ech les s from
the abb ot w en t on ho me . T he abb ot had been enjoying ye ar s, t ho ug h of cou rse the
succ ess or had not kno
bee n pois one d by th em . S o the whol e clever
the
ro om whi le
gre at be yo nd s fo r
wn this,
and had never
plan we nt wr on g.
q
5
.
REAL FLAMES AT LAST! When a neighbor's house caught fire and the wind threatened to carry th e flames
to his
ow n, Y os hi hi de , a pa in te r of bu dd ha s, r an out into
the
st re et . H e lef t ins ide a pa in ti ng of F u d o he ha d be en w or k i ng on, not
to
mention his wife and children, who at the time were not even fully clothed. He forgot all about them and was quite satisfied to have gotten out himself. Yoshihide's own house was soon smoking and burning, but he just watched from across the street, ignoring the neighbors who rushed in horror to help him. As he watched his house go up, he nodded agreement from tim e to ti me , or sm ile d. " W h a t a sig ht!
All th es e ye a r s I've
be en
painting them wrong!" he finally muttered. O n e of th e ne ig hb or s told him he
wa s cra zy. " So m e spirit
mus t hav e
"S pi ri t? " an sw er ed Yos hih ide . "O h no, it 's the flames. For
ye ar s I' ve
got ten in to y o u ! " he said.
bee n pa in ti ng the flam es of Lo rd Fu do 's halo they
bu rn . W h a t a sight! Y
ou 'r e not
sta nd. " He laug hed mockingl
al l wr on g . N o w I see h o w
a pai nte r so y ou wo ul dn 't un de r
y.
The Fudo he painted next impresses everyone, now as then.
9
6 .
THE PAINTED HORSE The painte
r Ka nao ka mad e ma ny
pictur es for retired Emp
er or Uda' s
pa la ce , a n d th e bes t of all w a s on e of a ho rs e pa in te d on a wal l. T ha t hor se wou ld get
out of th e pa in ti ng ev er y nigh t an d eat his w ay th r ou gh
the neighboring fields. No one could figure out what was doing all the damage until finally someone noticed that every day there was fresh mud on the pai nte d hors e's hooves , an d put tw o an d tw o toge ther . K an ao ka pr om pt ly sc ra pe d of f the ho rse 's eyes. No th in g bot he red the fie lds after that.
G
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P
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A
K
O
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•
A MODEL DEMON Nic hiz o led the l ife of a wa nd er in g her mit in
the Om in e Mo un ta in s. O n e
day on a remote trail he met a seven-foot-tall, dark-blue demon with red hair like flames, a
sl en der nec k, a gro ssl y pr ot ru di ng br ea st bo ne , a swol
le n belly , and sk in ny sh an ks . Th e de mo n tu rn ed to Nic hiz o beseec hingly and began to weep.
1
3
8
Ni ch iz o as ke d it h ow it
ha d got ten tha t wa y. " Fo u r or five
hu nd re d
years ago I was a man," the demon sobbed, "but then my grudge against someone I hated made me like this. Yes, I murdered him and his sons, his gr an ds on s, his
gre at -gr an dso ns, and
his grea t-gr eat- gran dson s too,
a n d n o w th er e' s no on e lef t for me to kill. If on ly I k n e w w h e r e th ey w e re re bo rn , I'd m u r d e r th em al l ove r aga in. M y rag e bur ns as fie rce ly as ever, but my enemy's descendants are gone! Now I'm alone with the pain of this fire that nothing will extinguish. If I'd never felt this way I might even have been born into paradise, but hate has brought me an eternity of suff erin g. A g ru d g e ag ai nst so me on e else is just like your self. I
wis h I'd kn o wn , I only wish I'd
a gr ud ge agai nst
known!"
The demon's tears swelled to a flood as it spoke, and flames leaped from the to
p of its he ad . S ud de nl y it tu rn ed an d fl ed fur the r into
th e
mountains. Nichizo felt sorry for it and prayed the best he knew how that it might suffer less.
9
8
THE RIVER OF SNAKES Nichizo's master, like his disciple, practiced in the Omine Mountains, a n d he ne ve r le ft his re mo te refuge to
visit th e pr of an e wo rl d. Fo r ye ar s
he ch an te d the D ar an i of Th ou sa nd -A rm ed Ka nn on in to wa rd the sout
he rn end of
the rang
a de ep vall ey
e.
He had found the valley after a long struggle down slopes thick with dw a rf ba m bo o . After
as su mi ng at firs t tha t it wa s wate rles s, he saw
wa te r
after a ll; b ut the "w a t e r" the n t ur n e d ou t to be a ma ss of hu ge sna ke s whose undulating backs from a distance resembled a stream. They seemed to have caught the intruder's scent on the wind because they lifted their heads in the air as he approached. Th ei r ba ck s w e re dar k blu e-g ree n an d their
thr oat s a lust rous crims on,
while their eyes glittered like polished bronze bowls and their tongues flickered like flames. The ascetic thought he was lost and scrambled back up the st ee p slop e, pul lin g hims elf al on g as best dw a rf b a m b o o ste ms.
He ma de such slow
he cou ld by the toug h
pro gre ss that hot, f
et id serp ent
breath was soon gusting up at him from below. Any moment he would be de vo ur ed , if he did not bla
ck out firs t an d die from
So me th in g wa s co mi ng do wn the slop
th e hor rib le smell.
e tow ard him, although he
was
.
too dazed by the stench to be able to tell what it was. The thing seized his arm and slung him roughly across its shoulders. Terrified, he felt over the
cr ea tu re wi th his
free
ha nd bu t fou nd no th in g rea ss uri ng.
It wa s
cle arl y a d e m o n an d w ou ld onl y be hau li ng him off to eat him . H is last thought before he passed out was that today, one way or another, he would die. The demon raced up hill and down dale till it put down its burden on a dis tan t pe ak . Th e asceti c ca me to not hin g ha pp en ed he
an d ex pe ct ed the end, bu
ask ed the dem on timidly
de mo n Ku ha nd a, " it an sw er ed . At last the ascetic
wh at it
t since
wa s. "I 'm the
ope ned hi s eyes. N ak ed
but for a loincloth, the creature was ten feet tall. Its black skin glistened like la cq ue r a nd it s red hair
bris tled str aig ht up . Su dd en ly it tu rn ed aw ay
and vanished. The ascetic realized that his own devotion to Thousand-Armed Kan non must have saved him, because only Thousand-Armed Kannon could have come to his aid. The thought brought tears to his eyes and he prostrated himself in thanks. He set
of f to w ar d th e nor th ea st , al l th e whil e chan ti ng the dar an i, til l
he came to a waterfall tumbling a good fifty feet from among the crags. It w a s so beautif ul th at he st op pe d aw hi le to ad mi re i t. Th e mo ss on the ro ck s besid e it w a s especially lovely. Al ac ro ss ro se from the poo
l at onc e a bo ul de r ma ny y a r d s
l at th e bas e of the fa ll , th ru st tw en ty feet int o
the air, then sank again. Shortly it rose and subsided as before. The ascetic watched the cycle several times with mounting astonishment till he sa w tha t the ro ck wa s actu ally a hu ge sna ke wh ic h fil led the pool and wh ic h wa s l ifti ng its he ad into the m us t ha ve been the
re so
long !
po un di ng wa te rs of the fa ll . T he sn ak e De sp it e h is fear an d loat hing, h e wa s
touched by compassion for the snake's suffering, and he recited many su tr as f or it an d called
often
on T ho us an d- Ar m ed K an no n befor e he we nt
his way.
9 9
•
THE WINE SPRING Once a monk passing though the Omine Mountains lost his way and fou nd him self he ad in g do w n into was a large village.
a totally
u n k n o w n valley.
In the valley
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He w a s lo ok in g fo rw ar d to as ki ng w h e r e he wa s, bu t fi rs t he cam e to a roofe d sp rin g. T he gro un d al l ar ou nd it w as pa ve d with stone. W
hen
he w e n t f or a we lc om e dr in k, he fo un d th at th e w a te r w as a ll ye ll ow . I t turned out actually to be wine. Wh il e he puz zle d ov er this ama zi ng disco very, a cr ga th er ed an d wa nt ed to
kn ow w h o he wa s.
He explain
ow d of villagers ed ho w he hap
pened to be there. "Come with me," one said. The monk followed unwillingly, wondering w h e r e th ey w e r e of f to a n d w h e t h e r he wo ul d be kill ed. Th ey got to a large , pro sp er ou s ho us e a nd a ge nt le ma n ca me out to meet the m. He too as ke d th e mo n k to expl ain him self an d th e m o n k told his
sto ry as before.
T h e ge nt le ma n invite d hi m in, fe d him, an d tu rn ed him ov er to a y o u n g man who was to escort him to "the usual place." Apparently the gentle man was the mayor. The monk quaked to imagine what "the usual place" might be, but there was no escape. Th e y o u n g ma n led him to a de ser te d spot in
the mou nt ai ns wh er e he
announced that he had brought him there to kill him. "People have w a n d e r e d into
th e village
as y o u did seve ral tim es in th e pa st ," he ex
plained. "We've always killed them because we're afraid they'll talk about us in th e w or ld ou tsi de . N o on e ou t th er e ha s an y idea ou r village even exists, you see." Th e mon k' s mi nd fro ze, but in
tea rs he ma na ge d to re min d the yo u n g
ma n tha t bei ng a mo nk he followed de di ca te d to
th e we lfa re
th e pa th of th e Bu d d h a an d w as
of all. Th at w a s w h y he had bee n passi ng
t h ro u g h th es e mo un ta in s in th e fir st pla ce. " Yo u have no sacrific es I've ma de , of la bo rs I've
w e n t on . " A n d no w yo u ' re go in g to kil l me just Of co ur se I'm
go in g to die in
of th e
be ca us e I lo st my wa y!
th e en d, I k n o w . Ev er yo ne i s. That 's not
w h a t I mi n d. It's ju st th at it's su ch an awf ul si n fo r mo nk ! Plea se, please, won
idea
pe rf or me d in pu rs ui t of my go al !" he
you to kill a blameless
't y o u let me liv e? "
"I se e, " th e y o u n g m an re pl ie d. "Y es , I'd lik e to let y o u go . But I'm afraid of
w ha t w ou ld h ap pe n i f yo u talk ed ab ou t us outside
"Oh, but I
so
!"
won't tal k abo ut y ou , of co ur se I wo n' t. A ma n values his
life more than anything and he never forgets what he owes someone who's saved him!" "W el l, all ri gh t. Yo u ' r e a m o n k . I ca n see th at . I'l l let y o u go , as lon g as y o u 11 ke ep this
kn ow le d ge to you rsel f. I can
just pr et en d I kil led y o u . "
Th e mo nk sw or e ev er y w a y he kn ew ho w that he mo ut h shut , an d the y o u n g ma n, with ma
ny repeti tions
wo ul d keep oi his
showed him the path back to the outside world. One last time the monk bowed to his benefactor, assuring him that he would never forget his
his
cauti on,
ki nd ne ss as long
as he
lived. T he n wi th tear s of em oti on on
bot h sides
the two parted, and the monk followed the trail till it rejoined the normal path through the mountains. In due co ur se he got ba ck to the village he he ha d sw or n himse lf to silence m
ha d star te d from.
an y tim es over, b
ut he
Of co ur se
w as a gr ea t
talker and was soon spouting the whole story to everyone. The general reaction was "Tell me another!" but he described the village and the spr ing
of wi ne in such elo
de ci de d to chec k.
que nt detail
that so me high-spi
rited
yo ut hs
It wo ul d be on e th in g if tho se villag ers we r e go ds or
de mo ns , b ut ap pa re nt ly th ey we re just peop le. T he y could not
be as scary
as all that. Hal f a do ze n of the st ro nge st y o u n g br av es set
out,
each ar me d wit h a
bow , arr ow s, an d a club, a nd the mo nk we nt with them
. Several older,
more responsible people tried to stop them, warning them not to engage a completely unknown community on their own ground, but the hotheads paid no attention. The monk's eloquence had fired their imaginations. The parents and relatives who remained behind were very worried. Th e pa rt y did not r et ur n th at da y or th e nex t. In fac t, the y ne ve r ca me ba ck at all. No on e vo lu nt ee re d to go after th em . Ami d lam ent ati ons , the ma tt er wa s dr op pe d. No do ub t the wh ole par ty had been mass acr ed. Th at mo nk ha d really
dis ti ngu is he d himself
wit h al l his talk.
He wo ul d
have done better to leave well enough alone, and his audience would have done better still to ignore his prattle!
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VERY HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS The monk Giei spent his life roaming from province to province, visiting ev er y holy site in the land. and from
In his tra vel s he ma de a pil gri mag e to Ku m a n o
ther e pass ed no rt hw ar d into the Omi ne Mo un ta in s.
He w a s he ad e d for G ol de n P ea k, b ut got so
lost on th e w a y th at he
could no longer tell east from west. A good blast on the conch he had slung at his waist got no answer. Next he climbed a peak for a better view, but all he could see from the top was valley after dim valley. After
ten da ys Giei was so
de sp er at e that he begg
ed the bu dd h a of his
portable altar to lead him back to civilization. As he prayed he came to a
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handsome wood with a pretty little house inside it, surrounded by a broad garden strewn with white sand. The shrubs were as green as green could be, a n d it w a s a ma rv el to
see flo wers b lo om in g ev er yw he re am id a
pro fus ion o f ripe b er rie s a n d f ruit. W h a t a ch ee ri ng sight!
In the hous
e a mo nk no older
tha n tw en ty wa s
chanting the Lotus Sutra in a sublime voice that touched the depths of Giei 's be in g.
Ea ch ch ap te r w as a se pa ra te scroll. As
soon
as the mon k
had finished one and laid it on his desk, the scroll would rise into the air, roll itself
ba c k up co ve r a n d all, tie
its o w n cor ds neat ly, a nd settle bac
k
down. Scroll by scroll, the monk went through the whole Sutra. Giei was awed and frightened. The holy man stood up. He did not hide his astonishment on seeing his visi tor. " N o h u m a n ha s eve r be en her e be fo re ," he said.
"I 'm so high in
th e m ou n ta in s th at I sel do m eve n he ar th e bir ds sing ing in the valleys . W h o are y o u ? " Giei explained that he was a monk and lost. The holy man invited him in, and some beautiful acolytes served him a delicious meal that made hi m forget
al l ab ou t h u n g e r an d sta rva tio n. H e as ke d the holy
ma n ho w
long he had lived here and why he lacked nothing. "I'v e be en her e eig hty y e ar s, " the holy ma n an sw er ed . "O nc e I wa s a monk on Mount Hiei, but I'm sorry to say there was a little trouble be tw e en me an d my ma st er a nd he refused
to ke ep me
lo ng er . I co ul dn 't th in k of an yt hi ng else to do but
wit h him
I w a s y o u n g an d str on g the n, an d I wo rs hi pp ed at
al l the holy
places.
W h e n I got old I to ok refug e in the se mo un ta in s, an d I 've be en here since, wa
an y
go ro am in g. Of cou rse
eve r
it in g for de at h. "
Giei listened with growing amazement. "You say no one comes here," he insisted,
"b ut y o u ha ve thre e beautiful acolytes serving
yo u.
Sure ly
you can't be serious!" " T h e Su t ra it self says , 'Cele stial b oy s will co me to serv e the one
who
upholds this Sutra.' Is it really so strange?" " Y o u sa y y o u ' r e old, b ut as far as I ca n see y o u' r e in the flo wer o f y o u th . Are y o u sure yo u' re telling
me y o u r real ag e? "
" T h e Su tr a say s, ' H e w h o he ar s this Su tr a will ne ver be i ll, nor will he g r o w old a n d die .' I'm only
telling
y o u the tr ut h. "
When the holy man told Giei it was time for him to leave, Giei spoke of th e suffe ring he ha d jus t go ne thr ou gh , an d re mi nd ed the holy
ma n of
his starved and weakened condition. He assured the holy man that he wanted to serve him for the rest of his life. "I t' s not tha t I dislike
y o u , " th e holy ma n an sw er ed . "Bu t I've spe nt al l
th es e y e a r s f ar a w a y from peo ple , an d that' s w h y I hav e to i nsist tha t yo u
go . If y o u w a n t to stay
on e night an d no mor e, y o u mus t pr om is e me y o u
wo n' t mo ve or ma ke a so un d. '' Giei pro So on after d ar k an eerie Giei
wa tc he d su pe rn at ur al beings
form s. S om e had sh ap ed like
mi se d an d got himself
out of sight .
litt le br ee ze sp ra ng up . F r o m his hid in g pla ce arr ive
in al l sorts
of ex tr ao rd in ar y
th e he ad s of ho rse s, oxen , or bir ds, whil e so me we re
de er . Th e y c ro w de d in wi th offerings
of ince nse, flo wers,
nuts, fruit, and drink, and after placing all these good things before the hu t the y pr os tr at ed the mse lve s in perfect
or de r wit h pal ms pre sse d to
gethe r. Su dd en ly one am on g the m remar ked , "St ra ng e! It' s diff erent here to nig ht!
I smell
m a n ! " Giei
w a s so up se t he mo ve d, but
the holy
m an
came to his rescue by intoning the Sutra and kept it up all night long. At d a w n he e nd ed by de di ca ti ng th e merit of
his ch an ti ng to al l being s, an d
the bizarre company dispersed. Giei crept out and asked where all the creatures had come from. The holy
m an re mi nd ed him
th at th e Bu d d h a says
in th e Su tra , "If th er e is
no one to hear the Law, then I will send celestial beings, dragon kings, earth spirits, and demons to be the congregation." T ho ug h rea dy to leave no w, Gi ei st ill did not
k n o w th e wa y. Th e holy
ma n told him to go strai ght sou th . He pu t a w a te r ja r out sid e the hou se , and it rose into the air and headed slowly southward. Giei followed it for hours to a mountaintop, where he looked down and saw a large village below him. The jar soared into the sky and disappeared. Giei realized that he was back where he had started from. He told the villagers, with te ar s of em ot io n, h o w he ha d me t th e Imm or ta l, an d al l w h o he ar d him bowed their heads in awe. No human ever found the Immortal's retreat again.
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O
THE GOD OF FIRE AND THUNDER This
is
Michizane
a
Daigo
in
disasters vengefulghost Michizane and
had in
true
vision.
(845-903) 901
landmark,
to
causing
been
959
as
for
his
Sugawara by
believed
Within reinstated
and
promoted, a
spirit.
The god's
success
in
their
to
I was born in the Capital. Early in 916 I shaved my head and took religi ous vo ws at a te mp le in the Om in e Mo un ta in s. I wa s the n in my twelfth year. F o r six y e a r s I le d an asc et ic lif e, ta ki n g no salt or gr ai n, a n d on ly left from a long illne ss
and calling constantly for me. I went to Kyoto to see her in the spring of 921, then returned to the mountains. Since then 1 have continued going into
th e mou nt ai ns every
spri ng. T his is
the twent
y-si xth ye ar I
have
done so. Me an wh il e ma ny disasters have
trou bled the realm. I gath
er that peo
ple have noted many strange dreams, and that things have seldom gone as they shou ld . Th e mov em en ts of the heav enl y bodie s an d the signs of yin an d y a n g hav e con stan tly an no un ce d misfortune. That is wh y I de cided to seek divine help. I went deeper than ever into the mountain wi ld er ne ss a nd re do ub le d my efforts, for
my ow n sak e an d fo r the sake
of th e pe ac e a nd pr os pe ri ty of the re alm . I vo we d to fas t, ke ep silent, co nt em pl at e the B u d d h a for thr ee time s seven At mi d da y on the first in my rite,
of the eigh th m oo n of 94 1, wh ile I wa s ab so rb ed
I be ga n to b u rn wit h hea t. My th ro at an d to ng ue dried up
my wi nd p ip e clo sed.
K n ow i n g tha t I co uld not
an d
sp ea k or cal l for help,
wept and simply struggled for breath. Then my breathing stopped and I died.
an d
day s.
I
id
him
examinations.
the eve nt.
th e mo un ta in s w h e n I he ar d my mo th er w as suffering
Kyoto
name
pray
Account of a Vu
This is what the Venerable Nichizo wrote in the Afterworld, w h ic h he set d o w n in 941 , sh ort ly after
hi)
yean,
now
even
Students
When that
twenty
Shrine,
Ten/in.
no
Emperor
heartbroken.
people
them.
Kitano
built for
still known
unjustly
died,
oeeur,
posthumously
the great was
exited
and soon
began
was
The statesman
was
I left my cave, carrying my sutra scrolls as I always do when I go into the mountains, and looked around to see what direction to take. As I did so, a hermit monk appeared in the cave. He had a golden jar and poured me som e w at er from Th e he rm it said, Fr om my cave I
it. Th e wa te r' s deli cious tast "I
am Shu Ko ng o Shi n,
gu ar d the Bu dd ha Sha ka 's Tea chi ng. Yo ur devot ion al l
these ye ar s has impr ess ed me, wa te r fro m the Him al aya s. " Th e celestial
e fil led me . the Divi ne Vaj ra -B ea re r.
ve ne ra ble mo nk , and I
br ou gh t yo u this
aco lyte s wit h him b ro ug ht in a ll sort s of delicacies
, he ap ed
them onto large lotus leaves, and served them to me. The hermit ex plained that the acolytes were the Twenty-Eight Gods who protect the esoteric adept. Just then a noble monk descended from a peak to the west and held out his left hand for me to take. He led me straight up the peak, which w as th ou sa nd s of fee t de ep in sn ow . F r om the
to p of the mou nt ai n I sa w
all the worlds spread out below. Th e mou nt ai n was ve ry beautiful.
Its fl at sum mi t wa s imm acul ate, a nd
a gold en ra dia nce sho ne ev er yw he re . To the nor th rose ne nc e wi th a th ro ne on it lazuli,
m ad e of the seven tre
a golde n pr omi
as ur es : gold, silver, lapis
roc k cry sta l, jad e, coral , an d ag at e.
T he mo nk sat on thi s th ro ne . "I am Z ao Gon ge n, a form of S ha ka , " he said. "T hi s is the
Pa ra di se of Go ld en P ea k. You hav e only a few ye ar s
le ft to live. G iv e y o u r all to buil d up mer it !" I an s we r e d tha t l if e i tsel f me an t no th in g to me . "B ut hav in g ch os en a sp ot to do ju st as y o u say , " I co nt in ue d, "I n ow fin d my life is ne ar ly ov er be fo re I've
ac hi ev ed my go al ! Ple ase t ell me ho w m an y y e a r s I ha ve left .
What buddha should I serve, what rite should I do so as to prolong my life?" The monk took a tablet, wrote eight characters on it, and gave it to me . I
re ad , SU N S T O R E N I N E N I N E YE AR S M O N T H S KI NG
GU AR D. "S on of th e B u d d h a , " he said, m om en t on the mou easily
"y ou r li fe is like a cl oud tha t ca tc he s a
nt ai n, t he n drifts
of f an d melts
lost. B ut pr ac ti ce in th e m ou nt a in s will
am on g me n wo ul d ma ke yo u laz y an d wo ul d cut S T O R E ( N I C H I Z O ) mean the
into
the sky . I t is
le ng th en it , wh il e living it shor t. S U N an d
bu dd ha and the rit e yo u know . Before ,
y o u r na me wa s Do ke n, b ut now yo u mus t tak e y o u r ne w nam e, N ichi zo, whi ch com e fr om this b u d d h a an d this rite. N I N E N I N E is the age you'll live to. you'll be
Y E A R S and
M O N T H S mean
tim e. K I N G and
pro tec ted . You r ne w ma ste r is G o ho Bosats
the L aw . Yo u' ve alr ead y vo we d before
G U A R D mean
u, the Prote
cto r of
y o u r fir st tea che r to obser ve the
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6
rule s of Bu dd hi st co nd uc t, bu t the P ro te ct or of the L aw wil l adm ini ster the vo w to yo u aga in ." Th er e w a s a brilliant bu
rs t of ra in bo w l ight. The mo
nk s aid, "Beh
old
Daijo Tenjin, the Great Celestial Statesman!" Instantly a numberless multitude approached from the void above the mountains to the west. It might have been an emperor's enthronement proc essio n. S erv an ts an d reta iner s of species un kn ow n, in forms, flocked endlessly past. Terrifying to look at, some resembled vajra gu ar di an s, oth ers th un de r god s or de mo n kings. E
unh ear d-o f
ach wa s arm ed to the
te et h wi th qui ve r a n d bo w, sp ea r, scim itar, an d st af f. Daijo Tenjin was going to pass on by when he noticed me. "Come, go od h er mi t, " he said
to me , "I w an t to sh o w y o u my castle. I'l
l brin g
you back here afterwards. Will that be all right?" Zao Gongen said I could go. I got up behind Daijo Tenjin on his white ho rs e, a nd after of th e lake
h u n d r e d s of le ag ues we ca me to a vast lake.
w a s a lar ge island a
on it si xt ee n feet
In th e mid dle
hu n d r e d leagu es wi de , wi th a sq ua re dais
on a sid e. A lotus flow
er ros e from the
ce nt er of th e
dais , an d a je we l- to we r ab ov e it en sh ri ne d the Lo tus Sutr a. To the eas t an d wes t h u n g the Wom b -S to re Re alm an d the Ev er yt hi ng wa s inde scrib ably
Vajra-Rea
lm man dala s.
beautiful.
T h e n I lo ok ed to th e nor th an d saw a gr ea t citadel brillia
nt wi th light.
It w a s Dai jo Ten jin 's cas tle . Daij o Ten jin 's co un tle ss train po ur ed into
it
and stood guard. "I am the Su g a w a ra no Mi ch iz an e w h o onc e lived
in y o u r lan d," Daijo
Tenjin said to me. "The Thirty-Three Heavens know me as Nippon Daijo It ok u Te n, th e Celestial Stat pa in of pa rt in g from thos
es ma n of Gr ea t Maj est y fro m J a p a n . The
e on e loves, w h e n I f irs t en co un te re d i t, did not
leave me unmoved; and that is why I now burn to torment the emperor and his ministers, to wound the people, and to smite the realm. I govern all sicknesses and all calamities. "I first thought to turn to this vengeful purpose all the tears I shed wh ile I lived, be a faceless oce
ca us e th ey wo ul d surel y ov er wh el m the land an . After
th ir ty -t wo ye a rs I estab lis hed my
an d leave it ow n land
an d
built a castle for myself. Meanwhile great saints were spreading the Esoteric teachings, teachings which for me have always had a great appeal, and so the rage I once felt largely receded. Then all the en light ened Em an at io ns an d Bodhisat n a m e d ev en me
to ps an d in forests, the sea, an
tvas , in
their
good ness
and mercy,
a go d. S om e of the se Em an at io ns l iv e on moun tai not he rs on
the b a nk s of rive rs or on the shor
e of
d al l be nt the ir su pe rn at ur al wi sd om to cal min g an d com
forting me. That is why I still have not visited any dire catastrophe on Japan. But my followers, who number 168,000 evil deities, work their
mischief everywhere. Even I cannot restrain them, still less could any other god." I said
to him, " E v e r y o n e in my co un tr y calls y o u Celestial Go
d of Fir e
an d Th un de r, a nd we reve re yo u as we do the B ud dh a Sh ak a hims elf. W h y are y o u s ti ll so a n g r y ? " "I am yo u r land's
implac able
en em y, " he an swe re d. "W h o in Ja p a n
ho no rs m e ! T he na me of my mess en ge r is Ve no mo us Kin g of the Celestial Ess en ce s of Fir e a n d T h u n d e r . N ev er , ne ve r will I for get, t il l I mysel f reach en lig hte nme nt, th e wr on gs do ne me al l thos e ye ar s ago ! I shall see that whoever held a post at court while I lived is wounded and struck do wn . But
to da y I ac kn ow le dg e yo u my ma ste r an d I ma ke y ou this
pro mis e. S ho uld an yo ne hav e f ait h in yo u, pas s on my wo rd s, m ak e an ima ge of me, ca ll my na me a n d pr ay de vo ut ly to me , then , go od mo nk , I will gr a n t his de si re for y o u r sa ke . Bu t I see th at y o u ar e no t to live lo ng . Red oub le yo u r effo rts!
Ne ve r rel ax !"
" Z a o Go ng en gave me
this tab let ," I said,
"b ut I don 't quit e un de rs ta nd
it . Wo u ld yo u te ll me wh at it m e a n s ? " Daijo
Tenj in explained, "
Da iN IC HI , Great
S U N ( N I C H I ) means
MONTHS.
Cosmic Bud
dh a
SU N. S T O R E (Z O ) mean s th e Wo m b- S TO RE Man-
dala. N I N E N I N E mea ns eighty-one: one
the
KING
(O )
means
eighty-one ZaO
Y E A R S and
Gongen.
GUARD
eightymeans
pro tec tio n. A s long
as yo u de vo te you rse lf to
an d do the great rite
of the Wo m b- St or e Man da la , yo u wil l l iv e eighty-
on e ye ar s. If y o u pra ct ic e th e rite y o u r li fe will be furth
the Bu dd h a Dain ich i
trul y, as th e Bu d d h a really
ta ug ht it,
er le ng th en ed to nin ety -ni ne ye ar s, wh ile laxity
will
shorten it by ninety-nine months. At any rate, Zao Gongen will watch ove r yo u. N o w ad op t y o u r ne w na me , N ichi zo, an d pract ice with tireless energy." W h e n he ha d finished
sp ea ki ng , I w e n t ba ck to Go ld en Pe ak an d told
Zao Gongen what I had seen and heard. Za o Go ng en re plied, "I wa
nt ed yo u to kn o w the sour ce of the evi ls
tha t aff li ct th e wo rl d. T ha t' s w h y I sent y o u the re ." Th en he we nt on
to rep eat tha t Ni pp on
Daijo
Tenjin
is Su ga wa ra no
Michizane, and that Tenjin's followers number 168,000. He described their many noxious forms and the way they do harm everywhere in the realm. "The older gods are powerless to stop them," he continued. "In the su mm er of 930, y o u kno w, l ight ning str uc k the empe ro r' s ow n palac e an d k ille d Lo rd Ma r e y o an d several othe
rs; a nd it wa s this
mess enge r,
the Venomous King of Fire and Thunder, who did it. He roasted the fl es h and viscer
a of ou r ow n Em pe ro r Dai go so tha t the em pe ro r died,
an d he set fi re to te mp le s like Ho ryu ji, To daiji , and oth er s. Yes, tha was the Venomous King's work. And all those crimes the evil gods com-
t too
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mit, al l tha t m u r d e r an d des tru cti on, are
cha rge d to Em pe ro r Dai go alone
as though he were the sea all rivers empty into. " T h e p o w e r of th e K in g of Fire an d Th u n d e r is equa l to my ow n, with all my followers. Sometimes he makes mountains crumble and shakes the earth, or destroys fortresses and wreaks havoc far and wide. Sometimes he makes storm winds blow and sends down torrential rains which cause damage and casualties. Sometimes he creates epidemics and diseases wh ic h k ill pe op le before their
tim e, or fom ent s tr eas on an d rebelli on. B ut
the god Hachiman and I keep him in check, so that at least he can't do exactly as he pleases." When Zao Gongen had finished, he told me how to get back again, an d I re t ur ne d to my cav e. T he n I revive d. It wa s four in the mo rn ng on the thi rt ee nt h day
of the eighth m
sin ce I ent er ed the
ga te s of de at h.
oon of
941. Thirteen days had passed
I must add, too, that in the vision I had while I was within those gates, Zao Gongen showed me hell. I came there to an iron cave with a shack w o v en of gr as se s ins ide it . T h e four
me n in th e sha ck looke d like ash es
and embers. One had on a robe that barely covered his shoulders and the other three were naked. They were squatting on glowing coals. A hell-fiend told me that the one with the robe on was Emperor Daigo, th e sov ere ign of
my ow n land, a nd that
the other
s we re the
emp ero r's
ministers. When the emperor saw me, he beckoned to me. "I am Em p e r o r Da i go of J a p a n , " he said. "I be ca us e Daij o Tenjin in
his
wr at h bur ns
suffer
temp les
in this
iron
an d hur ts
cave
sentient
beings, and because the retribution for all his crimes falls on me; for I mys elf am th e so ur ce of his ra ge . Da ijo Tenjin , m ean wh il e, has fortu nat e k a r m a wh i ch h as ma de hi m a go d. Yes , th er e ar e fiv e majo r offense s my father
an d I com mi tt ed to wa rd him, and
coun tles s lesser
ones.
But abo ve
all, I am the one who, by sending him unjustly into exile, aroused the wrath he now visits on the whole land. That is why my agony is endless. O pai n! O to rm en t! Ta ke my w or ds bac k to J a p a n , t el l the w h a t I am suffering, get him
em pe ro r
to he lp me ! H a v e th e reg ent an d the minis
ters order purifications on my behalf, have them erect ten thousand holy images for me!"
Th at is th e en d of the Ven er ab le Nich izo 's acc ount . Ma n y oth er wo nd er s are attributed to him. For example, he once dug in the earth and found a va jr a- ha nd le d bell w hi ch he reco gn iz ed as on e he himself pr ev io us li fe. A n d once he
ha d ow ne d in a
pr ay ed at th e shr in e of th e go d of Ma t s un o o
to know which Buddha the god came from. There was a violent thunder storm and darkness fell. Then a voice from inside the sanctuary said,
"T he Bu dd ha Bi bas hi. " Th e aw ed Nich izo we nt for war d an d cam e before an anc ie nt ma n w h o had th e face of a chil d. When Nichizo died he left no body behind.
1 0 2 .
THE GOLD OF GOLDEN PEAK A man whose trade was beating gold into foil lived on Seventh Avenue in K yot o. O n e da y he set off on pil gri ma ge to Go ld en Pea k: t he mo un ta in where Miroku, the Future Buddha, is said to have stored all the gold that will make the world shine again when he comes. At a pla ce on the
mo un ta in called Ore
sl id e, he
spo tte d w ha t loo ked
like a nugget and cheerfully hid it under his coat. Back at home he melted it down, and since it was real gold it glittered and gleamed. He was amazed. As far as he knew, there should have been thunder, or an earthquake, or at least a cloudburst when he took the gold, but nothing had happened. "Well," he thought, "I'll use it myself." The gold weighed nearly two pounds, and the craftsman beat it into sev en or eight th
ou sa n d shee ts of fo il . Th ey ma de a thi ck rol l. He w as
looking for a buyer to take the whole lot when he heard that an officer of the Imperial Police was planning to donate a new buddha to Toji, and w o u ld p ro b a bl y w a n t a lot of gol d f oil for th e stat ue . So o ff he w e n t wi th his gold to the gentleman's house. The gentleman wanted to know how much foil his visitor had. "Seven or eight thousand sheets," the craftsman replied. "Are they with you?" "Yes, sir." The sheets were perfect and their color was beautiful. But each one, when unrolled, turned out to have "Golden Peak" on it in tiny characters. "What does this mark mean?" the gentleman asked. "T he re 's no mar k on them , si r. H o w coul d th ere b e ? " "But there
U K Look
he re !"
Indeed there was. The craftsman was speechless. "Something's not right," said the gentleman. He had an underling ca rr y th e gol d whi le he m a rc h e d the cra ft sm an off to the chief Th e chief question.
ha d the craft
sma n tak en out to
of polic e.
the ri ve rb an k an d pu t to the
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They tied him to a post and whipped him till his back was as red and we t as ne wl y w a s h e d re d silk,
th en th re w him in
pri son . In ten da ys he
was dead. The gold, they say, was returned to Golden Peak and put back w h e r e it ha d co m e from.
No one eve r th ou gh t of ma ki ng of f wit h it aga in.
In th e sp ri ng of 930 , th e m o n k J o s u w a s in his ro om at Toji, rea din g a sutra, when a large turtle came in. Josu thought this odd, but was so ab so rb ed tha t he ha rd ly ga ve th e turt le a sec ond glan ce. S ud de nl y ther e w a s a flash of
li gh tn in g an d a cla p of th un de r, an d the turtl
e rose up into
the sky. Th e nex t da y the G od of w a n t e d to talk
Fire
an d T h u nd e r ap pe ar ed
to Jo su . "I
to y o u ye st er da y, " he s aid, "b ut yo u wo ul dn 't even look
at me ! I w a s qui te a nn oy ed ." "All I
sa w ye st er da y wa s a big tu rtl e, " an sw er ed Jo su . "I had no
idea
the turtle was a god. I admit, though, that I was surprised when it rose into the sky." "I'm suffering for my evil attitude in the past," the god said. "Now look at my real form!" He sh o w e d him self prec isely res
as he really
em bl ed the
wa s. T he up p er part of
th un de r go ds y ou see
in painti
his
bo dy
ngs, bu t f rom the
waist down he was a salmon. "Below the waist I always feel as though I'm burning," said the god. And he added, "In the sixth moon I think I'll go to the palace." Then he disappeared. Li gh tn in g di d stri ke th e pa la ce in several gentlemen.
th e sixth moo
n of 930
an d killed
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THE CATCH A poor man from Koga county in Omi province had no livelihood at all, bu t his wife ma n ag ed to m a ke a living
by hir ing herse lf out as a we av er .
In time, having finally managed to weave a bolt of cloth for herself, she told he r hu sb an d to tak e it to Ya ba se ha rb or on La ke Biwa
an d tr ad e it
there for fish. In their own village he would be able to exchange the fish for seed rice. "That way," she said, "we can cultivate a little land this year." The man took the cloth to Yabase and asked the fishermen to catch him some fish, but all they got was one big turtle. They were going to kill it , b ut the m a n w a s so rr y for it an d ask ed to bu y it inst ea d of th e f is h he had ordered. The fishermen gladly accepted the bargain. "Turtles live a long time," said the man to the turtle, "and like all living things, they certainly value their lives. I know I'm poor, but I'm giving up this clot h an y w a y to sa ve y o u . " Th en he let the turt le go in the lake. He came home empty-handed, and when his wife found out why, she sc ol de d hi m merc ile ssl y. So o n he fell ill an d die d, an d his
body was
abandoned by the roadside. Three days later he revived. Th e go ve rn or of Iga ha pp en ed to be passing by
just then, on his
way
to his province. Seeing the man showing signs of life, he kindly brought him water and poured it into his mouth before going on. When the man's wife heard what had happened, she came to carry him back home. This is the story he told. "When I died," he said, "officers seized me a nd m ar ch ed m e o ff to a br oa d plai n w h e re we cam e to th e ga te of th e offi cers ' he ad qu ar te rs . T he spac e in front
of the bui ldin g wa s cr ow de d
wi th pe op le , bo u n d an d help less . I w a s terr ibly ve ry ni ce- loo kin g litt le m o n k ca me out.
He said
frig hte ned . But
he w a s J i z o an d told th e
officer s th at he owe d me a de bt of gr at it ud e. ' To benefit w a s in L a k e Bi wa ,' he said , 'in
th e form of
th en a
sen tie nt bein gs I
a lar ge tu rt le . A fi she rm an
who had caught me was about to kill me when this man took pity on me. He bought me and put me back in the lake. You must let him go.' And they did. "The little monk told me to go home now, and to do good and shun all evil.
Wh il e he wa s show in g me the w a y out, a
stu mb le d by wit h he r ar ms tied
ve ry pre tty y o u n g wo m an
be hi nd her . Tw o de mo ns we re beat ing
he r an d dr iv in g he r al on g. I as ke d her w h e re she w a s from. Sh e we pt as she told me h
er fathe r w a s th e chief prie st of a sh ri ne in M u n a k a t a co un ty
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in th e pr ov in ce of Ch ik uz en . S he had sudd en ly bee n se par at ed from her parents and had started all alone down a dark path, driven on by demons. It was such a sad story, and I asked the little monk whether something co ul dn 't be d on e for her . ' M y o w n lif e is half ov er ,' I said. 'I
do n' t have
to o m a n y y e a r s lef t. B ut this girl is st ill y o u n g an d has a long future ahe
ad
of he r. Ca n 't sh e be rel eas ed ins tea d of m e ? ' T h e litt le m on k told me I w a s ve r y ki nd to sacrif ice mysel f th e w a y I did for
ot he rs , an d tha t it wa s
a wo nd er fu l th in g. He said he wo ul d ask to hav e us both released, and at a w o r d fro m hi m th e d e m o n s let th e girl go to o. T h e girl cried for joy a nd th an ke d me gratefully, then
we nt her
So on th e ma n we n t to look He fou nd th e sh ri ne she
wa y. "
for the y o u n g wo m an h e had met
ha d me nt io ne d, a nd the
hav e a da ug ht er wh o, ac cor din g to the servants
in hell.
chief pries t reall y did
, ha d recently
died
and
th en co m e bac k to li fe aga in. O n recei ving the ma n' s mess age ab ou t his experience in hell, she came out as fast as she could. She was the same girl, and she recognized him too. Both wept as they talked over their experience. Th e ma n we nt bac k hom e then, b ut both he
an d the yo un g wo ma n
continued to serve Jizo with grateful devotion.
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THE GRATEFUL TURTLE Fujiwara no Yamakage, who lived in Emperor Daigo's reign, loved best among all his children a beautiful little son. The boy's stepmother seemed to love him even more than his father did, and this pleased Yamakage so m u c h th at he often let he r ta ke ca re of th e child. In time Yamakage was named viceroy of Kyushu, and he set sail in a little co n v o y of sh ip s, w it h all his family, t w o r r y him th at he a nd the boy
o ta ke up th e pos t. It did not
we r e travel ing in
bo y wa s wit h his st ep mo the r. Actually, th w o n d e r i n g al l alo ng h o w to get rid
different
oug h, the
of the child. Al
ships since
the
ste pmo the r had been ong the Kyu
sh u coast
she finally picked him up, held him over the gunwale as though to let him relieve himsel
f, an d th en, p re te nd in g to adjust
he r hold, dr op pe d him into
th e sea. T he co nv oy w a s mo vi ng briskl y un de r full sai l an d had gone so me wa y bef ore she cri board.
ed out
tha t the y o u n g ma st er ha d f al le n over
.
Ya ma ka ge near ly ju mp ed ov er bo ar d himsell.
He sent men in
a din gh y
to look for his son, then stopped the convoy and swore he would go no farther till he knew whether he was to have the boy back, dead or alive. The men rowed about all night in vain. Then at dawn, as light was beginning to spread over the sea, they saw something small and white bo bb in g far of t on the
w av e s.
It lo ok ed like
a gull, a nd the y we r e sur
prised that it did not fly away as they rowed closer. They found it was the boy,
rid ing th e bac k of a hug e tur tle and me
rri ly spl as hin g at th e
wa ve s wi th his ha nd s . Wi t h sigh s of relief th ey lifte d him in to th e di ng hy , and the tortoise slid into the deep. "H er e' s the y o u n g mas ter,
sir !" the y cried in
tr iu mp h w he n the y got
back to Yamakage's ship and handed the boy back to his father. Yama kag e we pt fo r joy. Th e st ep mo th er we pt too, in on the best
sh ow of ha pp in es s she
cou ld.
dis ma y, tho ug h she pu t
Sh e dis guis ed her
feelings
so
well that it never even occurred to Yamakage to suspect her. Ex ha us te d, Y am ak ag e l ay do w n in bro ad da y while
the conv oy sailed
on, and dreamed that a huge turtle lifted its head from the sea. It seemed to w a n t to spe ak to hi m. W h e n he re ac he d th e side of th e sh ip, i t said, " H a ve yo u fo rgo tten ? A ye a r or tw o ago a co rm or an t fisherman cau ght me on th e coa st not far from th e Capi ta l, an d y o u bou gh t me from him an d let me go aga in . I'd be en wo n de r in g eve r since ho w to re pa y y o u r ki nd ne ss , an d w h e n y o u sailed I yo u we re goin g. Last night
th ou gh t I might at
least see yo u to w h e r e
I saw the y o u n g mast er's ste pm ot he r pick him
up, hold him over the railing, and drop him into the sea. I caught him on my shell. Watch that woman carefully in the future!" Th e turt le dr e w its hea d ba ck into
the
wa te r an d dis app ear ed, a nd
Yamakage woke up. He remembered how he had gone on pilgrimage to the great shrine at Sumiyoshi and had seen a cormorant fisherman com ing t o w a r d him in
a bo at . Th e hea d of a la rg e tu rt le had bee n stic ki ng up
ov er th e gu nw al e an d the turtl
e's eyes had met his. He had pitied
the
creature so much that he had traded his own cloak lor it and let it go in the sea. Thi s wa s the sam e tur tle ! He wa s ve ry to uc he d. Th en he reca lled wi th loat hin g ho w the st ep mo th er had m a de such a
spec tacl e of he r gri ef.
He hastily brought the little boy aboard his own ship and was careful even
after
he ar ri ve d to ke ep the st ep mo th er aw a y from him. Th
e ste p
mother realized to her sorrow that he had understood. When Yamakage returned to Kyoto, he made the boy into a monk and gave him rea dy died
the religiou onc e, as
s na me Ny om u, "As No th in g, " bec aus e hav ing al it we re , that
wa s wh at the boy
wa s. N y om u serv ed
Retir ed E m pe ro r Ud a an d achi eve d a h igh ecclesia stical up looki ng after his
ran k. H e end ed
st ep mo th er , w h o ha d no son of he r ow n, for the rest
of her li fe . H o w em ba rr as se d she mus t ha ve been!
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URASHIMA THE FISHERMAN Y o u n g Ur as hi m a live d in Ta ng o prov ince , in the vil lage of Ts uts uga wa. O n e da y in the f all of 47 7 (it wa s Em pe r o r Yu ry ak u' s rei gn), h e ro we d out alone on the sea to fish. After catching nothing for three days and nights, he was surprised to find that he had taken a five-colored turtle. He got the turtle into the boat and lay down to sleep. W h e n the
tur tle ch an ge d into
Ur as hi ma ask ed her
a dazz ling ly lovely
girl, the my
stified
wh o she was .
"I sa w y o u he re , al one at
se a, " she ans we re d with a
smile, "an
d I
w a n t e d so mu ch to talk to y o u! I ca me on the clo uds an d the wi nd ." "B ut wh e r e did yo u come from, then, on the
cloud s an d w i n d ? "
"I 'm an I mm or ta l an d I liv e in the sky. D on 't do ub t me ! O h , be kind and speak to me tenderly!" Ur a s hi m a un de rs to od she away. "I'll love
wa s divi ne, an d al l his
tear
of her melted
y o u as lo ng as th e sk y an d ea rt h last, " sh e pr om is ed him , "as
lo ng as th er e' s a su n a nd a m o on ! Bu t tell me , wil l y o u ha ve me ? " "Y ou r wis h is mi ne ," he an sw er ed . "H o w could I not " T h e n lean
on y o u r oa rs , my
love y o u ? "
dar lin g, an d tak e us
to my Eterna
l
Mountain!" She told him to close his eyes. In no time they reached a large island wit h ear th l ike
ja de . Wa tc ht ow er s on it
sho ne
dark ly, and
palaces
gleamed like gems. It was a wonder no eye had seen and no ear had ever he ar d tel l of bef ore . They landed and strolled on hand in hand to a splendid mansion, where she asked him to wait; then she opened the gate and went in. Se ve n y o u n g girls so on ca me ou t of the gate, telling each oth pa ss ed him that he th em told
er as they
wa s Tur tle 's hus ba nd ; an d eight girls w h o ca me after
eac h ot he r the sam e. Th at wa s ho w he learned her
na me .
He mentioned the girls when she came back out. She said the seven w e r e th e seve n star s of the
Plei ades , an d the eight
the cluster of
Alde-
baran. Then she led him inside. Her father and mother greeted him warmly and invited him to sit down. They explained the difference between the human and the divine wo rl ds , an d th ey let him kn o w h ow gla d this
rar e me et ing be tw ee n the
gods and a man had made them. He tasted a hundred fragrant delicacies an d exc ha ng ed cup s of wi ne wit h the girl's
br oth ers and sisters.
Yo un g
girls with glowing faces flocked to the happy gathering, while the gods sang their songs sweetly and clearly and danced with fluid grace. The feast was a thousand times more beautiful than any ever enjoyed by mo rt al s in thei r far-off
la nd .
Urashima never noticed the sun going down, but as twilight came on the I mm ort al s al l slipped
aw ay . H e an d the maid en, n ow alone, lay
do wn
in each other's arms and made love. They were man and wife at last. Fo r th re e y e a r s he forgo t his old l if e an d lived
in par ad is e wi th the
Im mo rt al s. T he n on e day he f el t a p an g of lo ngi ng for th e village
where
he had been born and the parents he had left behind. After that, he missed them more each day. "D ar li ng ," said his
wife, "yo
u have n't looke
d you rse lf lately . Wo n' t
you tell me what's wrong?" "They say the dying fox turns toward his lair and the lesser man longs to go home. I'd never believed it, but now I know it's true." " D o y o u wan t to go ba ck ?" " H e r e I am in the la I sh ou ld n' t fe el this
nd of th e go ds , far from all my family
wa y,
I kn o w, b ut I can't
an d frien ds.
hel p bei ng ho me sic k f or
th em . I w a n t so m uc h to go ba ck an d see my mo th er an d fa th er !" His wife brushed away her tears. "We gave ourselves to each other forever!" she lamented. "We promised we'd be as true as gold or the roc ks of the m ou nt ai ns ! H o w cou ld a lit tl e homesic
kne ss mak e yo u w an t
to leave me?" Th ey w e n t for a wa lk ha n d in han d, sad ly tal kin g it al l ove r. Fina lly they embraced, and when they separated their parting was sealed. Urashima's parents-in-law were sad to see him go. His wife gave him a je we le d bo x. "D e a re st ," she said, "if w a n t to co me bac k, t he n gr ip this
y o u do n' t forget me
a nd fi nd y o u
bo x ha rd . Bu t y o u mu st n' t op en i t,
ever." He got into his boat and they told him to close his eyes. In no time he was at Tsutsugawa, his home. The place looked entirely different. He recognized nothing there at all. "W he re 's
Ura shi ma 's fami ly — Ur as hi ma the fish
erma n?" he aske
d a
villager. " W h o are y o u ? " the
villager
an swe re d. " Wh er e are yo u from? W h y
are y o u loo kin g for a man wh o lived lon g ag o? Ye s, I've he ar d old pe op le mention someone named Urashima. He went out alone on the sea and neve r cam e back. T
ha t wa s thre e hun dr ed ye ar s ago. W ha t do yo u wa nt
with him now?" Bewildered, Urashima roamed the village for ten days without finding a ny sign of
famil y or old fri en ds. At last
he st ro ke d th e bo x his div ine
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lad y ha d giv en him
an d th ou gh t of her ; the n, forg ettin g his rece nt pr om
ise, he opened it. Before his eyes her fragrant form, borne by the clouds and the wind, floated up and vanished into the blue sky. He understood he ha d dis ob ey ed h er a nd wou ld n ev er see her
aga in. All
he could
do wa s
gaze after her, then pace weeping along the shore. W h e n he dr ie d his tea rs, h e sa ng ab ou t her far , clou d-gi rdle d realm . T h e clo uds , he san g, wo ul d brin g he r the me ssa ge of his love. H e r swee t voi ce a n sw e re d him , ac ro ss the va stn es s of the sky, entre
at ing him neve r
to forget her. Then a last song burst from him as he struggled with his loss:
" M y love, w h e n after a nigh t of longi ng, da y d a w n s an d I sta nd at
my op en do or ,
I h ea r far- off wa ve s br ea ki ng on
the shore s of y o u r
paradise!" If onl y he ha dn 't ope ne d tha t jew ele d bo x, pe opl e hav e said since, he could have been with her again. But the clouds hid her paradise from him and left him nothing but his grief.
1 0 7 .
THE GRATEFUL CRAB A girl in Ya ma sh ir o pr ov in ce had
ser ve d K an no n f aithf ully eve r since she
was a child, devoutly fasting on Kannon's special day (the eighteenth of eac h mo on ) an d ch an ti ng the K an no n Sut ra . She was so sweet
and kind
that when she saw a man about to kill a crab she took pity on the creature, bought it, and let it go. Meanwhile her father went out to work his field and found a snake beginning to swallow a frog. He did his best to get the frog away from th e sn a ke bu t w a s di sa pp oi nt ed to f ind th at he coul d not get it ou t of th e sna ke' s mou th . "L et that fr og g o ! " he com ma nd ed . " I'l l give yo u my da ug ht er if yo u do ! " The snake looked him in the eye, then disgorged the frog, which ho pp ed aw ay into
the bus he s. Th e farmer
wish ed he had kept h is mou th
shut, because the snake seemed to have taken him at his word, but it was too late. Th at n igh t a ge nt le ma n ca me to
th e do or. " I'm h ere ' for wh at y ou
promised me this morning," he said. The horrified farmer hardly knew what to say, but he managed to ask the man to come back in a lew days.
The man agreed and went away. When then the farmer told his daughter, she w a s so fri gh te ne d th at she hid at
th e bo tt om of he r be d an d ref use d
to come out. A few days later the snake was back, this time as a snake and not as a man. It knew perfectly well where the girl was, and it slithered to her room and beat on the door with its tail. The poor girl desperately chanted the Kannon Sutra till a little Kannon a foot tall appeared to her and told her not to be afraid. In the midd
le of the nig ht hu n dr ed s of cr ab s in va de d the hous e, we nt
for the sna ke , an d to re it to piec es wi th their
cla ws. T he n th ey va ni sh ed .
Kannons protection had allowed the crab the girl had saved to express its gratitude.
D
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1 0 8 .
YOUNG LUST In O w a r i prov in ce a girl of eleve n or twe lve w as out ga th er in g gr ee ns in the fields when a farmer working nearby noticed her flat on the ground. He thought he had better investigate. A five-foot snake was about to w r a p itself a r o u n d her . T h e far me r ra n for his hoe to
be at it off wit h, bu t
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the snake, now very close to the girl's head, suddenly flinched, slithered aw ay , an d van ish ed . Wh e n the farmer
got back, t he gir l was uncon
sciou s.
He ke pt call ing h er ti ll she ca me to a nd he cou ld ask w h a t ha d ha pp en ed . "S uc h a wo nd erf ul,
ha nd so me boy
wa s just he re !" she said.
" H e told
me to lie down and I did. I'd have done anything he asked! But then for some reason he got frightened and ran away." Th e farme r w an te d to kn ow wh et he r she had an
amule t on her. She
said no, but he searched her all the same. In the end he found she had tied up he r ha ir wi th a bit of p ap er th at had the S on sh o D ar an i on it . Th is is su pp os ed to ha ve ha p pe ne d in th e 1260s
or early
1270s.
1 0 9 .
THE PRETTY GIRL A y o u n g mo nk se rved a ver y disti ngui shed ma ster . O n e day he wen t with his ma st er to Mi id er a, the gre at te mp le nea r Lake Biw a. It wa s a su mm er afternoon. He soon felt sleepy, and in the spacious residence his master was visiting he had no trouble finding a quiet spot for a nap. He dreamed that a beautiful girl came and made the most wonderful love to him. When he woke up, he discovered a five-foot-long snake next to him, and was on his feet in fright before he realized the snake was de ad . Its
m o ut h w a s op en . Ne xt , he sa w he wa s we t in fr ont wh er e he
had ejaculated. The beautiful girl who had made love to him must have been the snake. Horrified, he peered into the snake's mouth and saw tra ce s of the sem en wh ic h th e sn ak e ha d ap pa re nt ly spit out. He must have had an erection while he slept, and the snake had seen it a nd tak en his pen is in i ts mo ut h. T ha t wa s wh en he had
had the
dr ea m
about the girl. His ejaculation had been too much for the snake and it had died. What a weird and awful thing to have happen! He went right away to wash his penis thoroughly, in secret. He wanted to confide in someone, but kept quiet because he knew that if he did he
w o u l d en d up be in g k n o w n as "t he mo nk w h o did it wi th a
snake." Still, he was disturbed enough by the incident to talk about it to a mo n k w h o w a s a close friend of
his.
Hi s frien d wa s ve ry sy mpa the ti c.
Cle ar ly y o u sh ou ld n' t f al l asl eep w h e r e the re's no
one els e ar ou nd . It's
true, though, that nothing special happened to the monk afterwards.
Th ey say a cr ea tu re will die if it sw all ows a ma n' s se me n, a nd ap pa re nt ly it's true. The monk was not quite himself, either, for some time. The story was passed on by the friend the monk talked to.
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MESMERIZED On e su mm er day a yo un g wo ma n wal kin g west Kyo to, o n the sou th side of relieve her
th e street, a
along Konoe Aven
ue in
pp ar en tl y fe lt a su dd en urg e to
self , for she squ at te d aga ins t th e ea rt he n wall she
w as pas sin g
and did just that. Her little girl attendant paused discreetly to wait. It was fairly early in the morning. The little girl knew her mistress must h ave finis hed, bu t time kep t pass ing an d the y ou ng wo m an nev er mo ve d. An ho ur we n t by . Th e girl called
to he r mis tres s in vain. An ot he r
hour. The sun was climbing toward noon. Nothing the little girl could say got any reply. Finally she burst into tears. A ma n ri di ng by wi th a lar ge co m p a n y of foll owers sa w th e l ittle cr yin g a nd sent so me on e to as k he r w ha t wa s the mat te r. T he girl him , po in ti ng to her mistr
girl told
ess w h o w as s ti ll the re wit h her skir ts tu ck ed
up, squatting against the wall. " H o w long have
yo u been
h er e ?" ask ed the
rider
him sel f.
"Since early morning, sir," the girl sobbed. "She's been like that for hours." It certainly was strange. The rider dismounted and examined the y o u n g wo m an 's fac e. S he wa s as pale " W h a t is it ?" he asked her. "
as dea th.
Ar e yo u sick?
Ha s this ever ha pp en ed to
you before?" T he w o m a n said not hi ng , bu t the girl
as su re d him tha t this
wa s th e
first time. Th e rid er could see the
w o m a n wa s not of the com mo ne st class, whic
m a d e hi m fe el all th e m o r e s or r y for he r. He tr ie d lifting
h
he r to he r feet,
but she was rigid. H a p p e n i n g to gla nc e ov er at the wall, th hole the hea
d of a large sna
e rider notic
ed just inside
It must have seen her relieving herself, felt lust for her, and mesmerized her. That was why she was stuck.
a
ke whi ch wa s star ing str aig ht at the wo m a n.
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Ha vi ng gr as pe d this, the ride
r dr ew hi s sw or d an d planted it
before
the hole with the cutting edge toward the snake. Then he had his men pick the
w o m a n up
bodil y an d ca rr y her
aw ay . Su dde nly
the
sna ke
hu r le d itself like a s p e a r fr om th e hole , cu t a foot of its le ng th in tw o on the sword, and died. What strange and frightening creatures snakes are! The man remounted his horse while a follower retrieved his sword. Stil l w or r ie d ab ou t the wo m a n , he ass igne d so me of his me n to stay wit h her. In a little while she began to be able to walk again, with someone supporting her, just like a person who has been very ill.
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RED HEAT
A pai r of mo nk s, one old and one y o u n g and ha nd so me , wer e on their w a y to Ku m a n o . On rea ch in g M u r o cou nt y, not far from thei r goal, they fo un d lodg in g wi th a y o u n g w id o w w h o lived
al l alone, as
ide from
the
c om pa ny of a few ma ids . T he wi do w not ed the yo un g er mo nk 's good looks, and desire tr ea t him well. Afte nig ht she
stole to
ma de her
r da r k the tw o m on ks retire d, b ut in the midd
le of the
th e y o u n g e r one 's be d an d lay d o w n besi de him. Wh
en
he woke up in alarm, she did her best to calm him. "I don't normally ha ve peo ple to
st ay ," sh e said, " bu t I k n e w I wa nt ed y o u as soon as
I
sa w y o u to da y. T ha t' s w h y I as ke d y o u in an d tha t's w h y I'm her e. I'm a wi do w, y ou see.
Pleas e be nice
to m e ! "
Th e m on k ju m pe d up , pr ote st ing tha t he had vo we d long ago to remain ch as te , an d he rem in de d her tha t he had com pi lg ri ma ge . "If cried. "S
to p!
I su dd en ly bre ak my
Please
Hi s refusal only st
e a long wa y to ma ke this
vo w, we'll both suffer
un g he r to ang er . Al l night she
tw in ed herself
him , th ou gh h e m an a ge d bo th to h u m o r her an d to put th at I reall y w a n t to refuse few da ys at
for it!" he
forge t yo ur des ire s!"
y o u , " he exp lai ne d. "A s soon as I've
K u m a n o I' ll be bac k, a nd then
ro un d
her off. "It' s not spen t a
I'll do wh at ev er yo u wa nt ,
believe me!" Finally she accepted his promise and went away. At dawn the monk and his companion set off. The love-struck widow counted the days and prepared to receive the h an d s o m e m o n k on his
re tu rn , bu t he w a s frig htene d an d took car e to go
bac k an ot he r wa y.
Sh e got wo rr ie d w he n he fai led to co me an d be ga n
qu est ion in g the peo ple passi
ng out sid e on the road. O
a pa ir of m o n k s l ike tha t, o ne old and one day s before. Th
n e pilgrim
said ye s,
y o u n g , h ad l ef t Ku m a n o seve ral
e wi do w pan ick ed whe n it da wn ed on her
that
they
avo ide d her ho use alto get her . S he rush ed ho me in a rage , shu t herself in silence
in her
roo m, an d qui ckl y died.
ha d up
Ev en as he r ma id s we re mou rn
ing her, a foul snake, immensely long, suddenly issued from her room, left the house, and slithered down the road away from Kumano. The travelers it passed were terrified. Up ahea d, th e tw o mon ks he ar d tha t a hu ge snak e wa s rac ing the ir way over hill and dale and catching up with them fast. They knew right away who the snake really was, and they fled for their lives to seek refuge at Dojoji. H
av in g he ar d the ir story , the mo nk s of the templ
e dec ide d to
he lp. T h e y held a cou nci l, the n le t d o w n the ir bell ov er the y o u n g m o n k and barred the gate. The snake soon came, got easily over the barred gate, slithered a few times around the compound, then went straight for the hall with the bell. When the door collapsed under its furious blows, the snake darted inside an d w r a p pe d i ts el f ro un d the bell. It stayed tha t w ay f or hou rs, on the top ol the bell with its tail, till despite their fear the monks
bea tin g
surrounded the hall and opened the doors on all four sides to watch. The sn ak e lift ed its he ad . Its
to ng ue flickered
an d tea rs of blo od st re am ed
from its eyes. Then it fled in the direction it had come from. The bell glowed red-hot from its foul, burning breath, and the monks could not ev en get ne ar it ti ll th ey ha d da sh ed it wi th w a te r to cool it d o w n. W h e n they finally lifted it they found that nothing, not even bones, was left of the m o nk insid e. T h er e w a s on ly a little
he ap of ash es . Th e mo nk 's ol de r
companion wept as he took his leave. La te r on, t he ab b ot of Dojoji dr
ea m e d of an even larg
er sn ak e. "I am
the monk who hid in the bell,'' it said. "Once that evil woman had become a snake she took me prisoner and made me hers. Now I suffer horribly in this awful sna
ke b od y an d I can 't save
wa s alive, I devo
te d myself to th e Lotu s Su tr a. Please, Yo
me me rc y a nd pu t an en d to
my
mys elf from my pa in. W h e n I
to rm en t.
'Rev elat ion of the B ud dh a' s Eter na l Life'
Purify
u r Gr ac e, sh ow
yoursel f, cop y th e
ch ap te r of the Sut ra, an d ded i
cat e it f or bo th of us sn ak es . O h , sav e us from this a g o n y ! " Th e sn ak e then went awa
y an d the dr ea me r aw ok e.
Th e abbo t copied the ch
ap te r in ques tio n an d call ed the mo nk s of the
temple together for a day-long ceremony to dedicate it for the two snakes. Soo n he dr ea me d aga in. T his time a tog eth er, al l smiles. Th
m on k an d a w o m a n ca me to Do joji
ey pr os tr at ed thems elv es before
the ab bo t an d told
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2
him th at th a n ks to his kin dn es s th ey w e r e rid no w of the ir sn ak e bod ies and happy at last. "For," said the woman, "I have been born into the Tor i He a v e n ." "A n d I,"
said
the man , "h ave gone up
to the
Tosots u
Heaven." And with these words they flew up into the sky. The Tori Heaven is where the great god Taishaku has his palace at the to p of Sh um is en , the
cosm ic mou nt ai n; a nd the Toso tsu He av en is the
even higher realm where Miroku, the Future Buddha, waits to be born into ou r wo rl d.
1
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LOVESICK Sick with love for a boy, a girl in Kamakura confessed her trouble to her mo the r. T he mot her , w h o kn ew the boy's for hi m to visit
pare nts, immediate
ly arra nge d
he r d a u g ht e r som et im es , bu t he al l but igno red the
an d ha rd ly ev er ca me . In the
girl
en d th e girl die d. H e r gri evi ng pa re nt s put
he r as he s in a bo x a n d p re p ar e d to se nd the m of f to a cert ain temp le in Shinano. Next, the boy became ill too, and went so thoroughly mad that he had to be shut up in a little room. Hearing him talk in there, his parents peeked in through a crack. He was talking to a large snake. W h e n the bo y di ed , his b o d y w a s pl ac ed in a coffi n, fo r bur ial on
the
mountain nearby. At the funeral a large snake was found coiled around his body, right in the coffin, and the two were buried together. Before sending their daughter's ashes to Shinano, the girl's parents opened the box to take out some which they wanted to deposit in a temple in Ka ma ku ra . The y disc overe d that into little
their
dau ght er's
bone s had
tur ned
sn ak es , or w e r e in th e proc es s of do in g so.
They told the whole story to the priest they asked to pray over the remains, and the priest passed it on to his colleagues. It happened in the 1270s, w it hi n th e last ten ye a rs . I k n o w th e nam es of the peop le involved but would rather not record them here.
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.
GONE, BODY AND SOUL A mo nk na me d Y ak ur e n onc e lived
in Nyohoji, a
tem ple
in Sh in an o
province. Not being formally ordained he had a family, but he still spent his life continually chanting the Amida Sutra. One day he told his son and daughter that he would need to wash and put on clean clothes because tomorrow he was going to be born into the L an d of Bliss. T he chi ld re n qu ic kl y got thin gs rea dy for him nightfall, full
a nd at
y pr ep ar ed , he ente re d his chape l alon e. "Yo u ma y op en the
chape l do or at daylight tom
or ro w, " he wa rn ed them, "bu
t not befo re. "
Weeping, they spent the night by the chapel in vigil. Near daybreak a mus ic not of this wo rl d sou nd ed from
wit hin the chapel, a
nd they
th ou gh t
they must be dreaming. When the sky lightened, they opened the door. Th ei r father's bo
dy w as go ne and so was his
cop y of the Am id a Su tr a.
The news brought the neighbors running, and the grieving children told them about the music. Finally it dawned on everyone that Yakuren ha d go ne to par ad is e in his ow n bo dy . T he y all sh ed tear s of joy an d a we . N o w , rebi rth into achi eve it
leave their
gon e, on e might con
the
La nd of Bliss
is not un kn ow n, b ut thos e w h o
bod ies beh ind as a sign. Si nce Yak ur en 's bod y wa s cl ude that he had just
slipp ed of f to so me mo un ta in
te mp le ; ye t his ch ild re n ha d be en the re a ll th e tim e an d cou ld testify the do or of the cha pel had neve
th at
r op en ed . In oth er wo rd s, Ya ku r en really
had reached paradise in the flesh, as the unearthly music seemed to confirm. So
me people, thou
gh, h ave wo nd er ed wh et he r the eart h gods
di dn 't jus t ma k e o ff wi th the b od y on th eir ow n an d leave it in pu re spot
w he r e the bod y of a saint migh
t pr op er ly belo ng.
th e sor t of
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1
PARADISE IN THE PALM OF THE HA ND
Two scholar-monks named Chiko and Raiko once lived at Gangoji in the old capit al of N ar a. A lt ho ug h th ey ha d alw ays liv ed an d wo rk ed toget her, Raiko in the end stopped studying and never picked up his books again. He just lay there in silence. Chiko, for his part, was a deeply wise man w h o loved sc hol ars hip , an d in tim e his lea rnin g wa s recogn ized by
all .
W h e n Rai ko died, C hi ko mo ur ne d his old friend . It dis tur bed him
that
Ra ik o had bee n sile nt an d i dle for so ma ny ye ar s, a nd he wo nd er ed wha t his ne xt l if e w o ul d be ; b ut he wi th el d ju dg me nt on Ra iko 's fate be ca use he knew that good and ill are hard for our limited minds to fathom. In time he decided to try to find out where Raiko had gone. He dreamed he found Raiko in a place so beautiful that it seemed like paradise, and asked Raiko in surprise where they were. "This is the Land of Bliss ," Raik o repli ed. " Y o u r pr ay er s hav e br ou gh t y ou here, but th at y o u 'v e seen me y o u 11 ha ve to go ba ck . Th is is no
no w
plac e fo r y o u . "
"But I want to be born into paradise too," Chiko protested. "Why must I go back?" "Be ca us e yo u' ve don e no thi ng to deser ve staying. "Y et y o u your self, w h e n y o u w e r e alive, did not
" hi ng at all!
H o w did
you get here?"
" D o n 't y o u se e? " Ra ik o exp lai ned . " M y long ing perfe ctly pu re . H av in g no ot he r th oug ht, of daily living I sa
fo r birth here
I said not hin g. In
wa s
ever y pha se
w the co un te na nc e of Lo rd Am id a an d the bea uty of
his pa ra di se , so I jus t lay qui etly , th in ki ng of no th in g else. And here I am . Y ou k n o w all ab ou t the scrip
tur es bu t y o u r min d is in turmoil and
you hardly deserve a birth like this." " Th en wh a t can I do
to be sure
of pa ra di se ?" cried
Ch ik o in tear s.
"It isn't for me to say. Ask Lord Amida himself." Raiko led his friend before the lord. Ch ik o prost rat ed himself
an d reverentl
y repeated his
questi on.
"Y ou mu st con tem pla te the Bud dh a' s cou nte nan ce and the
beaut y of
paradise," Amida said. " B u t th e sp le nd or of all I see ca n ta ke in! ordinary man?"
he re is mo re th an my ey es or my mi nd
H o w ca n I co nt em pl at e the se th in gs wi th th e eyes
of an
Lord Amida lifted his right hand, and Chiko saw in the palm a tiny par adi se. T he n he wo ke up. He immedia
tely
had a
pain ter tra nsc ribe
what he had seen, and all his life he contemplated that image till he too pa ss ed on to th e La nd of Bliss. Late
r, his
dwe lli ng wa s re na me d Go k u-
rakubo, or Paradise Hall, and the painting still hangs there in great honor.
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NO COMPROMISE Ge nd ay u, wh o live d in San uk i pr ov inc e, wa s a fier ce hu nt er an d killer. Dawn or dusk he was out in the wilds after deer and fowl, or fishing; an d th e da y rar ely pass ed w h e n he did not
ch op o ff som eon e' s head, a rm ,
or leg. He knew nothing about karma or religious faith, and naturally only ha te d an d shu nn ed holy me n. In a wo rd , he wa s a me na ce , an d peo ple w e re terrified of
him .
He was coming home one day from hunting deer in the mountains with so me of his ba nd w h e n he noti ced a
cr ow d in front
of a bui ld in g a nd
asked what the people were doing. His men told him the place was a temple and that a monk was preaching there. "Preaching," they ex pla ined , "m ea ns offering th e benefit of
the bu dd ha s a se rm on on the holy
sut ras , for
al l be in gs ."
" O h yes , I've hea rd ab ou t th at ," said Ge nd ay u, "b ut I've
neve r actually
seen it. I'll go and hear what he's got to say. You wait here." He an d his
me n di sm ou nt ed . Th e me n hat ed to imag ine wh at the ir
master was up to and were afraid he was going to torment the preacher. When Gendayu came into the temple, some of the congregation simply fled. He shoved his way through the rest, with the people parting before him like grasses in a gale, till he came to the preacher and glared into his eyes. "P re ac he r, " he sai d, "I
wa nt to
kn ow wh at yo u' ve been saying. An
d
talk sens e. If y ou don' t, you' ll wis h yo u ha d. " He br an di sh ed his dag ger . Th e frighten
ed pre ac he r th ou gh t he wa s lost an d h is mi nd we nt blank,
but he was wise enough to call on the Buddha for help before he an swered. "W es tw ar d fr om here,
" he ans wer ed, "b eyo nd ma ny other
worlds, is
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the place where a buddha lives. This buddha's name is Amida. His kind nes s is wi de an d de ep . Yo u ma y ha ve been the yo u re pe nt a n d call his be re bo rn into his La
N a m e jus t on ce he'll
wo rs t of sinn ers , but if
co me to fetc h yo u and you' ll
n d of Bliss w he re you 'll be a b u d d h a to o. "
"If this b u d d h a of y o u r s is as kin d as al l that, t hen wo ul dn 't tu rn me " O f cou rse
I sup pos e he
aw ay eith er."
not ."
"S o if I call his Na m e he'll a n s w e r ? " "Y es , i f y o u cal l him sin ce rel y." "What people does this buddha like best?" " H e doesn 't rejec t anyo ne , bu t pa re nt s can't
help loving
their
ow n
children most and so he does slightly prefer his own disciples." "What's a disciple?" "Any monk who's shaved his head like me. Laymen and laywomen can be his discipl
es too , b ut it's
eve n be tt er if yo u' re a mo nk or a nu n . "
"Then shave my head," commanded Gendayu. " O h de ar ! " th e pr ea ch er excl aime d. "It's th at , b ut y o u see, sh ou ld first in order."
won der ful to hear
yo u s ay
I ca n't jus t do it all of a su dd en . If yo u' re ser iou s yo u
go ho me , ta lk it over
"Y ou call yo ur se lf a disciple of
wi th y o u r f amily , a nd put y o u r affa irs this b u d d h a and y o u claim he te
lls only
the truth," Gendayu growled. "You say he loves his disciples. What do you mean by turning around now and telling me to do it
later! You don't
see m to un de rs ta nd , do y o u ? " Ge nd ay u dr ew his
da gge r and cut
of f his
own topknot at the roots. The preacher was speechless and a clamor burst from the congrega tion. G en da yu 's me n he ar d it . Obv io us ly their
mas ter had don e some
thing, and they rushed to the temple ready to fight. Gendayu stopped them with a roar. " H o w da re yo u com e be tw ee n me and para
dis e!" he bellowed.
"This
morning as usual I was wanting more men, but now, as far as I'm con ce rn ed , y o u ca n all get out
an d go wh er ev er yo u please.
I'm not ke ep in g
an y of y o u ! " The men decided their master had gone mad. Some spirit must have possessed him. They sobbed and howled and rolled on the floor, but Gendayu quickly put a stop to their noise. Then he offered his topknot to the Buddha, heated water as fast as he could, washed his head, and came to the preacher again. "S ha ve me pr op er ly !" he or de re d. "You'll be
sor ry if yo u don't ."
"S in ce y o u ins ist ," th e pr ea ch er repli ed, "I 'm su re I'd sh av e y o u . Yes , it'd certa
be w r o n g not to
inl y be a si n." Th ou gh sti ll afraid, he
ca me do wn
from his seat,
sha ved Ge nd ay u' s head , an d adm ini ste red the ap pr op ri at e
vo ws . Ge nd ay u' s me n she d unr es tr ai ned tear s of gri ef. Ha vi ng put on a
mo nk 's stole, Ge
nd ay u trad ed hi s qui ve r an d bo w for
the dev otee 's lit tle go ng , whic h he hu ng ar ou nd his neck . " N o w I'm goin g to go west," he said. "I'll keep calling Amida and beating this gong till he an sw er s. N o mo or , no mou nt ai n, river, or
sea will tu rn me ba ck ." An d
of f he we nt sho uti ng, "H ey , Am id a Bu dd ha ! He y, hey !" W h e n his me n mo ve d to follow
him,
he acc us ed the m of ge tt in g in his
w a y an d kep t
beating his gong till they gave up. G e nd a yu did just w h a t he said
he wo ul d: he we nt str aig ht wes t, calling
Amida and beating the gong. When he came to a river he did not look for a ford , a n d he di d not tr y to find a w a y r o u nd w h e n a m ou nt ai n ros e in front
of him . St um bl in g, fall ing, he
pu sh ed strai ght ah ea d ti ll at su n
down he reached a temple, where he explained to the priest what he was doin g. " N o w I'm goi ng ove r tho se mou nt ai ns to the we st ," he con tin ued . " C o m e an d find me in se ve n da ys . I'll tie th e gr as se s to ge th er as I go to m ar k the wa y.
Do y o u ha ve any th in g to eat ? If y o u do,
just
give me a
little." Th e priest ga ve him plent y of pa rc he d rice, but Ge nd ay u, pro tes ting that it was too much, took only a tiny amount, which he wrapped in pa pe r a nd pu t in th e fold of his ro be . T h e n he st ar te d off. " Bu t th e su n is down!" the priest called after him. "Stop here for the night, at least!" Gendayu seemed not to have heard. Seven days later the priest set out. The trail was marked and led over the mo unt ain s, b ey on d whi ch rose
st ill ano the r range . L ooki ng we st wa rd
from a peak, the priest saw the sea. At last the priest came to a forked tree overlooking the ocean. Gendayu was sitting up in the fork, beating his gong and calling, "Hey, Amida! Hey, hey!" He told the priest that he had meant to go on west to the sea. "Bu t Am id a an sw er s me he re ," he expla ined,
"so I stayed and now I
just k e e p calling to h i m . " "W ha t do yo u mean , h e an sw er s y o u ? " aske d the priest , wh o could ma ke no th in g of this. "We ll,
I' ll call.
"He y, Amida! W
You' ll hea r him for you rse lf. " An d G en da yu sho ut ed , he re are y o u ? "
" H e r e I a m ! " rep lied an "D id yo u hear T he priest had h
aw es om e voic e from the dep th s of the sea.
th at ?" ea rd it an d diss olved , ov er co me , in tear s of joy an d
awe. Gendayu wept too. "Hurry home now," he said, "and come back in seven days to see what's happened to me." "D on 't yo u wa nt anythi
ng?
I brou ght yo u some par
che d rice."
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8
" N o , no , th a n k y o u , I st ill ha ve th e rice y o u gav e m e. " Th e pries t cou ld in fact
see th e lit tle pa ck et of rice, w r a p p e d just as
it had bee n w he n
G e n d ay u l ef t his te mp le . He we nt aw ay . W h e n he ca me ag ai n, G e n d a y u w a s st il l in the tre e facing
th e wes t,
but this time he was dead. A beautiful lotus flower had bloomed from his mouth, and the weeping priest picked it. It occurred to him that he should bury Gendayu, but he decided after all to leave him since Gendayu pr ob ab ly wo ul d ha ve pref err ed simp ly to f eed the birds G en da y u had certainl
an d beast s.
y go ne to para dise .
THE FAILURE
Once a holy man decided to trade his body for paradise by plunging into the wa te rs of the Ka ts ur a River nea r Kyot o. He pre pa re d himself
fo r this
by doing the Lotus Confession rite for a hundred days at Gidarinji, a te mp le in
th e city.
Pil gri ms fl ock ed from fa r a nd nea r to wo rs hi p him,
an d a con sta nt stream of
ge nt le wo me n' s carria ges ro lled tow ard the
tem
ple past an equally constant stream leaving. T h e holy in the eye.
ma n, a slight fellow
of ab ou t thi rty, wo ul d not look an yo ne
In st ea d, h e kep t his eye s half-closed
as th ou gh fal ling asl eep .
Now and again he would call Amida's Name aloud, but otherwise only his lips mo ve d. App ar en tl y he w as re pea tin g the Na m e then , too. Som e times he would heave a sudden sigh and sweep his gaze over the faces a ro u nd hi m. H a vi ng co me precise
ly in the
ho pe of looking into
his eyes,
the pilgrims at such moments would push and shove ruthlessly so as not to mis s an y ch a nc e of do in g so. Early in the morning on the appointed day the holy man, wearing a paper robe and stole, entered the temple's main hall. All the monks, who w e r e al re ad y insi de, a nd
fi le d out
th e pr oc es si on mo v ed
ah ea d of hi m.
off. Tho ug h his
He got into lips
we re
a wa it in g car t mo vi ng , it w as
impossible to make out what he was saying. He would not look anyone in the eye, and from time to time he would heave a big sigh. The crowd along his way kept showering him with good-luck rice, wh ic h ma d e him
cr y ou t n o w an d aga in, " O w ! It's ge tt ing in my eye s
a n d no se ! If y o u wa n t to be kin d, pu t y o u r rice in a ba g an d sen d it to my temple!" At this the most ignorant onlookers would rub their hands
in pious worship, but those with a little more wit would mutter, "What's he talki ng ab ou t? He 's abo ut to give
up his bo dy an d go to pa ra di se , a nd
he's complaining about rice getting in his eyes and nose? Isn't there something tunny about that?" Finally the cart reached the Katsura River. More people had gathered to witness the holy man's passing, and to share its blessing, than there we re stones on the
riv erb ed. Th e cart dre w up to the wa te r an d sto ppe d.
"What time is it?" the holy man asked. The monks with him told him it was nearly six. "Then it's a bit early for going to paradise," the holy man replied. "I'll wait till sundown." Th os e of the sp ec ta to rs w h o had co me from the farth
est of f cou ld n ot
wait and left. The crowd thinned out. But some were determined to wa tc h to the end.
O n e of the m, a mo nk , re ma rk ed wh at a str ang e idea it
was that there should be any proper time for going to paradise. Finall y the hol y ma n, na ke d ex ce pt fo r a loinclo th, tu rn ed to th e we st and walked into the river. He instantly tripped on a mooring rope and floundered about without even being able to plunge all the way in. When a disciple disentangled him, he tumbled in head first, making desperate glub-glub noises. A man standing in the river himself, to get a better view, seized his hand and pulled him up. The holy man just stood there, wiping his face and spitting out all the water he had swallowed. Then he turned to his savior and wrung his ha nd s abjectly. "
H o w can I ever
th an k y o u ? " he mu rm ur ed . "I'l l sing
your praises in paradise!" W h e n he climb
ed back up onto
the bank , the cr ow d an d al l the y o u n g
scamps who had joined it picked up the stones that lay so thickly under their feet and began pelting him with them. Still naked, he fled down stream, but the crowd poured after him and stoned him till his head was all bleeding.
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.
LETTERS FROM PARADISE A holy man in Ta
n g o pr ov in ce de sir ed re bir th into
th e Lan d of Blis s. No t
that he was alone in this wish, but he aspired so fiercely to paradise that others' piety paled in comparison. On the last da
y of the y e a r he wou ld wri te on a piece of
pa pe r: "C om e
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to me before the day is over. Do not fail!" Then he would have an acolyte deliver the letter to him the following dawn, before he got up for the early morning litany. "Knock on my door," he would tell the acolyte. "I'll ask who's there, a n d yo u' ll say, 'A mes
se ng er from A mi da Bu d d ha in the La nd of Perfect
Bliss, wi th a le tte r for y o u ! ' " T h e n he w ou ld go to be d. At d a w n th e ob ed ie nt aco lyt e wo ul d kno ck at
the doo r of his hut.
"Who's there?" the holy man would call. "A messenger from Amida Buddha in the Land of Bliss, with a letter for you!" Th e holy
ma n wo ul d st um bl e forth,
we ep in g with
joy.
"W ha t does
it
say?" he would cry, and reverently inspect the writing. Next he would collapse, ove
rco me with devo
ut emoti on.
Thi s ha pp en ed ever y ye ar . Th e acolyte wh
o play ed the messen
ger got
quite good at the part. Ev en tua lly a new
go ve rn or wa s post ed to
the provin
ce and came to
revere the holy man deeply. One day the holy man visited him to enlist his help in a new and worthy project: a pageant of Amida's welcome to the soul. There would be musicians, and dancers costumed and masked as Am id a, t he bodh isa ttv as, a nd a ll the saints. The
go ve rn or gladly
pledged his support, gained the cooperation of other locally influential people, and set about getting musicians and dancers from the Capital. His enthusiasm pleased the holy man very much. "At the pageant I'll really believe Lord Amida is coming for me," he declared, "and I'll die!" "Wel l, wel l, per ha ps yo u wil l, w h o kn ow s? " mur mu re d the governor, who did not quite know what to say. The day came and the beautiful pageant began. The holy man himself lit the incense. The two bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi came forth, with a d r u m m e r behi nd the m lea ding the a n d a pp ro a ch e d th e holy
ma n:
joyo us host of
cele stia l musicians,
Ka nn on to offe r his soul a gol den th ro ne
to rid e to pa ra di se on, an d Seishi to she lte r the soul on the way there. Heavenly music filled the air.
wit h a jewe led can op y
The holy man was seen to weep and call Amida's holy Name while th ey c am e on, bu t w h e n K a nn on held forth
the gol den th ro ne he did not
re sp on d. H e see me d too ov er co me to mov e. Actually, die d. O f co ur se the cast did not realize
tho ugh , he had just
this, wh at with the music and the
excitement, and they went on vainly offering him the canopy and the th ro ne in the ho
pe that he
wo ul d say or do som et hi ng . W h e n th ey fi nal ly
went away, the holy man stayed as motionless as ever. His alarmed disciples shook him and found he was already stiff. At last ev er yo ne un de rs to od tha t he had Land of Bliss, and they wept.
actu ally go ne to reb irth in
the
l
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.
NOT EXACTLY THE LAND OF BLISS
A hermit whose only practice was calling Amida's Name had lived for ye ar s in the Ibu ki Mou nt ai ns of M i no pro vinc e. He wa s calling
the Na m e
one night when he heard a voice from the heavens saying, "You have de vou tly tr us ted me
an d ha ve called
my N a m e cou ntle ss time s. Ear ly
to m or r ow aft ern oon , at the ho ur of the Sh ee p, I prom is e I will co me an d we lc om e y ou into
my We st er n Par adi se . Do not st op calling
Th e herm it re dou bl ed his dev otio ns.
up on m e ! "
He wa sh ed , l it incense, scatt
ered
flowers, and sat down with his disciples facing the west so they could all call out the Name together. W h e n the time
ca me , the re wa s a gle am in the wes t. Ami da ap pe ar ed
in glory like the full autumn moon breaking through clouds, and the hermit was bathed in the sublime rays that streamed from between his ey eb ro ws . F low ers f loated do wn from the sky. The hermit pro str ate d himse lf wi th suc h ferv or th at wh e n his fore head tou ch ed the gr ou nd his be hi nd ros e high in the the vigor
air. T h e co rd of his ro sa ry al l but sn ap pe d wi th
of his invoca tions.
Th en K an no n adv anc ed am on g do wn y pur
ple clouds to offer him a lotus throne. The hermit crept reverently for wa rd , mo un te d the thr one , and saile d aw ay we st wa rd . H is disciple s we pt wi th joy an d aw e as th ey wa tc he d him go. A week or so later, the servants at the hermitage decided it was time to make the monks a bath and went into the mountains to cut firewood. Wh e n they came to a
gre at cryp tom er ia gr ow in g over a waterfall, the
y
heard cries from high in the tree. A monk was up there, tied naked to a br an ch.
O n e partic ularly
goo d climbe r discov ered that
the mon k wa s
their master who had sailed away to paradise. He was tied to the tree with vines. "Master!" the horrified servant cried as he began working on the vines. "What happened?" "He promised he'd be back for me any minute," the hermit babbled, "a nd he
told
me to
stay right
he re !
Do n' t yo u go un ty in g m e ! " Th e
serv ant untie d him an yw ay . "Am id a B ud dh a! " his mas ter scr eam ed, "this man is killing me!" In the end they got him down and took him back to the hermitage. It was a tragedy. He had completely lost his mind, and two or three days later he died. Simple as he was, a tengu had tricked him.
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T
E
N
B
O
A
G R
U
,
,
A N D B
A
D
G
E
R
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9
ONE LAST SHOWER OF PETALS In E m p e r o r Da igo 's reign, long the sh rine on Fif
ago , th er e wa s a big pe rsi mm on tree
nea r
th Av en ue . Wh e n a b u d d h a ap pe ar ed in the tree, shining
and scattering the loveliest flowers, all Kyoto crowded round for a look and a reverent bow. You could not get in one horse, carriage, or spectator more. Aft er a w ee k or so, it oc cu rr e d to th e Min is te r of th e Righ t that no ge nu ine bu dd ha wo ul d ap pe ar in these cid ed this mu
st be
so me sort
latte r, dege nera te days. H e de
of te ng u misch ief an d th ou gh t he wo ul d
have a look for himself. He got hi msel f up in fu ll co ur t dr ess an d w e n t in a cer em oni al ca rn ag e wi th a wh ol e tra in of at te nd an ts . Th e cr ow d pa rt ed at hi s ap pr oa ch . H e had the ox unhitched and the carriage shafts propped up for a long stay, then sat there staring at the buddha's branch. He never blinked or gl an ce d aside . After
a co up le of ho ur s th e bu d d h a l et go a lit tle sh ow er
of flow er pe ta ls a n d a bu rs t of light, b ut in th e en d th e mi nis te r's rele nt less gaze was too much. Suddenly a big kestrel with a broken wing fell off th e bra n ch an d lay
help lessl y fla ppi ng on
the
gr ou nd . So me boys
dashed up and killed it. " S u r e e n o u g h ! " said th e min ist er to himself deeply impressed.
as he le ft . Th e peo ple we re
.
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3
O
.
INSPIRING, UNFORTUNATELY Th e people of
E m pe r or Reizei's
reign we re bu zzi ng ove r a spate of
misch ief w he n a m o nk from M o u n t Hiei st ar te d ho m e after
ten gu
a lit tle tri p
down to the city. Walking back toward the mountain along Kitaoji Ave nu e, he ca m e to a pa ck of bo ys be at in g a fie rce -lo oki ng old kite the y ha d cau ght . H e scolde d th em shar ply . "W h y do y o u wa nt to
hur t the poo r
bird?" he asked. They said they were killing it for its feathers. The monk felt so sorry for the kite that he traded his fan for it to the bo ys an d le t it go . T he goo d de ed ma de him r at he r plea sed wi th hims elf. A bit farther on, where the path started up the mountain, a funny, mon kis h-l ook ing o ld fell ow po pp ed out
of the bus hes and
cam e pant in g
after the monk. Though the monk did his best to avoid him, the old fellow insisted on accosting him and thanking him effusively for having saved his life. "I don' t kn ow wh at yo u' re talking tiou sly. "W h o are y o u ? "
ab out ," the mon k ans wer ed cau
"Y ou r em em be r me, o f co urs e y o u do ! I'm the one the boys we re busy mu rd er in g on Kitao ji Av en ue ! H o w can I ever
tha nk yo u? If the re' s an y
wi sh of y o u r s I ca n m a k e co me tr ue , an y little I've got a few magic po nice
we rs , y ou see, an
wi sh at all, just te ll me .
d I'm sur e I can do
so me th in g
for y o u ! "
Confused by this astonishing offer, the monk hesitated, but the old fellow insisted till he finally replied, "Well, I don't really wi sh es an y mo re , y o u kn o w. I'm seve nt y no w, after
have any special
all , and
I've lost an y
interest in fame or fortune. I hate to think where I'll be born next time, ye s, bu t I don 't su pp os e the re' s an yt hi ng yo u can do n' t qui te kn o w w h a t to say. mus t have been
Still , I o ften
do abo ut
that. So I
ima gine ho w wo nd er fu l it
wh en the Bu dd ha pr ea ch ed the Lotu s Su tr a on Vul tur e
Pe ak, a nd I wish I coul
d have been ther
e too . Cou ld y o u pe rh ap s give
me a vision of the scene?" " O f co ur se
I ca n ! " the old fe llow crie d. "I 'm a ve te ra n at sh ow s like
that!" He led the monk some distance up the hillside. "Now," he said, "close y o u r eyes an d op en th em again ing.
But be careful!
wh en yo u hear
the B ud dh a pre ach
Do n' t get ca rr ied aw ay an d imag ine tha t it's al l real!
I'll be in te rr ib le tro ub le if y o u d o . " The old fellow climbed farther up the hill. In a moment the monk hea rd the B ud dh a' s voice
pro cla imi ng the Teac hi ng an d ope ned his
eyes.
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The ground he stood on was lapis lazuli blue; the trees were all made of gol d, silver, a
n d je we ls ; an d st ra ig ht in
front
of him sat
the B ud dh a,
flanked by Monju and Fugen, on his Lion Throne. An infinite host of ad or in g saints , bodhi sat tva s, and
god s cluster ed ar ou nd
the
Bud dha ,
before whom sat all the great disciples who appear in the scriptures. Si xte en kin gs, e ach the jeweled crowns
so ver eig n ov er a vas t rea lm, wer e to uc hi ng their
to the earth
in
homage,
while
flowers o f four
kinds
floated down from the sky, exquisite fragrances perfumed the air, and an ge ls fi ll ed th e he av en s wit h celestial mus ic. T he Te ac hi ng tha t po ur ed from the Buddha's mouth was immeasurably stirring and profound. At first the monk was simply awed by the old fellow's amazing skill; bu t eve ry wo nd er , eve ry mir acu lou s touc h, consp ired
to per sua de him
that this vision really was the moment long ago when the living Buddha pr ea ch ed , an d he wa s qui ckl y sw ept aw ay . Tea rs of ecstatic
joy sp ra ng
to his eyes. Then, lost in adoration, he pressed his palms together, greeted the B u d dh a alou d, an d th r ew himself
pro str ate on the gr ou nd.
S ud de nl y the mou nt ai n roa red , an d the visi on vani shed as a dr ea m w he n the dr ea me r wa ke s. T he monk , almost him sel f as befor e on the wild mou
as tho ro ugh ly
in shock,
nt ai ns id e. Al l he could do
found
wa s to star t
walking again. He ha d not bitterly. "I Oh, how
go ne far
bef ore the
old fellow
w a s ba ck , co mp la in in g
told you not to get car rie d aw ay ! " he scolded.
"Y ou
promued\
couldy o u go ba ck on y o u r w o r d l ike th at ? Y o ur fait h was so
strong that it brought all the Guardians and Protectors down, and when they saw my show had taken in a true believer they gave me an awful beating. All my colleagues who were helping me were frightened to death a nd got
a w a y as fast
as th ey co ul d. O h , I wi sh I'd just le ft well eno ug h
alone!" Then he disappeared.
1 2
1 .
NO FOOL, THE HUNTER A seasoned hermit, devoted to the Lotus Sutra, once lived on Mount At ag o just no rt hw es t of Ky ot o. T ho ug h he ne ve r le ft his hut, sta rve , for a hu nt e r w h o lived food.
he did not
ne ar by an d re ver ed him o ften br ou gh t him
The hunter had not been around for a long time when one day he turned up with a sack of dried rice, and the relieved hermit mentioned that he
had been
get ting
thin g won der ful that
wo rr ied . The n he told
had been hap
ho no ri ng the S ut ra so fait hfully
the hu nt er abo ut some
pe ni ng . "P er ha ps i t's bec aus e I'v e bee n al l these
ye ar s,
I do n' t k n o w , " he said,
"but the Bodhisattva Fugen has been coming here every night on his whi te elepha
nt.
Sta y this eve nin g an d ad or e him with m e ! "
The hunter was impressed enough to say he would, but he took the trouble to question the hermit's boy servant. "What's the hermit talking ab ou t? " he asked . "H av e yo u see Fu gen too ?" "Y es , certai nly, Wai ting
half a do ze n ti me s, " the boy
eagerly behind the hermit, the hunt
repl ied. er wo nd er ed wh et he r he
too wo ul d see Fu ge n. It w a s the twe nt ie th of the ninth moo fa ll , an d the nig ht w a s long . At last, past mi
n, well
into
dn ig ht a ra di an ce as of th e
rising moon shone over the peaks to the east, an eerie wind blew down the mountain, and the hut was filled with light as though illumined by rays
from
afar. The B
odh isa ttv a Fugen , mo un te d on his elep hant, r ode
toward them and halted before the hut. Th e her mit wo rs hi pp ed this vision with tears of ask ed the hunt er , "d o yo u see him to o? "
joy. "A nd y o u, " he
"Indeed I do," replied the hunter, "and so does the boy. This is ex traordinary! " Stil l th e hu nt er wa s pu zzl ed . H e quit e un de rs to od tha t the hermi t, wi th al l his ye a r s of dev ot ion to the S ut ra wh er e Fu ge n figures mi ght be
give n such a
bles sing.
But he
coul d not
so prom in ent ly ,
un de rs ta nd w h y th e
boy , a nd wh y he himse lf w h o k ne w so lit tle ab ou t thes e thi ngs and a bo ve all kille d an im al s for a livin g, sh ou ld see
who
th e vis ion too . So
he
decided there was no reason why he should not test this Fugen. Fitting an arrow to the string, he took aim over the hermit (who was pr os tr at e in ad or at io n) , dr e w to the fu ll , an d le t fl y. T he a r r o w se em ed to stri ke the bo dh is at tv a' s ches t an d the light we nt out. S om et hi ng we nt crash ing downhill thr
oug h the bru sh.
" Wh a t have yo u do n e ? " cried the herm Th e hu nt er ex pl ai ne d. "If
it really
it in an agon y of distre ss. ha d be en F ug en , " he said, "the
arrow couldn't have done any damage. So it must have been some monster." At d a w n they followed a tra
il of bloo d a hu n dr ed ya r ds to the bo tto m
of the ravi ne, w h e r e th ey found a
hu ge ba dg er lying de ad wit h an ar r ow
through its chest. Saintly though he was, the hermit was ignorant too, and so had been open to deception. The hunter, on the other hand, having his wits about him, had killed the badger and exposed its hoax.
7
1
6
1 2
2 .
THE HAIRY ARM A ma n na me d Suk ey as u w a s on his w a y do wn from pr ov in ce w h e n , after
the Capital
to Ta mb a
a da y of hu nt in g, he sou ght she lter in an o ld cha pel .
A villager from nearby warned him that the chapel was haunted and that people who stayed there disappeared, but Sukeyasu paid no attention an d ma d e himse lf as mu c h at ho me as
he cou ld. W h a t wit h the blow ing
snow and the spooky story, however, he did not feel too comfortable. Th e re wa s a ba bb le of eerie voices
ou tsi de.
Pe er in g th ro ug h a hole in
a sliding panel, out into the garden white with snow, he saw the dark, in di sti nc t sha p e of a mo n k as tall as th e roof.
Th e n a sk in ny , ha iry a rm
snaked in through the hole and felt over his face. Sukeyasu jumped and the arm withdrew. S u k e y a s u lay d o w n in a ball to wa it , faci ng th e hol e. Th e ne xt tim e th e hairy arm came through he grabbed it, and proved too strong for what ev er w a s no w st ru gg li ng to get its
ar m bac k. Lifting
out the
wh ol e pane l,
he stepped out on the porch of the chapel with the panel still between him and the owner of the arm. Then he tipped the panel away from him a n d j u m p e d on to it . T he cr ea tu re ma y ha ve look ed as tal l as th e ro of , bu t it h ad to be ver
y small i nd ee d to fit u nd er th e pan el, espec ially
wit h
Sukeyasu sitting triumphantly on top of it! The arm was skinnier than ever. Finally the creature let out a squeak. Sukeyasu had one of his men strike a light, and he found he had caught an old bc4ger. He gave it to his m e n to look afte
r unti l he cou ld sh o w it o ff to th e vill ager s in the
morning, but the men just roasted it and ate it. By morning only the head was left. Sukeyasu exhibited it to the villagers anyway. Nothing haunted the chapel after that.
1 2
3 .
EXPERT HELP An ascetic traveling in the north once came at sundown to a mountain village and asked for lodging. No one would have him, but the villagers tol d hi m ab o u t an old cha pe l do w n in the valley
w h e r e he cou ld go if he
wa nt ed . "T he y say te ng u liv e the re, th ou gh ," the villagers
re ma rk ed .
Being a master of spells, the ascetic was sure he would come to no harm and went down to the chapel. Actually, though, he
afraid, and
wcui
he took care to hide up on the altar behind the buddha. Late that night he hear d peop le co mi ng do wn the moun
ta in and
wa s frightened enou
gh
to make the pass of invisibility. Then he held his breath and watched. In cam e tw o or three doze
n y o u n g acolyte s car ry ing a pal anq uin wit h
a pl um p and distin guis hed mo nk inside. W h e n the y o u n g fell ows had put their superior down, he told them to go outside and play. They all clat tere d nois ily out an d bega n wrest ling,
dan cin g, an d cavo rtin g abo ut.
"Hello there, reverend!" called the monk cheerily. " O h no ! " gr oa ne d the
asce tic,
for des pit e his
pas s of invisibi lity
he
obviously could still be seen. " Yo u di dn 't do y o u r pa ss right , I'm afr aid. Th at 's w h y I ca n st il l see yo u. C om e here.
I' ll sh ow y o u . "
The ascetic came out, a tiny bit reassured, and the monk showed him how to do it properly. "I didn't want those idiots to see this," he said, "that's why I sent them outside." Th e ascetic
we nt bac k behin d the bu d dh a an d tried
"Y ou 'r e do in g fin e!" called
again.
th e mo nk . "I can' t see yo u an y m o r e ! " He
called the acolytes back in, and they amused themselves in the chapel awhile. Then the whole party started back up the mountain.
H
1
2
^
E
A
L
I
N
G
II
.
RICE CAKES A healer
an d hi s me di um we re called
to ta ke care of
so me on e w h o ha d
been possessed by a spirit. As soon as the healer had gotten the spirit over into the medium, it explained, "Curses aren't really my line at all! I'm just a fox who happened to come by. I live with my little ones over am on g the
tom bs , and
mi gh t ha ve food he r e.
the y'r e hu ng ry . I came becau If yo u' ll gi ve me
se I
tho ugh t yo u
so m e ric e ca ke s I' ll be on my
way." Th e hous eh ol d ser ved up a
nice platt
er of rice
cak es, wh ic h the me-
1
7
8
dium ate with happy exclamations about how delicious they were. "That woman!" the people grumbled. "She just faked the possession to get those cakes!" " N o w if you '11 be kind en
ou gh t o give me some pa
pe r, " the fo x conti n
ued, "I'll wrap up the rest and be off with them to my family." The medium carefully wrapped up the cakes and put them into the fron t fol d of h er ro be , w h e r e th ey ma d e a go od bul ge al l the w a y up to her bosom. "Now dismiss me," said the fox. "I'll be going." "Be gone then, be gone!" the healer ordered. The medium stood up and instantly collapsed. When she got up again a lit tle la te r th er e w a s no th in g in the fol d of he r ro be . It was very strange how those rice cakes had disappeared.
5 .
1 2
A MEMORABLE EMPRESS The exquisitely beautiful Somedono Empress was the regent's daughter and the mother of Emperor Montoku. At one time she was persecuted and made ill by an evil spirit, and although the holiest monks and most pow erfu l heale rs we re called
in to
inter vene,
no thi ng the y did broug
ht
her any relief. Now a certain hermit lived high in the Katsuragi Mountains of Yamato pro vin ce , on a pe ak na me d Ko ng os en . W h e n he wa s hun gry , he had his begging bowl fly down to the foot of the mountain to get him food, and he sen t his w a t e r ja r to th e st re am to f ill i tself w h e n he w as thirs ty.
Th e
wonders he worked spread his fame far and wide till it reached the ears of th e e m p e r o r a n d his fath er-i n-la w, the regen
t. Th ey dec ide d tha t the
hermit should pray for the empress and issued an order that he be brought to court. The hermit did his best to refuse, but it was hard to turn down a direct su m m o n s from
the em pe ro r an d he f in al ly we nt.
His pra yer s certainly
worked, because he had no sooner begun than one of the empress's ladi es-i n-wa itin g we nt quit e ma d an d beg an utte ring stra nge cr ies. Next a spirit
pos ses sed her
an d she ran
ab ou t scre ami ng. T he hermit redo
his efforts, bound the woman with his spells, and threatened the possess-
ubl ed
,
ing p o w e r ti ll an old fox
st ag ge re d out from the br
ea st of he r ro be , in no
condition to run away. The hermit had the fox tied up and informed the regent,
w h o wa s en or mo us ly relieved.
In a da y or tw o the em pr ess was
perfectly well. Th e re ge nt wa s so ple as ed tha t he insis ted on hav in g the herm it stay awhil e long er at court.
It w as su mm er . O n e da y wh e n the em pr ess wa s
we ar in g no mo re tha n a nea rly tra ns pa re nt gow n, a gust of wi nd li ft ed her curtains and the hermit caught a brief glimpse of her. This was not th e sort of sight he wa
s use d to, an d the
visi on of so lovel y a w o m a n
m ad e his he ar t po un d an d his in na rd s cr um bl e to du st.
In a wo rd , he fe ll
hopelessly in love with the empress. Pas sio n bu r ne d in him
like fir e an d ca us ed him ter ribl e ag on y. Un ab le
to th in k of an yt hi ng else, he at l
ast l ost his reaso
n, seiz ed an un gu ar d ed
mo me nt , dar te d to the em pr es s th ro ug h her curt ains , and h eld her tight. Th e horrified
em pr es s bro ke into a
swe at of te rr or but
wa s not
st ro ng
enough to resist. While the hermit strove with might and main to consummate his of fense, the
lad ies -in -wa iti ng sa w him a nd raised
the al ar m. Th e phy sic ian
assigned by the emperor to care for his wife happened to be in attendance ne ar by an d the clam
or
br ou gh t him run nin g.
He
arr ived
just
as
the
hermit came out again, and caught him. Next he informed His Majesty, w h o of cou rs e wa s furious
an d thr ew the hermit into
priso n.
The prisoner would speak with no one. He only lifted his eyes to hea ven , sobb ing , an d pray ed to die an d bec om e a de mo n. "I n that for m," he continued, "may I achieve with this empress, while she still lives, the intim acy I cr av e! " Hi s jailers
hea rd him
an d wa rn ed the regen t, wh o, in
a fright, r ep or te d th e ma tt er to the em pe ro r. Hi s Maj est y th ou gh t it safest to pardon the hermit and simply return him to his mountain. Far from forgetting his lust, the hermit back on Kongosen pleaded with the buddhas to bring him and the empress together. When he real ized that such a thing was impossible in this life, he resolved to become a d e m o n afte r all. After fast
ing for ov er te n da ys , he died at
last of st ar va
tion. I nst ant ly he ch an ge d into a d em on : n ak ed , bald, eight fe
et tall, an d
with black, glistening skin. His eyes were like brass bowls and his gaping mouth bristled with knifelike teeth, while short tusks crossed each other from the cor
ne rs of his up pe r an d lowe r ja ws . S tu ck in the red
loincloth
that was his only garment, he carried a demon's mallet. In this guise he suddenly stood by the empress's curtains, in broad dayl ight and plainly
visible
to an yo ne . Pe op le co we re d in te rr or or fle d,
while the ladies-in-waiting fainted or simply groveled on the floor and hid under their robes.
Meanwhile he addled the empress's brains so thoroughly that she wel comed him with smiles and led him to lie down with her behind her cu rta in s. All the ladies
-in-w aiti ng could
hea r wa s the dem on tellin g their
mistress how fiercely he had wanted her, and their mistress giggling in reply. Then they all ran away. When the demon left, around sundown, the ladies-in-waiting rushed ba ck to the ir mist ress wo nd er in g wh at ha d be co me of her. She looked th e sa m e as ev er . I n fact,
de sp it e th e od d gl ea m in her
eye she seem ed
not to know that anything special had happened. On h ea ri ng of this fresh inci
den t, Hi s Maj est y wa s less frighten ed by
the de mo n tha n wo rr ie d ab ou t wh at mig ht hav e ha pp en ed to his wife. The demon now came daily in just the same way. The empress never sh ow ed an y fear , a lth ou gh sh e certa inly was in no ordi
na ry state of mind,
and she treated him each time simply as a lover. The palace ladies and gentlemen who saw what was going on were very sorry. Ne xt , the de m on poss essed so me on e to decl are that
he wa s "goin g to
get that physician for what he did to me." The terrified physician soon d r o p p e d de ad , an d al l four of his so ns also we nt m ad an d died . By this time the emperor and the regent were beside themselves and called in the holiest men they could find to subdue the demon. Perhaps this
wo rk ed , be ca us e fo r som e time
the de mo n stop ped comi ng and the
e mp re ss r ec ov er ed a litt le of he r for me r se lf . Th e em pe ro r wa s of co ur se kept informe he de ci de d to go an d see he r. Si nce it th e wh ol e co ur t at te nd ed him as
d, and
he wa s so pleased that
wa s an unu su al ly to uc hi ng visi t,
he we nt . He sat wi th her an d told her,
in tea rs, h o w so rr y he w a s ab ou t th e wh ol e affai r. Sh e herself
wa s mo ve d
and in fact seemed quite her old self. Just then the demon burst in and made straight for the empress's private, curtained enclosure. The empress hurried to join him as usual, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. In a moment the demon rushed out again, striking terror into every minister, noble, and off ici al pr es en t. T he em pr es s followed. A
nd the re, i n the sight
all, the pair brazenly performed an unspeakable act. When it was over the demon left, and the empress stood up and withdrew. At a loss for what to think, say, or do, the emperor returned to his palace. Let noble ladies then take heed and allow no such hermit to approach th em ! Th is sad st or y sh ou ld serv e as a dir e wa rn in g to all.
of th em
126.
QUITE A STINK Emperor En'yu had been ill for a long time, and since a spirit was causing th e tr ou bl e, all th e gr ea te st he al er s of th e tim e had bee n calle d in to do their best. No th in g had wo rk ed , thoug h, and the em pe ro r wa s beg inn ing to be afraid. Finally someone told him about an ascetic who had been practicing for years on Kozen, the mountain near Nara. "He's built up such power that he can sto p wild anim als in mi d- ru n wi th his spells, and
br in g do w n bird s
from the sky," the informant went on. "Summon him, Your Majesty! He'll
help
you!"
T h e asc eti c c am e as fast as he cou ld . All th e w a y to Uji, ab ou t half the j o u r n e y , flo wers floated d o w n on h im from t h e sk y — a sight t h at b o g g l ed the m ind of ev er yo ne w h o sa w it . (Af ter Uji
the re we re no mor e flow ers. )
The emperor called him in as soon as he got to the palace and had him beg in his in ca nt at io ns . I n al mo st no tim e His Ma je st y fe lt per fec tly wel l. So m e of the
gr ea t mo nk s an d healers
wh os e inte rve ntio n had fai led
found this instant success a bit odd. Among the doubters were five men w h o ha d just wo r ke d tog eth er in a partic ularly
powerful
" F o r ye ar s we 'v e tru ste d in the Bu dd ha and practiced h on e of the fiv e co mp la in ed . " D a y after
Fu do rite. is Te ac hi ng ,"
da y we 've pra ye d wit h he ar t an d
soul for His Majesty, and still we've failed. Who
u < this ascetic? What's
h e done to get such quick success? Perhaps he really is more powerful t ha n an y on e of us , bu t he ca n' t be m o r e po we rf ul th an all five of us pu t together! It doesn't make sense!" Having some more rites to perform, the five took the occasion to get near the ascetic from Kozen and to direct some special incantations right at him. Th e ascetic was
sea ted by hims elf, entir ely su rr ou nd ed by cu rt ai ns . In
a moment they heard a vigorous scrabbling and scratching noise from inside
th e cu rt ai ns , an d a dis gus tin g stink of dogs hit fi ll ed the ro om . T he
nobles present were horrified, and so was His Majesty, but the five monks could tell that the truth about that ascetic was now beginning to come out. They redoubled their efforts. Suddenly the ascetic hurtled out through his curtains and crashed to the f lo or, wh er e he lay sp ra wle d on his bac k. " H e lp ! " he shri eked . "Go od sirs, save
me, p lea se! All the se ye ar s on Ko ze n I've wo rs hi pp ed the ten gu
an d pr ay ed to th em to
ma ke me
fam ous . And it
wo rk ed , yo u kn ow ,
1
8
2
be ca us e I w cal led her e to th e pa la ce ! w a s! I've le ar ne d my lesson now
Bu t w h a t an awful mist ak e it
, y e s I have ! Pleas e save me, oh ple ase !"
The five monks were quite satisfied. As for the emperor, his first thought was to arrest the man and throw him in jail, but he changed his mind and only ordered him banished from the Capital. The ascetic was gla d en ou gh to
m a k e himse lf sca rce . So me laug hed to
wa tc h him
go,
while some just wished they could get their hands on him. He had been treated like a Buddha in person when he cured the emperor, but he made a v e r y so rr y sig ht as he fled.
1 2 7 .
THE MASTER
Th o u g h exp er t in sch ola rsh ip an d in the mys teri es of the fai th, the mo nk Yo sh in from Mo u n t Hiei foun d himself pas sed over for pr om ot io n ye ar after ye ar in favor of
y ou n ge r an d les s exper ienc ed m on ks,
and b ec ame
so disappointed that he eventually left the mountain and wandered off toward Iyo province. On the way he stopped at Akashi, a harbor in Harima. An epidemic had affected every household around Akashi. Yoshin found the villagers scurrying about. They told him about the sickness, and explained that a monk and strolling diviner had come by and prom ised them he could stop it. They were now hurrying around, on his instructions, to distribute the things everyone would need to take part in the rite. Yoshin was shocked that such a charlatan should prey on these poor gullible people, but he decided to join them to see what would happen. The rite was to be the next morning. At dawn Yoshin dressed in his se rv an t' s clo the s (for
no mo nk of his statio n wo ul d travel alone
) an d
helped the villagers carry the supplies to the beach. These included half a do ze n ne w bu ck et s, whit e an d gl ut in ou s rice,
soy bea ns, cow pe as , f rui t
and nuts, ginger, small and large earthenware bowls, clean straw mats, handwoven cloth, stout cryptomeria poles, fine paper, oil, and many other things. When all the supplies were at hand, the diviner prepared th e rit ual site on a
fine b ro a d st re tc h of sa nd .
He sew ed seve ral wi dt hs of cloth into po le s so as to scr ee n o ff a fairly
a cur tai n, whi ch he hu ng on the
lar ge spac e, the n pl an te d
dhikimi branches
(w hi ch are
al wa ys offered
to spi rit s) ar ou nd the inside of
the cur tai n.
Next, he laid out four mats in a square so that they faced in the four dir ect ion s, le avin g a sma lle r sq ua re ol sa nd in th e mi ddl e. After
carefully
smoothing this square he drew on it, with a long thin stick, a beautiful picture
of the
complicated Womb
-R ea lm Man dal a. Th e eart henw are
bowls were lined up on the mats, filled with holy water or heaped with fruit, nuts, and rice. He ended by lighting lamps at the four corners of the enclosu
re, c utt ing pa pe r str eam ers , and atta
eac h of th e en cl os ur e' s four
sides . Final ly he
chi ng eight
of th em to
an d hi s assi stan ts put on
pure white ritual robes. With everything now ready the diviner began the dedication rite for the Womb-Realm. He was very precise. Assuming that no one present would understand what he was doing, he did not bother to conceal the officiant's normally secret hand gestures, and Yoshin could tell he knew exactly what he was doing. Fo r Yo sh in , th e ve ry exi ste nce of su ch a ma n w as a reve lati on. detail
wa s perfect.
Ea ch of the h un dr ed villagers
Ev er y
att end ing wa s pr ope rl y
bathed and purified. Even the children had their rosaries and were com pletely absorbed in invoking the buddhas. Yoshin had witnessed many su ch rites on M o u n t Hiei, bu t he ha d ne ver seen on e so met icu lou sly done. He was so fascinated that he decided to become the diviner's disciple. W h en the
Wo m b- Re al m dedication
wa s over,
ev er yt hi ng in th e en cl osu re an d put it streamers and the
aside, inc
the diviner
gat her ed up
lud ing even the
pa pe r
dhikimi, t he n to ok a ne w set of th e sa me thi ng s an d
made exactly the same preparations as before. On the smoothed central sq ua re of san d he d r e w an ot he r man dal a, this
time the Vajra-
Real m, an d
dedicated it just as carefully. At the end he dismantled everything includ ing the curtain, heaped it all on the first pile, and set the pile on fire. Soo n even the buck le ft exc ept the
et s an d wa te r di pp er s we re ashe s. The re wa s not hi ng
wh it e ga rm en t s the div in er an d hi s ass ist ant s ha d on. T he
awed villagers saw clearly that the diviner wanted nothing for himself. Yoshin was determined to meet the man and waited after everyone had gone for the right moment to approach him. Having finished tidying up, the diviner put on a straw cloak and started off, for he was not staying in the village. Yoshin chose that moment to accost him and ask him who he was. "I'm not a peasant," the diviner replied, "though out here in the country they all assume I'm one!" A disturbed expression came over his face as he spoke, and he suddenly turned and fled. In his hurry he even left his baggage behind. Yoshin was very sorry. Back in the village he found out that as soon
1
8
4
as th e rite w a s ov er , ev er yo ne lying
sick in
fever
we re ru nn in g ar ou nd excitedly
an d re co ve re d. T he villagers
th e ho us es had sh ak en o ff the with
the news. In fact, the epidemic disappeared that day not only from the village but from the whole province. The diviner had worked a miracle. Yo sh in hun te d f or him ev er yw he re , but neve
r found hi m again.
1
2
8
A SIMPLE CURE L or d Ki ns ue w a s st il l relativ ely ju nio r at cou rt (t ho ug h later ch anc ell or ) w h e n he w as str icke n wit h malaria. H
he be ca me
av in g hea rd or a Lotus
Sutra ascetic named Eijitsu who lived near Kyoto and was said to be ex pe rt at cu r in g su ch fevers,
Ki ns ue ag re ed to go an d seek his
help . Alas,
he ha d not qu it e re ac he d Eijitsu' s tem pl e w h e n his fever re tu rn ed , earlier than expected. It was too late for him to turn back. He struggled on, brought up his carriage under the temple eaves, and asked to see the ascetic. T h r o u g h an aco lyt e Eijitsu
pr ot es te d tha t he ha d been eatin
g a lot of
garlic lately, but Kinsue answered that he wanted to see the acolyte's master, garlic or no garlic, and that he was in no condition to go home. Eijitsu had his shutters opened and new mats spread on the floor, and Kinsue was led inside. M e a nw h i l e Eijitsu
cle ans ed hims elf an d soon
an d di st ing ui sh ed , to me et his gue st.
ca me forth,
tall , ga unt ,
He exp lai ned tha t ha vin g ca ugh t a
bad cold he was eating garlic on a doctor's advice. "But the Lotus Sutra is ab ov e consi der ati ons of pur ity or im pu ri ty ," he add ed, "so my bre ath wo n' t ma tt er . I'l l ch an t the S ut r a for y o u . You'll be
al l righ t."
Kinsue was lying down. Eijitsu rubbed the beads of his rosary together as he ap pr oa ch ed him,
an d h is wh ole ma nn er inspire d confidence. T
he n
he took Kinsue's head in his hands, laid it on his lap, and began chanting. Ki ns ue w a s aw e d. He had ne ve r kn o w n so holy
a feelin g. Eijitsu
s reso
nant, slightly hoarse voice was deeply moving, and as he chanted great te ar s st re am ed from his
eye s.
Kin su e' s fever
va ni sh ed an d he fe lt re
ne we d. Bef ore he le ft he pl ed ge d Eiji tsu en du ri ng gr at it ud e an d dev otio n, an d after
tha t Eijitsu's
heali ng po we rs acq uir ed wid es pr ea d fame.
.
1 2 9 .
A BELOVED WIFE, A BOW, A WHITE BIRD t
Once a man had a kind and beautiful wife whom he loved very much. One night they were sleeping side by side when he dreamed his dear wife said to him, "After all this time we've been together, I'm going far away an d wo n' t see y o u an y mo re . Bu t I 'l l leave yo u so me th in g to re m em be r me by. Love it instead of me!" W h e n he w o k e up , he wa s ve ry up set . H is wife wa s go ne , really It wa s a ca ta st ro ph e.
go ne .
By his pillo w lay a b o w wh ic h ha d cert ainl y not
been there before. It must be the memento she had spoken of. Would she ever com e ba ck ? He wai ted, bu t no, she he r! A n d the b o w — it mig ht well be
nev er ap pe ar ed . H o w he missed
so me de mo n in disguise an
afraid of it. But in the end he decided he had nothing to lose and began keeping it by him, stroking it as his memory lingered on his wife. Months passed. One day the bow, which was by him as usual, sud denly turned into a white bird, which flew away toward the south. Aston ished, he set out to follow it as it skimmed the clouds. When he reached the pro vi nc e of Kii , the bird tu
rn ed into
a hu ma n.
d he w a s
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6
"Just as I thought!" said the man to himself. "That was no ordinary bo w, it wa s a mag ic form of
so me th in g els e!"
T h en he w e nt ho m e aga in, wi th on h is lips a so ng ab ou t th e st ra ng ene ss of it all.
I
3
o
THE UNKNOWN THIRD Ts un ez um i no Ya su na ga, w h o served Pr
ince Koret
aka, was
once sent up
north to Kozuke province to collect taxes from an estate the prince owned th er e. M o n t h s later, on bar ri er in the prov
his wa y bac k to Kyoto , he sto ppe d at the Fu wa
inc e of Mi no .
Y a s u n a g a ha d le ft his y o u n g wife at ho me an d had misse d her al l the tim e he w as go ne . N o w he su dd en ly ye ar ne d for her mor e shar ply tha n ever and wondered whether something might have happened to her. Resolving to hurry on first thing the next morning, he lay down in the shelter provided at the barrier and went to sleep. He dr e a m e d he sa w a ma n of th e se rv an t class com in g from the tion of
Ky oto , ca rr yi ng a tor ch.
He had a wo m an with him. Wh
dir ec e n the
pair reached the shelter, he saw the woman was his wife. What a shock! T h e r e sh e w a s on the oth
er side of the wall.
Peering through a hole in the wall, he saw them bring over a kettle, co ok rice, a nd eat. H is wife ha d ap pa r en tl y ta ke n up wit h this ma n in his absence. Yasunaga's stomach churned, his heart pounded, and his mind went into turmoil, but he kept watching. After their meal they lay down in each others arms and began making love. The sight drove him wild and he rushed out. There was no fire. There was no one there at all. He woke up. It ha d bee n a dr ea m, th en . Really
wo rr ie d no w ab ou t his wife , Yasu
na ga set off at da w n wi th all pos sib le spe ed . T o his gr ea t reli ef he fou nd his wife safe and sound at home. She greeted him with joy. "You know," she said, "last night I dreamed a m a n I'd ne ve r see n befo re ca me an d talk ed me into goi ng of f wi th hi m. I don't know where it was we went, but anyway, at nightfall we lit a fire a n d co ok ed ric e. A fte r di nn er we w en t into down together. Then suddenly
so me sort of cab in and lay
y o u burst in, and he and I both pan-
.
icked. Th
at wa s wh en I wok e up . I've bee n wo nd er in g ab ou t that dr ea m
ever since, an
d no w here y o u ar e !"
hut dream and what it had done to him. "You
Yasunaga told her about
wouldn't believe how fast I got here!" he said. How extraordinary that they should have dreamed, simultaneously, complementary dreams!
i
3
i
.
AN IMAGE IN A FLAME Kochu jo, a y o u n g lady
w h o serv ed the
emp res s, wa s ver y pre tty
an d
graceful, and so nice too that all the other ladies loved her dearly. Though she had
no reg ula r ge nt le ma n friend, Fujiw
no r of M i n o , di d visit
ara no Ta ka ts un e, the
gov er
h er a go od de al.
Once while Kochujo was looking after the empress, dressed in pale violet
ov er a pi nk un de rr o be , a pre cise image of
he r ap pe ar ed in the flame
of a la mp ne ar by . H e r co st um e, h er hair, h er face , he r look as he r ha n d befo re he r m ou t h — eac h detail wa
she held
s perfec t. T he ot he r y o u n g
ladies were amazed at the resemblance and clustered round to chatter an d star e. N ot
on e of th em was exper
ien ced
en ou gh
to kno w wh at
needed to be done. Koc hujo
too k it bad ly w h e n she wa s told. "U g h ! " she cried. "Y
ou
didn't put it out? You just kept staring at it? How embarrassing!" But wh e n the older
ladies
of the ho use hol d found out, they
we re wo rri ed .
Th os e girls sho uld have l et so me on e respo nsibl e kn o w right stead, they had just trimmed the lamp as usual and left it at that.
aw ay ! In
Three weeks or so later, for no apparent reason, Kochujo began to run a fever. For a day or two she kept to her room, then felt so ill that she went home. When Lord Takatsune came by to let her know that he would be going away briefly, a little kitchenmaid told him where she had gone. He went straight to her house. The moon was sinking toward the west. When Kochujo came out to him, he found her curiously pathetic, while she too seemed constrained and acted a little distant. Takatsune went in and lay down with her, but actually he felt like leaving. Th ey talk ed al l night.
By d a w n Ta ka ts un e found
it ha rd to say good -
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8
8
bye, and he worried about her all the way home. As soon as he got there, he sent her a note to tell her how concerned he was and promised he would be back to see her soon. Then he lingered to wait for her answer. H e r repl y cons iste d of one wo rd , " To ri be no ." Wh y, that of the bur ni ng gr ou nd wh er e the
dea d we re tak en!
wa s the name
Deep ly trouble d,
Takatsune slipped the note in under his clothing, against his heart. Then he started off. He kept taking out the note all the way along to examine it . W h a t beaut iful wr it in g she ha d! After bei ng det ain ed at his desti natio n for some time, he got away as soon as he could and hurried back, thinking of he r co ns ta nt ly . On re ac hi ng the Capit
al, he we nt directly
to her house.
She had died the previous night and they had take her to Toribeno. Lo rd T a ka ts un e s feelings
can easily
be imagin ed.
Yes, when someone's image appears in a flame, the thing to do is to tri m of f th at pa rt of th e bu r ne d wic k and h ave the per
son sw allo w it .
A n d it's a go od thi ng to pra y ha rd , too. T he y o u n g ladies
had n' t kn ow n
how dangerous a sight they had seen, and their ignorance caused Kochujo's d e a t h .
1
3
2
THE FORSAKEN LADY Fujiwara no Moroie was involved with the meekest and sweetest of ladie s. N o re pr oa ch he mig ht ha ve de se rv ed eve r pas sed her
lips.
Th ou gh
he did his best to avoid hurting her, official duties sometimes kept him busy, and then there were those inevitable evenings when a passing affection would detain him. In the end he did not actually spend many nights with her, and she came in her innocence to assume that he did not really
love her.
Sh e be ga n ke ep in g he r dist ance , and the mor
th e mo re the y drifte d ap ar t.
No t that they
disliked each
e she did so
othe r, bu t the
gulf be tw ee n the m kep t wi de ni ng unt il Mo ro ie stopp ed v isiti ng her alto gether. Six
m on th s later
w o m e n , on her
Mo ro ie ha pp en ed to
w a y ba ck from
pass her
an err an d, no ticed him
house. O
he had just gone by. "Ah, when was it that he used to visit us?" the woman went on to muse. "It brought back so many memories to see him!"
n e of her
an d told the lady
.
The lady sent a messenger after Moroie. "Ask him to come in for a moment," she said. "I have something to tell him." W h e n he got th e mes sa ge, M or oi e realize d wit h a start
wh er e he wa s.
He alighted from his carriage and entered the house. Th e lady
wa s seated bef
ore a bo x of su tr a scrolls, c
ha nt in g the
Su tr a. S h e w a s to o bea utif ull y dr es se d to hav e just tidied herse
Lo tu s
lf up in a
hu rr y to rec eive him . M or oi e sa w her wit h ne w eyes an d coul d not imagin e w h y he had dr op pe d her. O h, to ma ke her stop chant ing an d wh is k he r oil to be d!
Bu t th e m o nt hs of se pa ra ti on had ma de him a little
shy, and he tried instead to engage her in conversation. She did not respond, though her looks suggested she would talk with him as much as he liked
w h e n she ha d finished.
H e r face wa s simply entr
an ci ng . If only
he could bring back the past, he thought, he would certainly do so. Hop ele ssl y in love that he
no w, a nd swe ar in g to himself
a th ou sa nd times over
wo ul d ne ve r neglec t he r agai n, Mo ro ie wai ted . He kep t as su ri ng
her that he had never wanted to lose her, but she still would not answer. W h e n she
got to the seve nth scroll, she
beg an repe ati ng the
Me di ci ne
King chapter until she had been through it almost three times. Mo ro ie l ost pati ence . "W ha t' s the mean ing of th is ?" he com pla ined . "B e d on e wi th it!
I ha ve so m uc h to tel l y o u ! "
As he spoke she came to the passage that promises salvation to women, even in these latter, unhappy days: "She will go, when her life is over, to the Land of Bliss where Amida reigns among his saints, and she will dwel l in a blu e lotus , up on a jewe led th ro ne ." Te ar s we re st re am in g from her eyes. "What
L < thi s? " Mo ro ie cried. "H
a v e y o u gon e pious or some thin g, li ke
a nun?" Sh e tu rn ed her
br im mi ng gaz e to his, as
fros t, ye t a s ha do w se em ed to
th ou gh de w ha d to uc he d her
fa ll be tw ee n th em . H o w crue l she mus t
hav e th ou gh t h im al l these mo nt hs ! Mo ro ie too br ok e do wn . Wh a t if he sho uld nev er see he r aga in! Co ul d he liv e wi th ou t her ? Th e que sti on would not leave him, and he shivered with foreboding. He r sut ra don e, the lady wit h am be r, a nd lost
beg an fingering
an aloesw
ood rosar
y tr im me d
hers elf in pra ye r. W h e n she li ft ed he r hea d agai n,
so st ra ng e a look cam e ov er he r face tha t Mor oi e flinche d. "I ask ed y o u in, " she beg an , "be ca us e I wa nt ed to see y ou one an ger and hur t . . . " He r voice
mo re time . N o w my
sto ppe d. Sh e wa s dea d.
Moroie could not believe it. The first time he called, nobody heard him . F inally
a ma id looked in
an d as ked wh at wa s the matt er. M or oi e
simply sat there. The maid quickly lost her composure too, and no won de r. As a single stra
nd of hair bre ak s, the lady
wa s go ne . M or oi e could
not ver y well s tay on b ec au se i f he we r e to do so the pollu
tio n of de at h
1
9
0
would oblige him to go into seclusion afterwards. As he left, her face was all he could see. It w a s no t lon g bef ore M or oi e sic ken ed an d died. S om e sup pos ed it w a s th e la dy 's gh os t th at to ok him.
In fact,
th os e close
to M or oi e ma y
even have had reason to be sure. Other people assumed that since the lady had all but died with the Lotus Sutra on her lips, she must have gone on to paradise. But it's also true that she died with deep resentment against Moroie in her heart, and wh il e lo ok in g st rai ght at
him . S ur el y the si n of bo th wa s ver y gr ave .
i
3
3
5HE DIED LONG AGO
A Kyo to man , too po or to m ak e en ds mee t, lea rne d on e da y wit h surpr ise tha t a ge nt le ma n he kn e w had been appo int ed gove rn or of a distan t pr ov inc e. his
He we nt stra ight
sit uat ion , and offered
to the his
ne w gov er nor 's resid ence, explained
ser vices in
an y cap aci ty wh at ev er . Th e
gentleman was pleased to engage his old acquaintance on the spot. T h e m an an d his
lovely
y o u n g wife
ha d al way s bee n inse par able ,
de sp it e th e ha rd sh ip s of po ve rt y; b ut no w tha t he wa s goi ng so f ar away he left his wife for another, richer one, who not only provided for his jo ur ne y bu t ca m e wi th h im an d took ver y go od care of
him in his
province. In time , ho we ve r, h e be ga n to miss
his fir st wife bad ly. He coul d har dly
st op himsel f from ru sh in g ba ck to the Cap ita l, and he endle ssly
wit h specu lat ion abo ut ho w thin gs might
to rm en te d himself go if he did. M ea n
while his master's term of office ended, and he set out with his master for Kyoto. H o w bit ter ly he no w re gr et te d ha vi ng le ft his fi rs t wife! him sel f th at he w ou l d go direct
He prom is ed
ly to he r wh en he rea ch ed the
city. Th e
way seemed unbearably long. On arrival he rushed to her house, found the gate open, and went in. Ev er yt hi ng ha d ch an ge d. T he ho use see med unin hab ite d an d wa s fa ll ing to rui n. A w a v e of an gu is h swe pt ove r him as he tio n, lit up as it wa s by an a u t u m n mo on just ni gh t w a s chilly, t oo . He fe lt ve ry sa d.
gaz ed at the desola
fiv e da ys o ff th e ful l. Th e
.
In the house he found his wife lying all alone, just where she had lain in the old days. She showed no sign of anger when he came in, greeting him instead with j
oy. " H o w did yo u get he r e? " she ask ed. " W h e n did
you get back?" He told her ho
w he ha d lo ng ed for
he r a n d pr om is ed th at from no w
on they would live together again. "I'll get all the things I've brought with me delivered here tomorrow," he said, "and I'll get my men moved her e too . I just w an te d to le t y o u kn o w righ t aw ay , ton ig ht ." Sh e loo ked very happy. After talking till late about the past, they finally lay down in each othe r's ar ms . "H a v e y o u no ser van t at all ?" he ask ed. She that she ha
d been too poo
r to kee p on e. He kn e w th at he r plight
expla ined wa s hi s
fault, and pity for her mingled in his thoughts with disgust at what he had done. It was nearly dawn when they fell asleep, with the shutters still open. Sunlight streaming full into the room woke the man up. The woman in his arms was dried skin over dead bones. In horror he leaped to his feet, de sp er at el y ho pi ng it w a s a hal luc ina tio n. B ut no: w ha t ha d onc e bee n a woman was now a long-dead corpse. He dressed in frantic haste and burst into the neighbor's little house. "W he re 's the
wo m an wh o used
to li ve next do or ?" he shou ted. " The re' s
no one there!" "She? Oh, her husband left her and went off to some province, and she was so hurt she got sick," the neighbor replied. "She had no one to ta ke care of
he r an d this past su
m m e r she died. O
f cou rs e, th er e wa s no
on e to di sp os e of th e b o d y eit her , so sh e' s sti ll th er e. Pe op le ar e afra id to go near the place. That's why it's empty and going to ruin." Terri fied th ou gh he wa s, th er e w as not hi ng fur ther he
cou ld say or do ,
and he went his way.
i
3
4 .
I SA W IT IN A DR EA M Ma ga ri no Ts un ek at a live d in Ow ar i pro vin ce with his
wife an d wa s ver y
com for tab ly o ff. Afte r m an y ye ar s of ma rr ia ge he fe ll in love w o m a n . His wife
m ad e qu it e a fuss
ab ou t this, as
wit h ano th er
a w o m a n might be
ex pe ct ed to do , bu t he co ul d not giv e his mi st re ss up . He tri ed al l sor ts
1
9
2
of d o d g e s to ke e p se ei ng he r in secr et,
bu t his wife had spies
ou t after
him, and any report that he was with his mistress would literally give her fits. Once Tsunekata had business in the Capital and spent some time preparing for his trip. The day before he was due to leave he was over come by the desire to see his mistress. Since his wife's fierce jealousy made it impossible for him to go openly, he announced instead that he was wanted by the provincial administration. At his mistress's house, he and his mistress talked awhile in bed. When they eventually fell asleep, he dreamed that his wife burst in on them. "A h, th er e y o u are wi th that
w o m a n ag ai n! " she scre ame d. "Th at' s al l
y o u eve r do no wa da ys , li e ar ou nd wit h her! a n d y o u r sm oo th lies! a nd th ru st herself
You with
" Sh e w e n t on like that for
y o u r inno cent fa ce
a wh ile , th en fe ll on h im
viol entl y be tw ee n him an d his mis tres s. At this Ts un e
kata woke up. Frightened and confused, he started home as soon as he could, and by daybreak was back with his wife. "It's really too bad!" he com pl ai ne d. " H e r e I'm
ab ou t to leav e, an d th ey had
me et in g! I cou ld n' t get a w a y an d so I ha d no sleep to do to me! " "E at y o u r br ea kfa st, " ra spe d his wife.
to call
me in fo r a
at all . Wh a t a thi ng
He r hair wa s br istling
straight
up, then lying flat, then bristling skyward again. "T ha t' s sort of sc ary ," he rem ar ke d. "You're disgusting!" his wife retorted. "You were over at her place last night,
lov ing her up . It's wr it te n al l over y o u r face. "
" W h o told yo u th at ?" "I sa w it cl ea r as a bell, y o u pig . I sa w it in a d r e a m . " "You
did! You saw
wbatl"
" O h , I kn e w w h e n yo u l ef t ye st er da y ev eni ng that that
wa s wh er e yo u
we re hea de d. Du ri ng the night I
dr ea me d I we nt to her hous e. Ther e yo u
we re snug gle d up wit h her, cha
tti ng aw ay . I listened.
he r up , ha ve y o u ? ' I thou gh t. 'Well then, wh
'So yo u' ve given
bed with
at are yo u doi ng in
he r? ' Bah ! I dov e in bet we en y o u an d bot h of yo u ju mp ed up in a pa nic ." Ts un ek at a wa s du mb fo un de d. "Well, what
did I sa y? " he asked.
His wife repeated every word he had said. Tsunekata himself had d r e a m e d th e wh ol e th ing , ve ry prec isely . He wa s terrified. He
kep t his
own dream to himself, however, and only revealed the whole awful inci dent later on, to a friend. J u s t th in k w h a t kin d of spiri tual stat e th e wife
mus t have been in!
Jealousy is a very grave sin. Some suppose she must have ended up turning into a snake.
S
i
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5
N
A
K
E
S
.
THE SNAKE CHARMER Th e musi cian
Su ke mi ts u was im pri son ed fo r neglect
ho us e bel on gin g to the Min is te r of the Left.
of du ty in a store
Th e as so rt me nt of cr ea tu re s
and creepy-crawlies that inhabited the place frightened Sukemitsu quite en ou gh alr ead y,
but the n in the midd
le of th e nigh t (this
wa s exa ctl y
what he had been most afraid of) a huge snake appeared. Its head was like a lion's, its eyes were like bronze bowls, and its tongue, three feet long, flic
kered menac
ingl y. Al rea dy the snake
wid e to sw al low him wh
's vast jaws
en , half de ad with fear, he man
his flute and play a passage from the dance
we re ya wn in g
ag ed to pull out
Genjoraku.
The snake stopped, lifted its head high in the air, and listened awhile. Then it slithered away.
1
9
A
i
3
6 .
THE TUG-OF-WAR Th e wr es tl er A m a no Ts un ey o live d in Tan go prov inc e. In the
su mm er
he liked to stroll by the river that ran near his house, and was doing so o n e da y, wi th a sma ll boy
be si de him , wh e n he pa us ed un d er a tre e by a
deep pool. T h e pool
w a s bl ue -g re en and fright
enin g be ca use yo u cou ld not
see
the bottom. Tsuneyo was gazing at the rushes around it when he noticed a large ripple dart from the opposite bank straight toward him. What could it possibly be? When the ripple reached his side, a snake lifted its head from the water. It was a very big one indeed, judging rrom the size of th e he ad , an d it st ar ed at T su ne yo so ha rd tha t he ner vou sly ste ppe d back a little. Then it vanished again into the pool. T h e ri pp le da r te d o ff to th e far side an d a swell of w at er ca me ro lling ba ck . Th e sn ak e' s tai l rose from
the pool
Ts un ey o, w h o wai ted , calmly now, to tail ha d w r a p p e d i tself twi ce ar ou nd his
an d th ra sh ed it s wa y to wa rd
see wh at it wou ld do. W he n the legs, the
sn ak e be ga n to pull.
It
wanted to drag him into the pool! Tsuneyo planted his feet more firmly, bu t th e sn ak e w a s so st ro ng th at the teet h of his high clogs
br ok e an d he
felt sure he would be dragged down. Once more he dug in his feet, but the snake tugged so hard that they simply plowed through the earth, lea vin g a fur ro w seve ral inc hes de ep . T s un ey o wa s just putt in g up a last , desperate effort, when the snake snapped in two and blood stained the su rf ac e of th e po ol . He pull ed up th e tail ha lf , u n w o u n d it , and
w as he d
his legs in the pool. The attack had left indelible marks. By this tim e Tsu ne yo 's ser van ts had
rus hed up , and he had
the m wa sh
the wounds with wine. Then they inspected the snake's tail half. Huge was the only word for the creature. The body was a good foot thick where it had broken. It turned out that the snake had wrapped its head en d, on the opp
os it e ban k, a r ou n d a thic k tie e- ro ot to give i tse lf a bet ter
hold. Even so Tsuneyo had proved the stronger, and the snake had snapped instead. The head end, still clinging as tightly as ever to the root, se em ed not
to hav e realized
wh at had
ha pp en ed . Imagin e ho w it must
have been feeling! But how strong had the snake really been? Tsuneyos men tied a rope r o un d the ir mas te r' s legs an d ten of th em pulled on i
t. Ts un ey o said the
sn ak e ha d tu gg ed har de r th an that . Thr ee men wer e ad de d, then f iv e, but they still were not enough. Finally sixty men took the rope, and Tsuneyo dec ide d tha t ye s, th at wa s ho w the snak e had pulled.
In othe r wo rd s
not been dragged down by the snake)
(considering that Tsuneyo had Ts un ey o had the
str eng th of ab ou t a hu nd re d men .
That w a s th e kin d of wr es tl er we us ed to hav e in th e old day s.
i
5
7
.
AS DEEP AS THE SEA A profes siona l ke ep er of h a w k s on ce followed
an esc ap ed bird
de ep into
the m ou n ta in s ti ll he spie d a ha w k 's nest in a tall tre e. T hi s w a s a w el co me find . H e ma rk ed the time to
plac e, we n t ho me agai n, and retu
rn ed at the right
get the y o u n g haw ks .
It was a wild and desolate spot, and the tree leaned over a bottomless rav ine . Th e nest
of y o u n g h a wk s wa s high in
its
br an ch es , an d the
pa re nt s we re circling ro un d it . Wh a t spec imen s the pa re nt s we re ! No do ub t the y o u n g wo ul d be just as impressive . Bent on catch ing the m, th e man hardly even knew he was climbing the tree. J u s t sho rt of the nest, a
br an ch bro ke und er him an d he pl um me te d
into an ot h er tre e gr ow in g str aig ht out the re,
of the c li ff bel ow.
He hu ng on
mo re de ad th an aliv e, b et we en a ya wn in g cha sm and
a she er wall
of rock. Though his servants assumed he had fallen into the ravine and been killed, they thought they had better make sure. Clinging precariously to th e ed ge of th e cliff, t he y pe er ed ov er int o th e de pt hs . A ll th e leaves in the way hid their master from them, and they got nothing for their tro ub le but a sp ell of dizz ine ss.
Th ey could only
go ho me an d inform
their master's wife and children, who wept at the news. The family wanted at least to see for themselves where the body lay, but the servants cried, "No, no, we can't even remember the way, and besides, it's no use y ou r goi ng!
Go od ne ss kn ow s ho w de ep that ravine
is! We
did ou r best
to find him down there, but we couldn't see anything at all!" So no one even went back to look. Th e m an sat on a
tin y led ge ab ou t th e size of a di nn er tra y, cli ngin g to
the tree and keeping very still. The slightest movement, and he would be dashed to pieces on the rocks below. There was nothing he could do. But although his business was raising hawks, he had chanted the Kannon Sutra ever since his childhood and he trusted in Kannon's mercy. Now he called on Kannon to save him and began to chant.
1
9
6
When he got to the passage, "His vow to save suffering beings is as deep as the sea," he thought he heard something rustling up from the bo tt om of th e rav in e. W h a t cou ld it be ? Wi th in fini te cautio n he peered down and saw an enormous snake at least twenty feet long slithering straight up toward him. It was going to eat him, or at least that was the only explanation that made sense. be gg ed K a n n o n from the bo
N o w he wa s
really
and
frightened,
tt om of his he ar t to save him from
this awful
danger. The snake made no attempt to swallow him when it reached his seat. On the contrary, it just kept going. Its only thought seemed to be to cli mb up an d out of th e rav ine . P er ha ps he could an d go up wi th it ! He dr e w th e da gg er from
ha ng on to it som eh ow
his belt, plu ng ed it into the
sn ak e to ma k e a ha nd ho ld , an d let himsel f be d ra w n up an d ov er the e d g e of th e cliff. As he slid of f he tr ie d to ta k e ou t th e da gg er , bu t it w a s too firmly planted. The snake pulled away from him and slithered off toward the next ravine with the dagger still stuck in its back. Delirious with relief, the man tried to run home, but sitting motionless for sev era l da ys , wi th ou t food
or wa te r, h ad ma de him
so w ea k tha t in
fact he cou ld on ly ba re ly d r a g himse lf ba ck to his ho us e. Th e ho use ho ld w a s in the mi dd le of a me mo ri al rite lor
him
w h e n he sta gg ere d in,
causing momentary pandemonium. He wept as he told them his extraor di na ry ex pe ri en ce . The n he ate an d slept
sou ndl y.
The next morning he got up early, washed his hands, and opened the tex t of th e K an no n Su tr a he al wa ys read. pl un ge d into
His dagger
th e ba ck of th e sn ak e, wa s pl an te d in the
, the
one he had
text at th e w or d s
"His vow to save suffering beings is as deep as the sea."
i
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8
WHAT THE SNAKE HAD IN MIND A woman on her way up to hear the monthly preaching at Urin'in, a te mp le in no rt h e rn Ky ot o, ha d com e to a sto ne brid ge — just a small slab over a tiny br
oo k — wh en
ano the r, you ng er wo ma n w alk ing along the
brook stepped on the slab as she crossed and overturned it. Where it had been the first woman was surprised to see, all coiled up, a little spotted snake. T he sn ak e slowly
u n w o u n d itse lf an d set
of f after
the y o u ng wo ma n
.
w h o had
ov er tu rn ed i ts sto ne. This
wa s intrigu ing. P er ha ps the
sna ke
was angry at having been disturbed and wanted to get even. The older woman was curious enough to set out after it. Th e y o u n g wo m a n the snak but see med to
sus pect no thin g. No one passi
only the olde r w o m a n could see In time
e wa s follo wing did lo ok rou nd sometim ng by did either.
es,
Ap pa re nt ly
the sna ke .
the y re ac he d Uri n'in . T he y o u n g wo m a n climbe d the steps
an d
sat down on the wooden floor while the snake too got up the steps and wriggled to her side. Still no one saw it or raised the alarm. W h e n the
pr ea ch ing wa s ove r the y o u n g w o m a n le ft , an d the sna ke
wit h her. T he old er w o m a n sta yed beh in d th em on the wa y ba ck . In the southern district of the city the woman entered a house that seemed to be hers, and the snake followed. T he sna ke wa s unli kely to wo m an was
do an yt hi ng du r in g the day, b ut the older
de te rm in ed to be on han d for wh at ev er might hap
pe n that
night. She went up to the house, explained that she had just arrived from the cou nt ry an d had n ow he r e to stay, an d be gge d f or a nigh t's lodging
.
Sh e had as su me d al l al on g tha t the y o u n g w om a n wa s the ow ne r, b ut in fact it wa s an old lady w h o invited he r in. S he found the y o u n g w o m a n si tti ng on th e rai se d floor wi th th e sna ke coi led at th e foo t of a pilla r, gaz ing at her. T he y o u n g wo m an wa s talkin g abo ut "the man si on, " an d it seemed clear that she was in service somewhere. W h e n the sun set
an d da rk ne ss fe ll , the visitor
coul d no lon ger see the
snake, so she proposed spinning hemp in exchange for the old lady's hos pita lity . F or this
she wou ld need light. The o
ld lady gladl y ac ce pt ed
he r offer an d lit a la mp . As th e vis itor sp un , she lo oke d a r o u n d her . T h e y o u n g w o m a n se em ed to hav e lai n do wn to sleep. No wo ul d go to her no
do ub t the
sn ak e
w — bu t it did no t. Th e visi tor fe lt she ou gh t to men ti on
the snake, but decided she would only make trouble for herself if she did and so kept silent. The evening wore on till at last the lamp went out. There was nothing to do but go to bed. Ne xt mor ni ng the visitor might have h
w o ke up wit h a start, a nx io us to kn ow wh at
ap pe ne d du ri ng the night. After
the y o u n g w o m a n told
the old
lady
she had ha
getti ng up quite norm d an odd dre
ally,
am , and the
old lady insisted on hearing it. "La st night ," said
the y o u n g wo m an , "I dr ea me d so me bo dy stood
by
my pillow. She was human from the waist up, but from the waist down she was a snake. She was beautiful, though, and this is what she said to me. 'Once I hated someone so much that I turned into a snake and spent m an y long an d lonely y o u ov er tu r n ed the
ye ar s un de r the st one slab
of a br idg e. Yes te rd ay
st on e an d sa ve d me . I fe lt so glo rio usl y free th at I
wa nt e d to th an k y ou pr op er ly . Th at 's w h y I followed
yo u to the temple
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8
and heard the Buddha's most rare and wonderful Teaching. That in turn canceled my sins, and now I'll soon be reborn in human form. You've m a d e me so h a p p y ! In re t ur n I 'l l ma k e su re th at y o u r li fe goe s well an d y ou fin d a go od hu sb an d. ' An d that wa s the end of
my dr ea m. "
Both listeners were astonished, and the visitor confessed who she really
wa s an d w h y she wa s the re.
She an d the yo u n g wo ma n beca me
fast friends and saw each other often. Th e y o u n g w o m a n did do well, too, bec aus e she marri ed a ver y we al th y ma n, a ju nio r st ew ar d in a grea t househ old. Eve ryt hin g we nt f or her exactly as she wished.
l
g
3
RED PLUM BLOSSOMS In the we st of th e Capi ta l lived
a ma n of so me ra nk in the wor
ld . H is
on ly da ug ht er , a swe et an d lovely girl, wr ot e a beautiful ha nd by the time she re ac he d he r tee ns, a nd he r ski ll at po et ry wa s pee rles s. N ot only that, she was also an expert musician and played the
koto particularly well.
The family's large mansion included several bark-thatched pavilions, curiou sly
an d hands ome ly ma de.
wh i ch wa s al wa ys beautiful
Pret ty stre ams ran
thr oug h a gard en
, if no t wi th spr in g flowers
lea ves of fal l. A n d whi le the girl's pa
th en wit h the
re nt s th ou gh t only of
her sel f w a s los t in del ight ov er the flow
her, th e gi rl
ers an d leav es.
The garden had places where cherry blossoms opened in the mists of spring, and where the weeping willow fronds' new green swayed deliciously in the breeze; while elsewhere the colored autumn leaves hovered in laye rs of br oc ad e, an d ch ry sa nt he mu ms of ma ny hue s leaned unde the ir bu rd en of d ew ben ea th the t al l
hagi pl an ts ' feat hery cur ves . Yet the
girl loved above all the red-flowering plum. Sh e pl an te d a red plu m tre e ne ar her
roo m, an d wh en it bloo
med she
opened her shutters to gaze on it rapturously, all alone. The fragrance intoxicated her so much that she stayed there all day. She let nothing else grow near her plum and would not have birds nesting in its branches. When the flowers fell, she gathered the fallen petals in a lacquered bowl to enjoy their scent awhile longer; and on windy days she even spread mats to collect them as they fluttered down, so as to make sure they were no t bl ow n a w a y a nd lost.
W h e n the
r
peta ls we re wi th er ed at l ast,
mi xe d the m int o her inc en se to sav e the ver y last of the ir sweet smell.
she
.
In time she fell ill and grew rapidly worse, despite her parents' lamen tati ons.
Before long she
farewell forever,
wa s go ne . He r mo th er an d fath er ha d to bid he r
an d coul d nev er look at the plu m tree after
that wi th ou t
a pa ng of so rr ow . O n e da y a li ttl e sn ak e ap pe ar ed und er the tree. T
ho ug h it
see med
ordinary enough, it came again the next spring and stayed wrapped around the tree. When the petals began to fall, it picked them up one by on e in its m ou th a nd he ap ed the m to ge th er . Re aliz ing tha t it coul d only be their daughter herself, the parents grieved afresh. All they could do was to call in two holy monks and have them expound the Lotus Sutra un de r the tree, good of
their dau
one cha pt er a da y in the
ti me -h on or ed fashion, fo
r the
gh te r' s soul.
The snake, which never left the spot, heard all the preaching. On the fif th day the offer s the
m on ks spo ke on the cha pt er in wh ich the B u d d ha a pri cel ess
pea rl an d pas ses
Se rp ent P rinc ess
stra ight into
Ni rv an a.
Under the plum tree, the little snake died. Those who saw its passing wept. Later the father dreamed about his daughter. At first she was dressed in torn and filthy clothes and looked very downcast. But a holy man came to he r an d had her ta ke of f he r ra gs . H e r skin und er ne at h wa s gol den an d gl ow in g, like
the skin of
a bu dd ha , and the holy
ma n dr es se d her in
rich robes and a priestly stole. Finally he raised her up and they floated away together on a purple cloud. T ha t wa s the end of
th e dr ea m . Th e girl's
salvati on wa s the S ut ra 's
gift.
R
1
O
B
B
E
R
S
II
4 ° •
THE ENIGMA O n c e a thief got into Police
su rr ou nd ed the
a sh op in the place, intent
We st er n M a r k e t an d the I mper ial on ca pt ur ing him. Thei
ro de a m o n g th em ful ly ar me d, i n formal hea
r co mm an de r
dd re ss an d pale gre y cloak.
2
0
0
When a freed convict bearing a spear was posted to stand at the door of th e sho p, th e thief sign aled to him th
ro ug h a cr ac k tha t he shou ld com e
close r. " G o t ell y o u r c o m m a n d e r to get of f his hor se and thief said. "I ha
ve som et hi ng to tel l him in priv
co me he re ," the
at e. "
The freed convict reported this message, and the commander moved to obey, over his men's strenuous objections. "No, I'd better look into this," was all he would say as he dismounted and started lor the door. T h e thi ef op en ed it an d invited
the co m ma n d e r in, closing
an d bolti ng
it again when he was inside. The men were furious. "Here we've got him su r ro u n de d ! " th ey spu tt ere d. "W e can't L o r d sh i p has to
possibly
miss him! An d no w His
w al k righ t in a n d get himself shut up for
a nice lit tle
chat. This is insane!" Shortly the door opened again. The commander emerged, got back on his horse, and rode up to his men. "There's more to this business than me et s th e e y e, " he a n n o u n c e d . "We 'l l hav e to hol d of f ti ll I give a re po rt to His Majesty." He headed straight for the palace, leaving his men to stand guard. "That's right," he said when he returned, "we can't arrest him. Go back to headquarters. Those are His Majesty's orders." Th e me n ob ey ed . The ir c o m m a n d e r sta yed on alo ne until da rk , he we nt to the thief bu rs t into After
loud
an d un re str ai ne d sobbi ng.
the co mm a nd e r w as gone , the thief
into the nig
ht.
fin all y, after
do or an d an no un ce d the em pe ror 's decision. The
stole
out
and di sap pea red
No one eve r fou nd out w h o he wa s or w h y he ha d bee n
pardoned.
1
4
1
•
WASPS A quicksilver dealer in Kyoto had gotten rich from his business. He tra ve le d reg ul ar ly bac k an d forth to Ise
pro vin ce with a
hundred horses or more, all loaded with silk and cotton cloth, thread, rice, and other such goods, and he never took with him more than a few boys to drive the animals. As old age approached, he had never suffered a single loss from fire or flood and, still more remarkably, had never lost a singl e shee t of p a pe r to thiev es.
trai n of a
This wa s extr ao rd in ar y bec aus e the peopl of ro bb in g their
e of Ise are perfectly
ow n par en ts . Fr ien d an d foe , rich
time sc he mi ng to bil k each other
cap able
an d po or sp end their
, an d th ey do not hesita
te to pl un de r th e
weak to add to their own fortune. For some reason the quicksilver mer ch an t w as ab ou t the on ly victim th ey ha d not ye t des poil ed. No w, the re wa s a ro bb er ba nd one
hu nd re d str ong whi ch lurke d in
the Suz uk a Mo un ta in s on the wes ter n bord er of the province
and ye ar
after ye a r pr ey ed on a ll w h o pas se d tha t wa y. T he y wo ul d seize
eve ry
thi ng of valu e (p ri va te or impe rial pr op er ty , it m ad e no diffe rence ), the n kill the unhappy travelers. Even the government in Kyoto had been unable to suppress them. Du r in g the height of
their
de pr ed at io ns the quicks ilver
me rc ha nt ca me
that way again, traveling out of Ise toward the Capital with his usual train of
a hu nd re d well-lade
n ho rse s an d pro tec ted only by
his you thf ul
drivers. He even had women with him, and all the food, etc., that they required. The robbers spotted the caravan with glee. Its leader was obviously soft in the head, and they intended to appropriate the riches he was so innoc ently par ad in g befor e th em . I n the dep ths of the mo unt ai ns the y ambushed him from front and rear. The terrified drivers fled. After ro un di ng up the pack hor
ses, t he robb er s stri pped the
clo the s an d sho oe d th em off into the wil ds. As for
wo me n of al l their
the me rc ha nt , wh o wa s
ri din g a ma re , h e ba re ly ma na ge d to get aw ay an d sc ra mb le up a hig h hill. The robbers watched him go but decided he was a hopeless case an yw ay an d not wo rt h chas ing.
Instea d, they
hea ded do wn into
the valley
to divide the booty. Everyone was well pleased and felt he had come easily enough by his share. M ea nw hi le th e m er ch an t on his "W he re are yo u?
W he r e are yo u?
hi ll wa s sta ri ng alo ft an d bell owin g, Hu r r y! " In an hour
or so a huge,
murderous wasp three inches long came droning down from the sky into a ta ll tree nea rb y. T he mer ch an t re dou ble d his exh ort ati ons
to hast e.
Then a long, thick, reddish cloud appeared in the sky. Th e robb er s we re just putti
ng aw ay their
spoils. The cloud
des cen de d
into their valley and the wasp in the tree followed. The cloud was wasps. Hu nd re ds of wa sp s ove rw hel me d each rob
be r and stung
him to death .
Then the cloud gathered once more, rose, and vanished into the distance. T he qui cks ilv er m er ch an t we nt d o w n into
the valley
in his tu rn an d
found th er e the who le ho ar d of bo ot y the ro bb er s ha d sto red up ove r the years: a huge number of bows, quivers, horses, saddles, articles of clo th ing, and many other things. He returned with it all to Kyoto, even richer than before.
2
0
2
His secret was that he brewed wine at home and fed it all to his wasps, which in many other ways too he treated with the greatest consideration. Most robbers knew this and left his property alone. These marauders had been done in by their own ignorance.
i
4
a .
WITHOUT EVEN A FIGHT Sa ka no ue no H ar uz um i, a vet era n war rio r, live d in the prov ince
of Kii .
Having business in the Capital he set off, but not without being fully ar me d an d ac co mp an ie d by equall y wel l-a rm ed retaine rs,
fo r he feared
an att ac k by a pa rt ic ul ar en em y of his. La te that nig
ht he
w a s pa ss in g th ro ug h the sou th er n district
Capi tal w h e n he me t a pa rt y of cou rt nobles on horse
of the
bac k. Se rva nts we re
going ostentatiously before them to clear the way. There was no doubt ab out
wh at had
to be don e. H ar uz um i dism ount ed. "La y do wn yo ur
b o w s ! " he or de rd his
men , w h o pr om pt ly obe yed . The n they al l waite d
with their foreheads pressed to the earth. H a r u z u m i w a s just thi nk in g the lords mus
t hav e go ne by w he n he, lik e
ev er y on e of his me n, fel t a he av y ha nd on his nec r ou nd in sur pr is e. T he rid ers he had tak
k. He twi st ed his he ad
en for nob les we re instea d half a
dozen armed and armored men with arrows ready to the string. "Move and yo u' re dea d! " one bark
ed.
T he y we re ba ndi ts, an d Ha r uz um i ha d fa ll en straight int
o their
tra p.
He w a s furi ous wi th hims elf, an d miser abl e too, b ut un de r thr eat of instant death he could only do as the bandits ordered. They stripped him an d his m en of ev er y ga r m en t th ey ha d on, of their
bo ws an d quiv ers , of
th eir ho rs es an d saddl es,
er s, an d even of
of the ir sw or ds and dagg
their
shoes. H a r u z um i kn ew that if
he had bee
n on gu ar d against them they
wou ld
ha ve ha d to kil l hi m to ge t a w a y wi th this, a nd he f el t su re he wo ul d ha ve pu t up a go od eno ug h fight to
ca pt ur e the band its so me ho w him self . But
th ey ha d tr ic ke d him wi th the ir ch ar ad e into an d wa it in g politely, wit
h bo we d hea d, to
laying
do wn his
ow n ar ms
be ro bb ed . I t wa s too mu ch .
His figh ting car eer wa s cur sed . Ha r uz um i gave up
the profession
of arm s.
14
3 .
THE TEMPLE BELL One day an ancient monk turned up at Koyadera in Settsu province and explained to the abbot that he was on his way up from the western provinces toward the Capital. "But I'm so old that I'm all worn out," he co nt in ue d. "I just ca n't go on ! Pe rh ap s y o u wo n' t mi nd if I rest at y o u r tem ple fo r a whil e. Do yo u supp os e the re's an yw he re I could sta
y? "
"I can 't thi nk of a pla ce off ha nd, " th e abb ot rep lied . " If y o u stay in the gallery aro
un d the main hall,
you'll
be ex pos ed to the wea th er an d you' ll
get sick." "Well, how about the bell tower? It's completely enclosed, after all." "F in e, t hat 's a go od ide a, " said the abb ot . "It's be nice if y o u ' d rin g th e bell, to
all yo ur s. A n d it wo ul d
o. "
The old monk looked pleased, and the abbot led him straight to the bel l to we r. " He re 's the bell
ring er's ma t," he
said. "M a k e you rsel f at
home." When the abbot ran into the regular bell ringer, he told him about the old monk who had come wandering in and described how he had in stal led the fellow
u n d e r th e bell. " H e say s he'll ta ke care of
the ab b ot we nt on, "s o y o u can
ta ke it easy
whil e he's
rin gi ng it,"
he re ." The bell
ringer did not complain. Fo r tw o da ys the
an ci en t tra ve ler ra ng the bell. On the mo
rn in g of th e
third day the bell ringer thought he would just go and see how the fellow wa s doi ng. " He ll o! " he called
at the
bas e of the tow er. " Are yo u th e re ?"
And he squeezed inside. Th e old mo nk , am az in gl y tall,
lay sp ra wl ed out f ull leng th, wr a p p e d in
a miserable garment. He was dead. The bell ringer beat a fast retreat and went to find the abbot. "The old boy's dead," he stammered. "What are we going to do?" Th e ab bo t w en t str aig ht to ch ec k this mo nk w as dea d. He closed
awful new
s. I t w a s tr ue . The
th e do or to the b ell to we r an d w a rn e d th e rest
of the tem ple' s mo nk s. "Congratulations!" they growled back at him. "It was so thoughtful of y o u to let him stay!
N o w yo u' ve got the wh ol e te mp le po ll ut ed !" But
was too late now to be angry. They saw they would have to get some villagers to come and take the body away. Unfortunately, the village's shrine festival was near, as the villagers quickly pointed out. "We just can't go and get ourselves polluted now,"
it
they said. No one would touch the corpse, and noon came while the monks went on fretting about what in the world to do. O u t of no wh er e, tw o me n appe ar ed, abo ut thirty ye ar s old and dres sed in light grey cloaks that darkened toward the bottom, with broad, conical hats hanging round their necks against their backs. Their skirts were tucked up for easier movement, and they had swords stuck in their belts. Certainly they were humble men, but they seemed alert and pleasant. T he y we nt strai ght to the mon ks ' dor mi tor y an d asked ch an ce an ol d m on k wa s sto ppi ng nea rb y.
wh et he r by any
T h e mo n k s told t he m a tall old mo n k ha d sp en t th e last cou ple of da ys in th e ba se of th e bell to we r, b ut said th ey ga th er ed tha t this mor ni ng he ha d just be en fou nd dea d.
Th e tw o me n bur st into
tear s of shoc k an d
grief. They explained that the old monk had been their father. "He'd gotten stubborn in his old age," they said, "and we had a little quarrel. It wa s no th in g, really, b
ut he
st or me d of f an d di sa ppe ar ed . We' re fro m
Akashi county in Harima. After he'd gone we split up to find him, and we 'v e be en loo kin g for him ever We o w n a go od deal of
since . We 'r e not penn iless , yo u kno w.
rice lan d an d y o u can find
in the ne ig hb or in g co un ty . We'll ha
re tai ne rs of ou rs even
ve a look f or ours elves , an d if he's
really dead we'll bury him this evening." The abbot took them to the bell tower and waited outside while they w e nt in. " O h father, h
er e yo u a r e ! " th ey cried
wh en they
saw the o ld
monk's face. Then they rolled on the ground and wept aloud. The sight w a s to o m uc h fo r the abbo t, w h o wa s soon
we ep in g too. "O u r qua rre l
wa s noth in g, " the y mo ur ne d, "bu t yo u we re an old man and
just woul dn't
giv e in!
in the middle
Of f y o u w e n t to hide from us
of no wh er e. An d we we re n' t even with
an d en de d up here,
yo u whe n yo u die d! " This thou ght
brought on a fresh paroxysm of tears. Finally they said they would go to pr ep ar e for th e funer al an d close d the doo r of the bel l tow er be hi nd them . When the abbot described the scene to his colleagues, they wept too. Well along in the evening some forty or fifty people arrived, with much noise and commotion, and brought out the old monk's body. Quite a few were armed. The monks kept well away from the bell tower. Far from going to watch the proceedings, they were all so afraid that they shut themselves up in their rooms. As a result, they only heard the mourners ca rr y th e bod y to a pin e w oo d several hu hillside
nd r e d y a r d s off, u p against the
be hi nd th e te mp le . The mo ur ne r s spe nt the night
bea tin g gon gs
an d ch an ti ng the Bu dd ha 's Nam e, dispe rsin g only at da wn . F o r th e th ir ty da ys th e pol lut ion laste d not eve n the
bell rin ger ran g
the bell, and no other monk went near the bell tower either. At last, when it was finally safe to do so, the bell ringers returned to the tower to clean up. The great bell was gone.
Th e bell
ri ng er ra n to sp re ad this
latest ou tr ag e to the rest
of th e
tem ple , an d the m o n k s tr oo pe d ou t to see for th em se lv es . It wa s a fact: the bell had been stolen. Why, those people must have planned the whole funeral just so they could steal the bell! The monks thought they had better check the funeral site. Off th ey al l we nt , wit h som e pe opl e from th e village, to
th e pi ne w o od .
The thieves had chopped up a big pine tree to make a fire around the bell an d melt it
do wn , an d th er e w e re bits
had bro ug ht o ff qui te an opera tio n!
of br on ze a ll ov er the place . Th ey Unf ort una tel y, th ere wa s no w a y to
fin d ou t w h o th ey ha d be en . Th e mo n k s cou ld onl y resi gn the ms el ve s to their loss. Ever since, Koyadera has been without a bell.
1
4 4 •
THE DEAD MAN WAKES Being a professional, the robber Hakamadare naturally ended up in jail. He wa s relea sed un de r a gen era l am ne st y. Ha vi ng now he re to go the n, and nothing else to turn his hand to, he went up to Osaka Pass and play ed dea d, star k nak ed , beside the
trail. The passin
g trav eler s clus tere d
round and, noticing that he was not wounded, chattered to each other about how he might have died. Al on g from K yo to ca me an ar me d w ar ri or on a go od hors e, followe
d
by a troupe of servants and retainers. The warrior saw the crowd, st op pe d, a nd sen t on e of his men to
fin d out wh at the y we re ga w ki ng at.
The man reported that they were puzzling over a dead man without a wound on him. The warrior ordered his followers back into proper for mation and rode on. He stared at the corpse as he passed. The crowd clapped their hands and laughed. "A fine warrior
you are,"
th ey ta un te d him, "w ith al l tha t trai n of y ou rs , to be sq ue am is h ab ou t a body!" The warrior ignored them. In time the crowed dispersed. There was no one left around Hakama da re wh en an ot he r wa rr io r cam e alon g. He had no
train of
ser van ts an d
retainers, but he was well armed. He went right up to the body. "Poor m a n !" he said. "I wo
n d e r wh at yo u died o f. I don 't s ee an y w o u n d. " He
po ke d at th e co rp se her e a nd th er e wi th the de ad ma n seized the
tip of his bo w. S ud de nl y the
bo w, l eap ed up, pu lle d the w ar ri or d o w n from
horse, drew the man's own dagger, and killed him.
his
2
0
6
"Better be more careful next time!" said Hakamadare. In no ti me H a k a m a d a r e ha d the slain
ma n' s clot hes of f an d wa s wea r
ing them himself. Next he seized the warrior's weapons, jumped on his hor se, a nd gal lope d aw ay to wa rd the
east. He had
alrea dy ar ran ged a
re nd ez vo us wi th a do ze n or t wo of the con vict s w h o ha d bee n released with him, and he took any latecomer on as a servant. The band swept alon g, r ob bi ng ev er yo ne th ey met
of clothing, mou
nts , and
we ap on s.
These were distributed among the naked bandits until it was twenty or thi rty we ll -a rme d de sp er ad os w h o rode eas twa rd alon g the road, and
no
one they encountered could stand against them. T ha t 's w h a t a ma n like tha t will do get close
en ou gh for
him to
if y o u give him ha lf a ch an ce . J u s t
to uc h yo u, a nd wa tc h out ! Th e fi rs t war rio r,
the one who rode resolutely by, turned out to have been a fellow named Ta ira no Sada mi ch i. E ve ry on e w h o he ar d the story
nod ded appr oval
of
his act io n. It ha d bee n wi se of him to pa ss on, de sp it e his larg e tra in. An d what a fool he had been, the one who, without a single follower by him, had gone right up to the body!
1 4
5 .
COVED Late one fall Hakamadare, the notorious bandit chieftain, felt he needed so me n e w clo the s a nd dec id ed to go loo kin g for th em . I t wa s the middl e of th e night an
d th e to wn wa s qui et. Y ou could ba
rel y see the moo n.
Al on g ca me a ma n we a ri ng a co mpl et e, first-c lass outfit . He wa s sau nte r ing down the path playing the flute. "That's the one!" thought the bandit. "He's come to give me his clothes!" H a k a m a d a r e wa s ab ou t to ju mp his afraid, a
victim
wh en he
sud den ly
fel t
nd foll owed th e ma n inste ad. T he ma n gav e no sign of kn ow in g
anyone was behind him. He just strolled along playing his flute. To test him, H a ka ma da re starte d ru nn in g with
heav y steps.
The man turned around but did not stop playing. Hakamadare re tr ea te d, un ab le to
br in g himse lf to at ta ck . He tried
the same
an d ove r, b ut th e ma n ne ve r got fluste red. "Th is is an odd Hakamadare.
th in g over
o n e !" th ou gh t
Ha lf a mile or so furth er on,
H a k a m a d a r e de ci de d he ha d to act.
He
drew his sword and charged. The man stopped playing, stood still, and tur ne d to fa ce him. " W h o are y o u ? " he aske d. H ak am ad ar e wa s cow ed. In spite of
him self he plo pp ed d o w n on th e gr o un d.
" W h o are y o u ? " the
man repea
ted.
Ha ka ma da re
could
te ll it wa s
useless to run. "I'm a bandit," he answered. "W ha t' s yo ur na me? "Hakamadare." " O h yes, " said me." He
the ma n, "I' ve hea rd of yo u. You 're to ug h. C o m e wi th
we nt on aga in, pl ay ing his
flute. H a k a m a d a r e followed
like
a
demon caught by some god. Th ey ca me to the ma n' s hou se. He tu rn ed out to be the famous Yas uma sa, t he former Ha ka ma da re in and
go ve rn or of Settsu provin gave him
a thickly
clo the s," he said , "ju st co me to me.
wa rr io r
ce. Yas um as a invited
pa dd ed coat . "Wh e n yo u need
Do n' t go att ack ing peop le yo u kn o w
no th in g ab ou t. Yo u cou ld ma ke a big mi sta ke ." The awestruck Hakamadare told this story the next time he was arrested.
A mountain temple in Tajima province was over a century old. No one we nt ne ar it be ca us e it w a s hau nt ed by de mo ns , bu t one day mo nk s, one old
an d on e yo un g, h ap pe ne d by just
after
a pai r of
su nd ow n, an d
since they did not know the place they decided to stay there. After
da rk th ey settl ed do w n on oppo sit e sides
midd le of the ni ght som et hi ng bash ed its
of the alta r. I n th e
wa y th ro ug h the
wall. T he
cre atu re sta nk horr ibl y an d wh ee ze d an d snort ed like an ox, but da rk ne ss the y could not
in the
see it . It at tac ke d the y o un ge r mo nk , wh o, i n h is
2
0
8
fright, recit
ed th e Lo tu s Su tr a an d fervent ly pr ay ed to be spa red . Su d
denly it dropped him, fell on the older monk, and began devouring him. The victim screamed horribly, but no one saved him and the demon ate
him up. Th e y ou n ge r mo nk wa s sur e the
de mo n wou ld now
him.
be back f or
He clambered up on the altar (there being no other refuge), threw his ar m s r o u n d on e of the divinities, a
nd beg ged for
help, the
n we nt on
inwardly reciting the Lotus. When the demon did come after him, he near ly fainted wit h te rr or but h is conc entr atio n never wav er ed.
He heard
th e de m o n cr as h to th e floor in fron t of th e altar. There was dead silence. The monk assumed the demon was waiting for hi m to be tr ay hims elf by so me slight noise, so he
ha rd ly da re d even
to breathe. With his arms around the statue, and still mentally reciting th e Lo tu s, he wa it ed fo r da wn . It seeme last,
he found he
d like ye ar s. W h e n da y ca me at
ha d bee n em br ac in g the
divine
gu ar di an Bi sha mo n.
Before the altar an ox-headed demon lay cut in three, and the blade of Bi sh am on 's spea r wa s red with blood.
1
A
7 •
A PLEA FROM HELL Ta te ya ma , a mo un ta in in Et ch u prov ince , has been kno wn since antiquity for its hells. The rugged, sweeping landscape there is desolate, and count less boiling springs gush from deep fissures in the ravines. Even a huge bo ul de r res tin g on one of th at sur ge s up irresistibl
the se cra ck s may be
set ro cki ng by the wa te r
y a r o un d its bas e. T he heat
is terri ble, an d yo u
c om e eve nt ua ll y to a co lu mn of end le ss fi re . In one valley
of this hel lish
waste there is a waterfall over a hundred feet high that looks like a vast ex pa ns e of wh it e cloth. O n e pea k of the mou nt ai n is nam ed Mo u nt Tais haku becaus
e they say
th at is w h e r e Lo rd Ta is ha ku an d the of fic ia ls of the und er wo rl d ga the r an d ju dg e th e de ed s of sen tie nt bein gs.
Peop le have
al way s believed that
mo st of th e sin ne rs in J a p a n en d up fall ing into the hells O n c e a m on k of Mi id er a ca me to Ta te ya ma in the cour
of Ta te ya ma . se of a di ffi cu lt
pilgrimage to the holy places of the realm, and while he was walking a m o n g th e hells he met
a y o u n g wo m a n. Th e sight
of he r frightene
because in a remote spot like that she could only be a demon, and he
d him
began to run away. But she called to him, assured him that she was not a de mo n, an d told him
th at he nee d not be afraid. S
he ha d so me th in g to
tell him. " M y ho m e, " she said, "wa my pa re nt s st il l live. My
s in Ga m o co un ty of O m i prov inc e, wh er e
fath er ma ke s his living
out of wo od . W h e n I wa s alive, my
ca rv in g bu dd ha -i ma ge s
food an d clo thi ng ca me from
images, and that's why after death I fell into a hell where I suffer horrible ago ny. Please, in y o u r com pas sion , tel l my mo th er an d f ather
the se
wh at 's
ha pp en ed to me ! Ha v e th em co py th e Lo tu s Su tr a for me an d save me from these torments!" "Y ou say yo u' re suffering
in hell,"
the mo nk replied, "bu
t ap pa re nt ly
yo u' re s ti ll fre e to a pp ea r to me . H o w is this po ss ib le ?" Th e y o u n g w o m a n expl ain ed that
this
wa s Ka nn on s day, the eigh
tee nt h da y of the mo on . " W h e n I wa s ali ve, " she we nt on, "I
me an t to
serve K an no n an d rea d the K an no n ch ap te r of the Lot us Sut ra. An d even th ou gh I kep t put ti ng of f act ual ly do in g it , just on ce on an eigh tee nth da y I did
purify myself
ei gh te en th day,
an d call on K an no n. T ha t' s w h y eac h mo on , on the
K a n n on co me s an d suf fers in my plac e for a da y an d a
night. Then I can leave my hell and wander freely." When she had finished speaking, she vanished. The monk went straight to Omi to find out whether all this was true. In G a m o co un ty he found
the y o u n g wo ma n' s par ent s, an d the y we pt to
he ar th e new s he br ou gh t th em . Wh e n he ha d go ne , th ey los t no tim e in copying and dedicating the Sutra for their daughter. Later the father dreamed that she came to him beautifully dressed, greeted him with her palms pressed together, and told him how she had le ft the hell
on Ta t ey a ma by th e p ow e r of Ka nn on . N o w , she
ha d be en bor n into the Tori He
said, she
av en . Th e mo nk ha d just the sam e h a pp y
dream.
1 4 8 .
THE VOICE FROM THE CAVE Having one morning some urgent business to look after at the office, a sec ret ary in the Hi go provi nci al go ve rn m en t ro de of f first thin g, a ll alon e. He normally covered the half-mile or so quickly, but this time he got lost an d ca me out on
a br oa d plain.
He had no
idea w h er e he wa s.
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By sundown, after crossing the plain all day, he still had not seen a single ho us e w h e r e he mig ht sp en d the night. vill age ! At last
H o w he long ed for a
he gli mp se d, from th e top of a rise, the co
rn er of a well-
made roof. "Is anyone home?" he shouted when he reached the house, for the place seemed awfully quiet. "Please come to the door! What's the name of this p la ce ?" " W h o are y o u ? " called
a wo ma n' s voice f rom i nside. "Co
H e r voi ce frig hte ne d th e sec re tar y. an d in too mu
He called
me on in!"
ba ck that
he wa s los t,
ch of a h ur ry to sto p. "I just wa nt to kn ow wh er e I a m ! "
he we nt on. " Wo n' t y o u please
te ll m e ? "
" Wa it a mi nu te ! I'll be rig ht ou t! " Terrified, the secretary wheeled his horse round and galloped away as fast as he could. "Hey!" shouted the woman as she emerged. "Wait!" He gla nc ed ba ck . Sh e was as
tal l as the roof
an d her eyes w er e gle am
ing. "That's it!" he thought. "It was a demon's house!" He frantically whipped his horse on. "W h e re do yo u think yo u' re goi ng ?" she bellowed. "St op r ight the re! " The secretary nearly went mad with fear because she was after him now, ten feet tall and with eyes and a mouth that spouted dazzling flashes of fire. The mouth gaped wide to swallow him. He almost fainted and fell off his horse, but still managed somehow to pray, "Kannon, save me, oh save me now!" When his horse stumbled and fell, he was thrown clear. No doubt he would be eaten any second. Without even knowing what he was doing he da sh e d into a bur ial ca ve nea rb y, an d the de mo n ca me po un di ng after him . "W h e r e are y o u ? " it roa red . "Yo u we re there Th en it halted
just a mo me nt ag o! "
an d be ga n de vo ur in g his hor se. Ob vio usl y he wou ld be
next, unless by any unlikely chance it really did not know where he was. He went on praying to Kannon with all his heart. Ha v in g finished the hors
e, th e de mo n ca me to the mou th of the cav e.
"All right," it said, "this man was supposed to be ha ve y o u ta ke n him
aw ay from
m y meal fo r to da y. W h y
me ? You 'r e alwa ys playing me
nasty
tricks like this and I've had enough!" It knew where he was, all right. " O h no, he' s mi ne an d I'm ke ep in g hi m, " gr ow le d a voice ba ck in the
cav e. "Y ou got the horse
from furt her
. Wh a t mor e do yo u w a n t ? "
It w a s all ov er now , th e secr et ar y w as quite sure of
tha t. No t only wa s
that horrible demon right outside the cave, but an even more horrible one was inside it. All his prayers to Kannon were in vain, and in a mo me nt he wo ul d be de ad . Well, he prob his own awful karma from past lives.
ab ly had noth ing to bla me but
The demon outside kept pleading and complaining, but to no avail. Finally it left, still grumbling. Now the secretary expected to be dragged into the monster's lair and eaten. "You were going to make a meal for that demon today," said the voice, "bu t y o u pr ay ed so
dev out ly to Kan no n that yo u' ve been
up y o u r fai th after
this and cha
spa red.
Ke ep
nt the Lo tu s Sut ra . Do y o u kn o w w h o I
am?" The secretary said no.
"I 'm no de m o n . A holy
ma n on ce lived
in this cav e. O n to p of th e
mountain nearby he built a tower and enshrined the Lotus Sutra in it. The tower and the Sutra itself have long since crumbled away and there's nothing left but
myo. I've
I'm that from
that
myo, or 'wo nd er fu l,' th e first alr ead y save d nine
w or d of the Su tr a' s title.
hu nd re d an d ninet y-nin e peop le
de mo n an d yo u' re the on e- th ou sa nd th . Go ho me now . Ne ve r
give up y o u r fa ith in
the Bu dd ha and y o u r devot ion to the Lo tu s! "
A div ine bo y ca me out of th e cav e to see the secr eta ry ho me . We ep in g, the secretary prostrated himself in gratitude and adoration, then followed the boy to
the gate of
his
ow n hou se, w he re the
sec reta ry pros tra te d himself
onc e mor e before
mi dd le of the nig ht.
his family
He told
bo y va ni she d. T he
wa lki ng in. It
wa s the
ev er yt hi ng tha t ha d ha pp en ed to
him, and they were very, very glad to have him back!
1
4
9
•
INCORRIGIBLE Toshiyuki, a respected poet and calligrapher, had such beautiful hand writing that people were always asking him to copy the Lotus Sutra for th em . Th ey too k it fo r gr an te d tha t To shi yu ki' s eleg ant rendi tion of th e sacred text would help them toward a better life next time. Toshiyuki had copied the Su
tr a tw o hu nd re d times thi s wa y w he n he sud den ly died.
Not realizing what had happened, he only knew that he had been abruptly seized and dragged off. He was outraged and could not under sta nd ho w an yo ne , eve n the emp er or , cou ld do suc h a th in g to a ma n of his standing. " W h a t ha ve I d on e to de se rv e th is ?" he
as ke d th e off ice r w h o he
thought had arrested him. " W h o k n o w s ? " the of fice r repl ied. " I w a s or de re d to go and
get yo u,
2
1
2
an d tha t's w ha t I'm doi ng . C om e to thi nk of it, have y ou been mak copies
in g
of the L otu s Su t r a? "
Toshiyuki said he had. " H o w mu ch of this cop yin g wa s fo r yo ur se lf ?" "None. It's all been for other people. I must have done a couple of hundred Sutras." "T ha t' s it , then . Th er e ha ve bee n com pla int s an d I sup pos e the case has come up." Th at wa s a ll Tos hi yu ki coul d get out
of him. T he y ma rc he d on in
silence. So on the y met a force of
tw o hu nd re d war ri or s, we ar in g gri m battle
a r m o r an d ri din g st ra ng e, terr ible hors
es. T he eyes in
their ghas tly fac es
flashed like lightning and their mouths were like fire. Toshiyuki almost fainted with fear, but the officer forced him back to his feet and they went on, with the soldiers before them. "Who are
they!" Tos hiy uki
ma nag ed to sta mme r.
"D on ' t yo u kn ow ? Th ey' re the people Su tr a. T he y we re coun tin g on the or at least fi sh and enj
w ho had
yo u writ e out
the
getti ng the m rebor n in heaven
giv ing th em an ot he r try as hu ma ns . But yo u —y ou wer e eati ng oyin g wo m e n al l the time
purifi ed yours elf. th e ladies.
merit
On the con
So th ey had no
yo u did y o u r cop yin g. Y ou nev er
tr ar y, yo u had y o u r mi nd on no thi ng but
mer it wh at ev er from y o u r wo rk and we re born
instead into these fierce, warlike forms. They're so angry they want re ve ng e, a nd that' s w h y the y' ve be en de ma nd in g that yo u be called To t ell the trut
h, it wa sn 't actu ally y o u r time yet , but they insiste
in.
d."
Toshiyuki felt as though a knife had gone through him and his heart froze. "What are they going to do to me?" he asked. "O bv io us ly the y'r e goi ng to cut yo u up with those swor of the irs into tw
o h u n d r e d litt le pieces, a
nd each
ds and dagge
rs
i s going to keep
of the m
on e. E ve r y pie ce will be y o u , fully con sc iou s, s o you '11 suffer hor ri bly any ti me an y on e of th em t or tu re s th e piece he's wor se than anyth ing yo u can ima gine !"
got . Oh ye s, you 'll fin d it
"What can I do to be spared?" "I' ve no idea
," th e o ffic er repli ed. " I can' t see wh at wo ul d save y o u. "
To sh iy uk i w a s near ly out of his mi nd with terro
r.
On they went till they came to a great river running as black as the bla cke st ink. To sh iy uk i as ke d wh a t the se str ang e, inky "D on ' t yo u un d er s ta n d? " the off ice r ans wer ed. al l the
Lo tu s Su tr a cop ies yo u ma de . A sut ra copied
ac ce pt ed insta ntl y into
wa te rs might
"This is
be.
the ink from
wit h pu re hear t is
th e pala ce of the Dr ag on Kin g w h o gu ar ds the
B ud dh a' s Te ac hi ng . B ut copi es ma de li ke yo ur s, with
defile d mind
and
filt hy bo dy , are t h ro w n aw a y in the fie lds, an d the ink was
he s of f in the
rain till it makes a river." " O h pleas e, pl ea se ," so bb ed Tos hiy uk i, "is th er e no hel p for me, not h ing I can do?" "I 'm s orr y, I m igh t pos sibly be
able to do
so me th in g for y o u if y o u r sin
were a commonplace one, but I'm afraid it's unspeakable. You'll get no reprieve." J u s t the n a fright ful fiend ch
ar ge d up , gr ow le d at the of fice r tha t he
had been slow bringing the prisoner in, grabbed Toshiyuki by the neck, an d ma rc he d him off. Th e y ca me to a gre at ga te th ro ug h wh ic h co unt les s oth ers, d ra gg ed l ike Tos hiy uki , or bo un d, or in irons,
we re pour in g from
every direction till it was hardly possible even to pass. Inside the gate, the tw o hu nd re d wa rr io rs wh o m Toshi yuk i reco gniz ed al l too well we re glaring at him with fiery eyes and licking their lips in grim anticipation. Toshiyuki was frantically cudgeling his brains for a way out when the fien d w h o wa s dr ag gi ng him
wh is pe re d in his ear, "M ak e a vo w to co py
the Su tr a of Go ld en Lig ht! " As th ey we nt in th ro ug h the gate , To sh iy uk i vo we d to co py the Su tr a of Go ld en Light by He wa s ha ul ed in to sta "Is this Tos
nd befo re the cour
wa y of ato nem en t. t of Em ma , the ki ng of hell.
hi yu ki ?" a ba ili ff gro wle d. A no th er b ai li ff de ma nd ed to kn ow
wh y, co nsi de rin g the hu ge nu mb er of comp lain ts lodged against
him,
Toshiyuki had been so slow to appear. "I brought him straight here, sir, after I seized him," said the arresting officer. " W h a t wa s it yo u did up the re in the w or ld ? " the y ask ed Toshiy
uki .
"Nothing, really. I just wrote out the Lotus Sutra for people who asked me to. I made two hundred copies." "Actually," they told him, "your life-span had a little more to run, but yo u' ve bee n bro ug ht in while yo u we re un cle an.
be cau se of comp lai nts that O u r or de rs are to
deliver
yo u copi ed the Su tr a yo u to y o u r acc use rs
so th ey can di sp os e of y o u as the y see fi t. " Th e two hu nd re d soldiers
pr ep ar ed to tak e char ge of their
"B ut I ma de a vo w ," pro tes ted Toshiy de dic ate to
victim.
uki , sh ud de ri ng with fe ar, "to
th e B u d d h a a co py of the Su tr a of Go ld en Ligh t, an d I wa s
seized before I could fulfill it. It'll be a terrible sin if I don't go through wi th i t, on e I co ul d ne ve r at on e for ." Th is bro ug ht the bail iff s up shor t. T he y dec lar ed tha t if this we re true the whole arrest had been a mistake, and they ordered Toshiyuki's claim ch ec ke d in the grea leafed
t Re gis ter of De ed s. Th e secr et ar y of th e court of
hel l
th ro ug h the r egi ste r an d rea d o ff ev er y last de ed of Tos hiy uki 's.
They were all sins. Only at the last split second, when he had gone
2
1
4
th r ou gh th e ent ir e lis t, did he final ly an no un ce , "Ye s, it's
tr ue . The en tr y
is here at the very end." "W el l, t he n, " th ey told Tos hi yuk i, "we' ll ha ve to set yo u f ree. acc omp lis h y o u r vo w an d cont inu e y o u r life as yo u think
Go
best ."
T h e gr im ho st of tw o hu nd r ed , tha t just no w had f el t thei r ha nd s near ly on him, sud
de nl y van ish ed. To shi yuk i re tu rne d to li fe .
For two days his wife and children had been mourning him when all at once he opened his eyes and was back. Joyfully they gave him some th in g hot to dr in k, a n d it w as only be en dea d. In his
th en tha t he fi nal ly un de rs to od he had
mi nd he sa w agai n eve ry th in g he had just wit nes sed as
th ou gh ref lecte d in th e clea res t of mi rr or s, an d he resolv ed to co py an d de di ca te th e Su tr a of Go ld en L ight, p ro pe rl y purified so on as he sho
ul d be himsel
this
time,
just
as
f aga in.
In time he recovered fully and hurried to have a craftsman prepare a scroll of
pa pe r to receiv e the sut ra . But at
the sa me time his
th ou gh ts
began wandering again, and it was not toward the Buddha and the scriptures that they roamed. He was quickly absorbed in romantic visits an d fancies,
a nd wo rr ie d onl y ab ou t ho w to wr it e the nicest
ve rs es . So the mo n th s an d ye ar s flew by wi th ou t his ever sutra until his life reached its allotted term and he passed away. A few y ea r s lat er th e po et Ki no To mo no ri had
possi ble
co py ing the
a dr ea m. T he re cam e
to him one whom he understood to be Toshiyuki, although fearfully ch an ge d from
w h a t To sh iy uk i ha d on ce been
"A v o w I ma de to
wr it e out an d ded ic ate
an d terrify ing to look
at.
th e Sut ra of Go ld en L ight
gained me a reprieve," the apparition said, "and I was returned to life. But my heart stayed as frivolous as before and I finally died without ever co py in g th e su tr a. F or thi s I'm no w suffering
the most
horr ible
tor tur es .
Have pity on me, find the paper I had prepared for the sutra, take it to a certain monk at Miidera, and have him make the copy and the dedica tion!" Then it screamed. Tomonori awoke soaked in sweat. Dawn had barely broken when he hu rr ie d of f on his
er ra nd . H e fou nd the
pa pe r an d soon wa s kn oc ki ng at
the monk's door. The monk was glad to see him because, as he explained, he ha d be en on
th e poi nt of se nd in g a me ss en ge r to To mo no ri 's hou se .
Tomonori asked why, concealing for the moment his own reason for ha vi ng com e, a nd th e m on k relate d the preci se cou nte rp art to Tom ono ri' s dr ea m. T os hi yu ki had ap pe ar ed to him, to ld him that
To mo no ri wo uld
be able to find the paper, and asked him to copy and dedicate the sutra. The monk's dream, like Tomonori's, had ended with a horrible scream. Tomonori and the monk wept bitterly over Toshiyuki's awful fate, and To mo no ri pr od uc ed the pap er with an to bring it.
expla natio n of ho w he had
come
The monk did exactly as Toshiyuki had asked. When the two dreamed of To sh iy uk i aga in, he se em ed in far
bet ter spiri ts. He told th em that
th e
merit they had gained for him had greatly lightened his suffering.
1
5
o
.
THE PIRATE'S STORY A very old and pious monk who lived in Settsu province once heard so me on e me nt io n an en co un te r wi th pir ate s, and
this ins pir ed him to tell
his own story. " W h e n I w a s y o u n g , " he re la te d, "I ha d a ve ry go od lif e. I ha d all th e food and clothing I could possibly want and every day I sailed the sea. 'Ad mir al R ok ur o' the y called
me . I wa s a pira te.
" O n c e I w a s out am o n g th e islands of
f the coast of
Aki an d th er e
wasn't another vessel in sight, when up rowed a ship. A nice-looking fellow in his mid-twenties seemed to be her master, and all I could see bes ide him wer
e a co upl e of sailors . Well , I th ou gh t, th er e mu st be so me
pretty women on board too. I could see a bit round the blinds over the cab in w in d ow s , an d I
coul d ma k e out
piles
of tr un ks . Oh , she
w as
cer tai nly loade d, an d all bu t defen seles s. A y o u n g mo nk wa s up on the cabi n roof ch an ti ng the L ot us Sut ra . " N o ma tt er h ow I man eu ve re d, that
ship stayed
wit h me. T he y see med
to ha ve no idea w h a t I wa s. Th at ma de me w o n de r mo re th an ever, so I hailed her. T
he ma st er said he
wa s bo un d for the Capi tal on
ur ge nt
bus ine ss, h av in g pu t out from the prov in ce of Su o. He ha d at ta ch ed him sel f to me be ca us e he fea red pir at es . He mus t have be en a bit soft in the head. " 'I'm not going the Capital,' I shouted back. 'I'm here to rendezvous with another ship and then I'm heading for Suo myself. You'd better find a vesse l bo u n d y o u r w a y ! ' He said all rig ht, b ut he wo ul d n' t find on e til l to mo rr ow , an d me an wh il e he'd just stick
wit h me . He an ch or ed right
by
us in th e lee of an i sl an d. "The opportunity was golden and my men were determined to get their ha nd s on that carg
o. You can imagine their
we boa rd ed . We we re tossing
am az em en t an d hor ror wh en
eve ryo ne over
alike, wh e n th e ma st er of the ship bega
th e side, men and
wo me n
n plea di ng wi th me, s hed di ng
great big tears. 'Take everything I have,' he begged, 'but please, please
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1
6
sp ar e my life ! My old mo t h e r in th e Capi tal is w o r d sh e w a n t s so m uc h to see me aga in!
dy in g an d she 's sent me
Th at 's w h y I'm on my wa y as
fast as I can go!' He was looking me straight in the eye as he spoke, and wr in gi ng his
ha nd s . B ut I told
my me n the y we re n' t to tak e an y sob
st or ie s. ' O v e r he go es wi th th e re st !' I or de re d. He sti ll ke pt his eyes on mi ne , th ou gh , whil e big tea rs rolled
d o w n hi s che eks , and I fe lt sor ry fo r
hi m. Ye s, I k n e w it w a s cr uel , but I had I shoul d do him an y favors. O
my wa ys , an d I cou ldn 't see w h y
ve r bo ar d he we nt .
"Over the side too went that little monk from the cabin roof, frantically clutching the Sutra he had in a bag slung round his neck. But he stayed afloat , lifting
th e s ut r a b a g hig h out of th e wa te r . In fact
he wa s floating
hi gh er a nd highe r, a nd it se em ed he wo ul d neve r sink. He
sho uld have
drowned by now. We started bashing him over the head and jabbing him in the back with the steering oar, but he still floated as high as ever, ho ld in g th e S ut r a in th e air. I coul
dn' t un de rs ta nd i t. Th en I sa w several
beaut iful chi ld re n in the wa te r wit h him, sle nde r wh ite st af f. O n e wa s holding hi
fore
s head up
an d aft , each carr while anot
yi ng a
he r su pp or te d
the hand that carried the Sutra. " M y me n insisted the
y sa w no chi ldr en,
w er e kee pi ng him afloat. I wa
bu t / coul d see th em . Th ey
s be gi nn in g to fe el like sav ing him, now
, so
I ga ve hi m the en d of a pol e a n d ha ul ed him ba ck to th e shi p. M y me n grumbled a bit, but I got him aboard. The children weren't there any more. " W h e n I que st io ne d him,
he said he
w as on
be ca us e at ho me he' d neve r bee n able ma st er of th e ship ha d offered to ha ve him or da in ed by
his wa y to the Capital
to get prope
rly
ord aine d. Th e
ta ke him alo ng an d had prom
a m o n k friend
of his. I ask
ed him
is ed to
w h o thos e
children had been, the ones who had held him up, but he said he had no idea wh at I wa s tal kin g ab ou t. " 'W el l, ' I told him, '
one w a s su pp or ti ng the han d y ou we re holdi ng
the Su tr a wit h. A ny wa y, w h y we re yo u so bus y holding the Sutr a up wh en yo u kn e w yo u' d soon dr o wn ? ' 'I kn ew I wa s going to dr ow n, ' he an sw er ed , 'b ut tha t did n't really
mat ter . I just wa nt ed to ke ep the Sutr a
dry as long as I could. It's true my arm didn't get tired, in fact it felt very light and seemed to get longer and longer. Even then I realized it was s om eh ow the S ut ra 's po we r that wa s doin g it . Th an k yo u for saving my life.' And he wept. "I wa s dee ply
im pre sse d.
I ask ed him
wh et he r he wo ul d tur n back
now or whether he would go on to the Capital and get his ordination, a n d I pr om is e d to ta ke him if
he w a s go in g on . H e said no, h e did n' t f ee l
like ge tti ng or da in ed an y mo re , he just wa nt ed to go ho me . So I offered
to take him
th at wa y, too . B ut I ha d to ask agai n w h o we re tho se bea ut i
ful children I'd seen, and I was so overcome that I was crying myself. 'I've chanted the Lotus Sutra constantly ever since I was six,' he an swered, 'even when I was badly frightened, so I suppose the gods who protect the Sutra must have been with me.' "That was when my eyes were opened to the Buddha's noble truth. Rig ht th er e I d r o p pe d my qui ver , my da gg er , an d my sw or d an d res olve d to go w i th th at m o n k a n d lea d a ho ly life.
I go t a little food
t og et he r for
us to ta ke , b ut th e rest of th e spoil s I lef t to my me n. T he y th ou gh t I'd gon e mad, o f cou rs e. T he y we re con vi nce d som e de mo n had gotte n into me and they did their best to make me forget the whole thing, but I paid no at ten ti on. Off I w en t wi th the
mo nk to the mo un ta in tem ple wh er e his
te ac he r lived, an d th er e, i ns pir ed by th e m em or y of my cri me s an d of tho se div ine
chi ld ren ,
I be ca me a m on k mysel f. Ev er since
th en I've
chanted the Sutra too."
i
5
i
.
A LITTLE LESSON Two holy men once lived at a mountain temple. One, Jiho, was devoted to the Lo tus Sut ra an d the other , Ji ko n, to the Su tr a of Di am on d Wi s do m. T he ir hut s sto od a few hu nd re d ya r ds apar t. J i k o n ha d visibly
pu t the po w e r of his sut ra into acti on, b ec au se his
meals came to him all by themselves and he never had to give them a thought. Jiho, on the other hand, got all his provisions from the faithful who visited him and was far from well off. Puffed up with pride at his success, Jikon assumed that thanks to the sutra he served, and thanks to the super
ior ity of his ow n practic
e, t he angels
an d pro tec tor go ds we re
wa tc hi ng ove r him da y an d night; w he re as that L otu s fell ow wa s was ti ng his ti me on a su tr a of less er st at ur e an d ha d in any case
less merit , s o th at
the protectors could not be bothered with him. Ji ko n wa s enter tain ing these ugly
tho ugh ts wh en Ji ho 's acolyte
pe ne d by. J i k o n too k the op po rt un it y to adver tise his virtue. "And what are " H e does n't have people bring him."
hap
ow n po we r an d
your master's powers?" he inquired.
an y, " the boy
an sw er ed . "H e just ma na ge s wit h wh at
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1
8
Ji ho ' s only co mm en t wa s, " He ' s quite right T h er e ca me a da y w h e n Ji k o n got no
of cours e, quite right."
food. H e got none
the next
da y
either. By sundown on the third day he was not only hungry and frig htene d, bu t also
an gr y wi th Su bh ut i, the B ud dh a' s chief disciple
in
the sutra he served. That night he dreamed that an old monk, with his right shoulder bare in the Indian fashion, came to him and said, "I'm Su bh ut i. Y ou may serve
the Di am on d Wi sd om Sut ra, but
so far yo u'r e
no mode l of w h a t it tea che s. T ha t' s w h y the ange ls br ing yo u nothi ng. Wh at ma kes yo u think
you 'v e an y right
"B ut then , who 's been provi " Y o u r food? O h , tha t's from y o u an d he sen ds y o u the food
to compl
din g my fo od? " aske d Ji ko n. J i h o . He 's kind
eno ug h to tak e pity on
whi ch th e pr ot ec to r go ds of the L otu s
br in g him . But y ou ' r e so stu pid yo u' ve gotten al yo u' ve sla nde re d Ji h o instead . You 'd better confess
ain ?"
l p uffed up
go to him
abo ut it and
right
aw ay and
y o u r fault."
W h e n Ji k o n wo ke up, he bitterly
regr etted
his behavio r. H e wen t
straight to Jiho's hut, prostrated himself, and begged his pardon. "But w h y , " he as ke d, " h a v e y o u sent me
no food just thes e last few da y s? "
Jiho smiled. "I'm afraid I simply forgot to ask the protectors to bring you any," he answered. And his acolyte set the dinner he had just made before Jikon. Once Jikon was home again, the meals came as before. Jikon gave up his pr id e an d be ca me Ji ho 's follower. I
n time
ge th er an d we r e we lc om ed by all the saints into
O n e ev en in g so me mo nk s on Mo u n t Hiei ma ke rice
the tw o pas sed aw ay to par adi se .
dec ide d it wo uld be
du mp li ng s. A y o u n g acolyt e pr ic ke d up h is ear s at their
fun to talk,
but thought he had better not look as though he were waiting up for the du mp li ng s.
Ins tea d, he
we nt o ff into
a co rn er and pre te nd ed to go to
sleep. E ven tua lly a flurry of
activity
an no un ce d that the dum pli ng s we re
ready. The boy felt pretty sure they would wake him now, and at last, thank go od ne ss , a m o n k did call him . If he an sw er ed right
aw ay , tho ug h, the y
would know he had been lying awake all the time. Bravely, he steeled him sel f to be pat ie nt t il l th ey called him ag
ai n.
" N o w , now , don' t bo th er hi m! " chi ded child and he's fast asleep!"
an ot he r voice. "He
's just
a
W h a t a let dow n! Th er e wa s no sec ond c all . A ll he he ar d wa s ch ew in g an d th e sm ac ki ng of lips.
Final ly he coul d sta nd it no
lon ger . Ag es after
the one call he piped up, "Yes? What is it?" The monks roared with laughter.
i
5
3
.
THE POT-HEADED DEMON Th e boy
acoly tes
at the
grea t Bu dd his t temp les
are popu la r wit h the
monks, who are sometimes sorry to see them ordained and their beauty ta rn is he d by plain , dull ro be s. At a sort
of fare wel l pa rt y bef ore an acol yte 's or di na ti on , on e of th e
mo nk s be ca me ve ry d ru n k . In his
befu ddl ed gaie ty he re ac he d for a
three-legged cauldron that happened to be handy, then stuck his head into it so that he could dance as a three-horned, pot-headed demon. His nose was a bit in the way but he squashed it down, got his head in, and performed to the company's uproarious applause. When his dance was over, he tried to get the cauldron off. The festive mood was dampened when he discovered he could not, and the monks began wondering what to do. They tried coaxing and tugging the caul dron, but blood just ran down the fellow's neck, which swelled till he could hard
ly br ea th e. Th e coul d not br ea k the cau ldr on, either, an
d the
awful clanging inside it when they tried was more than the fellow could bear. Finally they gave up, threw a cloth over the cauldron's projecting legs, ga ve th e mo n k a staff to lean on , a nd led h im by th e ha n d to a ph ysi cia n in town. All the way there the people stared and stared. He loo ked ver y pec ul iar sittin g th er e in front
of th e phy sici an. W h e n
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he tried to talk, his voice was so muffled that no one could make out what he was saying. "My books have nothing about a case like this," the physician de clared. "There's no oral tradition on the subject either." So they took him back to the temple, where his relatives and his aged mother gathered with tears and groans at his bedside. It was impossible to tell whether he even heard them or not. Finally someone pointed out that the monk's life at least could be saved, though he might lose his ears and nose in the process. The idea was simply to pull as hard as possible. They carefully lined the cauldron with straw, to keep the metal away from his face, and pulled till they pra cti cal ly to re his hea
d off. O ff ca me the cau ld ro n wit h the nose
an d
ears, leaving only blank holes.
i 5 4 .
RIOTOUS LIVING Z6 yo , th e f ift h son of Ma jo r Cou nse lo r Ts un es uk e, w as such
an impres
sive monk that people thought him a living buddha. He had done the gre at pil gri mag e th ro ug h the Om i n e Mo un ta in s twice, and rites
he conju red up
visions
in some of his
of sna kes , dr ag on -ho rse s, an d oth er bizarre
cr ea tu re s. Y ou coul d he ar act ors an d musicia
ns car ryi ng on at his house
from
tw o hu nd re d y a r d s aw ay , an d y o u n g gu ar ds fr om the
from
pri vat e ho us eh ol ds we re al way s wa nd er in g in an d out an d ma kin g
palace
or
a great noise. Peddlers would come around selling saddles, swords, and practically anything else, and since Z6yo paid whatever price they asked, the area outside his gate was a veritable market. Every luxury in the world was his to enjoy. Zo y o w as dee pl y invol ved
wit h a y o u n g wiz ard who m he
had onc e
seen dance, to loud applause, at a rice-planting festival. Hopelessly in love, h e ha d qu ic kl y de ci de d th at if he wa nt ed the boy
wit h him a ll the
time he would have to make him into a monk. "I don't know," the boy said,
"I 'd ra th er sta y as I am fo r a wh il e. " But Zoy o, inc ap abl e of letting
the matter drop, kept after him till very reluctantly he agreed. Now, it was a dreary day and the spring rain was pouring endlessly down. Zoyo asked a servant whether the boy's old clothes were still around somewhere.
"Yes, Your Grace, they're still in the storeroom," the servant replied. "T he n bring
them he re ."
Th e clo the s w er e bro ug ht an d Zo yo told "B ut I' ll look
the boy
fun ny in th em n o w ! " the boy
to put the m on.
pr ote ste d.
"P ut the m on ! " re pea te d Zo yo in a ton e that dis cou rag ed ar gu me nt . Th e boy w en t off into a co rn er an d ch an ge d. He cam e out we ar in g his da nc er 's bird he ad dr es s, an d in fact loo ked exac tly as he had before Zo yo ma de a m on k of him . Z oy o' s face cr ink le d up at the sight as tho ug h he was going to cry; and the boy too, standing before his master, suddenly looked very serious. " D o yo u r em em be r the steps of
yo ur
Hajkirite dance?" Zoyo asked.
" N o , I'm afr aid not . B ut I do r e m e m b e r a littl e of
Katcuawara because
I rehearsed it so much." The boy began to dance, leaping gracefully about the little room like a bird . Z oy o le t out a ho wl of an gu is h an d bu rs t into tea rs. "Come here," he commanded. The boy came, and Zoyo fondled him tend erly . "W h y, oh w h y did I ever
ma ke a mo nk of y o u ? " he gr oa ne d.
"I told y o u ! " said th e boy. " I told yo u y o u ou gh t to wa it !" Zoyo made him undress and led him into the next room. Goodness knows what happened after that.
i
5
5
.
THE BOY WHO LAID THE GOLDEN STONE A m on k on M o u n t Hiei was a
fin e scho lar,
but hav ing no pa tr on he wa s
so poor that he finally found it impossible to stay on the mountain. Instead, he moved to a temple named Urin'in in the northern part of Ky ot o. He did no t ev en ha ve any pa r e nt s to tu r n to for he lp . All he co uld do wa s go eac h m on th to Kur am a, a mo un ta in san ct ua ry not far aw ay , to pr ay for
div ine aid. H e m a d e th es e pi lg ri ma ge s faithfully
for
sev era l
years. O n e da y in the midd
le of th e nin th mo on , he we nt to Ku r a m a as usual,
accompanied by a single, miserable little acolyte. On his way back he re ach ed the out
sk irt s of the C api tal just as
the su n s et, but the moo
so bright that he hurried on. As he came down a little street north
n was
2
2
2
of Fir st Av en ue , a ha nd so m e bo y of ab ou t sixteen, w
ea ri ng a casually
belted white robe, fell in beside him. The boy looked as though he must be from some temple and the monk found it odd that he had no monk with him. "W he re are yo u going, Yo
ur Re ve re nc e? " asked the
" H o m e to Ur in'i n," the monk repl "Pl ease take m
boy.
ied.
e with y o u! "
"W el l, I do n' t eve n k n o w yo u an d I 'm afraid I a r e you going , an yw ay ? T o y o u r mas ter 's house? T
really
sho uld n't . W he r e
o yo ur pare nts ? I'd be
ha p p y to ta ke y o u hom e wit h me, o f cou rs e, bu t I hate
to thin k wh at
trouble I could get into for it later on!" "I un de r st an d h o w y o u f ee l, Y o u r Re ve re nc e, bu t yo u see, ten ag o my ma st er an d I quar re le d, and I've been
day s
wa nd er in g in a daz e ever
sin ce. I do n' t ha ve an y pa re nt s be ca us e the y died wh en I wa s yo u ng . So I de ci de d tha t if I cou ld jus t find
so me on e to love me,
I'd fo llow
him
anywhere." "W e ll the n,
I'll be gl ad to ha ve y o u . I t wo n' t be my fault, after
th er e ar e re pe rc us si on s. B ut I've
no on e living with me,
all, if
yo u kn ow , exce pt
thi s po o r chi ld he re . I'm afra id it 'll be a ve ry dull li fe for y o u . " De sp it e the se an d simil ar dutiful pr ote sta tio ns whi ch he ma de as the y walked along, the monk found the boy so beautiful that he loved him alr ead y, and he
wa s de te rm in ed now
to go ahe ad. W he n they
rea ched
Urin'in he lit a lamp and looked the boy over more carefully. With his white skin and his prettily rounded face he was really adorable, and extr aord inar ily distingui wa s no co mm on er 's son.
shed-l ooking. Wh But the
at ama zing good fo rtune! T
boy refused to
his
an sw er an y questi ons
about his father. The monk prepared the bed with special care, had the boy lie down, a n d lay d o w n him se lf ne xt to him . Aft er ch at ti ng aw hi le bo th fe ll aslee p. In the morning all the neighboring monks came to admire the boy, but the monk was not anxious to display him and did his best to keep him ou t of sigh t. Hi s gr ow in g pas sio n f or the boy surp
ri se d him.
That evening the monk cuddled up to the boy and began fondling him. Then a startled look came over his face. "I've never touched any woman's body but my mother's since the day I was born," he said, "so I'm not qu ite su re wh a t a w o m a n fee ls like, bu t yo u' r e ve ry d ifferent te mp le bo ys I've bee melt towar since I first
d yo u.
any more?"
the
Are y o u a girl ? Tell me if y o u are . I've wa nt ed y o u eve r
sa w yo u, a nd I just can't und
" W h a t if I
from
n wi th befo re ! I do n' t k n o w w h a t it is, I just see m to
were a gi rl ?" said the boy, s
er st an d it oth er wis e. " miling. " Wo ul dn 't yo u wa nt me
"I f y o u ' r e a girl an d I ke ep yo u, pe op le are goin
g to talk
a lot an d I
do n' t like th e th ou gh t of tha t on e bit. An d h o w is th e B u d d h a go in g to feel? That's even worse!"
L < pr et ty bad , as f ar the B ud dh a' s co nc er ne d, if it's my
"I suppose it bei ng a girl
tha t mak es yo u so fond
wo n' t see yo u wit h an yt hi ng but
of me ! Bu t an yw ay , ot he r peo ple
a boy. Y ou m us t alw ay s talk to me an d
be ha ve wit h me as y o u wo ul d wit h a bo y. " Th e y o u n g per so n se em ed highly amused.
u i a girl!" thought the monk, frightened now and wishing he
"So he
ha d ne ve r go tt en him sel f int o thi s. He cou ld not
se nd he r aw ay , she wa s
just to o de a r, b u t h e a v o i d e d sle ep in g t o o close t o h e r a n d m a d e s u r e there was at least some clothing between them. In the end, though, he could not help being a man, and they became a loving couple in every sens e of th e wo r d. Th e mo nk was so
ha pp y that he
cou ld hard ly believe
it, while his neighbors could not imagine how a destitute fellow like him coul d ever hav
e got ten himself
so delicious a
y o u n g ma n.
In time the "boy" began feeling unwell and stopped eating. The monk could not
un de rs ta nd i t. "I' m pregn ant , yo u see ," she explai ned.
The monk's face fell. "Oh no!" he groaned. "This is awful! For months n o w I've
be en pr es en ti ng y o u to eve ry on e as a boy . W h a t are we goi ng
to do w he n yo u have a
baby?"
"Just behave as though nothing had happened. Don't tell anyone any thing. And when the time comes, keep quiet." Th e mon k spent
the next
mo nt hs in an ago ny of app reh ens ion . W h e n
the moment was finally near, the "boy" looked very sad and cried all the time. The monk cried too. " Oh , I hur t do wn th er e! " she excla imed. "I
think
the bab y's co mi ng !"
The monk went into a paroxysm of agitated distress. "Don't get flustered," said the "boy." "Spread me a mat in a shed somewhere." The monk spread a mat in a storage shed and she went in to lie down. Soon she gave birth, and when it was over she put her outer robe over the child
an d nu rs ed it . Nex t, she
simp ly va nis hed . Th e ast oni she d m on k
crept to where the baby lay and removed the robe. It w a s not a b a b y at all but a
big ston e. De sp it e the w a ve of fear an d
revulsion that swept over him, he brought up a light for a better look. Th e st one gl ea me d go ld . In fact,
it
waj gold! The "boy" was gone and he
missed her with all his heart, but he realized that the whole thing had bee n pla nn ed for
his benefit
by the B is ha mo n of Ku ra ma . After
tha t he
b r o k e off bits of th e go ld to sell, a little at a ti me , a nd liv ed as co mf or ta bl y as he wished.
2
2
4
5
i
6 .
CHERRY BLOSSOMS A little acolyte on Mount Hiei, fresh from the country, arrived when the cherry trees were in full bloom. When a cruel wind sent the petals flying, the boy burst into tears. " W h a t ma ke s y ou cry
so, my
d e a r ? " a mo nk gently
comfo rted him.
" A r e y o u so rr y to see th e flo wer s fal l? But flower s ne ve r last, vou kn ow . They always fall. You shouldn't cry!" " W h o ca re s w h e th e r th ey fall or no t! " the boy so bb ed . "No t me!
But
if th e ba rl ey fl owe rs in D a d d y ' s fie ld bl ow aw ay there' ll be no cr op an d
that'd be
awfulV He bawled all the harder.
So much for
that sweet child's sensitive feelings.
I
1
i
5
7
THE THIRST FOR PARADISE A gentleman who longed ardently for rebirth in paradise was afraid of what his body might do to confuse him when the time came, since the bo dy is tr ea ch er ou s at best . "If I'm ve ry il l," he reflected, "my la
st mo
m e nt s w on ' t go th e w a y I ho pe a nd I wo n' t get to pa ra di se . It'l l be mu ch easier to keep my mind steady if I die in perlect health." So he decided
.
to bur n as a h um an la mp , the w a y the Bo dhi sat tv a Kiken
did in the Lo tu s
Sutra. Un su re w he th er he dev ise d a test:
cou ld actua lly
be ar the pain, how
ev er , he fir st
he pr es se d tw o re d- ho t shov el bl ad es aga inst his
bo dy wi th
his arms. Since the pain was bearable, he continued his preparations. Then he realized that this course would actually be all too easy. On the ot he r ha nd , he d o u b te d tha t he co ul d ev er ac hi ev e in this lif e th e wi sd om and virtue simply to go to paradise without trying, and he was still worried about what doubts might assail him when he came to die natu rally. At this point he remembered Mount Fudaraku, Kannon's paradise. Mount Fudaraku really exists in this world and is accessible in this body. Th at wa s wh er e he sho uld go ! He gav e up tre ati ng his bu rn s an d set out in ste ad for
th e coas tal pr ov in ce of Tos a, wh e r e he got a n e w bo at an d
practiced sailing. When he felt ready, he asked a seaman to warn him as soon as a steady breeze should set in from the north. When the day came, he hoisted his sail and started south alone. There was no stopping him. His wife and children could only watch him go. They wept as he vanished over the horizon. Hi s un be nd in g resolv e ar ou se d gre at adm ira tio n at the
time. Pe opl e
felt sure that he must have reached his goal.
i
5
8
.
THE CHANTING SKULL In E mp re ss Ko ke n' s reign
the mo n k Eik o lived
in the village
of K u m a no
in Kii. H e had mo v ed th er e to brin g th e bles sing s of the Te ac hi ng to that rem ote shore
, an d the villagers reve
red him
as a bo dhi sat tva . Ev en the
empress recognized that he was a saint. Even tuall y an ot he r mon k arrive d but s aid not hin g abo ut wh er e he had co me from. H
is onl y pos ses sio ns w e r e a Lo tu s Su tr a in tin y wr iti ng, a
silve r jug, a nd a ro ug h string
chai r. Fo r ye ar s he wo rs hi pp ed by Eiko's
side till one day, as mysteriously as he had arrived, he announced he was leaving. He was going over the mountains to Ise, he said, and he left Eik o his chai r. Ei ko w a s to uc he d. H e ga ve the mon k a ge ne ro us pa rti ng gi ft of pa rc he d rice an d sent
tw o me n wi th him to
ke ep him
co mp an y on
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2
6
th e tra il. Aft er th e fi rs t da y, th e m o n k ga ve the a nd his be gg in g bo wl an d sen t th em h om e. All
me n hi s Sutr a, his rice, he kep t wa s his silver jug
and a long rope. T w o y e a r s later, so m a n o Riv er to
me villager s we re in
the mo un ta in s alon g the Ku-
cu t ti m be r for a bo at wh e n the y he ar d a far-off
ceasel essly ch an ti ng the Lo tu s Sutr a. T he awe d villagers it w a s com in g from
bu t found no
voice
looked fo r wh er e
th in g. Ha lf a ye ar l ater, th ey we re bac k
to bring out their boat and heard the voice again. They left their boat where it was and went to tell Eiko, who came straight back to the mountains with them. Aft er a lo ng se ar ch Ei ko di sc ov er ed a ske let on ha ng in g aga ins t a cliff. T h e m a n h ad t h r o w n hi mse lf off th e c li ff after tyin wi th a ro pe , by
n o w prac tica lly rotte
wh ic h Ei ko re co gn iz ed at on ce . This
g eac h foot
to the top
d aw ay . N e ar by lay a silver
jug,
wa s h ow the mo nk had chos en to
fl ee th e so rr ow s of mo rt al li fe . Ei ko we pt . Afte r th re e y e a r s Eik o we nt ba ck to the mo un ta in s an d hear d the voice ag ain . Th is time he ch an ti ng as it had
found the
skull. Still
un co rr up te d, the
to ng ue wa s
wh e n the mo nk lived . E ik o pr os tr at ed himself
before
it and took the lesson to heart. He often remembered his friend in his pr ay er s after
tha t, an d gav e hims elf entir ely to ch an ti ng the L otu s.
1
5
o,
THE LITTLE GOD SAILS AWAY D o k o , a m o nk an d Lot us de vo te e w h o lived at Tennoji , confined himself eac h y e a r for th e s u m m e r re tre at at K um an o. He wa s on his wa y bac k from Ku m a n o wh en , one eve nin g at su nd ow n, h e found himself passin g al on g th e sh or e in Mi n a b e co un ty of the prov inc e of Kii; so he
ca mp ed
on the spot under a large tree. In th e mi dd le of th e nigh t a lot of ho rs em en rod e up ne ar by . W h o in th e wo r ld coul d th ey be?
D o k o he ar d on e cal l out, "A re yo u the re, yo u
old ma n un de r the tr ee ? " " H e r e I am ! " an sw er ed a voice. Doko was surprised to learn that someone else was under the tree too. " H u r r y up, th en ! Co m e wit h us! " the rider
calle d again .
The voice under the tree declined. "Not tonight, I'm afraid," it said.
.
" M y ho rs e' s legs
ar e br ok e n an d I ca n' t rid e hi m. I'l l ha ve to fix hi m
to mo rr ow or find ano th er horse . An d I'm just too old to wal k, yo u kn ow ." Th e horse me n rode ar ou nd the
tre e.
aw ay . At da wn
He found no
th ing but
the
wo rr ie d Do k o che ck ed
al l
the cru mb li ng imag e of a roa d
god, obviously very old. Images like this were supposed to have a man pa rt and a
w o m a n part , bu t the w o m a n pa rt w a s miss ing.
In front
of th e
go d w a s a vot ive pl aq ue wi th a pi ct ur e of a ho rs e on it . T he legs br ok en off D o k o real ized that it
were
wa s the go d' s voic e tha t he ha d he ar d
last night. He tied the piece with the legs on it back in place with some string so that the picture was whole again, then stayed to see what might happen next. That night he lay under the tree again and the riders came as before. Thi s tim e th e go d got on his
ho rs e an d ro de o ff wi th th em . T ow a rd d a w n
Doko heard him come back. In a mo me nt an ol d man cam e to D o k o an d bo we d. " Ho ly ma n ," he said, " yo ur cu ri ng my ho rs e all owe d me to do my du ty . I ow e y o u mor e th an I ca n ev er re pa y!
I'm the roa d go d un de r this tree . All tho se rider s
we re god s of dis ea se.
No rm al ly I cle ar th e w a y for th em as
th ey go
th ro ug h the land, a nd if I don 't go wi th the m th ey bea t an d ab us e me cru ell y. Bu t n o w I'm sur e th at th an k s to y o u I ca n cas t of f thi s po or sh ap e of mi ne an d be reb or n in some far
no ble r for m."
D o ko ex pre sse d hi s w on d e r an d pro tes ted he
could not
possibly
br in g
about any such happy change. "Holy man," the god replied, "stay under this tree for three days, chanting the Lotus Sutra. I'll listen, and by the power of the Sutra I'll leave this suffering body and be reborn into the La nd of Bliss." The
n he vani she d.
Doko complied. For three days and three nights he chanted the Lotus Su tr a an d on the fourth day
the old
co mp ass io n, hol y m a n ," he said,
ma n ap pe ar ed again. "B
y your
"I 'm leavin g this bo dy forev er an d tak
ing on a much better one. I'm going to be reborn far away to the south, on Mo u n t F ud ar ak u whe re the blessed Ka
nn on liv es, as a follower
bod hisa ttv a. Th is is be ca use I've he ar d the Lo tus . If y ou wa nt proof
of the that
I sp ea k the tru th , m ak e a litt le bo at ou t of br an ch es , pu t my w oo de n image in it, and launch the boat on the sea. Then watch what happens." And once again the old man disappeared. D o k o ma de the boa t an d l aid the ima ge in calm but
w h e n he pu t it in the the boat sa
iled
wa te r, a nd ther e w a s not a br ea th of wi nd ,
straig ht to wa rd the
D o k o pr os tr at ed himself
it . Th e sea w a s perfe ctly
sout h.
Ha vi ng wa tc he d it go,
to wa rd it ti ll it fade d from vie w. Me an wh il e an
old man in the village nearby dreamed he saw the road god, now decked in glory, flying amid strains of heavenly music toward the south.
2
2
8
i
Q
o .
THE UNEARTHLY FRAGRANCE Being all alone in the world, a nun in Chikuzen province, in Kyushu, so ug ht out a
mo un ta in te mp le wh er e she cook
sain tly m o n k w h o lived
ed ye ar a fter ye ar for the
th er e. S he nev er st opp ed calling
Am ida 's holy
Name, and not discreetly either, because she did it in a voice so piercing that it was more a shriek than a chant. The monk's disciples came to hate th e noise and lost
no op po rt un it y to sl and er her to their
mast er, wh o
eventually sent her away. Having nowhere to go she wandered the plain, still calling Amida, till a good woman invited her in. "We have a large house here," the woman tol d her,
" a n d larg e gr o u n ds — pl en ty of ro om for yo u to sta y an d go on
calling the Name!" The nun accepted gladly, and was so grateful to be fed and kindly cared for that she asked for some flax to spin in return. At first the w o m a n wo ul d not he ar of th e idea, but
the nun insisted. T
he thr ead she
spun was so fine that the woman was deeply touched. "Here I'd been gl ad jus t to giv e y o u a pl ac e to call th e N a m e , " she excla ime d, " an d no w you're spinning for me so lovingly!" Ye ar s later
th e nu n said on e da y to the wo ma n, "T he day after tom or
row I'm going to die. May I bathe in preparation? You've been so kind to me all thi s ti me, a n d I w a nt to sh ow y o u w h a t ou r last mo me nt s can be. But don't tell anyone!" She wept as she spoke. Though saddened by this news, the woman kept the secret. On th e da y, t he nu n ba th ed an d pu t on a clea n ro be,
the n sat do w n
facing the west and began calling the Name as loudly as always while the woman watched her, respectfully, from a few feet away. Darkness fell. Late in the night an unearthly light shone over the fields nearby and the w o m a n fel t afra id; bu t w h e n th e air w a s fi ll ed wi th an ind esc rib abl e fragrance and a purple cloud floated down from the heavens to envelop the house, the woman joined her voice to the nun's in calling the lord. Then the nun quietly touched her hands to her forehead and passed away. The woman had never seen anything so moving, and wept as she pr os tr at ed hers elf in love
an d aw e.
A cer tai n w o r t h y mo nk wh o later
lived
on Mo un t Koy a wa s par t of
the h ou se ho ld at th e time , be ing only ab ou t twel ve ye ar s old. Th e wo ma n told him the story, assuring him that although she had not seen Amida Buddha and all the saints and bodhisattvas coming to greet the nun's
soul, she certainly had seen the light and the purple cloud. In fact, the fra gra nce of th e nu n' s pa ss in g ha d pe rf um ed her, a nd sta yed wi th her forever after. Yes, it's true that those who are to be reborn in paradise always know beforehand when they are to go and are able to let others know. May you too, who hear this story, be filled with faith and devoutly call the N a m e , so as to pass
i
6
a
w h e n y o u r tim e co me s into the L an d of Bliss!
.
A TWINGE OF REGRET No t ma n y y e a rs ago a
holy man called Ren
gej o realiz ed tha t he w as
growing weaker and weaker with age, and that death was not far off. Since his greatest hope was to die with his thoughts on Amida (for then he would go to Amida's paradise), he decided that when he felt ready he would take no chances but end his own life by drowning. Toren,
an
old
and
experienced
friend,
immediately
disapproved.
"Y ou 'd be a fo ol to do th a t! " he w ar ne d. " O n the co nt ra ry , y o u sho uld ke ep calling
th e N a m e just as lon g as y o u possibly
the n will me an m or e merit for
can b ec au se ev ery day
you."
When Rengejo remained unconvinced, Toren gave in and promised that he would stop objecting. "What will be, will be!" he sighed, and help ed R eng ejo get ready
.
Th e ne ws of wh a t Re nge jo wa s go in g to do had large, pio
qui ckl y spr ea d, a nd a
us cr ow d wa s wa it in g by the Ka ts ur a Riv er to wo rs hi p an d to
sh ar e in the ble ssi ng of his pa ss in g. Re ng ej o fou nd a d ee p st re tc h of th e str eam , called
the N a m e loudl y, an d a mo me nt later
pl un ge d in. To re n,
standing nearby, wept for a friend he knew he would miss. A few da ys later
To re n wa s ta ke n i ll , ap pa re nt ly un d er the influen
of a spirit, a n d his state ca
us ed gr ea t al ar m until
finally
ce
th e spirit dec la re d
itself. "I am Rengejo," it said. "I don't un
de rs ta nd !" To re n excl aime d. "W e we re friends
for ye ar s
an d y o u ne ve r ha d an yt hi ng aga ins t me ! Y ou die d suc h a holy de at h! never imagined "Y ou tried to
yo u' d come ba
I
ck !"
sto p me, y o u se e, " th e spirit
an sw er ed , "b ut y o u had n' t
realize d h o w de te rm in ed I was . N o w it's al l ove r. Wh a t I did wa s just fo r
2
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0
my salvation, not for anyone else's, and I don't mean to say that when the time came I had any wish to pull back. I really don't know
what
happened. But at any rate, I was about to go in when suddenly I didn't want to go through with it. There was such a crowd, though, that I didn't see ho w I co ul d ve ry well ch an ge my mi nd . I loo ke d at yo u and ou r eyes met . Wh a t my look mea nt wa s, 'Ple ase sto p me !' But yo u did n't un de r st an d a n d y o u just se eme d to urg e me on. I wa s so an gr y as I wen t un de r th at I co ul dn 't poss ibl y hav e go ne to par adi se. N o w I'm wa nd er in g in a re gi on I ne ve r w a n t e d to see. It's all my fault an d I'm not bl am in g yo u, bu t i t's th at last
tw in ge of reg ret that' s bro ug ht me bac k to y o u ."
What happened to Rengejo should stand as a warning. The human spirit is elusive, and one never knows which way it will turn.
Y
I
N
-
W
I
Z
A
Y R
A D
N
G
R
Y
II
162.
DADDY, WHO WERE THOSE PEOPLE?
Th e yi n- ya ng divine
r Ka mo no Ta da yu ki was the
equal of
ma st er s of th e past, a nd inc om pa ra bl e in his ow n time.
the greatest
His advi ce an d
services were valued highly both by the court and by private patrons. Tadayuki was just setting out to do a purification when fatherly affec tion made him decide to take along his nine-year-old son Yasunori, who sat besid e him
all th ro ug h th e rite. Whi le the y we re ridi ng ho me in
Tadayuki's carriage, little Yasunori said, "Daddy?"
"Yes?" " D a dd y , du ri ng the purification
I sa w lots of peo ple . The y looked lik
e
people but they weren't, and they were very scary. They ate up the food offerings, th
en th ey got on
th e lit tle bo at s, car ria ge s, an d hors es y o u' d
laid out an d the y al l we nt aw ay . Wh a t we re they,
Daddy?"
Tadayuki was amazed. He knew he had an unusual gift for the art, but
h e ha d neve r seen supe to see th em only
rn at ur al being s w he n he wa s a child. He had
co me
gra dua lly , as his stu dy pro gre sse d. "Y asu no ri must be
ge ni us if he can see
a
th em just lik e tha t, eve n no w , " he th ou gh t. " H e mu st
ha ve th e sa me gif t th at peop le had in th
e Ag e of the G od s, wh e n su pe r
natural beings and men mingled quite freely." Ta da yu ki was right. Y
as un or i gr ew up
to be a gre at master, an
d hi s
children and grandchildren flourished in the same way.
i
6
3
.
THE CUELSE
Ot su ki no
Mo ch is uk e, the
to a di st in gu is he d line
son of the Bud ge t Bu re au direc tor, bel ong ed
of su ch off ici als . He w a s also extr
em el y ta le nt ed
an d wo ul d cer tain ly ha ve atta ine d unu sua l pr om in en ce if he had Un fo rt un at el y, he ha d rivals
w h o fe lt tha t he stood in
lived.
th e w a y of the ir
ow n ad va nc em en t an d ther efor e wa nt ed to be rid of him. After
an oracle,
delivered in his own home, told him he had an enemy, he consulted a yi n- ya ng di vi ne r for a lis t of da ys w h e n he sho uld take special pre
ca u
tions. On the days indicated by the diviner he barred his gate securely to the world. His enemy secretly commissioned another diviner to secure his death by magic. "Naturally we'll have to be cautious while he's in seclusion," said
th e ene my ma gic ian , " bu t if we w o r k to ge th er an d l ay a cu rse on
hi m on one of th os e da ys , it's su re to w o r k . Ta k e me to his ho us e a n d ge t hi m to co m e ou t. H e w on 't ope n his ga te , of co ur se , bu t I on ly ne ed to hear his voice. If I can just hear him talk, we'll get him." Off the y we nt to Mo ch is uk e' s hou se, wh er e his en em y po un de d fu riously on the gate. He insisted to the servant who answered that he had urgent business with Mochisuke and that, seclusion or no seclusion, he should be allowed to slip inside. The servant reported this to Mochisuke,
2
3
2
who adamantly refused. "Everyone has a right to look out for his own safety," he said, "and I don't want that fellow in here. Tell him to go away." "All rig ht ," said
the en em y, " bu t if he wo n' t op en the
gate , at lea st he
could put his head out the little window there." Pe rh ap s it wa s just Moc hi su ke 's ka rm a to die, beca
use that
is exactly
what he did. He put his head out the little window and asked his visitor what he wanted. As he did so the diviner heard his voice and saw his face, and laid on him the most powerful curse he could summon. Since th e visi tor ac tu al ly had no th in g to say, h e cou ld only an sw er tha t he wa s going down to the country and thought Mochisuke should know. " H e mu st be ma d to have called me
out just
to hea r
that,"
Mochisuke
fumed as he drew his head back in. Soon his head began to ache, and in three days he was dead. They say that the man who commissioned the curse died shortly after wa rd s un de r unf ortu nat e circ umsta nces . It wa s frightening
how hi s curse
turned right back on him.
164.
THE HARMLESS HAUNT As a scholar, Ki no Haseo was so magnificently learned that he had no rival in
al l the wo rl d. Ho we ve r, he kn ew not hi ng of yi n- ya ng lore.
A dog kept jumping over the wall to piss in Haseo's garden, and Haseo wa s pu zz le d en ou gh to
con sult a yi n- ya ng divin er ab out it . He hoped to
learn whether the dog's doings boded well or ill. T he divin er div ine d. "We ll, there'll b and -su ch
e a de mo n in y ou r house on
a da te ," he an no un ce d. "D on 't wor ry, thou
gh. This
do es n' t hu rt peo pl e or pu t cu rs es on them , or an yt hi ng like th in g to do is to sh ut yo ur se lf up in seclusio
n on that da
suchdem on
tha t. Th e
y. "
By the time the day came, Haseo had forgotten all about it. Seclusion w a s th e la st th in g on his hous e to
co mpo se
mi nd . I nst ead , he ha d his st ud en ts over
Chi nese
poet ry. Lea rned meters,
to his
met aph ors, and
rhymes were blossoming on every page when suddenly a lugubrious howl issued from the closet nearby. The assembled scholars quaked where th ey sat. T he n so me on e cr ac ke d op en the
closet
doo r. A de mo n burst
forth. It was two feet tall, with a white body and legs and a black head, an d it ha d a singl e bl ac k hor n. T h e y w e r e all fr igh ten ed out of the ir wi ts . But one among the company, a wise and brave man, kicked at the demon's head as it darted by. The black thing fell off. Why, the creature wa s a wh it e do g, b ar ki ng an d ya p p i n g like
ma d!
had bee n a bu ck et . D u r i n g th e nigh t the dog had
Th e thi ng on its he ad got ten into
the closet
and ended up with its head stuck in the bucket, which was why its howl had sounded so weird. The relieved scholars burst into laughter. So it hadn't been a demon after all, but the diviner had seen it as a de mo n becau se that' s wh at the
peop le fi rs t tho ug ht it wa s. E ve ry on e
admired how the diviner had even specified that the demon wasn't going to do any harm or lay any curses. What a masterly insight On the
ot he r ha nd , no on e th ou gh t m uc h of Ki no
that had been!
Ha se o. N o do ub t he
wa s ve ry lear ne d, bu t it had n' t be en ve ry cle ver of him to forg et all ab ou t the diviner's advice.
i 6 5 .
IN THE NICK OF TIME A moderately pious old nobleman, now a monk, lived in the southern par t of the Capita
l. He wa s we alt hy en ou gh to have
eve ryt hin g he wa nt ed
in lit e. On re ce iv ing a cr yp ti c or ac le in his ow n ho us e, he sen t for a y i n yang diviner named Kamo no Tadayuki to find out whether the oracle boded well or ill. Tadayuki determined that on such-and-such date the nobleman should stay strictly secluded at home, or risk being killed by robbers. W h e n the
da y cam e, the frighte
ned
no ble ma n bar re d his
gate
an d
admitted no one. Finally toward evening there was a pounding on the gate. At first the nobleman did not answer, but when the pounding continued he sent someone to find out who it was and to let the visitor k n o w that the ma
st er of the ho us e wa s in strict
identified himself
as Tai ra no Sa da mo ri , just back from the
provinc
seclus ion. T he visitor far no rt he rn
e of Mu ts u.
Sadamori was an old and close friend. He protested (through the se rv an t) tha t nig ht had ove
rt ak en him on
this la st stage of
home from the north and that in any case a taboo made it important for
his jo ur ne y
2
3
4
him not to arrive home that night. "Where else am I to go?" he asked. " Wh a t is this seclusion
of yo ur s ab ou t? "
Th e nob le ma n ans we re d that he
wa s kee pin g shut up
on a diviner's
orders because otherwise he risked being murdered by robbers. "In that case," replied Sadamori, "you should be happy to ask me in. H o w could
yo u even consid
Th is ma de sens e. "All
er tur nin g me aw ay ? " ri ght ," th e no bl em an
agr eed , "bu t just
You'l l h av e to send al l y o u r se rva nt s an d retai ner s aw ay f irs t. I'm taking any chances." Sa da mo ri com pl ie d willingl y. H e sent his
host
wo rd that
yo u. not
un de r the
circumstances he would not expect his host to greet him personally to nig ht.
He wo ul d mak e himself
see his
hos t in the mor
com for tab le in the gue st wi ng an d wo ul d
ni ng . Sa da mo ri then ate
di nn er an d we nt to bed .
In the middle of the night Sadamori heard someone try the gate. The robbers must have come. He armed himself and went to hide by the
weu the robbers. They got the gate open
carriage house. Yes, it certainly
with a sword, crowded inside, and went round to the south, front side of the man sio n. S ad am or i slipped in wh e re his host's
am on g th em.
valu able s we re stored, st
He kept the m awa y fro m
eerin g th em instead
tow ard an
empty part of the house. "Here, here!" he cried. "This is the place to break in!" The robbers of co ur se ha d no idea
w h o he wa s an d we re about to
begin
wh en Sa dam ori
realized his friend might really be killed. He would have to shoot them bef ore the y got inside. A
tou gh- lo oki ng , ar me d ro bb er wa s right
next to
him, but despite his fear he had to act. He shot the fellow from behind. T h e a r r o w we nt al l the wa y th ro ug h an d stu ck out the oth er side. "T he y' re sho oti ng from beh ind us !" sho ute d Sa da mor i. "Let's
get ou t! "
He dragged the body inside. "No, that was one of
U J shooting!" another robber cried bravely.
" Ne ve r min d! Co me on, let 's go in !" Sadamori dashed up behind him and shot him straight through the mid dle . "T he y' re shoo ting , I t el l y o u ! " he sho ute d. "W e hav e to get out of here!" He dragged the second body inside too and left it sprawled by the first. Fr om inside
the hou se he
beg an shoot ing
the hum mi ng ar ro ws that
hunters use to start game. The robbers fled pell-mell toward the gate. Sadamori kept shooting at their backs and laid three robbers low before th ey ev en re ac he d it. Th e rest of the ba nd , whi ch ha d star ted out me n, k ep t tra vel ing . In the end four
me n l ay de ad wit hin the
as ten
ra ng e of
Sadamori's arrows, and a fifth, shot in the lower back and unable to run, lay
col lap sed in
th e ditc h a few
hu n dr e d y ar ds bey on d it . The next
morning the remnants of the band were arrested.
J
A
P
A
N
E
That nobleman was very lucky to have had Lord Sadamori stop by. It wo ul d have been th
e en d of him other
h ap pe ne d if he ha d really
wis e. J u s t thin k wh at woul d hav e
ke pt up his secl usion !
ASTRIDE THE CORPSE A ma n once a b a n d o n e d his
wife of
ma n y ye ar s and le ft he r so gri ef-
stricken that she fell ill and died. Alas, since the poor woman had no parents and no close friends there was no one to take her body away. She just lay where she was. The neighbors who peeped in through a crack were frightened to see that her hair did not fall out and her bones stayed firmly knit together; and when they noticed that there was always a light in the ho ran away.
us e, a nd a so un d of gr oa ni ng , th ey go t so afrai d th at th ey
T h e hu sb an d fe lt half de ad wi th fear
w h e n he he ar d ab ou t al l this.
"How am I to avoid the ghost's curse?" he wondered. "She died hating me and she's bound to get me." In his difficulty he sought help from a yin-yang diviner. The diviner agreed that this was a bad situation, but he promised to do his best. "Please be aware, though," he cautioned, "that the procedure is really
terrify ing.
I w an t y o u to un de rs ta nd that
clear ly at the outs et ."
At sundown the diviner led the husband to the corpse's house. Just listening from outside was enough to make the husband's hair stand on end , an d the th ou gh t of go in g in wa s really
mo re th an he coul d be ar, b ut
under the diviner's guidance he went in after all. It was true: his wife's hair was still in place and her skeleton was still intact. The diviner sat him down on the skeleton's back, gave him the hair to hold, and warned him at all co sts not to le t go of it. Th e n he read so me spells, an
nounced
he would have to leave, and reminded the husband again to expect a terrifying experience. The husband, more dead than alive, was left alone astride the corpse clutching its hair. D ar k n es s fe ll . In th e mid dle of
the nig ht th e cor pse sud de nl y said,
"Oof! What a weight!" Then it stood up and began to run around. "Now to go look for that brute!" it went on, and charged off. The husband ne ve r let go of th e hair, an
d th e co rp se eve ntu all y re tu rn ed to the hou se
and lay down again. There are no words to describe the husband's terror,
2
3
6
bu t he ke pt hol d of th e hai r a n d stay ed on th e co rp se t il l the cock s bega n to crow and the corpse fell silent. At da wn the diviner
ca me back . H av in g ma de sure
ha d kep t ho ld of th e hair, he r ea d so me mo r e spells
the hus ban d reall y
ov er the co rp se , the n
took the husband outside and told him he had nothing more to fear. The hu sb an d th an ke d him
wit h tea rs of gra tit ude . N ot hi ng ever did ha ppe n
to him. This ha pp en ed not al l that long ago, be caus e the husba dren are supposed to be alive still, and so are the diviner's.
nd' s grand chil
1
b
7
TWINLEAF The legendary musician Hakuga no Sammi spent one brightly moonlit night wa nd e r in g up an d d o w n in front of the Suz ak u Gate, n ea r the palace, playing his bamboo flute. As he did so another man appeared, dressed just like Sammi himself, and began to play too. Sammi could not imagine who the lellow was, but the tone of his flute was truly divine. Ne it he r ma n said
a wo rd .
The two met and played that way every moonlit night. The sound of the other
's flut e wa s so ex tr ao rd in ar y that Samm
i, dev our ed by curiosit y,
at last suggested that they try exchanging their instruments. The other m a n will ingl y did so.
S a m m i foun d th at his
flu te wa s of a qua lity un
known in the world. The two saw each other often enough, but since the other never said
.
an yt hi ng ab out wan ti ng his flut e back,
Sa mm i simply
kep t it . Afte r Sa m-
mi's de at h, His Ma je st y to ok posses sio n of th e flu te and had a ll th e best pl ay er s of th e ti me tr y it . N o t one of th em c ou ld get a no te ou t of it. In time Hi
s Maj est y had the great
fl uti st J o z o try
the fl ute. Jo z o
played it as beautifully as Sammi himself. "This flute's former owner is supposed to have gotten it at the Suzaku Gate," said His Majesty, deeply impr esse d. " G o an d play the re yourself, Jo
z o , and see wh at ha pp en s! "
The next moonlit night Jozo went to the Suzaku Gate and began to play. "Aha, another one!" cried a pleased voice from high in the gate's upper story. Jozo reported this to the emperor, who realized that the flute had belonged to a demon who lived in the gate. T he em pe r or called
the fl ute Tw in le af be ca us e it had
t wo leaves
on i t,
on e re d an d on e gr ee n. Le ge nd ha s it th at eve ry mo rn in g th e t wo leaves had fresh dew on them. La te r on the
fl ute bec am e the pro pe rt y of Lo rd Mic hi na ga an d w as
eve ntu all y de po si te d in th e Su tr a Hall
of th e Byod oin in Uji.
w h o saw it mo r e rec en tl y no te d th at the red leaf alas,
ha d fallen
So me on e
of f an d th at ,
th er e wa s not a tr ace of de w.
168.
NO NIGHT TO BE OUT COURTING In E m p e r o r Da ig o' s rei gn a cer tai n Mi ni st er of th e Righ t ha d a son nam ed Tsun eyu ki.
Th e yo un g man wa s both major
ma nd er of the Left Inn
counselo
er Gu ar ds , a ver y pro mis ing
r and com
com bin ati on that
clearly destined him for the highest posts in the imperial government. He was also handsome and amorous, and absorbed like no other in dreams of w o m e n. Ev er y nig ht he wa s of f on one rom an ti c exp edi ti on or an ot he r. Th e minister'
s resi denc e wa s in the wes ter n part
of the Capita
l. Ts u
ne yu ki w a s in love wit h a w o m a n in the eas te rn par t of the city
a n d his
constant visits to her worried his parents a great deal because the streets were unsafe after dark. Again and again they tried in vain to keep him at home. O n e nigh t he rod e of f as usua l, ac co mp an ie d by a single As th ey tr ave le d east past the Bif
uku mon 'in Ga te , one
mo un te d pa ge. of the sout he rn
gates into the palace compound, they saw a noisy crowd approaching
2
3
8
wit h tor che s. " W h o can they
b e ? " the y ou n g lord aske d. "W he re can we
hide?" "I noticed when I came this way today that the north gate to the Sh in se n G a r d e n w a s op en , " the pa ge replie d. "Le t' s go in, my lord, and close the gate. You can wait there till they've gone by." Ts une yuk i hurr iedl y dis mou nte d and crouch T he cr ow d st ar ted past. T
ed beside
a gatepost.
he tw o ha d ke pt the gat e cr ac ked open, and
when they spied not people but demons they all but lost their wits with te rr or . T hr o u gh the confu sion of thei r ow n pan ic the y he ar d a de mo n say, " H m m . I smell th em and Ts
a m an ! I' ll go cat ch hi m. " So me th in g hur tle d to wa rd
un ey uk i th ou gh t he wa s los t. The n it ran aw ay again.
" Wh a t ha pp en ed ? W h y didn't
yo u get hi m? " ano the r cried.
"I couldn't!" shouted Tsuneyuki's would-be assailant. "Why not? All right,
you go after him!" Another demon rushed the
gate, only to turn and flee. "Well? Where is he?" "I could n't to uch him
eit her !"
"W h a t' s the ma tt er wi th y o u ? All right, /'// sp ea ke r ch ar ge d.
He got
clos er th an
the
almost on Tsuneyuki (who thought this
do it!" Wit h this boast the othe rs, an d his
wcui
ha nd s we re
the end) when he too sud
denly fled. "W ha t' s w r o n g ? " a cho rus greete d him. "T he So ns ho Da ra ni ! He' s got the So ns ho Dara ni on him !" Su d de nl y al l th e to rc he s we nt out.
Fo ots tep s ran o ff in al l dire ctio ns,
then there was silence. The dark and quiet were even more eerily frightening than the demon's assault, and the hair rose on Tsuneyuki's head. Then he fainted. At last, more dead than alive, he remounted his horse and set out for home. By the time he reached his room he was ill, and he collapsed with a hig h fever. Hi
s father
sent som eo ne to find out
wh er e Ts un ey uk i ha d
bee n, bu t le ar ne d only that th e y o u n g ma st er had been out Fin all y th e min is te r ca m e himsel f an d found his son lying " W h a t is it? " he ask ed, feeling " O h sir,"
late las t night. helpl ess in bed .
Ts une yuk i' s bod y. It wa s bu rn ing hot.
crie d Ts une yu ki' s nurse,
"I just don' t kn ow wh at the mat ter
can be!" But when Tsuneyuki had told his story the nurse exclaimed, "G ra ci ou s!
Last ye ar my bro the r, who 's an
the S on sh o Da r an i an d se w it into So it really
the collar
exorcist, had me
of the y o u n g mas ter 's robe .
has pow er , then ! If it ha dn 't been
be com e of the y o u n g ma st er ?" She
write ou t
pres sed her
the re, wh at wo ul d hav e ha nds
to Tsuney
uki' s
forehead and burst into tears. After several da
ys of
a fever
wh ic h caus ed his
pa re nt s an gu is hed
wo rr y, Ts un ey uk i beg an to men d. A glan ce at the cal end ar sh ow ed that it had been the night when demons are known to walk abroad, and when for safe ty's sa ke y o u sho ul d be caref ul to st ay at ho me . Ob vi ou sl y yo u sho uld alw ays have
the So ns ho Da ra ni on yo u. Wh y,
Tsuneyuki had not even known it was there!
i
6 5 •
LUMP OFF, LUMP ON An old m a n ha d a bi g l u m p on th e rig ht sid e of his face, a s bi g as a bi g tangerine. It made him so ugly that he avoided other people and instead worked alone in the mountains cutting wood. Once he got caught in an awful storm and had to stay in the mountains overnight. No one else was around. He hid, wide awake and terrified, in a hollow tr ee . Fe el in g as lone ly as he did, he br ea th ed a sigh of rel ief w h e n he he ar d ot her
peop le
com ing . Th en he
pee ke d outsi de. Th e cr ow d, a
hundred strong, was a horrible sight. Some in it were red dressed in green, some were black with a red loincloth, some had one eye or no mouth, and most were just indescribable. They built a fire as bright as th e su n an d ma d e a circl e r o u n d it , r igh t in front He wa s fri ght ened ne ar ly out of
of th e old ma n' s tr ee .
his wi ts .
One monster, apparently the chief, sat down by the fire in the place of honor, and the rest sat in twin rows to his right and left. Next, they all began drinking and carrying on the way people do. As the wine jar went ro un d an d roun d,
the chief
got awfully
dr un k. W h e n a y ou n g mo ns te r
with a tray made his way slowly up to the chief, mumbling something or oth er, t he chief
bu rs t out lau gh in g an d w av ed his
cu p. T he y really
w er e
j u s t lik e p e o p l e ! T h e y o u n g m o n s t e r d a n c e d , a n d w h e n h e h a d f i n i s h e d another began. Each one took his turn, right on up to the senior mon ster s, an d if so me da nc ed bad ly ot he rs da nc ed well . Th e old ma n cou ld hardly believe his eyes. "T hi s is the mos t fun we 'v e ev er ha d ! " th e chief dec lar ed. " N o w let's hav e som et hi ng really
speci al! "
Go od ne ss kn o w s w ha t got into the or b u d d h a pu t him up
old man th en — pe rh ap s som e god
to it —b ut he sud de nl y w an te d to get
and dance. At first he checked himself, but the monsters had a fine
out ther e
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0
rh yt hm goi ng an d th e te mp ta ti on wa s just
too mu ch . Ou t he bur st from
his hollow tree, with his hat down over his nose and an axe dangling from his belt, right before the chief. Th e mo ns te rs ju mp ed up. "W lea ped high an
d sq ua tt ed low,
ha t' s th is ?" they
cried. The
hoo ts an d sho ut s of "E i! " an d "H o ! " ti ll ev er yon e burst out laugh "W e 'v e bee n hav in g the se par tie s fo r ye a r s , " chu ckl ed the no one like
old
man
he twi ste d an d wri ggl ed al l ar ou nd with ing. ch ie f, "but
you has ev er joi ned us ! Be he re ev er y tim e from no w o n! "
"S ay no m o r e ! " cr ie d th e old m an . "I will!
Bu t it w as all so su dd en
this time that I forgot how to end my dance right. If you liked me tonight, j u s t w a i t ti ll y o u s e e m e d a n c e p r o p e r l y ! " "Y ou we re won de rf ul !" the
chief
insisted.
" Ma ke sure
yo u come
again!" O n e of th e chi ef' s lie ute nan ts was not
qui te convin ced . "T he o ld f el
lo w' s fu ll of pr om is es ," he obj ect ed, " bu t I'm not
so su re he
will be back.
W e ' d bette r ke ep som eth in g of his as sec urit y." Th at s ou nd ed like
a go od idea. T
he chief as ke d wh at the y should ta ke.
T he r e wa s a bu zz of voice s. " W h a t ab ou t the lu mp on his
fa ce? " the
lieutenant suggested. "A lump's good luck and he'll miss it." " O h pl ea se ," the old fellow my lu m p!
be gg ed , "ta ke my eye s or my nose , bu t not
I've ha d it for ye ar s ! Y ou 'r e too cr ue l! "
"Aha!" said the lieutenant. "You see? That's what we need!" A mo ns te r st ep pe d up to the ol d ma n an d twis ted the lum p of f pain less ly. " Be sur e yo u' re at ou r next pa rt y! " he wa rn ed . So on it
w a s d a w n an d the
bi rd s we re singin g. The
mo ns ter s we nt
away. The old man felt his face and found that the lump he had had for so long was gone. He forgot all about cutting wood and hurried home to his astonished wife. Now, the old man next door had a lump on the
left side of his fac e, a n d
when he saw his neighbor's was gone he wanted to know how the old fellow ha d don e i t. " W h a t do ct or did yo u go t o ? " he ask ed. "Pl eas e te ll me! I can't stand mine!" "It wasn't a doctor, it was a monster." "We ll , ei the r wa y, I' ll just do wh at ev er yo u did.
So wh at did yo u do ? "
The first old man told his story and the second listened carefully. He went to hide in the hollow tree, and sure enough the monsters came. They sat in a ring, drank and carried on, and roared, "Where's that old man?" The second old man was terribly afraid but he staggered out anyway. " H u r r a y! " the mon ste rs shout ed, "He re he is!" "All right!" said the chief. "Now, dance!"
He danced, but his faltering steps had nothing in common with his neighbor's gleeful zest. "T ha t wa s terr ible ," the
chief gru mb led . "Gi ve him
back his
lu m p! "
Up ste pp ed a jun ior mons te r. "H er e' s y o u r lu mp bac k, " he said st uc k it on
th e ot he r side . Th e old ma n had
go tt en himself
an d
tw o lu mp s
inst ead of on e.
1 7 0 .
TAKE A GOOD LOOK! Late one night a man was sleeping with a prostitute in a room under the festival reviewing stand on First Avenue. The wind was howling, the rain was pouring down, and the atmosphere was definitely spooky. Sud den ly a pa ss er by out sid e on th e av en ue sang , "N ot hi ng lasts , no, al l thi ngs pas s . . . " "What's
that, I w on de r, " th ou gh t the man an d crac ked open
the shut
ter to peek out. It was a horse-headed demon as tall as the roof. Frightened, he hastily closed up again and backed as far back in the room as he could, but the demon raised the shutter and stuck its face in. "T ha t w a s a go od look y o u got at
me , ye s, a ve ry go od look ! " it gr ow le d.
Th e ma n dr e w his sw o rd an d got rea dy to strike if
th e d e m o n ca me in,
while the woman cowered beside him. "We ll, t ake an ot he r go od look !" said the dem on and
we nt i ts wa y.
The man decided every fiend in the world must have been abroad that night. He never slept under the reviewing stand on First Avenue again.
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i
7
i
CHERLSH-THE-AGED SPRING A po or ma n of Em pr es s Ge ns ho 's
reign, in
Mi no prov ince, gathe
red
wood in the mountains to support his old father. Since his father con st an tl y d e m a n d e d wi ne , he often
w e n t off wi th a go ur d at his belt to bu y
him all he wanted. O n e da y the ma n, o ut in the mo un ta in s as usua l to cut wo od , slippe d on a mossy rock and fell flat on his face. Looking up again, he noticed a sp ri ng run ni ng from the rock
. T he wa te r wa s the color
scooped up some and tasted it: it
of win e.
He
wcu< wine, and delicious too. After that
he came every day for more, much to his father's delight. N e w s of the sp ri ng rea ch ed the
em pr es s, w h o ca me to see it herself
th e ni nt h mo on of 71 7. T he go ds of sky an d ear th had obvious nize d th e ma n' s perf ect dev oti on to
in
ly rec og
his fath er an d ha d ma de the spri ng
for him as a reward. The empress took the hint and appointed him gov ern or of Mi no . Th e sp rin g wa s na me d Yor o, or "C he ri sh -t he -A ge d" spring, an ho no r the na me of the reig n-pe riod too
d in it s
wa s ch an ge d to Yo ro .
1 7 2 .
THE BOTTOMLESS SACK Ik ue no Y o ts un e, a ju ni or pr ov inc ia l offi cia l in Ec hi ze n, sta rte d ou t in li fe so poo r th at he wa s al mo st star vin g. But wh en he pr aye d fo r relief to the G o d d e s s Kich ijo ten he en de d up rich — in fact , ri ch far be yo nd his ne ed s or even his desires.
.
So on after
Yo ts u ne tu rn e d to Kichij oten for
hel p, he
he ar d th at a
beautiful woman was at his gate asking for him. He wondered as he went
wtui beautiful, and she gave
out to her w h o in the wo rl d she coul d be . S he him a dish heaped with cooked rice. "I ga th er yo u' re starv ing ,'' she said. "Ea
t th is !"
Yotsune took the rice gladly. Just a little satisfied him right away, and he hardly even felt hungry again for several days. He put the bowl away and ate the rice as slowly as he could, but when it was all gone at last he remained as destitute as before. Again he prayed to Kichijoten, and the woman returned to his gate. He hurried out to her as fast as he could go. She told him she was awfully sorry but this time she could not help him directly. "Take this requisition slip instead," she said, and handed him a piec e of pa pe r. Yotsune read: "Rice: three bushels." "B ut wh er e am I sup pos ed to
get this rice?" he asked.
"C ro ss the mo un ta in s nor th of her e ti ll y ou re ach the highest pea Cli mb to the top co me out to
give y o u the ric e. "
Y o ts u ne did called
k.
an d cal l 'S hu da ! Sh u da !' Som eo ne will an sw er yo u an d
as he
w a s tol d. At
the top
of th e high est mou nt ai n he
" S h ud a ! S h u d a ! " an d a fri ght ful voice
an sw er ed him. The n som e
thing came toward him. It was a demon with a single horn in the middle of its for eh ea d a n d a single Th e de mo n knelt before
eye,
we a ri ng a red loinc loth.
Yo ts un e. Th ou gh it wa s a terrifying
cre atu re,
Yotsune plucked up all his courage and announced that he had a requi sition slip. "I'm supposed to get some rice," he explained. "I' m sure y o u ar e ," said the dem on an d look ed over says three bushels," he went on, "but
the do cu me nt . "It
one bushel is the quantity I've been
told to give y o u . " He p ut a bus he l of rice in a
sac k a nd gave it to
Yo ts un e,
who took it home. W h e n Y ot su ne h el pe d hims elf from the sack up again. It never ran out. Soon Yotsune was rich. Ha vi ng he ar d abo ut Yo ts un e' s sack of
, th e sac k fi ll ed itsel f ba ck
rice, the
go ve rn or of the prov
ince sent Yotsune word that he wanted to buy it immediately. As a resid ent of the pro vi nc e Yo ts un e coul d not refuse. Th
e deligh ted gov er
no r ga ve him on e hu n d r e d bu sh el s of rice f or it. At its ne w ow ne r' s ho me the sack refil
led it se lf as befor e, a n d th e go ve rn o r w a s su re he ha d ac
qu ire d a priceless tre
as ur e.
But w he n he ha d tak en out
a ful l hu nd re d
bushels, the rice gave out and the sack never filled up again. The gover nor was very angry, but there was nothing he could do about it. In the end he decided he would have to give the sack back to Yotsune. At Yo ts un e' s th e sac k refi lled i tsel f ag ai n the w a y it ha d al wa ys do ne ,
2
4
4
no mat te r h o w m u ch rice ha d bee n!
w a s ta ke n from
it . H o w foo lis h the go ve rn or
H o w cou ld he possib ly ta ke alm ost by force
from Yo ts un e the
reward that Yotsune had merited for his devotion to Kichijoten, and then expect to enjoy its bounty himself?
x
7
3
THE 5OLID GOLD CORPSE A hu m bl e ma n of the C api tal h ad lo st his pa re nt s, a nd hav ing no
lord to
look to eithe r, wa s ve ry poo r. But he k n e w tha t the Ka nn on of Ha se de ra answers people's prayers, and he could not believe that he alone would be ex cl ude d from Ka nn on 's gra ce. set o ff on foot
Des pite hi s di ffi cu lt circ ums tanc es, he
to H a s e d e r a .
Th is w a s his plea to Ka nn on . "O Ka nn on , gran t me, in y ou r com pas sion, a little ease in this life! It is not high position I crave, or boundless we al th . I only
be g for a mo de st inco me . S ur el y my k ar m a from past live s
has br ou gh t thi s po ve rt y on me. sent ient bei ngs is
O Ka nn on , they say
su pr em e am on g the vows of
y o u r vo w to help
al l the bu dd ha s. He lp me,
oh help me, please!'' In this spirit he prayed at the temple for several days but went home in the end disappointed, without even having had a dream. T h o u g h he we nt on m ak in g th e sa me pil gri mag e each mo nt h, he s ti ll got no
dr ea m. " W h y do yo u insi st on going
" T he l if e we lead
is mi se ra ble eno ug h!
th er e? " his wife com plai ned. Th ey say a b u d d h a helps
only
those who somehow have a link with him. You never get the least re sp on se , no ma tt er h o w often
y o u go . Ob vi ou sl y yo u ha ve no link wit h
this Ka nn on . Yo u migh t as well give u p ! " "I expec t yo u' re righ t,"
her hu sb an d an sw er ed , "but I'v e decid ed to
ke ep up my mo nt hl y pil gri ma ges for
th re e ye ar s. M y pre sen t life ma y be
a loss, but at least I can pray for salvation in the future." At th e ve ry en d of th e thi rd an d last y e a r he we nt on his f ina l pilgrim age,
from
wh ic h he re tu rn ed wee pi ng at the tho ugh t that hi s re wa rd in
thi s li fe, for w h a t e v e r he mig ht ha ve do ne in the past, wa the
rea ch
of Ka nn on 's kindn ess . By
s to be be yo nd
su nd ow n he ha d reac hed Ninth
Av en ue . As he co nt in ue d on, glo om y an d de pr es se d, he
met a ba nd of
freed convicts, the kind who do the lowest jobs for the Imperial Police.
.
Th ey seiz ed him that
wi th ou t wa rn in g an d informe
the y wa nt ed him for
coolie
d him, over
his prot ests ,
labor. T he y ma rc he d him north to
wa rd
th e cen te r of th e city. Th is w as a nas ty sh oc k. At Uch in o, ne ar wh er e he lived,
th ey ca me
across a dead boy. The man was ordered with threats and curses to get rid of th e bo dy on the
dr y ri ver be d. Ex ha us te d as he w as from
wa lk in g
all day, this really was too much. Even on his way back from the last of three
ye ar s' wor th of pilgrimages,
thii had to ha pp en . Awful kar
ma wa s
the onl y poss ibl e ex pl an at io n. Hi s wife ha d be en abs olu tel y righ t. He an d the K a nn on of
Ha se de r a ha d no th in g to do wi th each
awf ul. A n d th e co rp se w a s so hea vy th at he
oth er.
He fe lt
co ul d no t get it o ff th e
ground, till the freed convicts snarled at him so menacingly that he just managed to pick it up after all. They followed right behind him so that he had no chance to drop it and run. The corpse was amazingly heavy. He could
not carry it to the riverbed
by himself, and that was final. Perhaps he could get it home instead, so that during the night he and his wife could both take it where it had to go. The freed convicts said they had no objection. So, much to his wife's surprise, he arrived home from Hasedera with a dead body and shed bitter tears as he explained how he had come by it. "I told
y o u so ," said his
wi th it." Th
wife. "W el l, n ow we'll
ha ve to do so me th in g
o u g h th ey tri ed to l ift it , its we ig ht w a s so ex tr ao rd in ar y tha t
no effo rt of the irs cou ld ma ke it see m man ag ea bl e. Besi des it wa s, as the y no w noti ced, gold,
od dl y ha rd . T he y po ke d at it wi th a stick. T he surface
wa s
for go od ne ss ' sa ke ! N e x t th ey li t a la mp an d ba ng ed on it wi th a
sto ne. T he insi de w as gold
to o. Th e wh ol e co rp se wa s gol d! T he y w e re
spe ech les s. T he K a nn on of H as e de r a ha d ta ke n pity on the m after all. Th ey hid the co
rp se in the ir ho us e, a nd the nex t da y sc ra pe d o ff a littl e
gol d an d so ld it . At last th ey be ga n doin g well . So on the y o u n g ma n was wealthy. Since he now had property he got a good post and served the cou rt ve ry capa bly . H o w won der ful Ka nn on 's blessings are ! After acq uir in g the gol den corp se the man devot
ed himself
more faithfully than ever. He never saw the freed convicts again. Perhaps the y ha d been eman
at io ns of Ka nn on .
to H as ed er a
2
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6
i
7
4 •
A FORTUNE FROM A WISP OF STRAW
A p oo r y o u n g m a n had no
pa re nt s, lo rd, wife,
co mp le te ly al on e; a n d this mea nt he so ug ht the aid
or chi ldr en an d so wa s
ha d no su pp or t or comf ort. So he
of Ka nn on an d we nt on a pilgrim age to Ha sed era , wh er e
he pro st ra te d him self bef ore K an no n' s holy pres on this
en ce . "If my l ife is to go
w a y I'd ra th er star ve to de ath n ow , he re before
y o u !" he declare
d.
" B u t if by c h a n c e th er e' s ho pe for me , I w o n' t leav e ti ll y o u have told me so in a dream." Th e mo nk s of the temp le wa nt ed to
kn ow wh at he
do n' t see m to hav e an y foo d," the y said. yo u'l l p oll ute
the te m pl e " — for th ey s aw t ha t he
wo ul d be a disa ster. Wh
o ' s y o u r spiritual
wa s doin g. "Yo u
"If y o u go on just lying
advi ser?
th er e
mig ht die — "a nd tha t Wh er e do yo u eat ?"
"I've not hin g an d no on e, " the y ou ng man answe red . " H o w do yo u expect me to have a spiritual adviser? I've nowhere to get food from and no one to pity me. I eat what Kannon kindly provides, and for what spiritual advice I get I rely on Kannon too." Th e mon ks dec id ed that
the y o u n g ma n wa s a nuisa nce
w ho might
make trouble for the temple. Since he was determined to throw himself enti rely
on Ka nn on 's mercy , the y th ou gh t they had
bet ter
take
tu rns
bringing him food. He ate the food but stayed where he was until three seven-day retreats we re alm ost
ove r. J u s t before the
d aw n of the
twe nty -se con d da y he
dreamed that someone came from behind Kannon's curtain. "You have so me ne rve , y o u kn o w ," the pe rso n said, "appe
ali ng to Kan no n this wa y
wi tho ut eve n consi deri ng that y o u r ow n past kar li fe so mise ra bl e.
ma is what 's made
Bu t y o u r ple a is tou ch in g, an d Ka nn on has a
re me dy fo r y ou . C lea r out of here im medi atel y. O n the way , take ev er y o u r ha nd closes
yo ur lit tle wh at
on and ke ep i t. N ow , g o !"
Th e y o u n g ma n ga th er ed tha t he had been
dismissed. H
e stru ggle d to
his feet, went for a final meal with the monks, and left. On his way out the main gate he tripped and fell flat on his face. He pic ke d himself
up an d ex am in ed wha t he so me ho w ha d in his ha nd .
It w a s a single wi sp of st ra w. Th is w a s a bit di sap po int ing , bu t w h o wa s he to question Kannon? He walked on, twirling the straw between his fingers. Soon a big horsefly came buzzing round his face. Although he tried
sh oo in g it of f wi th a br a nc h, it kep t co mi ng ba ck . So he ca ug ht it, tied on e en d of th e st ra w ro un d it s midd le and the
ot he r en d to the br an ch ,
and went on with the captive fly buzzing before him. A ca rr ia ge fu ll of ladi es h ap p en e d by jus t th en , on the wa y to th e tem ple . A pre tt y litt le boy wa s pee rin g out the
wi nd ow . "W ha t' s that the
man's got?" cried the boy to the servant riding beside the carriage. "Go
mel"
and get it and give it to
Th e serv ant ap pr oa ch ed the
fl y-t ame r. "Gi ve me tha t thi ng yo u' ve got
th er e, " he said . " Th e y o u n g mast er's ask ing f or it." "Th is is a pre se nt to me fr om Ka nn on ," the y o u n g man ans we re d, " but if it strik es y o u r littl e mas te r' s fancy he's
we lc om e to it." He
ha nd ed th e
servant the branch. The ladies liked the way he had parted with his toy. "Here," they called
to him, "eat
th es e w h e n yo u f ee l th ir st y! " Th ey w r a p p e d up th re e
big tangerines for him in fine Michinoku paper and had the servant deliver them. Th e wi sp of st ra w wa s no w thr ee big tan ger ine s wh ic h the y o u ng ma n carried tied to a branch over his shoulder. Ne xt , he met a ba nd of mo un te d ser van ts looki ng after an appa re nt ly distinguished lady who was on foot, having no doubt made a humble vow to do the pilgrimage that way. At the moment she was exhausted and beg gin g he r se rva nt s in vain fo r wat er.
Th e ser vant s we re scur ryi ng
around looking, but there was simply no water to be found. "What's happened to the supplies?" one of them shouted, but the supply horses w e r e sti ll f ar be hi nd , ou t of sig ht. W h e n th e lad y fain ted de ad aw ay , th e alarmed servants tried everything to revive her. Th e y o u n g ma n came quietly up. "
Yo u, " they called , "you must kn
ow
wh er e there 's wat er ! Is ther e an y drin kabl e wat er ne ar by ?" He ask ed wha t the mat te r w as an d the serva "I 'm so rr y, " he said. "T
nts explain
ed.
h e wa te r' s a go od dist anc e of f a n d it 'l l tak e
time to get it here. How about these?" He offered them his three beauti fully wrapped tangerines. The servants fed them eagerly to their mistress, who eventually opened her eyes and asked what had happened. "Y ou we re thirsty,
ma da m, a nd yo u ask ed fo r wat er. Th en yo u fainted .
We looked everywhere but we simply couldn't find any drinking water. Th en this
ma n ca me alon g. H e un de rs to od an d gave us thr ee tange rine s,
wh ic h we fed
to y o u . "
"S o I fainted from
thir st, did I?
I re m em b er as ki ng for wa te r, bu t after
th at my mi nd is a bl an k. W it ho ut the se ta ng er in es I might he re in the fiel ds. W h a t a kin d ma n! Is he st il l t h e r e ? " "Yes, madam."
just hav e died
2
4
8
"Tell him to be patient. I'd like to do as much for him as his generosity ha s d o n e for me , b ut it's
so ha r d like thi s on th e ro ad . Do we hav e an y
food? G iv e him som et hi ng to ea t! " T he ser va nt s told the y o u n g ma n to stay
pu t an d pro mi sed that
wh en
the supplies got there he should have a meal. Final ly the su pp ly hor se s arr ive d, an d their dr ive rs got round
ly scolded
for having dropped so far behind. A cloth enclosure was put up and mats were spread. Since the lady badly needed rest, the company decided to stop there awhile, although the place was quite inconvenient. Men were sen t to fetch
wa te r,
food
wa s pr ep ar ed , an d th e y o u n g ma n got a ve ry
good dinner. As he ate he wondered what the tangerines were going to turn into. All this was Kannon's idea, and he could not imagine that he would come away empty-handed. Sure enough, the servants soon brought out three bolts of
fine
white cloth.
"G iv e hi m th es e, " said th e lady , an d sent him this
me ss ag e: " T he joy
y o u r ta ng er in es ha ve br ou gh t me is mo re tha n I can des cri be, but
here
on th e ro ad I ca nn ot do for y o u all I wo ul d wi sh . Th es e ar e only a to ke n of my th an ks . I liv e in the Capi tal at su ch -a nd -s uc h a place . Com e the re, an d wh e n y ou d o yo u wil l ha ve y o u r full r ew ar d. " T he y o u n g ma n ac ce pt ed the gi ft wit h pleas ure . His wis p of str aw wa s n o w th re e bolts of
clo th, wh ic h he pu t un de r his ar m as he co nt in ue d on
toward Kyoto. At su n d o w n he foun d lo dg in g at a ho us e by th e ro ad, a nd rose m or ni ng wi th the bir in th e sk y he saw
the next
ds to pur su e hi s jou rn ey . As the sun b egan to
climb
a m an ri din g a beaut iful hor se . "W h a t a ma rv el ou s
an im al !" th ou gh t the y o u n g ma n. "It must
be wo rt h a for tun e!"
Suddenly the horse toppled over, obviously dying. The astonished rider stood vacantly beside it while his retainers rushed to get its saddle off a nd tr ie d to thi nk of wh a t to do. de ad , a nd n on e of the ir volu ble grief
Bu t alas,
th e hors e wa s no w qui te
cou ld re me dy that .
Their master mounted a poor substitute which happened to be at hand. "Well," he said, "there it is. I'm going on." He left a servant behind with ins tru cti ons to do som et hi ng abou t gettin g the carc ass out Th e y o u n g ma n tho ug ht he kn ew w h y the horse ha
of sight.
d died.
His wis p of
straw had turned into three tangerines, the tangerines had turned into th re e bolt s of cloth, a nd no w, ap pa re nt ly , th e cloth wa s goin g to tur n into a horse for him. He learned from the servant that the horse was from somewhere up north. People had offered huge sums for it but the servant's master had kept hesitating to part with it. Now it was dead, a total loss. "I thought I
might at least take its hide," the servant went on, "but on the road like this I don 't ev en k n o w w h a t I'd do wi th it." "I see ," said the
y o u n g ma n. " It w as a beautiful ho
rs e. W h a t a pity!
Yo u cer tai nly co ul dn 't ve ry well dr y its hide whi le yo u' r e tra vel ing , bu t / ca n. W h y not let
me ha ve i t ? " He
ser van t, gl ad of this windfall
ga ve hi m a bolt of
clot h an d th e
, r an of f wi th it wi th ou t look ing back,
befor e
the hide's purchaser could change his mind. T he y o u n g ma n wa tc he d him go, the n wa sh ed his ha nd s, tur ne d to wa rd H as ed er a, an d pr ay ed fo r the horse eyes , lifte d its he ad , an d tr ie d to get up, pleased he sti ll find
wa s!
But some
to revive. Wh
e n it op en ed it s
he ge nt ly he lp ed it to st an d. H o w
str aggl er from the former
ow ne r' s par ty migh t
him , or th e for me r o w n e r him sel f mi gh t co me bac k, s o he led
the horse into hiding and waited for it to recover fully. Then he went on to a hou se, t ra de d ano th er bolt of
cloth for
a brid le an d a ch ea p saddl e,
and rode his new mount on toward the Capital. Su ns et found
him ne ar Uji , wh er e he paid fo r din ner , lodgin g, an d
fo dd er wi th th e las t of his bolts of
clot h. T he n ext mo rn in g he once m or e
rose early and went on his way. N e a r th e so ut he rn ed ge of th e city he pas sed a ho us e alive wi th bus tle an d exci te me nt . Th e o wn e r se em ed to be sett ing out on a long jo ur ne y. T h e y o u n g ma n ha d al re ad y realized
tha t if he too k the hor se right into
to wn so me on e mi gh t re cog ni ze it an d acc use him
of theft,
an d ha d de
cided accordingly that he should sell it. This man might need a horse. Dismounting, he ran up and proposed the sale. The gentleman on e he got so
had been wanting another horse and when he saw this
exc ite d he har dl y k n e w w ha t to do . "J u s t no w I' ve no silk
to pay y o u wi th ," he said. "
Wo ul d rice
an d so me rice
lan d in To ba do
instead?" Th es e so un de d fi ne, but
the y o u n g ma n feigned
indiffer ence. "It's s
ilk
and cash I need," he answered. "As I'm traveling I don't know quite w h a t I'l l do wi th r ice lan d, b ut if y o u re all y ne ed th e ho rs e I'll be gl ad to oblige." Th e ge nt le ma n put the horse thr as imp re ss iv e to rid e as to look
ou gh its pace s an d decl ared that it w as at. He ga ve th e y o u n g ma n rice an d ov er
six ac re s of rice fie lds, an d eve n ent ru st ed hi m wi th the car e of his hou se . " K e e p it as lo ng as I'm
g o n e , " he said . "Y ou ca n give it
ba ck if I eve r
re tu rn to th e Capi ta l, a n d if I die it's y o u r s . I 've no ch il dr en so no on e will come around to make any claims." And off he went. T he y o u n g ma n settled in ho od . Si nce it
an d hired
a few la bor er s from the nei gh bo r
w a s ab ou t plant ing time, h
e re nt ed out half
his land to
so me on e else an d had th e ot he r half cult ivat ed fo r himse lf. Th e tena nt 's
2
5
0
hal f did perfe ctl y well,
bu t his
ow n yi el de d an imm ens ely rich harves
t.
Th en pr op er ty ga th er ed to him as th ou gh blo wn in on ever y win d and he became a very wealthy man. Even the house became his, since he never he ar d fr om the
o wn e r aga in.
His descendants flourished too, or so they say.
t
7
5 .
"DOG'S HEAD" SILK T h e tw o wi ve s of a co un ty magi str ate in Mi k aw a pro vinc e raised
si lk
w o r m s wh ic h yi el de d pl en ty of silk th re ad . Th en for so me reaso n al l the si lk wo rm s in the
sen ior wife's
ca re died , and she nev er ma na ge d to rais e
any more. As a result her husband ignored her, and his retainers natu rally imitated him. Without visitors she lived a sad life in her poor, dreary ho us e, al on e bu t for a pa ir of ma id s. At last she found a single silkworm eating a mulberry leaf and adopted it. It g r e w la rge r a nd la rge r on the mu lb er ry leaves a nd ate al l she gav e i t. S inc e she ha d had no silk
she piled
into it s box,
wo rm s fo r sever al ye ar s
now she could not help being fond of it and looked after it tenderly, t ho ug h th er e w as litt le she could act
ual ly do with just
on e.
O n e da y he r wh it e do g wa s sitt ing in front of he r wa gg in g its tai l whil e she heaped leaves into the box and watched the silkworm eat. Suddenly the do g ju mp ed up he ar tb ro ke n, b ut it
an d ate the wo rm . Th e wo ma n wa s bot h ang ry an d had ha pp en ed so
fa st tha t she
ma de no
at te mpt to
punish the dog. Instead she wept over the strange fate that made it impossible for her to keep silkworms. M e a n w hi l e th e d o g sn ee ze d an d an inch or ca me out
eac h nostril. I
t wo of wh it e sil k filament
n surpri se the w om a n pulled
lo ng er a nd l on ge r — so long
th at she ha d to begin wi
on them . Th ey got
nd in g the m on a reel.
W h e n th e reel f ill ed up , she to ok an ot he r an d the n an ot he r. Tw o or thr ee hundred reels later the filament was still coming. She wound it onto bamboo poles and onto buckets till she had a tremendous weight of silk. The filament only gave out when the dog at last collapsed and died. She de ci ded tha t the go ds and bu
d d ha s mus t have taken the for
in order to help her, and she buried the creature under an old mulberry tree in the field behind her house.
m of the do g
,J
A
A
P
N
E
S
It was impossible to make this silk finer than it already was, but she was fussing over it anyway when her husband, off on an errand some wh er e, h ap pe ne d to ride by
her gat e. See ing ho w des ert ed the house
wa s,
he felt sorry for her after all and dismounted. He found no one in the ho us e but his obtained at
wife, w or k i ng ov er an en or mo us qua nt it y of silk.
Th e s ilk
h u house was dark, lumpy, and altogether poor in quality,
but t his w a s as wh it e as sn ow and a lmos t l um in ou s — far su pe ri or to an y he had ever seen. When she told him how she had gotten such marvelous silk, he
sa w ho w w r o n g he ha d been to
tr ea t po or ly a wife on w h o m th e
go ds an d bu d dh a s smiled , an d de cid ed to sta y wi th her . He ne ver we nt back to his other wife again. T he mu lb er ry tre e the dog
wa s bu ri ed un de r soon bo re co co ons of the
same exquisite silk. The magistrate reported this to the provincial gover nor, w h o re po rt ed it
to th e cou rt . After
tha t th e sil k kn o wn as
"d og 's
head" has been offered regularly to the emperor. It is used to weave his robes. So me pe opl e th ink the seco
nd wife
killed
the seni or wife's sil
kw or ms
on purpose, but no one knows for sure.
O
D
D
P
A
T
H
S
T S
A
L
V
A
T
I
O
O N
A VERY SURPRISED BODHISATTVA Tsukuma Spring in Shinano province used to be popular for its hot, medicinal wate
rs . O n c e a villager
the re dr ea me d that Ka nn on wo ul d
come the next day at noon to bathe in the spring. " H o w shall
we recogni
sw er: " H e will be
ze hi m ? " the dr ea me r aske d, an d got the an
a wa rr io r thi rty ye ar s o ld wit h a black be ard , a conical
2
5
2
hat, and a dark cloak. His quiver will be black and his bow wrapped in lea the r, an d his c ha ps will in su m me r. He will
be ma de of the spo tte d hide tak en from
a de er
be ridi ng a ro an ho rs e. Th at is ho w yo u wil l kn ow
the bodhisattva." First thing next morning the dreamer told everyone he knew. The word spread, and soon a huge crowd had gathered at the spring. They m a d e su re the ba th in g w a te r w a s fresh, clean st re tc he d a sa cr ed ro pe ro un d the pool, offered
ed
an d tidied
carefully,
flowe rs an d ince nse, an d
finally settled down in pious patience to wait. Noon came and went. About two a warrior rode up, precisely like the one in the dream. The crowd rose as one man and prostrated themselves before him, touching their heads to the ground. The astonished warrior could not imagine what was going on. He tried as ki ng peo ple , do ze ns of th em , b ut al l they
did wa s ke ep bow in g to him .
No one would tell him a thing. Then he spotted a monk who was bowing an d pro st ra ti ng himself
like the rest.
" W h y are y o u a ll bo bb in g up an d do wn at me l ik e tha t? " he ask ed in a rich country brogue. The monk told him about the dream. The warrior explained that the other day he had fallen from his horse and broken his right arm, and had come to heal his arm in the spring. People poured after him wherever he moved, bowing and carrying on like mad. At his wits' end, he finally decided that he must actually be the bodhi sattva and might as well become a monk. Throwing down his bow, qu iv er , swo rd , an d da gg er , he cut
of f his hai r an d en te re d religion . The
crowd wept with devout emotion. At last someone who knew him by sight cried, "Heavens, that's Master Ka n from ov er in K oz uk e pr ov in ce !" So the y gave him the name Ka
nn on ,
the blessed bodhisattva's own.
i
7
7
.
THE AWAKENING A y o u n g mo nk on
M o u n t Hiei
had
meant to study after entering religion,
but ended up so busy having a good time that he never actually applied hi ms el f at all.
He ha d on ly bar el y le ar ne d a bit of th e Lo tu s Su tr a. S inc e
dome day, he often went to pray for scholarly
he still planned to study suc ces s to the
K ok uz o of Horin ji, a tem pl e just we st of th e Capita l, bu t
his pilgrimages never inspired him to do anything in particular. He really was a proper dunce. He knew this perfectly well, and it bothered him so much that one day in the nint h moo n he we n t aga in to Horin ji. Ju s t befo re sta rti ng ba ck , he fell into conversation with an acquaintance there, and the sun sank low while the two monks talked. He walked as fast as he could when he did set off, b ut at friend
s u n d o w n he w a s s til l in the we st er n par t of th e city . A
he th ou gh t he migh t be abl e to sta y wi th in th e nei gh bo rh oo d
turned out to be away in the country, and there was no one home but a maid left to watch the place. Then he remembered another acquaintance and went looking for his house. On the
w a y he ca me to
a Chi nes e-s tyl e ga te wi th
w o m an sta nd in g bes ide i t. Sh e wa s we ar in g several layers
a pr et ty y o u n g of casual cloth
ing against the chilly air. He told her who he was and where he was goi ng, e xp la in ed th at th e sun h ad set , an d as ke d if he cou ld hav e a nig ht's lodging. She had him wait and promised him an answer shortly, then went into the house. Soon she was back to tell him he was welcome. His room in the se mi de ta ch ed guest
wi ng co nta ine d a pre tty screen, an
d the f loor wa s
spread with several elegantly trimmed straw mats. The lamp was already lit. H e finishe d of f to th e last din ner the
c r u m b a n d th e last d r o p of w in e the nic e
y o u n g wo ma n bro ug ht him, and
wa s wa shi ng h is han ds afte r
wards when he heard sounds from the neighboring room in the main building. A door slid open and curtains were being set up. Apparently the la dy of th e ho us e w a n t e d to talk to him
.
Sure enough, a woman's voice called over to ask him who he was. On hearing his answer, the lady pressed him to stop at her house every time he should visit Horinji. When the door between him and her slid shut ag ain , a bit of cu rt ai n go t ca ug ht in it so th at it did not close pr op er ly . At nightfall the monk went outside. Pausing before the shutters on the so ut h side of th e hou se , he noti ced a hole in one
of th e pa ne ls a nd pe er e d
th ro ug h. A wo m a n w h o m he too k to be the lady la mp st an d by her, r ea din g a boo k. S he looked abo
w a s lying
wi th a low
ut tw en ty ye ar s old
an d w a s ex tr em el y beau tiful . H e r rob e w as of figured s tu ff , light an d gr ee n, a nd he coul
d see that her hair
w a s long
the fl oor be hin d her.
T w o ladie s-in-w aitin g we re lying
ma uv e
en ou gh to trail al on g beside he
r cur
tai ns, wi th an or di na ry mai d a litt le furth er off. Ap pa re nt ly it wa s th e maid who served the lady's meals and who generally fetched and carried. Th e room ha d every
tou ch of comfo rt and elegan
ce. A
gold -spri nkle d
lacquer comb box and an inkstone box rested with easy informality on a
2
5
4
tw o- ti er ed set
of shel ves,
whi le exqu isi te incense sm
ok e rose fro m a
burner. Gazing at the lady who was mistress over all this, the monk forgot ev er yt hi ng else. H o w on earth, he br ou gh t him h er e to see he r like this?
wo nd er ed , could
his
ka rm a have
Su dd en ly the tho ug ht of livi ng on
without loving her made no sense at all. O n c e th e ho us eh ol d wa s in bed and the
lady herself
ap pa re nt ly asleep,
he opened the door which had never quite shut, slipped into the room, and lay down beside her. She was sleeping too soundly to notice. Her fr ag ra nc e wa s inde sc ri ba bl y deli cious . Afraid his feeling
s, th o u g h th at is w h a t he really
pr ay er , pul led her Now she
ro be op en, and fondled
(lU) wa ke up
to wa ke her
up and t el l her
wa n te d to do , he inste ad said a her bre ast s.
an d de ma nd ed to kno w w h o he wa s. He t old
her. "I th ou gh t y o u w er e de vo ut ," she said.
"T ha t' s w h y I le t yo u stay.
I'm
cert ainl y so rr y I di d. " He kept trying to snuggle up to her, but she clutched her robe around her and would have nothing to do with him. This drove him wild, but he did not force her because he feared being heard. "I do n' t neces sar ily mea n to refuse
y o u , " the lady
we nt on. "Yo
u see,
my h u s b a n d di ed in th e sp ri ng of last ye a r . A lot of me n hav e co ur te d me since then, but I've decided not to encourage anyone unless he has some th in g spe cia l a bo ut him . Th at 's w h y I live alo ne like
this . If I'm to give
mys elf to a m o n k like yo u, I wan t him to be par tic ula rly acc omp lis hed . I might say ye s to yo u, y o u kn ow . C an yo u cha nt the Lo tu s Su tr a by hear t?
Do y o u ha ve a go od voice ? I co uld give peop le th e im pr es si on that I'm de ep ly dev ot ed to the L
otu s an d all the time be in
bed with
yo u. W h a t
do yo u sa y? " "I've
studied th e Lot us Su tr a, " th e mo nk replied, "bu
t I don 't have
it
by he ar t ye t. " "Is it difficult to memorize?" " N o , not rea lly. No d o ub t I' ll m as te r it so on er or later . I'm su re it's my fault
tha t I ha ve n' t m a na ge d it ye t. I've just spe nt too muc h time havi ng
fun when I should have been studying." "T he n hu rr y ba ck to y o u r mo unt ai n an d com e again th e Su tr a by he ar t. T he n we can b e as intima At this the
wh en yo u have
te as yo u like."
y o u n g m on k' s des ire vani sh ed . As soon as the sky
lig hte n, he said
beg an to
go od - by e to th e lad y an d stole out of he r ro om . Sh e mad e
sure he was properly fed before he set off. H o m e ag ai n on Mo u n t Hiei he
fou nd he cou ld not forget
resolved to memorize the Sutra as quickly as possible so he could visit
her, an d he
her aga in.
It took him only
thr ee we ek s. M ea nw hi le he wr ot e her often ,
an d rece ive d wi th eac h rep ly a ha m p er co nt ai ni ng food or a ro be . As far as he could tell she really cared for him, and this made him very happy. N o w th at he ha d th e Su t ra by he ar t he set ou t as usua l f or Ho rin ji , and on the way back stopped, as before, at the lady's house. Again she had him served a meal, then came out to speak with him herself. Late in the ev eni ng the mo nk wa sh ed his
ha nd s an d be gan into ning
the Sut ra .
Although his voice was stirring, in his heart he hardly knew he was ch an ti ng at all be ca us e he co uld thin k of no th in g bu t the lady. In the night, when everyone seemed asleep, he again slid open the door into the lady's room. No one saw him. The lady, who must have been exp ect ing him, wo ke up wh en he la y do wn besid e her. insi nuat ing himself
un de r her robe,
but she hug
Eag erly he
ge d her
clot hing
be ga n to her
and kept her distance. "I 'v e so me th in g to as k y o u , " sh e said, " so listen
to me f irst . Thi s is
what I think. You have the Sutra by heart now, and we could say that's en ou gh an d go ah ea d a nd ma k e love.
If we did, an d if we we nt on be in g
fond of ea ch oth er, y o u coul d hold y o u r he ad high before
an yo ne ; an d I ,
you for a lover than by for my part, would be stained far less by taking choosing any ordinary man. But I'd be sorry to think that my lover was
one to be satisfied simply with having memorized the Sutra. I'd much ra th er y o u at leas t we nt thr ou gh the mot sch ola r.
Fr o m no w on y o u oug ht to
ions of
be co mi ng a pr op er
be ge tti ng yo ur se lf invi ted to look
after nob les an d pr in ce s, bu t th ey wo n' t cal l in a m on k w h o can 't do mor e th an ch an t the Su tr a, or ke ep him in y o u her e wit h me,
an d
to ge th er . N o w y o u see
the ir servic e eith er. It's lovely
that'j th e w a y I'd
like y o u to
h o w I fee l. I f y o u really
ha vi ng
be wh e n we 'r e
love me, sta
y on th e
mo unt ain lor th ree ye ar s, s tu dy ha rd, a nd ma ke yourse lf a schola r. C om e ba ck after
tha t, a nd I'm y o u rs . Bu t until the n we really
I'd ra th er die.
can 't be love rs.
I' ll ke ep wr it in g to y o u whi le yo u 'r e on the mou nt ai n, a nd
I' ll ta ke ca re o f y o u as lo ng as yo u 'r e po or ." The monk was moved. He knew it would be wrong to force heartlessly a w o m a n w h o sp ok e so tho ugh tfu lly
of his
ow n future, a
nd wi th he r
material support he would in the end command recognition. These th ou gh ts pro mp te d him
to re ne w his
wi th dr aw . I n the mo rn in g after He tor e into his
as sur an ce s of love
brea kfas t he re tu rn ed to M o u n t Hiei.
stu die s a nd ne ve r faltered again
he r dr ov e him on like
fire. By
an d the n to
. T he tho ug ht of seein g
th e tim e t w o y e a r s ha d pa ss ed , his sh ar p
intelligence had already gained him recognition as a scholar. After three ye ar s no one dou bt ed his exc ept iona l learning at the pa lac e, for
. In ever y scholastic
ex am pl e, a nd in eve ry set of formal dis
deb ate
cou rse s on the
2
5
6
Lotus Sutra, he completely outshone all his colleagues. On Mount Hiei th e w o r d sp re ad th at he
w a s by f ar th e most talen
ted scho lar
of his
generation. D u ri n g tho se y e a rs the lady
ask ed after
him constant
ly, an d her sup
port meant that he lived for the most part an untroubled life. When the th re e y e a r s w e re ov er he w e n t as befor e to Hori nji an d at dusk , on the way back, stopped at her house. He had already let her know he was coming and was shown to his usu al roo m.
Th e lady
tal ked
wi th him indirectly, th
ro ug h one
of her
w o m e n , abo ut the l ast th re e ye ar s. Ap pa re nt ly she ha d neve r told a soul ab ou t her earlier,
pri vat e en co un te rs wi th him, for
she pres entl y le t him
know, in a rather formal tone, that she would speak to him in person. The monk's heart beat faster but he gave the message only a polite ac kn ow le dg me nt . Th e messe nge r ask ed him
to fol low her. Outs
ide the
curtains that surrounded the lady's bed, near her pillow, was a pretty mat with a round straw cushion on it. A lighted lamp stood behind a screen. As far as the monk could tell there was one lady-in-waiting sitting at the foot
of th e lady 's bed . H e sat d o w n on th e cu sh io n.
"I'v e wo nd er ed so mu ch al l these ye ar s ho w yo u'v e been getting on," the lad y be ga n. " Ar e y ou a scho lar n o w ? " He r lovely voice con vey ed warm affection. Th e m on k tre mb led wit h ne rv ou s excit emen t as he ans wer ed, "Well, ca n cla im no gr ea t ac hi ev em en t, b ut ye s, it's I've de ba te d or lect ured her
e an d th er e. "
"T ha t' s wo nd er fu l. N o w I ha ve some be ca us e I f ee l y o u 'r e no w a real thes e que sti ons to
I
tru e I' ve be en praise d w he n
que sti ons f or yo u. I'll ask the m
tea che r. I wou ld n' t dr ea m of put tin g
so me on e w h o could do no
Sh e w en t th ro ug h ea ch cha pt er
mor e tha n
chantthe
of the Sutr a, from
the
Su tr a. "
begi nnin g,
posing difficult queries on the points she felt she did not quite under stand, and he answered her as his studies had taught him to do. When ha rd pre sse d he de ve lo pe d int erp ret ati ons of his ow n, or br ou gh t in apt qu ot at io ns from
th e an ci en ts. T he lady
w as entirely
sati sfie d. " H o w could
y o u possib ly lea rn so m uc h in so few y e a r s ? " she excl aime d. "Yo u must be a ge ni us !" The monk for his part was amazed by the lady's own learning. "She ma y be a w o m a n , " he tho ug ht to th e
Te ac hi ng .
I'd
be w or th kn ow in g!
ne ve r
ha ve
him sel f, "but she
believed
An yw ay , she's
it
possible
certainl !
ma de al l the difference
studies." They chatted till the monk finally lifted her curtains and went in. She did not protest as he lay down beside her.
y kn ow s
She' s goin g
to
fo r my ow n
"Just stay like that awhile," she said; so they lay there holding hands an d tal kin g so me mo re . Bu t ha vi ng wa lk ed that
da y from M o u n t Hiei to
Hor inj i a nd pa rt of th e w a y ba ck , th e m o n k w a s tire d. H e soo n drifted off a n d fell fast
as le ep .
When he woke up, his first thought was that he had slept and that he still had not told her how much he loved her. Then he opened his eyes. He wa s lying
on a cl um p of pa mp as grass
wh ic h his wei ght ha d cr ush ed .
What a shock! A quick glance around told him he was alone in the middle of a mo or , he ha d no ide a w h e r e . T he re w as no on e in sight. beat
Hi s he ar t
wild ly an d his st om ac h chu rn ed wi th ter ror . W h e n he stood up
disc ove red , sca tte red ar ou nd him,
he
the clot hin g he ha d tak en o ff the night
befo re. Cl ut ch in g it to him, he stood starin rec ogn ize d the wa st e wh ic h forms the
g at his su rr ou nd in gs . He no w
eas tern pa rt of Sag a Mo or .
It was nearly dawn and there was a bright moon. The air was very chilly
sin ce it w a s st il l on ly ear ly spr ing , an d sh ive rin g ha d soo n dr iv en
ev ery ot he r th ou gh t f rom his min d. H e hard ly kn e w w he re to go, b ut if Hor inj i wa s as close as th er e. S ta rt in g of f at
he th ou gh t, h e cou ld sp en d th e rest a ru n, he
of th e nigh t
for de d th e Ka ts ur a Riv er at Um ez u,
though he had to be careful not to be swept away by the current, which ca me up to his hi ps . Fin ally
he re ac he d Horinj i, sh ak in g wit h cold.
w en t str ai gh t to th e ma in hall,
He
pr os tr at ed himsel f befo re th e altar, an
nounced his plight, and prayed for help. Then he fell asleep. He dreamed that a small and very proper monk with a blue-shaven he ad ca m e from
be hi nd the cur ta in tha t sc re en ed of f th e ima ge of th e
Bodhisattva Kokuzo. "It was no fox or badger that concocted what hap pe ne d to y o u to ni gh t, " said the mo nk , "b ut I m ysel f. Yo u' re ve ry bri ght , y ou k no w, ne ver studi
bu t y o u we re so
ad dic te d to y o u r li ttl e ple asu res that
ed an d sh ow ed no sign
sa me tim e y o u w e re dissatisfied
you
of eve r be co mi ng a schola r. At the
wi th yo ur se lf an d o ften ca me to me
to
pray for scholarly talent and achievement. For some time I was unsure ho w best
to an sw e r yo u, b ut I sa w y o u we re dr a w n to w om e n an d I
thought I'd use
that to inspire
yo u. Yo u nee dn' t be afraid. H
y o u r mo un ta in an d stu dy ha rd er th an ever. T
his is no
u r r y ba ck to
time fo r yo u to rest
on y o u r lau rel s." The n the dr ea m wa s ov er an d he w ok e up. It d a wn e d on him
th at f or ye ar s K ok uz o ha d bee n ap pe ar in g to him as
a woman in order to save him, and he was profoundly embarrassed. At dayl ight he
re tu rn ed to
wa nt on beh avior, a
M o u n t Hiei, we ep in g wi th re mo rse f or his ow n
nd dedic
ated himself
mo re singleminde
dly than ever
to his studies. He really did become a famous scholar. What Kokuzo plans will come to pass. Ah, the beautiful and noble deed!
2
5
8
i
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8
.
THE LITTLE GOD'S BIG CHANCE T h e m o n k D o m y o , a gr ea t lover, wa lady poe t Izumi Shi
s ha vi ng an a ffai r with the famou
s
kib u. D o m y o also ha pp en ed to cha nt the Lotus Sutra
very impressively. O n c e he w a s sp en di ng th e nigh t wit h Iz umi Shi kib u wh en he wo ke up and decided to chant the Sutra. He had gone through all eight scrolls and w a s jus t do zi ng of f aga in wh e n he gli mps ed so me on e outs ide . "Who is it?" he called. " T h e old ma n w h o lives at th e cro ssi ng of Fifth
Av en ue an d Nishi -no-
toin street," a voice replied. "W ha t are yo u doin g he re ?" "I'll ne ve r forge t, th r o ug h all th e lives I' ll live, ho w yo u ch an te d the Sutra tonight!" "But I chant the Sutra all the time. What was so special about to night?" T h e little r oa d g od — for tha t is wh o he wa s — an sw er ed , " We ll, yo u see, wh e n y o u ch an t th e Su tr a al l clean an d pu re , the gre at go ds cr ow d in to he ar a nd an old ma n like me can' t get a n y w h e r e ne ar yo u. But this tim e y o u didn 't even wa
s h before
yo u bega n, s o the re was no one
ar o un d. Th at 's h o w I got to he ar y ou . I' ll nev er forget
else
it! "
1
79
•
PIOUS ANTICS T h o u g h src inal ly from a line of yi n- ya ng ma st er s, the imperial secr Yos hi sh ig e no Ya s ut an e had been kin dly
a nd peer les sly
w h o serve d the
tal ent ed
ad op te d into a family as a yo ut h,
he mat ur ed into
co ur t f or m an y ye ar s unt il, as
eta ry
of scho lar s. Both a scho lar
old age app ro ac he d, h e
began to long for the religious life. In the end he shaved his head and b e c a m e a m on k , a dis cip le of th e sai ntl y Kuy a.
He too k th e relig ious
name Jakushin. Bei ng a holy man no
w, an d natur ally wise as well,
Ja ku sh in won de re d
what might be the most virtuous thing to do next. He decided to make the Buddha accessible to all by building a temple. Since he knew he could not do this without help from his brethren in the faith, he started goi ng ar o un d soliciting
con tri but ion s, an d w h en he
ha d en ou gh to thi nk
about buying lumber he picked Harima province as the place to look for a site. He felt sure that in Harima he could get the work done well by pe op le sym pa th et ic to his aim, a nd he did in fa ct get a ve ry go od re sp on se there. He was roaming the province one day when he came to a dry, pebbly riv erb ed and sa w a yi n- ya ng div ine r in a pa pe r hat pe rfo rmi ng a purifi cation rite. He dismounted in haste. "W ha t are yo u do in g? " he shou ted . "A purifi cati on! " th e di vi ne r called b ac k. "I ca n see th at ! But wh at 's y o u r hat fo r? " "Well, the gods who rule over purifications shun monks, so during the rite I wear this hat in order not to look like a monk." Jakushin let out a howl and jumped on the man, who could only drop wh a t he wa s do ing and splut
ter ine ffectua l pro tes ts. T he fell ow w h o ha d
commissioned the rite sat looking on in dismay. Jakushin snatched the paper hat from the diviner's head and tore it to pieces. "How
could you?" he cried , in tea rs. " H o w cou ld
you, a follower
of the Bu dd ha , bre ak the Bu dd ha 's co mm an dm en ts an d we ar that
hat
j u s t b e c a u s e t h e g o d s o f p u r i f i c a t i o n w i ll b e i n j u r e d i f y o u d o n ' t ? D o n ' t y o u th in k yo u' ll go to th e lo we st h ell for thi s? O h , ho w awf ul!
H e r e , kil l
me, just kill me!" He tugged at the diviner's sleeve all the while, weeping pathetically. "Y ou 're
comple tely
ma d! " the
yo u' re right , of co ur se . But I've w h y I lear ned this
yi n- ya ng busin ess.
ke ep myse lf alive w it ho ut it? be a ho ly ma n . I ju st ye s, but
diviner
got to
an swe re d. "Sto p crying!
ma ke a living
Yes,
so m e ho w an d th at 's
H o w wo ul d I f eed my fami ly an d
I've no real inte res t in religion
a n d I 'l l nev er
look like a monk. Sometimes I think it's too bad,
wh at can I do ? "
"If y o u 'r e tha t po or I'l l just ha ve to give y o u th e m on ey I've coll ecte d! I suppose helping one man toward enlightenment is just as good as bu ild ing a te mp le ." Ja k u s h i n sent his funds. W
h e n the y got back, h
discip les straig
ht of f to fetch
the
e gav e the yi n- ya ng divin er eve ryt hin g an d
left for the Capital. La te r on Ja k u s h i n wa s living
at Nyo i, i n th e h ills east of th e Capita l,
when he received an urgent summons from the Rokujo Palace. Borrow ing a friend 's ho rse , he set out early
th e nex t mo rn in g. N o w , mo st ride rs
keep their mount moving purposefully ahead. Not so Jakushin, who let
2
6
0
the horse go on or not as it pleased. Naturally the horse soon stopped to gr az e. J a k u s h i n simply
wait ed, an d since
the horse never
did get a move
on, he ended up stuck forever in the same spot. The groom who came wi th th e hor se w a s so irrita the beast
ted by
this per fo rm an ce that he
fin all y gave
a w h a c k on the ru m p. In a fla sh Ja ku sh in had dismo
unt ed and
sei zed h ol d of hi m. " W h a t did yo u do
that for, e h ? " he ro ar ed . " D o yo u think
an old ma n
like me ri di ng him m a k es this ho rs e look sil ly? Thi s hor se , I'll hav e y o u know, has been mother and father to me life after life for ages past. Pe rh ap s y o u do n' t thi nk he's
bee n mot he r an d father
to
you, perhaps
that'^ wh y yo u' r e so me an . B ut this horse has
been
as m u c h as he' s be en min e. Wh y , it's just
becaiuie he' s love d y o u wit h a
pa re nt 's
love
th at
he' s n ow
your mother and father
an an im al ! S om et im es
d o w n a m o n g th e st ar vi ng gh os ts an d in hell . Yes, that
he's
even
suffered
's exac tly w hy he's
a horse in the first place: because as a parent he always loved child. And there the poor thing was,
d o hungry, trying to crop the lovely
green grass that looked too good to miss, when a nd hit hi m! Myse lf, th os e lives
you, his
you, you lout, h a d to go
I'm jus t so gra tef ul for all he' s giv en me th ro ug h al l
. . . B ut ye s , it's tr ue , my legs wo n' t ca rr y me an y mo re as I'd
like, and if I have to go somewhere a little far off I can't very well walk. And so here I am, presuming
again on the poor beast's kindness. Who
am / to obje ct if he w a n t s to eat the that' s wh at y ou are, a
gr as s al on g the wa y? Yo u' re a br ute ,
br ut e! " Ja ku sh in bur st int o loud sobbing.
The groom thought all this rather funny, but he did not like to see the old man cry. "You're quite right, sir, quite right," he answered. "I must ha ve be en ma d to hit gr oo m like
the h or se . B ut wh at can y o u exp ect from
me ? I ha d no idea
a po or
w h y the ho rs e wa s bo rn a hor se, yo u see!
From now on I'll give him the respect we owe our parents, and be properly grateful." Fin ally
J a k u s h i n got bac k on th e hor se, sti ll snif flin g an d mut ter ing ,
"O h, the poor, dear cr eat ure !" On they we nt until the y ca me to
a rotten, w
ar pe d old gr av e- ma rk er
standing by the path. Jakushin got all excited and dismounted as quickly as he co uld . Th e gr oo m, wh o cou ld m ak e no th in g of this, ru sh ed up to take the bridle. Jakushin had him lead the horse on a little further. Looking back, the groom saw Jakushin prostrated full length in a spot where the pampas grasses grew a little less thickly. When Jakushin got back to his feet, he let down his trouser-skirt (he had hitched it up for traveling) to present a correct appearance, then put on the priestly stole which a servant had been carrying for him. Next, he adjusted his collar, swept his palms ceremoniously together, and bowed till he was nearly
do ub le d over — not stra ight to wa rd the gr av e- ma rk er , h ow eve r, but a to on e side, like
face dir ect ly; an d he t hr e w only side lon g gl anc es to wa rd the object defe renc e. Finally piously
bit
a gu a rd b ow in g to a gr ea t pe rs on ag e w h o m he da re not
he we nt up
to ge th er onc e mor e, a nd pro str at ed himself
foreh ead kn oc ke d against the
of his
to the gr av e- ma rk er , bro ug ht his ha nd s rep eat edl y ti ll his
gr ou nd . A ll in all , his
beh avi or wa s qui te
odd. Jakushin would not remount until the grave-marker was out of sight. And since he did exactly the same thing for every grave-marker he came ac ros s, he wa s ge tt in g on a nd of f his hor se th e wh ol e w a y al ong . As a result , a tri p th at sho ul d hav e tak en an ho u r or so too k ins tea d from early mo rn in g to late af te rno on . B y the tim e th ey ar riv ed at th e Ro ku jo Pal ace , the gr oo m wa s sw ea ri ng to where with
himself
that he wou
ld never,
nev er go any
that old fellow again.
Another time, while Jakushin was living at Iwakura, he caught a chill and got a case of very loose bowels. While he was in the privy the monk in the neighboring hut heard a sound like water squirting from a nozzle and felt sorry for the old man. Then he heard Jakushin talking, and stole up to spy through a hole in the privy wall. An old do g wa s sitting acr oss fr om Ja ku sh in , ap pa re nt ly wa iti ng f or him to
get up. J a k u s h i n was
talk ing to the dog . "Y ou got y o u r ani mal
bo dy ," he wa s saying , "b ec au se in past th em eat
liv es yo u betr ay ed other s or ma de
nast y thi ngs . Yes, a nd yo u cov eted wh at yo u we re neve r me an t
to ha ve , an d th ou gh t m uc h too mu ch of yourse lf. You belittled y ou tre ate d y o u r pa re nt s as no one awful
thin gs.
ever should, a
An d that 's w h y yo u' re a dog,
around to eat such filth. When I
ot he rs,
nd yo u did no th in g but
yo u see, and wh
think h ow in past li
y yo u wait
ves yo u' ve be en my
mother or father, time after time! And these days especially, when my insides are
n' t right an
d it 's co mi ng ou t just like
wa te r, y o u mu st n' t eat i t,
no, y o u simp ly mu st n' t! It hu rt s me to o mu ch ! To m o rr ow , you 'll see, I' ll give yo u som et hi ng really
nice
an d you'll h av e as muc h as yo u w a n t !"
Great tears rolled down his cheeks as he talked. The next day the neighbor spied on Jakushin again, curious to see what feast the dog would get. Ordering his disciples to prepare a meal for a gue st,
J a k u s h i n h ad th em pile a
gr ea t qu an ti ty of rice into
an
ea rt he nw ar e dish an d gar nis h it ge ner ous ly wit h veg eta bles . The n he had th em sp re a d a ma t in th e y a r d a n d set the " Co m e !"
call ed
Ja ku sh in , si tting
dis h out on it .
do wn beside
the
dish. "Din
ner 's
ready!" The dog came and ate while Jakushin rubbed his hands together in glee, we
e pi ng for joy an d mu tt er in g ho w it did his
the do g tu ck in. Alas, t
he big y o u n g d og wh ic h soon
he ar t go od to see ar ri ve d did not
go
2
6
2
first for the rice. It attacked the old dog instead, bowled it over, and sank its teeth into it. Jakushin jumped in horror. "Oh no!" he cried. "Don't do that,
pUtue\ I' ll br in g y o u som e, too!
Please just eat together nicely!"
And he tried to stop the fight. Naturally the dogs paid no attention. The rice was scattered and trampled into the mud, and all the gobbling, snarli ng, and
sn ap pi ng br ou gh t mor e dogs runni
ng in f rom eve ryw her e
until a furious melee ensued. Jakushin fled back to his hut, unable to be ar th e sight
of na ke d ign or anc e, ang er , and gr eed .
Th e neig hbo r mo nk chuckl self,
ed. " H e may be wis e," he
thou ght to him-
'b ut he do es n' t k n o w do gs . He re sp ec ts th em fo r wh at the y ma y
have been in past lives, but what does he think the dogs themselves can ma ke of his res pe ct ?"
1 8 0 .
THE REPRIEVE On his way once to Kyoto, the Todaiji monk Zoman happened to meet a physiognomist. Since Zoman wanted to have his fortune told anyway, he was in luck. The physiognomist declared that Zoman would excel in his st ud ie s but th at he wo ul d not li ve pas t forty. "If th an th at ," he said, "ar
ou se a since re thirst
yo u wa nt to live long er
for en lig hte nm ent . No th in g
else will work." Th e di st ur be d Z o m a n imm edi ate ly le ft Todaiji M o u n t Kasa gi, wh e r e he be ga n a strict ea ch mo r ni ng he wo ul d be sure to
and retir ed to a cave on
regi me of ascetic
pra cti ce.
Ear ly
cal l the nam e of the Bod his att va Ji zo .
In the fo urt h mo on of his thi rti eth ye ar , Z o m a n fell ill an d we ak en ed slowly until the soul left his body and he died. Several angry officials, dressed in green, came to seize him. Zoman cried out that he was a blameless ascetic whose actions and senses were thoroughly pure. "In China there was a hopelessly evil man," he protested, "and when he died th e flames of ha d called
hell
su dd en ly ch a ng ed into
a cool br ee ze, just bec
Ji zo 's na me ! T he Bu d dh a even
pa ra di se ! I've
called
the na me too, and I've
co mp as si ona te vo w. Doe sn 't that mean anythin
au se he
ca me to we lc om e him en tr us te d myself
into
to Ji zo 's
g? If it doesn't, then
the
co mp as si on at e vo ws of J i z o an d of al l the bud dh as of past, pr esen t, an d future are worthless!"
" S o you sa y, " gr ow le d th e office rs from hell , " bu t we 'v e no pro of th at you've any claim on the buddhas' compassion." "The compassionate vows th in g!
bu dd ha s being At this poin beautiful
o i the buddhas and bohisattvas
But if y o u wo n' t gr an t I'm right, th real is
just empt
mean some
en a ll the sut ra s' talk ab ou t th e
y ch att er! "
t a small m on k, v er y dis tin gu ish ed -l oo kin g an d givi ng of f a
ligh t, sud de nl y ap pe ar ed . Ha lf a doz en
equal ly
dimi nut ive
monks were around him, and some three dozen more were ranged to either side. They pressed their palms together solemnly in greeting. "We ll,
th at 's dif fer ent !" crie d th e officers . "J i z o an d his
host of
saint s
have come to fetch him! We'll have to give him up!" They saluted the holy company and went away. " D o yo u kn o w m e ? " as ke d the li tt le mo nk . "I'm the vo ke d each mo rn in g.
Ji z o yo u' ve in
I prot ec t y ou with a ll my po we r. You wer
e called
do wn to he ll be ca us e y o u r ka rm a req uir ed i t, bu t no w yo u can hu rr y ba ck to th e wo rl d of th e living,
pu t behi nd yo u a ll the car es tha t bu rd e n
me n, a n d f ulfill y o u r h op e fo r re bi rt h in th e La n d of Bliss. You 'll ne ve r come back here again." Zoman returned to life after having been dead a day and a night. He went on to practice with ever greater faith until at last when he was ni ne ty y e a rs old,
light of ste p an d in perfec t health , he k n e w his time h ad
come. He sat facing the west with palms pressed together in prayer, chanting the Buddha's Name and called on Jizo until he passed into Nirvana.
2
6
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THE WATER SPIRIT Retired Emperor Yozei's palace compound was very large, and after he died the street we now know as Reizei'in Lane was put through it. The northern part was rapidly built over with houses. Only the southern sec tio n kep t a few re mi nd er s of th e ga rd en that had onc
e be en there , and
on e of th ese wa s a po nd . O n e su m m e r nigh t a man stret
che d out on the
ve ra nd a of the former
pa la ce 's we st wi ng , th e buil di ng i tse lf ha vin g sur viv ed only the h a n d s of c o m m o n e r s. As he a n d f elt ov er his face.
lay th ere , an old
To o frighte ned to
as lee p until th e old ma n softly
got up
to pass
into
ma n thre e fe et tal l came
mov e, h e pr et en de d he w as
an d wa lk ed aw ay . By the brigh t
ligh t of th e mo o n an d star s he w a tc h e d the old ma n go to the edg e of the pond and vanish. Not having been dredged or cleaned within living me mo ry , the
po nd wa s ch ok ed with wat
er we ed s an d looked
thoro ughly
evil. Once more the man shivered with fear. Night after night now the old man came back and felt over the faces of tho se w h o w er e slee ping nea rb y. Ev er yo ne w h o even hear
d the story
was terrified. Finally another man spoke up. "All right," said he, "I'll catch that fellow!" He lay down alone on the veranda with a length of stout rope beside him. It was a long wait. Past midnight, when he had actually begun to doze off, he fel t so me th in g cold tou ch his
face. He
leapt up, b
ou nd wh at ev er
it was with the rope, and tied it to the railing round the veranda. Next, he called for light. There the creature was, a little old man three feet
tall
an d dr es se d in pal e ye llo w, b lin kin g in the gla re.
He see med
.
ab ou t to ex pi re . No qu es ti on in g got any
a ns w er out of him, bu t after
a
while he smiled, glanced around, and said in a thin, sad little voice, "Would
yo u please bri
ng me a tu b of w a t e r? "
When they put a big tub before him, he stretched out his neck to see his reflecti on. " I' m a w at er spirit, spla sh into
y o u see ," he said, an d col laps ed wi th a
the tu b. T he re wa s no th in g lef t of him, t ho ug h the
tu b wa s
suddenly full to overflowing. The rope floated, still knotted, in the water. Th e asto ni she d peo ple ca rri ed of f th e tu b, t ak in g ca re not
to spi ll a
drop, and emptied it into the pond. The old man was never seen or felt again.
1 8 2 .
THE MASTER OF STREAMS AND FALLS Th e re ma rk ab le Chu sa n, a m on k of Kofukuji
in Na ra , wa s said by so me
to be supernatural. People believed he had actually been born from a stream. O n c e Ch u sa n and severa
l com pa ni on s set
off in
a time of
ter rib le
drought on a pilgrimage to the East. Even the springs which never failed ha d all go ne dry, an
d ma n y pe op le we re dyi ng of thirst
Pe op le cam e from far wh ic h s ti ll ran
off to get wa t e r from
an d sta rva ti on.
on e sp ri ng in O m i pro vi nc e
cle ar a nd swe et. W h e n a w o m a n on her
w a y ba ck from
this sp ri ng , wit h a ja r of w a t e r on he r he ad , pas se d Ch u sa n on th e trail, he asked her for a drink. "Y ou 'r e a pr op er holy
ma n, " she an sw er ed . "W h y don 't yo u ma ke a
spr in g right he re an d get y o u r dr in k yo ur sel f?
I've ca rri ed this
wa te r a
lon g w a y a nd I've a l ot fart he r to go . I do n' t see w h y y o u sho ul d hav e to beg any off
me] "
"You're right," said Chusan, "I'll do that." He strode to a rock on the hillside,
d r e w h is sw or d, a nd str uc k of f a ch un k. Clea r, cool
wa te r gu sh ed
out. The local people were amazed at their new spring. Chusan also went to the Nachi waterfall, where holy men have prac ticed since time immemorial. The mountain torrent there tumbles gleam ing
wh it e,
four
h u n d r e d fee t d o w n a cl if f to th e val ley
floor . W h e n
2
6
6
Ch us a n ch an te d the H ea rt Sut ra ami d the
roa rin g an d the
spray, the
waters reversed their flow, and the living Thousand-Armed Kannon ap pe a re d on th e r oc k y lip of th e fal ls. Years later he went to the Minoo waterfall where En no Gyoja, the wi za rd of the mou nt ai ns , once met Ch us an himself
tu rn ed into
the Ind ian
sage
Nag arj una . Then
Th ou sa nd -A rm ed Kan non , wen t straight
up
through the falls, and vanished forever.
i
8
3
.
THE DRAGON CAVE Th e Dr ag on Ca ve at M u r o in Ya ma to province is
wh er e the Drag
on
King Zentatsu lives. His first home was Sarusawa Pond in Nara, but a long time ago an impe rial con cu bi ne dr ow ne d herself in the po nd an d the dragon had to escape to the pool at Kozen in the Kasuga Hills. Then so me on e du m p e d a co rps e in the Koz
en pool
an d the dra gon ha d to flee
again, this time to Muro. Eventually the Venerable Nittai went into the cave at Muro to worship the d ra go n. After thre
e or four hu nd re d ya rd s of pitch dar
kne ss, he came
out into light as bright as day and saw a palace. Dazzlingly brilliant, j e w e l e d b l i n d s s w a y e d g e n t l y i n t h e b r e e z e a l o n g i ts s o u t h s i d e , a n d h e gl im ps ed be hi nd th em a ja de des k wi th a co py of th e Lo tu s Sut ra on i t. A voice from behind the blinds asked him who he was and what he w an te d. N itta i gav e h is nam e and sai d he
ha d com e to wo rs hi p the
Dragon King. "You mustn't look at me," replied the Dragon King. "Leave the cave an d I' ll me et yo u thre e h u nd re d y a rd s be yo nd it." Nittai obeyed and went to wait. The Dragon King rose from the earth before him, fully adorned and crowned, till Nittai could see his whole body down to the waist. After Nittai had contemplated him for a while, the Dr ag on King Ni tta i built
disap pear ed.
a sh ri ne on the
spo t an d ma de a sta tue of the dra go n. Th ey
say it is st il l th er e. W h e n the mo nk s of Mu roj i, the
tem ple near by, p ra y
for rain, they chant sutras at this shrine. When their prayers work, a bla ck cl ou d rises Then it rains.
ov er th e Dr a g o n Cav e an d soon cove rs the wh ol e sky.
1 8 4 .
GOLD FROM THE DRAGON PALACE A po or y o u n g ma n of th e Cap ita l w a s so un ab le to ma ke a de ce nt living that
every
mo on on Kan
no n' s day,
the eighte enth, he
wo rsh ip pe d Kan
non and visited as many temples as he could to pray for help. This had bee n his cu st om for y ea rs . O n e ye ar , in the nin
th mo on , he w a s go in g from
te mp le to te mp le as
usual when he passed through southern Yamashina, which was little in ha bi te d in tho se day s. In a de se rt ed stre tch of hill s he met an ol de r ma n ca rr yi ng a foot -lon g sp ot te d sn ak e on the end of
a pol e. As
th e y o u n g
man walked by, the little snake moved. "W h e re are yo u go in g? " the y o u n g man asked.
The older
ma n replied
that he was on his way to the Capital and asked the same question back. Th e y o u n g ma n expla ined his
pilgrima
ge and inquir
ed about the snake.
"I've a purpose for it," the older man answered. " W o n ' t y o u let me ha ve it? Ka nn on . This
Kill ing's a
sin. G iv e it to me, for
love of
is Kan no n' s day , after all."
"Y ou ma y talk
of Ka nn on , bu t Kan no n pro tec ts peo ple
as well
sn ak es . I nee d this sna ke . I do n' t pa rti cu lar ly w an t to ki ll it , but I
as
ha ve
to live somehow." "W ha t do yo u wa nt it for?
"
"We ll, y o u see, I ma ke th e pr es id e at a rite . T h e hea d of a
nyoi wan ds that
mo nk s car ry wh en they
nyoi is curled like a fern shoot and made
of ox h o rn . I ne ed the oi l from th is little
sn a ke to w o r k th e ho rn in to the
right shape." "W ha t do yo u do with
y o ur
nyoi then? "
" W h a t a qu est ion ! I s el l it to a mo nk ! Th at 's my tr a de !" "I see . Yo u ne ed the sn ak e, a nd I certa inl y can 't ask y o u to give it
to
me f or no th in g. W o u l d y o u ta ke my coa t f or it ?" The man agreed and the exchange was made. "W he re 'd yo u get the sn ak e ?" the y o un g ma n asked, a
nd learn ed that
it was from a pond nearby. After the older man had gone on, he took the sn ak e to th e pon d, s cr ap ed the sa nd of th e ba n k do w n a lit tle to w h e r e it was cool, and let the snake go. The snake went right into the water. With his mind now at rest, he continued his pilgrimage. A few nicely
hu n dr ed y a rd s further
on, a
dre ssed , ca me tow ar d him.
doing in so lonely a place.
pre tty twelve
He could not
-yea r-ol d girl,
ve ry
imag ine wh at she wa s
2
6
8
"Y ou 'r e so ki nd !" she
said. "I'
ve com e to th an k yo u. "
"Ki nd? W ha t do yo u me an ?" " W h y , y o u sa ve d my li fe! W h e n I told my
pa re nt s the y said I
go str aig ht to th an k y o u and t el l y o u ho w grateful the
shou ld
y are . T hat 's w h y
I'm here." He realized this must be the snake, and though touched he was also afraid.
" Wh e r e are yo ur pare nts, t he n? " he asked.
" O v e r th er e. I' ll ta ke y o u to see t he m ! " Sh e led him to wa rd the
po nd.
He was so frightened that he would gladly have run away, but when she promised that no one would hurt him he instead followed her reluc ta ntl y to th e wa te r' s edg e. Sh e as ke d him to wai t whil e she an no un ce d he was coming, then vanished. His mind reeled. "I'll
ta ke y o u no w , " said
th e girl, sud
de nl y bac k. "Pl eas e close yo ur
eyes." He di d so an d wa s jus t feeling hims
elf drif ting o ff w h e n she told him
to open them again. A magnificent gate, far finer than any palace gate in our land, stood before him. Having let her parents know he was there, she came out again and asked him to follow her. He obeyed timidly. Inside the gate rose a dazzling palace made of every precious metal and stone. She led him to a central pavilion built all of sh in in g mu lti co lor ed jad e, w ith the mos
t beautiful floor
s an d cur tai ns.
The place seemed like paradise. Out came a gentleman in his early sixties, so distinguished that the young man was quite overawed. "Please come in," he said. F or
a mo m en t the
y o u n g ma n wo nd er ed
w h o he
wa s talking
to.
"You're too kind, sir," he finally replied. "May I?" " O f course you may ! I did n't co me to gre et yo u for not hin g! Co me in!" Wi th gre at hesit atio n the y o u n g ma n did so. H is host told him
wh at a
joy it w a s to w el co m e him, in view of the outstanding kindness of w hat he had done. "B ut I've
do ne nothin
g, si r!" the y o u n g ma n protest
"T he wo rl d kno ws well
ed.
en ou gh ho w pa re nts lov e their
chil dren ," the
ge nt le m an we nt on. "I' ve a go od ma ny chi ldr en my sel f, and
the yo un ge st
is this girl. Today she wanted to play in the pond. Oh, I tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen! Then she came back and told me how she'd been ca ug ht an d w a s go in g to be killed
w h e n y ou ca me along
an d sav ed her.
ca n't tel l y o u ho w grate ful I am ! " Fin ally the y o u n g ma n gr as pe d that this
wa s the girl's father.
Next, the gentleman had some overpoweringly splendid servants serve a feast. As he ate, he pressed his guest so insistently to do so too that the ne rv ou s y o u n g ma n l et himse lf be pe rs ua de d. It wa s a delici ous meal.
I
"I'm a Dragon King," the gentleman began when the dishes were fina lly cle are d aw ay , " an d I've lived
he re since
ti me out of mi nd . W h a t
I'd real ly like to giv e y o u in t ha nk s is a Wi sh in g J e w e l , bu t I'm afra id th e pe opl e of J a p a n ar e too evi l at hear t an d can 't be tru st ed wi th one . I've som et hi ng else f or yo u inst ead, t ho ug h. " He ha d a se rv ant fetch bo x from
a
wh ic h he too k a rice cak e th re e inc hes thick , m ad e of pu re
gold. He br ok e the cak e in tw o an d ga ve th e y o u n g ma n ha lf . "D o n ' t use thi s up all at on ce ," h e w a r n e d . " If y o u br ea k o ff a little
as y o u ne ed it,
you' ll be quit e comf ort abl e the re st of y o u r life." T he y o u n g m an pu t th e ca ke in the fo ld of his robe . At th e ap pr op ri at e moment he excused himself, and the girl took him back to the gate. Again she tol d him to close
his eyes . Wh e n he op en ed th em , the y w e re bot h
standing by the pond. The girl said she would have to go now and promised him she would never forget his kindness. Then she disappeared. When he got home, his family clamored about how long he had been gone. What he had thought an hour or two had actually been several days! He told n o on e a b ou t his go ld en cak e bu t qui etl y br ok e off bit s a n d ex ch an ge d th em for w ha t he need ed. Since
the cake always
gr ew ba ck to
its old size, no matter how much he broke off, he became very rich. All his life he served Kannon faithfully, and after he died the golden cake disappeared. It did not pass on to his children.
i
8
5 .
THE POND GOD TAKES A WIFE A w o m a n in
Sh im os a pr ov in ce often
twe lve o r so, to the ed po n d th at the
ge of a large po
too k he r st ep da ug ht er , a girl
of
nd an d an no un ce d to th e god of th e
girl wa s his to ma rr y. Sh e di d this once wh
e n a gale w as
blowing and the pond was very rough. The girl was so frightened that her hair stood on end; and what with the wind and waves, and the om in ou s da r k ne ss of th e da y, s he f led h om e ag ai n as f ast as sh e cou ld go with the awful feeling that something was behind her. Da sh in g pani c-s tri cke n into beg an telling
the hous e, she clutched at
her father
an d
him w ha t had ha pp en ed . Ne xt , her st ep mot he r ran in just
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7
0
ah ea d of a hu ge sn ak e. Th e sn ak e stare d at the girl, the tong
ue in i ts hug e
head flickering. Th e father
wa s no gr ea t lord,
da ug ht er ," he told
but he
wa s st il l qui ck- wit ted . "She 's
the sn ak e. "T his wo ma n here is
just
my
her ste pmot her
and she's got no right to give her away. I'm the only one who can do that a nd I r efu se. No , a wife 's b o u n d to do as her h us b an d say s, an d as far as she'd the one wh o' s yo ur s, if y o u wa nt her.
I'm concerned
Go ahe ad, take
her!" Whi le father
an d da ug ht er ma de their
escap e, the snake slithered
to
ward the stepmother instead and coiled around her. They say she went mad and began turning into a snake herself. Th e story
wa s goi ng ar ou nd on e sum me r ten ye ar s or so ago, whic
h
would be about 1270. Rumor had it that on a certain day that fall, both sn ak es wo ul d rise from the po nd dur in g a tr eme nd ou s stor m. The re rea lly was a storm on that day too, but I never heard whether or not the snakes appeared.
C
L
W
O
O R
S
E
L
D
D
S
186. THE ISLE OF MAN AND MAID
A po or fa rm er on ce lived so ut he rn coast
in H a t a co un ty of Tos a pro vin ce, alo ng the
of Sh ik ok u. His rice fi eld wa s in the nei ghb or in g prov ince ,
not in his own, but he raised the seedlings at home and when planting time came he prepared to take them to his field by boat. He also loaded a bo a r d ev er yt hi ng else he ne ed ed : a plo w, a hoe, a spa de, co oki ng pots, and food to feed himself, his wife and children, and the laborer he meant to hire. W h e n the bo at wa s re ad y to sai l, h e an d his wife we nt to find a willin g laborer, leaving their little son and daughter fast asleep on board. They never bothered to make the boat fast, since they planned not to be gone long, but only pulled it up a bit on the shore.
The boat floated on the rising tide. Then a breeze sprang up and blew it, as the tide ebbed, far out to where the wind was strong. Now the boat ran as though under sail. When the children woke up and saw how far they had drifted from land they began to cry, but they could not stop the wind taking them wherever it wanted to blow. The parents brought their laborer to the shore only to find the boat gone. Thinking it might have caught in the lee somewhere, they called an d called, an
d se ar ch ed ev er y inlet
an d cov e w h e n th ey got no an sw er .
In the end, though, they had to give up. The boat was blown onto an island far away to the south. Still crying, the children disembarked and tied it up. There was no one on the island. "Weil just have to do the best we can," they told each other. "We can eat a little food every day for as long as it lasts, then we'll just see. Anyway, let's plant these seedlings before they die." They found a nice place for a field, with a brook nearby, and made go od use of
th e sp ad e an d hoe tha t ha d co me wi th the m. Ne xt , th ey cut
w o o d an d built a
shel ter.
Sin ce one kind of
tre e or an ot he r wa s al wa ys in
fruit they easily survived till fall, when their luck brought them a much richer harvest than they could have hoped to get in Japan. They carefully laid this harvest by. Once the two had grown up, they saw they really had no choice but to marry. Their many children married each other in turn till despite its generous size the island was dotted with fields. In fact, that first pair had so many descendants that their island can scarcely hold them any more, or so people say. Imos e-ji me, t he Isle
of M a n an d Mai d, is supp os ed to be out in the
oce an sou th of To sa.
1 8 7 .
THE SNAKE AND THE CENTIPEDE A b a n d of se ve n me n in K ag a pr ov in ce ch os e to live sea, row in g to get her in the
sa me boat. Alt
by fishin g on the
hou gh fishermen, they
alw ays
went well armed with bows and arrows. Th ey ha d ro we d out of sight of
land on e da y w h e n a su dd en gale hi t
them and blew them farther still. All they could do was pull in their oars,
2
7
2
gr oa ni ng tha t th ey wo ul d die, an d le t the wi nd take Ev en tu al ly th ey sig hte d a large island
the m wh er e it wou ld.
ah ea d. "An is lan d!" the y cried. "If
we can reach it we can at least survive!" They succeeded with a tremen dous effort, disembarked, and drew their boat safely up on the shore. Th er e wa s a st re am , a nd ap pa re nt ly plent y of frui t on the trees. T
he y had
j u s t s t a r t e d l o o k i n g for s o m e t h i n g t o e a t w h e n t h e y s a w a h a n d s o m e m a n c om in g t o w a r d th em . It w a s a su rp ri se a nd a relief
to fin d th e island
inhabited. " D o y o u realize I br
ou gh t yo u he r e? " the man asked.
"I do n' t kn o w wh at yo u me an ," one
of the fishermen
ans wer ed. " A
gale blew up while we were fishing and swept us out to sea. We were ve r y gl ad to find thi s isla nd, I ca n t ell y o u ! " "Y es , y o u see,
I'm the one
w h o ma de the wi nd bl ow ."
The fishermen realized this was no ordinary human. "B ut y o u mu st be ti re d, " said the ma n an d sh ou te d to wa rd the wo od s, "C o m e! Br ing it al l d o w n ! " Wi th a cla tte r of footst eps,
be ar er s arr ive d ca rr yi ng a wi ne jar an d two
lar ge ches ts fu ll of delic ious food. Th
e ex ha us te d fishermen ate
a nd dr a n k their f ill of wi ne . W h e n th ey had finished, the le
hung ril y
ftovers
we re
put back in the chests and set aside for the next day. " N o w , " sai d th e ma n of th e isl and w h e n th e bea re rs had l ef t, "I'll y o u why I br ou gh t yo u her e. T he re' s an ot he r island
tel l
bey ond t his one, and
the fellow who lives there is always attacking me. He wants to kill me a n d ta ke ove r thi s isl and too . I've fough t him of f so far, but he 's co m in g ag ain a n d o ur bat tle will be th e oth er will die.
to m or r ow
dec isi ve. O n e of us will liv e an d
I br ou gh t y ou he re to ask for y o u r he lp ."
" H o w m uc h of an arm y doe s he hav e? " the fisherman m a n y sh ip s has he
aske d. "H o w
go t? We' ll figh t for y o u to th e de at h if nee d be, since
we're here." The man was pleased. "My enemy doesn't have human form," he ex pla ine d, "a nd I wo n' t eit her w he n I fig ht him. You'll see to mo rr ow . Every time he's attacked here before, I've come down this slope to keep hi m be lo w th e wat er fa ll ov er th er e. I've al wa y trie d to tu rn him from beac h. But
to mo rr ow I'm
coun ting
on
the
you, so I'm going to let him up.
He' ll be onl y to o ea ge r to cl imb , sin ce he get s st ro ng er as he get s hig her . J u s t w a t c h us fight wi th my
at first. W h e n I can' t ta ke any mor e I' ll signal to
eye s. T he n shoot a ll y o u r ar ro ws into
miss ! Be re ad y to m or r ow mo rn in g. Th e battle M a k e sur e y o u get
ple nt y to eat!
be ca us e he'l l be co mi ng from up str ucti ons,
him, and please wi ll start
A n d st and on
this
he re ." Ha vi ng given
the m an wit hd re w into the
yo u don 't
abo ut midday
.
ou tc ro p of rock the se careful
dep ths of the isl and.
The fishermen cut saplings and built themselves a shelter, then sharp-
in
ened their arrows and readied their bowstrings. They spent the night tal kin g a ro u n d a fire . D a w n ca me , an d after a go od bre akf ast th ey loo ke d toward where the enemy was supposed to come from. A steady gale was blowing, and the strangely menacing sea now began to glow. Inside the light th ey sa w tw o large mas ses of fir e. Th e mo un ta in be hi nd th em loo ked just as ghastly. T h e g rasses w e r e b e n d i n g low, the trees w e r e whistling in th e wi nd , and on the
mo un ta in si de as well they
sa w tw in mas ses of
fire. A centipede a hundred feet long came swimming in, shining blue on its back and red along its sides. Above them an equally huge snake was beginning to descend, its tongue flickering. The snake let his enemy climb, as he had said he would, and watched with his head alertly raised as the centipede seized his chance. Then the two frightful monsters paused, fixing each other with a furious glare. The seven fishermen on the rocky outcrop fitted arrows to their bowstrings and waited, their eyes on the snake. The centipede charged. Both creatues tore at each other till they were covered with blood, but the centipede, with all its legs, always seemed to be wi nn in g. Af ter sev era l hou rs the ex ha us te d sn ak e fin ally ga ve a look that clearly meant "Now!" The seven shot their arrows deep into the centipede, from its head to its tail, then they hacked at its legs with their sw or ds till the mon st er wa s helpless. O
n c e the
sna ke had
dis eng age d
itself, the fishermen attacked still more savagely and killed it. The snake meanwhile slithered away. Sho rtl y their host
re tu rn ed in a sad condi tion, limp
ing, bleed
ing, a nd
wounded all over; but he brought them food and thanked them again and aga in. T h ey cut
up th e cent ip ed e' s bo dy , felle d tree s f or a hu ge bonfi re,
and after burning the grisly remains threw the ashes and bones far away. W h e n the job wa s do ne , the ma n th an ke d the m again. "T
he re 's no one
no w to di sp ut e my ow ne rs h ip of the isla nd ," he sai d, "a nd th at ma ke s me ve ry ha pp y. Ple nty of pla ce s on th e island
wo ul d ma ke go od rice pa dd ie s,
and even more would do for dry fields. And there are so many fruit trees! Yes, it's a fine island. Gome and live here!" "T ha t's
a goo d ide a," the fish erme n ans we re d, "bu t wh at ab ou t ou r
wives and children?" "B rin g the m to o! " "How can we get them here?" " W h e n y o u cro ss to th e ma in la nd I'l l send y o u a follow ing wi nd . A n d wh en yo u co me back, well, the Ku sa nc tu ar y too,
ma ta Shri ne in Kaga
an d if y o u wo rs hi p ther e before
pro vin ce is my
y o u set out you'll get bac
k
here quite safely." He sen t th e m off wi th e n o u g h foo d for th e tr ip . As th ey ca st off, a
2
7
4
wind blew down from the island and in no time they had crossed to the mainland. They all went home and told their families where they were going now an d wh y. T he n in secre t the y got them sel ves ready, each party prepa
rin g
a boat loaded with seeds for all the crops that would grow. Finally they visit ed the K u m a ta Shr in e to rep or t the ir jo ur ne y to the go d. As soon as th ey had bo ar d ed thei r bo at s a followi ng wi nd arose, a
nd a ll the boat s
crossed straight over to the island. On the island they cultivated paddies and dry fields, and multiplied till it was hardly possible to count them any more. The island is called Nekono -s hi ma , C at I sla nd. O n c e a ye ar , they
say, the
isla nder s sai l to the
mainland and worship at the Kumata Shrine. The villagers there know they are coming and why, and would gladly visit with them; but they nev er act uall y mee t the island the ni ght . T he village
ers be ca us e the islande
rs fin d onl y the ir offerings the
rs co me in
wh ic h time the isla
nde rs hav e l ef t aga in.
Th es e an nu al v isits
re gul ar ly. Yo u can
see th e island , rising
gre en on
from
du ri ng
nex t mo rn in g, by st il l oc cur
the we st er n hor izon ,
O m iy a in No to prov ince .
Once a Noto boatman was blown out to the island. Although the islanders would not let him land, they allowed him to tie up on the shore an d br o ug ht him food. A
we ek or so later
a favo rabl e wi nd br ou gh t him
back to Noto. From what he had been able to see, there were a lot of houses on the island, with streets between them just as in the Capital, and many people coming and going in the streets. For that matter, lately Chinese sailors have been putting in to this isla nd firs t, on
the ir w a y to J a p a n . Th e isl ande rs br in g the m fo od, an d
they stock up on fish and abalone before going on to Tsuruga in Kaga pr ov inc e. Ap pa re nt ly the islande
rs forbid
the m even
to te ll oth er people
the island is there.
1 8 8 .
THROUGH THE WATER CURTAIN A wa nd er in g m on k ca me to
the provin
ce of Hi da wh er e, dee p in the
mo un ta in s, he go t lost. F ol low ing a fain t tr ac k bur ie d in de ad l eaves, he finally
ca m e to a wi de , hig h wat erf all th at ca sc ad ed like
a gr ea t cu rt ai n
d o w n a cliff. He cou ld not an d in front o ff him rose
go b ac k sin ce he ha d no idea
w h e r e he wa s,
a tw o- hu nd re d- fo ot wall of roc k. Wh il e pr ay in g
to the B u d d h a fo r gu id an ce , he he ar d footsteps
be hi nd him. It
wa s a ma n
wi th a load of w oo d. T h o u g h th e mo nk wa s relie ved to see him , the ma n looked surpr
ised and upset. "
as ke d the mo nk , but
W h o are yo u? W h e re doe s this pat h g o ? "
th e ma n w al ke d str aig ht pas t him into
th e wate rfal l
and vanished. Apparently he had been a demon, not a man. The frightened monk decided that before the demon ate him he would plunge into the waterfall too , an d die. " Th e n it wo n' t bo th er me if he doe s eat me ! " he said
to
himself. Praying for a happy rebirth, he walked straight ahead till water po un de d on his face . The n he wa s th ro ug h. H e sup pos ed dr ow ni ng cam e ne xt, b ut in f act he st ill se em ed to be cons ci ou s. Th e wate rfall real a thi n curt ain , an d th e n a r ro w pa th on
th e ot he r side
ly
was
led on un d e r th e
mountain. He was glad at last to reach a large village. Th e man
w h o had passe
of a ge nt le ma n in light
d him no w cam e ru nn in g to wa rd him,
blu e-g ree n formal
ah ea d
dres s. T he gen tle man hastily
invi ted the m o n k to follow him ho me . On the w a y pe op le joi ned th em from all directions and each one asked the monk home. What could they all want? The gentleman silenced them. "We'll go to the mayor and let him decide who gets this fellow!" he said. The crowd swept the monk on to a large house, where an agitated old ma n ca me out
a n d as ke d w h a t w a s go in g on. Th e fi rs t ma n the mo n k ha d
seen complained, "I'm the one who led him here from Japan and now this man has taken him over!" He pointed at the gentleman in bluegreen. Without discussion the old man awarded the monk to the gentleman, who began leading the monk away. The crowd dispersed. The monk could only think they were all demons, and that this one was taking him away to eat him. He began to cry. "Japan!" he thought in despair. "Where
u this place if
Th e ge nt le ma n noti ced his "It's
ve ry peaceful her
J a p a n is so far a w a y ? "
exp res sio n. "Ple ase don 't w or ry ! " he said.
e, y o u kno w. I pro mi se yo u you'l l be com fort able .
You won't have a care in the world." The gentleman's house turned out to be a little smaller than the one th ey ha d just lef t, b ut ve ry nice an d wit h a la rge staff
of se rv an ts an d
ret ain ers. Th e mo nk 's arriva l ca use d a gre at stir . Wh e n the ge ntl ema n invi ted him in , his pa ck , str aw cloa k, hat , a nd st ra w bo ot s w er e politely taken from him and put away. "F oo d, ple as e! " th e ge nt le ma n or de re d, an d a meal
wa s served. But
2
7
6
de spi te th e we al th of beau tifull y pr ep ar ed ch ick en an d fi sh , the mo nk did not eat. Instead he only sat and stared. His host asked him what was the matter. "I 'v e be en a m o n k all my lif e, y o u see,
a n d I've
ne ve r ea te n an yt hi ng
like this. Looking is all I can do." "I un der sta nd.
u j no w, y ou k no w. You'll hav
But yo u'r e with
e to eat
up! And another thing. I have a daughter I love very much and she's re ad y to be m ar rie d. So y o u shou ld start I w an t he r to ma rr y
letting
you. Yo u can 't leave, any
y o u r hair gro w, beca use wa y. Ju s t re me mb er to do
as I say!" T h e mo n k th ou gh t he mi ght be killed
if he sh ow ed any
sign
of resis
tance, and there certainly was no escape. "I'm just not used to this sort of fo od ," he a n s w e r e d , "b u t all rig ht, I' ll eat it."
As th e tw o ate , the mo nk
w o n d e re d wh at th e Bu d d h a coul d be thi nki ng of him now , since vo we d ne ve r to eat
the fle sh of an y living
he had
cr eat ure .
At nightfall a very pretty girl came in, beautifully dressed. Her father pu sh ed her
gentl y to wa rd the
on y o u mu st love her
mo nk . "Sh e's yo ur s, " he sa id. "Fro
as mu ch as I do. S
he 's my
only
m no w
da ug ht er , yo u
un de rs ta nd , so y o u can ima gine ho w de epl y I me an that ." Wi th thi s li tt le speech he wit hd re w. No argument was possible. The monk (from now on he will have to be "t he y o u n g m a n" ) we lc om ed the
girl , an d after
wife. T he y o u n g ma n w as actu ally
tha t the y we re ma n an d
ve ry ha pp y.
He wa s dre sse d in the
best and served whatever food he wanted. This new life was so unlike his old on e th at he pu t on a g oo d de al of we ig ht . W h e n his ha ir w as long enough for a topknot he did it up properly, and with a respectable hat on he cut
a fin e fig ure . Hi s wife th ou g ht th e w or ld of him a n d he lov ed he r
in return. After
eight m on th s like this, th e y o u n g w o m a n gr ew sad. H er fa ther,
on the other hand, only redoubled his attentions. "Good, good, we've go tte n som e fle sh on y o u ! " he wo ul d say. fed
his
son- in -l aw
we ig ht . As he did so
so
often
th at
the
"F at te n up al l yo u like!" He young
ma n
kep t
pu tt in g
on
his wife be ga n to hav e fit s of we ep in g. W h e n the
y o u n g ma n ask ed he r wh y,
she
wo ul d an sw er only
bu t w e pt m or e a n d mor e. Th e baffled
that she f elt s ad,
y o u n g ma n pu t up wi th it as best
he could. O n e day his
fath er-i n-la w en te rta ine d a visito r. Listen ing in dis creetly,
he he ar d the visitor say, "Th be plea sed to
at 's a nice y o u n g ma n yo u' ve got! Y ou must
ha ve y o u r da ug ht er so well provi
"I cer tain ly a m ! " the
ded for."
ge nt le ma n an sw er ed . "If
don't know how I could stand it by now."
I didn 't hav e him, I
"I just wish I could get one myself," said the visitor, rising to go. "I'm sur e I' ll be mis er ab le by this time next Ha vi ng seen hi s gue st o ff, the his son -in- law had eaten and m ma n' s wife
we pt whi le he
year."
ge nt le ma n as ke d sol icitously
ad e sur e a meal
w he th e r
wa s serv ed. T he y o u n g
ate . Th e puz zle d y o u n g ma n kept
thi nki ng
about what the visitor had said, and although he did not quite understand it he wa s afrai d. H is wife resi ste d ev er y effort tion out
of his to co ax an ex pl an a
of her, t ho ug h she clea rly w a nt ed to sp ea k.
Th e villag e wa s bus tli ng wit h pr ep ar at io ns f or a fes tiva l. D ep re ss ed as she
wa s, th e y o u n g ma n' s wife no w did l itt le mor e th an cry, an
d
she seemed so estranged from him that he finally reproached her. "I thought we'd always be together in joy and sorrow," he complained, "b ut yo u' ve got ten so f ar aw ay ! Y ou 'r e too cr ue l! " He burs t into an gr y tears. His wife sobbed aloud. "What ever made me think I could keep silent ti ll th e ve ry e n d ? " sh e cr ie d. "T he re 's so little didn 't love
ti me l eft ! O h , if on ly I
you!"
" A m I go in g to die ? Wel l, so
ar e we a ll, so me time
or ot he r. Th er e
mu st be so me th in g else! Tell me!" "You see, we have a sacred obligation here to give our gods living h u m a n sacrifice
s. Th at 's w h y ev ery on e wa s so an xi ou s to have yo u wh e n
y o u cam e. Th ey al l w an te d y o u fo r the sacrif
ice. E ac h y ea r it 's an ot he r
ho us eh ol d' s tu rn to pr ov id e th e vict im, a nd if no on e from ou tsi de can be fou nd th e ho us eh ol d he ad ha s to pr ov id e his ow n son or da ug ht er . I'd ha ve bee n th e vict im if y o u had n' t co me . O h , I wis h I coul d ta ke y o u r place after all!" " Do n' t cr y! " said he r hu sb an d. "P er ha ps it cou ld be wo rs e. Tell the victim carved up
me, is
before being offered to the gods?"
"No, I don't think so. The victim is laid out naked on a cutting board an d car rie d inside
the inne r sa nc tu ar y fence. The
n ev ery one leaves. I
he ar the go ds car ve up th ei r vict im th em se lv es . If th e vict im is thi n or displeasing in any way, they're very angry. Then the crops fail, people get sick, and we villagers do nothing but quarrel. That's why my father has bee n fee ding y o u so often and ma
ki ng yo u gain
we ig ht ."
At l ast the y o u n g ma n und er st oo d al l th e ca re th at ha d be en lavi shed on him. "But these gods," he said, "what shape do they have?" "They're supposed to be monkeys." "All right , I hav e an idea. Ca
n y o u get me a go od da g g e r ? "
" O f co urs e I c an ," his wife an sw er ed , an d qui ckl y did so. Th e y o u n g ma n sh ar pe ne d it carefull y a nd hid
it on his
bo dy . H e got
much livelier now, ate with unfailing appetite, and went on fattening
2
7
8
nicely. His father-in-law was pleased, and everyone in the village looked fo rw ar d to a go od ye ar . Se ve n da ys befor e the f est ival , cerem onial ro pes we re stretched arou
nd
al l th e ho us es to ma r k th e sa cr ed occasi on, an d the y o u n g ma n wa s ma de to f ast a nd un d er g o puri fica tion. T h ou gh his
wife co un te d the day s wi th
te ar s a nd gr oa ns , he hims elf se em ed un tr ou bl ed . In fac t, he comf ort ed his wife so well that even she took heart a little. On the festival day he was made to wash and put on a beautiful robe. Hi s hair w a s co m be d an d tied up, an d his side locks carefully dre sse d. A messenger came from the shrine again and again, more impatient each tim e. Final ly the y o u n g ma n an d the gen tle ma n rode ge th er whi le the
y o u n g wife
out on horses
to
er her robe
and
stay ed behin d, h iding und
we ep in g in silence. Th e shr ine wa s a row of san ctu ari es com po sin g a singl e large
str uct ure
inside an impressively fenced sacred enclosure. The crowd before the fen ce w a s ea ti ng a festive mea
l. T h e y o u n g m an wa s led to a high seat
among them and served food too. After the company had eaten and d r u n k freel y, ther e wa s da nc in g and music At last
th e y o u n g m an wa s called
ha ir w a s u n bo u n d,
a nd he
wa s laid
.
on to on the
rise.
He wa s undr es se d, his
cu tti ng bo ar d with a
stric t or de r ne it he r to mov e no r to sp ea k. G re en sprigs dakaki tre e w e r e pl an te d at the bo ar d' s four
co rne rs , and
fin al ,
of the sacr ed a sac red
cor d
with white streamers fluttering from it was strung from sprig to sprig. Having carried the board ceremoniously through the fence and laid it before the sanctuaries, the bearers withdrew and closed the gate behind t he m . Th e y o u n g m a n w as al l alo ne.
He stealthil
y re ac he d for the da gg er
hidden all this time between his thighs. W h e n the do or of the chief
sa nc tua ry crea ked open,
the yo u ng man's
hair stood on end. One by one the other doors opened too. Next a monkey as big as a man came round from behind the shrine and chattered at th e chief sa nc tu ar y. T he san ct ua ry cur tain was swe pt aside came another monkey with gleaming white teeth, larger and fiercer than th e fir st. "Th ey 'r e just mon
ke ys after
and out
all! " th ou gh t the y o un g man with
relief. More monkeys came from the other sanctuaries, and when all were present the messenger monkey received chattered orders from the mon ke y of th e chief
sa nc tu ar y.
Th es e instruc
tions obviously conce
rne d the
victim because the messenger monkey now came to the cutting board, picked up the large cooking chopsticks and knife that were laid out for him, and prepared to carve. Th e y o u n g m an leapt up and atta
cke d the chief
mo nk ey wh o, t ake n
completely by surprise, toppled over backwards. A dagger pinned him to
the gr ou nd . "Are yo u a g o d ? " the y o u n g man roa red. Th e monk ey w ru n g his hands beseechingly while all the others fled and sat chattering fu riously in the treetops. Th e y o u n g ma n ti ed up the mo nk ey wi th som e vine s tha t ca me to ha nd an d b o u n d him to a pos t. T h en wi th his da gg er to th e pit of th e mon ke y' s sto mac h he cried, "Wh yo u 'v e been go t to say
calling
y, y ou
are just a plai n mo n ke y ! A n d al l these ye a rs
yo ur sel f a go d an d eatin g pe opl e!
for yo ur se lf ? All
rig ht, call
Now wh at have yo u
ou t y o u r so ns !
Call the m ou t!
Y ou 'r e de ad if y o u don 't . O f co ur se if yo u' re a go d my knife y o u . P er ha p s I' ll just stick
wo n' t hur t
it in y o u r belly a nd see w h a t h a p p e n s ! " A litt le
pressure on the blade made the monkey scream and wring his hands aga in. "All righ
t," said the
y o u n g man, "call out
y o u r so ns !"
Th e mo nk ey cha tter ed and the mes sen ger mo nk ey cam e back. S en di ng him for mo re vine s, th e y o u n g m an fi rs t tied
up the
chief mo nk ey 's th re e
sons , the n the mes se ng er mo nk ey too . "Y ou we re goi ng to ca rve me u p , " he said,
"b ut I' ll l et y o u live if y o u sta y qu ie t. I wi ll ki ll y o u , th ou g h, if
y o u ev er cu rse those poor
, ign ora nt peo ple agai n or eat th e m! "
He led the monkeys out the gate through the shrine fence and tied them to trees. Next, he set fire to the shrine with embers from the recent co ok in g fi re s. Th e villag e w a s so far of f th at no on e kne w, t ho ug h w h e n fl am es le ape d from
th e sp ot th e villa gers sa w th em a nd wo rr ie d. N o on e
went to see what was happening because people were supposed to stay at home for three days after the festival. The gentleman was particularly upset and feared something had gone ve ry wr on g. he r father
Hi s da ug ht er too w a s afraid
bec aus e she kn ew better
w ha t mig ht hav e ca use d the flame
ap pe ar ed in the
village, carr
s. The n the
th an
victim himself
yi ng a sta ff an d drivin g the tied-
up mo nk ey s
ah ea d of him . He wa s nak ed b ut for a belt of vin es wi th a da gg er stu ck in i t, a nd his loose hair fl th ro ug h eve ry gat e al ong
owed the
ov er his sh ou ld er s. P eo ple pe ep ed at hi m wa y. " He 's got
the go ds bo un d an d he's
driving them along!" they cried to each other. "Why, our sacrificial vict im w a s mo re pow erf ul th an the god gods, just think what he can do to
s!
A n d if he can
do this
to th e
u>A Maybe he'll eat us!" The villagers
were terrified. At his father-i ope ned . Silence hu rt yo u!
n-law 's hou se the y o u n g ma n sho ut ed for the gate to be met his de ma nd . " O p e n up ! " he shou ted again. "I
But if y o u do n't open up the
re
won 't
will be tr ou bl e. " He kic ked at
the gate. The gentleman had his daughter go out to meet her husband. "He's st ro ng er th an the
go ds ," he said, "a nd I'm afr aid he ma y me an yo u harm .
But open the gate and talk to him."
2
8
0
Fear ful but ha
p py too, the girl
cr ac ke d the gate open and
the yo u n g
man pushed it wide. "Let me have my clothes," he said. She fetched him his trousers, his cloak, and his hat, and after tying the monkeys fast to the ho us e he dres se d. He also ha d her br in g him a qui ver an d bo w. T he n he called out his father-in-law. "It's horrible!" he said. "These are an d fee ding
monkeys yo u' ve b een calling
god s
pe op le to al l the se ye ar s . Loo k! T his is Mr . Mo nk ey . You
can k ee p him tied to y o u r hou se, an d if an yo ne does an y to rm en ti ng it' s you, not M r . Mo nk ey . Bu t yo u' ve had it al l ba ck wa rd s! Well, yo u can be sur e thes e mo nk ey s wo n' t tro ubl e yo u any mor e as long He pi nc he d on e of the mo nk ey s' ear s. It did not wa s ra th er funny. Th
e mo nk ey s see med quite
the ge nt le ma n agr eed that o n you'll be our god
the y had had
," he said, "
as I'm her
e! "
react. T he who le thi ng
tam e!
Slight ly reass ured,
ever ythi ng wr on g. "F ro m no w
an d we'll do
wh at ev er yo u say! " He
rubbed his hands together ingratiatingly. T h e y o u n g ma n l ed him
off to see the may or,
he rd in g the mo nk ey s
along. His knock on the gate again got no answer. "Op en u p ! " the gen tle ma n shout ed. "I 've got to spea k to yo u! There'll be tro ubl e ot he rw is e! " Thi s thr eat brou gh t out the mayo r, tre mbli ng with fear, t o op en u p . At the sigh
t of th e sacri ficial
victi m he th r ew himself
pr os tr at e on th e gr ou nd . Th e y o u n g ma n led his mo nk ey s into the house an d sp ok e to th em wit h fury in his eyes . "Y ou 'v e fa lse ly called you rs el ves go ds , a nd each
ye ar yo u' ve kill ed an d eaten a
hu ma n being.
N o w you 'r e
go in g to me nd y o u r wa ys ! " He fit ted an a r ro w to hi s bo ws tr in g an d took aim . Th e m on ke y s sc re am ed in abject
fear, an d the ma yo r wa s so al ar me d
that he asked the gentleman, "Is he going to kill us, too? Save us!" "K ee p ca lm ," the ge nt lem an an sw er ed . "No th in g wi ll hap pen as
long
as I'm here." "All rig ht, " th e y o u n g ma n we nt on, "I won yo u eve r s ho w yo ur se lv es he re again, a
nd try
't have
y ou r lives. But if
an y mischief
peo ple , I pr om is e I 'l l sho ot y o u . " He ga ve eac h mo n k e y tw e n t y bl ow s of his s taff , th en sent to sm as h and bu r n w h a t wa s le ft of the shri ne. m on ke y s out of th e village. T
Nex t,
agains t the
the villa gers he dr ove the
he y ran o ff, limp ing, de ep into
the mo un
tains and were never seen again. N o w th e gr ea te st ma n in th e village, the
yo u n g ma n sta yed on wit h his
wif e. T h e vil lag er s w e r e at his be ck an d call. P e rh ap s he told this sto ry when he came back to our land for a secret visit. Since the people beyond the waterf
all had no
cattle , hor ses , or dog s he br ou gh t the m pup pie s
(d og s ar e gr ea t en em ie s of mo nk ey s) an d fo als for th em to put and these all multiplied. But although he sometimes visited our land, no on e from he re eve r visi ted his.
to wo rk ,
1 8 9 .
CANNIBAL ISLAND A man f rom
K y us hu o nc e set off by boa t, wi th a go od cr e w of me n, to
trade in parts unknown. On the return voyage the ship's first landfall wa s a large isl and far
off th e so ut hw es te rn coast of
Ky us hu . It se em ed
inhabited, and the crew were all for putting in and taking on some prov isio ns. W he n, th ey landed while oth
ers sca tte red to
, so me wa nd er ed o ff to look over the island
reple nish their suppl
y of chop sti cks.
Th e soo n hea rd a lar ge gr o u p of pe opl e co mi ng d o w n from th e hei ght s of th e islan d. Fo r al l they
kn ew , th e isl and ers cou ld be de mo ns . R us hi ng
back to the ship, they quickly put some sea between themselves and the shore. More than a hundred natives hove into view, dressed in white with tall, nod
di ng ca ps on the ir he ad s.
It w as a familiar
co st um e. T h a n k
goodness they were humans after all! Apparently there was nothing to fear. Still, in so remote a spot these fellows could easily be murderous en ou gh , a nd ther e certainl y we re a lot of th em . T he men kept row
ing .
T h e is lan der s re ac he d th e edg e of the wa te r, s aw tha t the boat
was
retreating, and came straight on into the sea. Being fighters, the crew were well armed. Every man had an arrow fitted to the string as they warned their pursuers off. The completely unarmed islanders glared at the ship a moment in silence, then turned round and disappeared again up onto the island. W h a t ha d th e isl and ers had in min
d? T he cr ew did not really
w a n t to
find out, and since the islanders could perfectly well try coming after the m again, th
ey followed
the pr om pt in g of thei r fear an d ro we d aw ay
for good. Back in Kyushu they told everyone they met about the incident. An old man who heard the story said they had been on Tora Island. As far as he kn ew , th e isl and ers did in dee d hav e h um a n form, but
w er e act ual ly
cannibals who would overpower any unwary visitor and kill and eat him. "Y ou bo ys did well to
get
a w a y from the re ," he decl are d. "If
th ey' d
got te n at yo u, y o u ' d hav e all be en dea d, a rm ed or not ! " Th e me n qu ak ed afresh at this news and wondered at their narrow escape.
2
8
2
H A U N T
S
I I
l
a
o
NO NONSENSE!
T he spl end id man si on of To ru , th e Mi ni st er of the Lef t, was called Ka war a- no- in , or Riversi de. T oru was espe cially pr oud of it s elabo rate garden. When he died, his heirs offered the place to Retired Emperor Uda. Late one night Uda heard someone open a storeroom in the west wing and come rustling toward him. Peering into the darkness he saw, kneel ing no w so me six
fee t aw ay , a ge nt le ma n in
ele gant ever yd ay dres s,
ca rr yi ng a cou rt ier 's bat on an d we ar in g a sw or d in th e ma nn er of a ver y great lord. " W h o are y o u ? " Ud a asked. "T he m ast er of this hou se ." "Y ou mean
yo u' re the Mini ster
Toru?"
"Yes, I am." " W h a t do y ou wa nt ? " "W el l, t he ho us e is mi ne , a n d if I ma y say so, y o u r living ma ke s th e pla ce a bit small for
her e too
me . I w o n d e r wh at yo u sug ges t."
"This is very odd," said Uda, his voice rising with anger. "When did I ev er rob a m a n of his ho us e? I live he re be ca us e y o u r hei rs gav e the pla ce t o me. Y o u r bei ng a gh os t doe sn' t mean
yo u talk
sense . Wha t' s al l this
about?" The ghost vanished instantly and was never seen again. Peo ple wer e ver y imp res sed with
His Majest
y's handl
ing of the inc i
dent. "No ordinary man," they said, "could possible have argued so forcefully with a ghost!"
.
i
i
9
.
QUITE A BIT OF NONSENSE On ce , Ret ire d Em pe r or U da too k a carr iage ride
wit h one of his con sor ts
to his Riverside Palace. The view from there was lovely, and that night th e mo on w as ve ry bri ght . U d a ha d the mat s from
his car ri age sp re ad
ou t in on e of the roo ms , the n he an d the cons or t lay do w n. T he y w er e making love when a storeroom door opened and a voice spoke. "Who's there?" Uda called. "T or u, " said the voice. " I wa nt y o u r cons ort fo r "Y ou wer e just
n u."
a min iste r w he n yo u we re alive," U
da retort
ed. " I' m
an emp ero r. H o w da re yo u? G o aw ay !" T he gh os t cl ut ch ed at Ud a, w h o wa s half de ad wi th fright. Hi
s se rv an ts
were all too far away to hear him cry out. Only the little oxherd was ne ar by , te nd in g th e ox from th e car ri age whi le it gr az ed . U d a ha d him get the carriage brought round and helped his consort into it. She was ghastly pale and could not even stand. As soon as U d a go t ho me , he sent an
exo rci st to tak e ca re of th e gh os t.
He was very lucky that the gods were still watching over him even th ou gh he had abdic
ate d. Th er e we re sw or d cuts on the sto rer oom door,
made by the gods as they slashed at Toru's ghost and forced him back inside.
1
9
2
.
ONE MOUTHFUL Lo ng ago . R eti red Em pe ro r Yozei liv ed in a ha un te d palace in
no rt he rn
Kyoto. One night a guard was asleep in the Fishing Pavilion, a pavilion for parti es an d mo on- vi ew in g built out ove r the large
ga rd en pond . Su dd en ly
he awoke to feel skinny fingers playing lightly over his face. Frightened by the eerie sensation, he drew his sword and seized the intruder. He had captured a miserable old man dressed all in pale blue. "T hi s is w h e r e / lived a
lo ng ti me ag o , " th e old
m an said dolefully.
"I' m Ura sh im a' s yo un ge r bro the r, yo u know , an d I 've
been here
fo r
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tw el ve hu n d r e d y e a rs . P lea se l et me go ! If only you 'll build me
a shri ne
a nd do me p ro p e r ho no r, I' ll willin gly pr ot ec t the pla ce !" "But it isn't just up to
me," the guard replied. "I'll have to consult His
Majesty about it." " O h y ou will,
will y o u ? " sna rled the old
ma n.
He kicked
the guar d
high in the air three times. The last time the guard came down, as limp as a rag, he opened his mouth and swallowed him. At first he had loooked quite ordinary, but then he grew so huge that he made just one mouthful of that guard.
1
o
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SUDDENLY, HORSE DUNG
O n e ev en in g an impe rial ba th at te nd an t (a w o m a n ) we nt of f on a vis it , taking her little son Akoboshi and some friends of his along with her. As twil ight f ell the boys
be ga n a wre stl ing ga me outside the house
. Su dd en ly
something like a huge curtain (they never did get a good look it) came d o w n over
th em from
the wall
the y we re playin
g un der , and
Ako bos hi
disappeared. The other boys ran off, terrified. They were afraid to tell anyone what had happened. The woman was very upset when she missed her son and hunted e v e r y w h e re for him , b ut in vai n. In th e mi dd le of the thir d night
after his
di sa pp ea ra nc e th er e wa s a kn oc ki ng on he r gat e. Not dari ng to ope n i t, she ma na ge d to cry out, "W ho 's th er e? " " W e wa nt to give yo u back y o ur son!
O p e n up ! "
She was too frightened to obey. Next, she heard voices on her roof an d a roa r of la ug hte r.
So me th in g f el l, or wa s th ro wn , to the gr ou nd .
Fi gh ti ng bac k he r te rr or , sh e li t a to rc h an d we nt for
a look.
It wa s
Akoboshi, lying limp and still. The only sign of life in him was that he blinked. Sh e called
a hea ler an d h is me di um . Wh e n the me di um went into
tr an ce , Ako bo sh i w a s su dd en ly cov ere d wit h some It tu rn e d out to
be hors e du ng , thr ee bucketfu
her
sort of bro wn ish s tu ff .
ls of it . Akobo shi ne ver
told what had happened to him, but he revived and was still alive ten years or so later. Th is ha pp e ne d a ro un d 1215. the time.
I got this fro m some on e w h o wa s the re at
.
1
9
A •
THE MONK IN WHITE ARMOR Na ka ka ne , the go ve rn or of Om i, wa s goi ng ever y da y to help hi s father, Lord Mitsuto, build the Hojuji temple. He left the construction site one evening after sundown, and darkness fell while his carriage was rolling al on g in the vici nity of Toji. T h er e w a s no on e be hi nd him bec au se a ll his attendants were running on ahead. By th e fain t light wa lk in g beh ind his
of the sta rs Na k a k a n e sa w a m on k in wh it e a r m o r car ria ge.
H o w ver y od d!
Lifti ng the carr iage' s rea r
blind for a better look, he thought he recognized one Jiro, a monk whom his father had dismissed from his service and driven away. Perhaps Jiro w as pl an ni ng an at ta ck . Still , it wa s al l ve ry st ra ng e. Inst ead of wa rn in g his atte ndan ts,
Na ka ka ne gripped the
swo rd that
was kept in the carriage for emergencies, jumped down, and faced the monk. "Is that yo u, J i r o ? " he call ed threat eningly. " Wh at are yo u doin g he re ? I don' t like the look of y o u ! " A nd he ch ar ge d. Th e mo nk gr ew huge, then seeme
d to vanish. S
udd enl y som ethi ng
kn oc ke d Na ka k a n e ' s hat o ff from abo ve an d lift ed him up
by the hair .
Slas hing ove r his he ad wit h the swor d, N ak ak a ne struc k so met hin g solid . Whatever it was let go, and he fell to the ground with blood all over his robe and his right arm. Having no idea what had happened, Nakakane's servants went on to Lo rd Mits uto 's hous e as or de re d. T he y only e m pt y w h e n their m as te r fail ed to get out of
realized
the
carr iage
wa s
it . Ba ck th ey we nt the wa y
they had come, in great alarm, and discovered Nakakane in a field south of Toji. H e w as dead , s wo r d in han d. T he y ca rr ie d him hom e an d ha d a protective rite done over him for several days until he came back to life. Th e Reti red E mp er or as ked fo r the swor d, an d it en de d up in the tre asur y of Sa nju san gen do.
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D R E A M S
i
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5
.
LITTLE WHITE HAIRS O n e da y w h e n the "S ag e Mi ni st er " Sa ne su ke wa s st il l only a counselo he do ze d o ff in his
ca rr ia ge on
the wa y out of
the palace
r,
. Ho ve ri ng
between dream and waking, he noticed a little man all in white catching up wi th hi m fast. On re blind. S
ac hi ng th e ca rr ia ge th e l ittl e man li fte d the rea r
an es uk e wa s indignant. "W
ha t do yo u w a n t ? " he growl ed. "I
do n' t like yo u. Go a w a y ! " "I 'm from th e ki ng of hel l," the li ttl e man an sw er ed . " M y na me is Little Wh it e Hai rs ." He
ju mp ed
into
the
carriage, ho
ppe d onto Sanesuk
e's
head, and disappeared. Ba ck at
ho m e Sa ne s uk e loo ked in
the mir ro r an d sa w his fi rs t whi te
hair. He had never been much intererested in religion before, but after that he began to think about the life to come.
1
Q 6 .
THE MAN WHO STOLE A DREAM Hik i no Ma ki bi to , a co un ty mag istr ate' s son in Bitchu province
, we nt to
see a dream-reader about a puzzling dream he had had. Sitting chatting with the woman after she had given her reading, he heard a party of people approaching. It was the provincial governor's eldest son, a boy of six tee n or so, a cc om pa ni ed by half a doz en m en. The governor's son was very handsome. "It this the dream-reader w om a n ' s pl ac e? " he ask ed his
men , and
they
told
him it wa s. Ma kib ito
retired to an inner room and watched through a hole in the wall as the young man entered, told his dream, and asked what it meant. "That's a re ma rk ab le dr ea m, sir,"
the w o m a n replied. "It
up as a min ist er at co ur t. Yes indee
me an s yo u' re sure to end
d, tha t's a wo nd er fu l dr ea m!
careful n ow , sir , don 't t ell an yo ne else
Bu t be
ab ou t it." Th e y o u n g ma n loo ked
very pleased. On leaving he gave her his cloak. Makibito emerged from the back. "I hear it's possible to take over so me on e else' s dr ea m, " he s aid. " W h y not l et me have ma n' s? Th e go ve rn or will be te rm is
that y o u n g gen tle
of f to the Ca pit al again onc
over , bu t I'm y o u r ne ig hb or a nd al wa ys will
fathe r's the co un ty ma gi str at e an d y o u migh t as well be
e his fou r-y ear be.
Besid es, my
nice to m e . "
The woman agreed and told him what to do. "Come in just as the y o u n g ge nt le ma n di d, " she said, "an
d tel l me his dr ea m exa ctl y as he told
it himself." Makibito cheerfully imitated the gentleman's entrance and na rra tio n in eve ry detail, an
d the w o m a n gav e him prece sely the inter
pre
tation she had just given. Makibito removed his cloak, gave it to her, and left. Afte r tha t he app lie d himse lf so studio usl y to hi s boo ks that his
scho l
arship came to the attention of the court. When tested, he did so well that he was sent to study in China, returning home after a long and fru itf ul sta y to find fav
or wi th the emp
er or . In time
he wa s pr om ot ed to
minister. So it pa ys to steal
so me on e else's
dr ea m. T he go ve rn or 's son nev er got
an official post at all. Had he kept his dream he would have been a minister. Y
ou sh oul d kee p y o u r dr ea ms to yoursel f!
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•
THE BUDDHA-OX Du ri ng hi s ten ure as from his
go ve rn or of Echizen,
Tair a no Na ka ka ta received
pr ov in ce the gi ft of a bl ac k ox . Afte r ri di ng th e an im al for ye ar s,
he at last ga ve it to a m o n k he kn e w at Ki yo mi zu in Ky ot o, an d th e m on k in turn passed it on to one Masanori who lived in Otsu at the southern end of Lake Biwa. W h e n the holy
ma n of Se ki de ra be gan re bui ldi ng this ven era ble temple
from th e rui ns le ft by lo ng negle ct, he fou nd th at al th ou gh he had
a go od
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wagon to haul building materials in, he had no ox to pull it. Masanori, no t far a w a y in Ot s u, he ar d of th e pr ob le m an d ga ve him
the black
ox.
The holy man put it straight to work. The ox had finished its job when a great monk had a dream. Myoson, of Mi id er a ne ar Ots u, d re am ed that
he we nt to Sekide
ra and found
a
black ox tethered before the main hall. He asked what it was doing there. "I am
th e Bu d d h a Ka s ho , " the ox
th e form of
an ox
to help
its elf replie d. "I came to
Se kid er a in
th e te mp le a nd sp re ad the holy
Te ac hi ng ."
Then Myoson woke up. He was so impressed that in the morning he sent a disciple to find out whether there really was a black ox at Sekidera, one used for hauling construction materials. The disciple reported that the temple did indeed have a big black ox with rather flattened horns. It was tethered in front of th e holy
ma n' s lodging
. Ac co rd in g to the holy man, i
t hau led the
materials for rebuilding the temple. Am az ed , M y o s o n set out on fo ot for Se ki de ra wi th a cr ow d of his mos t dis tin gui sh ed mo nk s. Th e ox w as now he re to be seen, but
the holy ma n
explained that he had sent it up on the hillside to graze, and promised to have it fetched right away. Actually the ox came down the hillside behind the main hall even as the boy sent for it started up. Myoson wanted it caught, but this proved impossible. At last, filled with pious reverence, M y o s o n de cl ar ed tha t he wo ul d not insis t furt her. "I'll dist ance , whe re ve r it ma y ro am ," he said,
wo rs hi p it from a
an d pro str ate d hi mself repeat
edly toward the ox. All the monks with him did the same. Having circled the hall three times clockwise, the ox lay down in front of it facing
th e alt ar. M yo so n an d his m on k s ci rc um am bu la te d the h all
th re e tim es in
tu rn . The mor e sain tly- look ing am on g th em we re al l in
tears. Aft er M y o s o n l ef t, n e w s of th e ox sp re ad t il l ever y single inha
bi tan t of
the Capital, all the great lords and nobles, and even the regent himself wi th his wife, ca me to Sek id er a to wo rs hi p it . San es uk e, the the Right, was the only one not to come.
Min ist er of
W h e n Kin 'su e, the cha nce llo r, m ad e the pilgr imag e he met such a pre ss of c o m m o n e r s at the tem pl e that he tho
ug ht it uns afe to get out
of his
carriage (as even so great a man as he would normally have done) before entering the temple grounds. Instead, he had his carriage drive straight in and up to the ox's stall. The ox seemed deeply offended by this sacri lege bec au se it sud de nl y br ok e i ts te the r an d bolted
for the hill s. Th e
chancellor got out at once and burst into tears at the thought that his conduct had displeased the ox and made it run away. Perhaps moved by his heartfelt repentance, the ox soon came slowly back down the hillside and lay down again in its stall. The chancellor fed
it grass he had gathered with his own hands; and when it ate the grass, al th ou gh clea rly not ve ry hun gr y, he co ve re d his f ace wi th his sleeve
an d
sobbed. So did everyone looking on. After the mass pilgrimage had continued for four or five days, the holy man dreamed that the ox spoke to him. "My work at this temple is done n o w ," it said, " an d in the ev en in g of the day
after to m o r ro w I' ll be go in g
h om e ." Th e holy ma n we pt w he n he wo ke up, and dr ea m to My os on . My os on too
wa s in tea rs.
quic kly re po rte d the
He told the holy
ma n that
someone at Miidera had had the same dream. Word of this fresh development brought even greater throngs to Sekider a. On the an d the
day, all
the mo nk s of Mi id er a an d Mo u n t Hiei
su rr ou nd in g hil ls ran g wit h their
we re the re,
ch an tin g of the Ami da Sut ra.
The scene recalled nothing so much as that other day so long ago when the Bu dd ha Sh ak ya mu ni l ay dying,
su rro un de d by al l the countless
griev
ing beings who loved him. As the day wore on and the ox still looked quite normal, certain perverse individuals in the crowd began joking that it seemed in no hurry to kick the bucket. But when evening came the recumbent ox got up, lu mb er ed to the mai n hall,
the n twice
ran a set of thr ee circ um am bu la -
tions round it. Suddenly it seemed in pain and began abruptly lying down and getting up again; but it still managed to complete two or three more sets
of ci rc um am bu la ti on s bef ore
it re tu rn ed to its sta ll an d lay d o w n
wi th i ts he ad , like th e Bu d d h a 's on his de at hb ed , facing
the nor th . Th e n
it stretched out full length on its side, with its legs extended, and died. All the pilg
rim s gat he re d for
the o cca sion — lor ds an d ladies,
me n and w o me n of eve ry degr ee,
c om mo n
mo nk s an d layme n — bur st into loud
sobs an d ch an te d the Am id a Su tr a with ab an do ne d fervor. After the crowd had left, they dragged the ox a little way up the hillside and buried it. The grave was topped with a proper marker and sur ro un de d wit h a simpl e pick et fence. Al carc ass had be
th oug h it wa s su mm er an d the
en bu rie d rat he r th an crem ate d, the gra ve gav e of f no od or
at all. Every seven days thereafter sutras were read at the grave until the forty-ninth day was past; and services continued to be performed in the same way, at the proper intervals, until the anniversary of the ox's passing. The buddha of Sekidera is Miroku. It can be fairly said that every person who travels between the Capital and the eastern or northern prov inc es wor sh ip s at Se kid era , an d tha t a single he re has
as su re d eac h pilgrim of
ku s per fec t w or ld . I t w a s to give us Ka sh o too k the form of
act of heartfelt
wo rsh ip
th e k a rm a to be bo rn aga in into
Mi ro
th e ch an c e to gai n suc h mer it th at
an ox an d urg ed us to gr ea te r faith. H o w str ang e
and wonderful a tale the story makes!
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i
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THE FALCONER'S DREAM A fal con er wi th m a n y so ns onc e lived in
the wes te rn par t of th e Capi tal,
near Saga Moor. Falconry was his whole life. He kept seven or eight h a w k s at ho m e (just
feed ing th em , especiall
y in su mm er , mea nt killing
so
m a n y cr ea tu re s! ) an d twic e that nu m be r of dog s. Ni gh ts he wo ul d si t ti ll dawn with a hawk on his fist; and every day, whatever the season, he would be out in the fields hunting pheasants. W h e n he w a s old,
he ca me d o w n wi th a litt le illness
an d on e night
w as
unable to sleep. Toward dawn when he finally dozed off, he had this dream. There was a hole in a mound on Saga Moor, and he lived in it with his wife and children. They had been awfully cold that winter, but now spring was here and the day was so warm they all went out to sun themselves and pick fresh greens. The nice weather made them wander off in all dir ec ti on s a lo ng w a y from h om e. Su dd en ly a ba bb le of voices rose fr om the mi ng le d wi th th e jing ling of wi th ter ro r. horses,
bells. Th
F r o m th e to p of a rise
wearing
brocade caps,
spotted
wo od no rth of
Uz um as a,
e so un d al l but sto pp ed his
hea rt
he sa w me n ap pr oa ch in g on s wif t
cloaks,
bearskin
chaps,
and
sw or ds in bo ar hi de sca bb ar ds . Th e fie ndi sh h aw k s on their fist s had tiny bells on and were straining to fly. On th ey ca me , spr ea d acr oss th em in rus h hats, dar
Sa ga Mo or , and
k- bl ue cloa ks, red
oth ers wa lke d before
leat her sleeves, leather
trou sers,
an d boot s of fur. The se wer e be at in g the thic kets wit h sti cks; a nd huge, belled dogs, like lions, ran beside them, jingling like the hawks but in deeper tones. Hi s eyes
w e n t dim
an d ch il dr en !"
he
a n d his
he ad sw am . "I' ve got
th ou gh t. "I' ve
got
to
hide
to w a rn my
th em !" But
wife
the y we re
widely scattered and could not possibly hear him. He dove in panic into a deep thicket while Taro, his eldest and dearest son, hid in another nearby. The dog-keepers and falconers were all over the moor. In horror he watched a dog-keeper head for Taro's thicket, beating the tall, dense pampas grasses flat while the dog, its bell jingling, followed, intently sniffing the ground. It was all over for Taro. Su re eno ug h,
Ta ro star ted up an d the keep er gav e a shou t. The f al
coner, who had hung back a little, released his hawk. Taro flew desper-
.
ately, high in the air, with the hawk in fierce pursuit; then dropped again, exhausted. From below, the hawk seized his breast and head. The two tel l. The dog
-k ee pe r rus he d up, pull
ed of f the ha wk , pic ked up Tar o, an d
wrung his neck. Taro let out a pitiful cry that pierced the poor father's heart like a sword. And what about his second son, Jiro? He saw a dog, sniffing its way to wa rd Jiro 's thicket, sudde
nly charge and
catch Ji
r o in it s jaw s. Th ou gh
Jiro flapped his wings frantically, the keeper ran up and wrung his neck, too.
"A nd my
third
son, S ab ur o? " he wo nd er ed . Ano th er do g wa s sn if fi ng
toward Saburo's thicket. When the trapped Saburo started up, the keeper knocked him down with a blow on the head from his stick. With all his sons now dead, the father prayed in anguish that at least his wife might escape. He watched her fly up before the dogs reached he r a n d ma k e for th e hills
to th e no rt h. A falc one r loo sed his ha w k a n d
gal lop ed in pur sui t. S he ra ce d for co ve r in a thi cke t u n d e r a dis tan t pin e, but a dog right behind her caught her in its jaws. The falconer retrieved his hawk, which had perched on the tree. T he wi tn es s to this car na ge ha d ta ke n refuge
de ep in a cl um p of thi ck
gra sse s a nd tang le d br am bl es . N o w he sa w not on e bu t half a do ze n do gs, their bells jingling, sniffing their way toward him. It was too much for him a nd he too
trie d fl ee in g to w ar d th e hills . H a w k after
h a w k fi ll ed th e
sky in pursuit, some high, some low; and below on the ground a horde of do gs followe
d am id a dre adf ul din of
bells. B eh in d th em gall ope d th e
falconers, and the dog-keepers came after, beating the thickets with their stick s. He ra ce d on an d do ve with a
last effo rt into ano th er de ep thic ke t.
Th e ha w k s pe rc he d on a tall tre e ne ar by an d jingle d the ir bells to let th e dog s k n o w wh er e he wa s. Th e do gs soon found h
is hide out. T he re wa s
no escape . Th e do g-k eep ers ' sho uts we re l ik e thu nde r. Kn ow in g he wa s fin ish ed , he di d th e last
th in g he co ul d:
floor of th e thic ket , l eav ing only his
he hid his
he ad in
th e m u d d y
tai l stic kin g up . Th e dogs we re ve ry
clos e. " N o w ! " he tho ug ht — an d wo ke up . He was drenched in sweat. Realizing he had dreamed it all, he saw tha t w ha t he ha d dr ea m e d w a s th e hu nt in g he himself li fe . He had killed
ha d enj oye d all his
so m a n y ph ea sa nt s! N o w at last he k n e w w h a t he ha d
do ne , an d un de rs to od wit h ho rr or tha t he ha d sin ned To o im pa ti en t to wai t fo r d a w n , he imm ed ia te ly freed
past
rec kon ing .
al l his ha wk s an d
dog s, the n ga th er ed thei r ge ar tog eth er an d bu rn ed i t. Hav in g told
the
dream, in tears, to his wife and children, he went straight to a mountain tem ple , sha ve d h is he ad, a nd be ca me a mo nk . Fo r ten ye ar s he called Amida's Name day and night until he achieved a holy passing.
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•
POVERTY
A mis era bly poo r mo n k of Mi id er a dec ide d that to offer
the temple had noth
ing
hi m, a n d th at if he m e a n t to clai m th e suc ces s he de se rv ed he
would have to try elsewhere. Not wanting to leave in broad daylight, esp eci al ly lo ok in g as sh a b b y as he did , he stole
of f in th e da rk ne ss before
d a w n . H a v i n g a long , h ar d roa d ah ea d of him, he soon
lay do wn for a
nap.
He dr e a m e d of a pale, w h o m he had not
sad,
seen before. "
"Y ou r serv ant these man be en apa rt an d I'm "I don't kn
sk in ny y ou th , cle arly a trav ele r like him sel f, W h o are y o u ? " he aske d.
y ye ar s, " the yo ut h repl ied. "We'v
e never
co mi ng wi th y o u now ."
ow yo u. Wh at 's yo ur nam e? "
"I'm not exactly a person so I don't have a normal name. But people w h o ca tc h a gl imp se of me call me Po ve rt y. " T he mo n k w o k e up an d un de rs to od his real future. Wit h that beside him he might as well stay put. Back he went to Miidera, lost in
yo ut h
thought.
S
C
A
R
E
H
T
S
A N D N
I
G
M
A
R
E
S
3
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THE NIGHTMARE It was during Emperor Konoe's reign that the great warrior Yorimasa pe rf or me d th e mo st famo us of al l his de ed s. Every night the emperor was oppressed by a mysterious agony which the holiest monks, working all their healing rites, seemed unable to re-
.
lieve.
In the smal l ho u rs a bla ck cl ou d w ou ld rise
from a w o o d so me w a y
oA and settle over the palace. Then His Majesty's ordeal would begin. The court held a council and recalled that something like this had happened in the past. General Yoshiie had stood guard that time, twanged his bow when the moment came, and roared out his name and titles
just as a wa rr io r do es before fighting
a h um an en em y. His Maj est y
got better at once. So the court decided to post another warrior guard. Th ey chos e Yorima sa, w h o wa s not the n of ver y high rank m an d troub led him, an rebel lion or
. Th e co m
d he pro te ste d that a wa rri or' s job wa s to sup pr ess
to imp ose the imperia
l wil l on th e rec alc itr ant .
"Wh o ha s
ever been ordered to subdue an invisible monster?'' he demanded to kn ow . But since he
cou ld not
ve ry well refuse, he
pr es en te d himsel f at
the palace just the same, with a single lieutenant. His lieutenant's arrows were feathered with eagle pinions, while Yori mas a had ch ose n fo r himself
tw o ba rb ed arr ow s feathered from
a mo un
tain pheasant's tail. With his black-lacquered bow in hand Yorimasa stood guard before the palace's south entrance. He held both arrows re ad y, r efl ect ing al wa ys use the sec this duty.
th at if he mis sed the mo ns te r wi th th e fir st he co ul d on d to sh oo t th e cle ver fellow
w h o ha d pu t him up for
The black cloud moved over the palace with a strange shape inside it. His whole career at stake, Yorimasa fitted an arrow to the string, called silen tly on his clan god H a c h im a n , an d let fly . Th er e wa s no do ub t ab ou t th e h it. His bo w ar m f el t it instan tly an d he yelled in triumph. The thing fell. His lieutenant moved in swiftly, pinned it to the ground, and ran it through nine times with his sword. When light arrived, they saw a beast with a monkey's head, a badger's body, a snake's tail, and a tiger's paws. Its moaning cry had sounded like a night th ru sh . It certa inly look ed frightening. Ov e rc om e wit h rel ief an d gra tit ude , the imperial swor
d na me d Lion Kin
g. After
em pe ro r gav e Yo ri ma sa an
that Yorim
ore d at cour t. T he m on st er 's bod y w as stuff ed into flo ati ng do wn the river. Hi
asa 's na me wa s hon a holl ow log an d sent
s Maj esty wa s nev er bo th er ed again .
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O
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THE DOUBLE Lo rd Mi n am o to no Ma sa mi ch i l ive d south of M u r o m a c h i St ree t in Ky ot o. H is son, not
Fo urt h Aven ue and
west of
ye t tw o ye ar s old, wa s playin g
by himsel f ou tsi de w h e n su dd en ly Ma sa mi ch i he ar d him howl, an d the re w e re lou d sh ou ts from the nurs M a sa m i c h i pi ck ed up
his
e lookin g after
him.
sw or d an d ran from
th e ot he r side
of th e
house to investigate. He found not one but two identical nurses strug gl in g for po ss es si on of th e bo y.
Ea ch h ad ho ld of an ar m an d a leg.
Cl ea rl y on e of th e m mu st be a fox, th ou gh he ha d no idea cha rge d, b ran di shi ng hi s swo rd, o ne of the nurse
wh ic h. As he
s vanis hed.
The other nurse and the boy collapsed on the ground. Masamichi had his ser va nt s call
in a he al er of pr ov en p ow er , an d after
the heal er ha d
worked his rites awhile the nurse came to. At last Masamichi was able to question her. "I w a s le tt in g th e y o u n g ma st e r pl ay a little woman
I'd
by h imself , sir,
when a
ne ve r seen be for e ca me ou t of th e ho us e an d cla ime d the
y o u n g ma st er w a s hers . In fac t she tried a n d I hel d on to him to
to tak e the y o u n g ma ste r awa y,
st op he r. W h e n y o u ra n up wit h y o u r sw or d, she
let go and rushed back into the house." Ma sa mi ch i w a s seriou sly frighte ned. d ou b le h ad act ua lly
be en a
fox
He neve r found
or so me sort
co mm en te d, t ho ug h, t hat y o u just shou
out wh et he r the
of an gr y spirit.
Peo ple
ldn 't let li tt le child ren play
by
themselves.
2
O
2
.
BEWITCHED The
Kamo
Virgin,
an
high prie.tteMof the
An officer
of th e Bu re au o f Civil
dir ect or of the Ka mo Virgin's hous
Affairs na
itnperial princcM, Kamo
in
me d Yor ik iy o w as se rvi ng as
ehol d whe n unfor tunat ely the Virgin's
displeasure forced him to retire to an estate he owned at Kohata, south of th e C ap ita l.
Shrine
waj
the
Kyoto.
O m o t o , o ne of his se rv an ts , h ad he r o w n ho us e in the
city an d so got
leave to stay behind when he moved away. One day a messenger from him as ke d her to com e imme diat ely. S om et hi ng had hap pe ne d at Koha ta, and Yorikiyo had left the day before for Yamashiro, the neighboring pro vi nce to the nor th, wh er e he w as now renti
ng a hou se. Th e me sse nge r
pleaded with Omoto to come quickly. She responded by picking up her four-year-old son and setting out. W h e n she arri ved her
mas ter 's wife gre ete d her wit h unu sua l wa rm th ,
fed he r well, a nd pu t her to wo r k dy ei ng clot h. After
th e tw o w o m e n ha d
worked together for several days, the lady asked Omoto to take a secret me ssa ge to a w a t c h m a n she had l ef t at the K oh at a ho us e. O m o t o le ft he r son with a fellow servant. She naturally imagined that the Kohata house would be gloomy and de se rt ed ; she found
th ere , on th e co nt ra ry , eve ry on e she ha d just
O n e of the fir st pe op le she met
wa s her
ma ste r's wife
in per so n.
le ft . Sh e
thought she must be dreaming and stood there in a daze while the others ga the re d ar ou nd her. "Well, W h a t kept yo u so long?
well ," they
Th e Ka mo Virgin
we re saying,
"here's Om
ot o!
has par do ne d ou r ma ste r an d
we sen t so me on e to l et y o u kn ow , b ut y o u r ne ig hb or s said y o u' d le ft t w o or thre e day s ago. W he re we re y o u ? " Trembling all over, the terrified Omoto told her tale. Almost everyone in
th e ho us eh ol d wa s frigh tene d, inc lud ing
he r mist ress , bu t a few
laughed. Convinced now that her son must be dead, Omoto begged to be al lowed to lead a party back to the place she had just come from. On arri val she fou
nd no ho us e at all,
onl y a br oa d ex pa ns e of mo or . After
hunting desperately far and wide, she found her son wailing in a thick cl um p of p am p a s gr as ses an d joyfully
too k him in her
Bac k at K oh at a she repo rte d the outc om e of the
ar ms . trip.
H e r mistre ss
declared that she must have invented the whole thing, and her fellow servants looked at her very doubtfully. But would she really have abandoned her little boy on a wild moor? It's far more likely that foxes tricked her. At any rate, people often came after that to talk with Omoto about her experience and to marvel that the bov was still alive.
2
9
6
2
O
3
THE FUNERAL Once a professional courier, on his way up in haste from the western provinces to Kyoto, passed through Inamino in Harima province. Since it was nearly sundown he looked for somewhere to spend the night, but far out in the fields where he was he could see no promising house, only a miserable hut for the people who in season guarded the crops. The hut would have to do. He went in. Though traveling light, he still wore a sword. In a lonely spot like this he f elt safer no t ev en un dr es si ng , an d ins tea d lay do w n as he wa s, wat ch fu l a n d sile nt.
La te at nig ht he he ar d a faint
an d a ch or us of voices
so un d of bells
to th e we st
ch ant ing the B ud dh a' s N am e. O dd ly enou gh, the
voic es we re com in g his wa y. P ee ri ng outsi de, he saw
a ch ant ing cr ow d
carrying torches and accompanied by priests ringing bells. Apparently it was a funeral. The closer they came the more worried he got, till he hardly knew what to do with himself. The crowd stopped nearby, laid the coffin down, and began the cere mony. The courier kept more silent and still than ever, and reminded him sel f ov er a n d ov er th at shou ld he be
di sco ve red he
wo ul d say quit e
plainly who he was and why he was there. But he also wondered about on e ve ry stra ng e th ing : wh er ea s the spot clearly bef
or eh an d, he ha d noticed not
for a burial is hi ng of the kind
nor mal ly mar ke d wh en h e arri ved
even though it had been daylight at the time. W h e n th e fun era l w a s ove r, a larg e force to ck s a n d sp ad es built
a m o u n d on top of
of lab ore rs ar me d wit h mat wh ic h the y pla nted a
gra ve-
marker. Then they tidied up and put their tools away, and the crowd dispersed. Being so close to a fresh grave horrified the courier more than the eerie fu ne ra l its el f, an d th e hai r ro se on his he ad wh e n he tho ug ht of it. He longed for the night to be over, but meanwhile kept an eye on the mound. All at once he thought he saw something on it move. Surely his eyes were de cei vin g him . But
no, so me th in g on the mo un d
was moving. Whatever
it was, it was coming up little by little from the earth. At last a naked human form emerged and charged the hut, blowing and slapping at the flames that danced over its body. All the courier could see in the darkness was that the figure was ghastly and huge. He knew that where a funeral has taken place there is bound to be a demon. Obviously the demon was now rushing to eat him and he was fin ish ed. Still , if he h a d to di e he mi gh t as wel l ge t ou t of the hu t befo re
the demon reached it and try a direct attack. Drawing his sword he da sh ed out, ch
ar ge d the de mo n, a nd wh ac ke d of f it s head wit h one blow .
The demon crashed over backwards. The courier did not wait to see more. He raced on till he got to a village (it was a painfully long run), stole up to a house, and crouched by it in te rr or . Th e next mo rn in g he pre se nt ed himself
to the villager s an d
told them why he was there. Disturbed by his story, they decided to investigate. He led the bra ve st y o u n g men of the village no mo u n d or gr av e- ma rk er , and no sign
to the spot,
bu t th ey found
eit her of to rc he s or fir e. Th er e
was nothing there but a huge, headless boar. How horrible! Ap pa re nt ly the b oa r ha d seen to give him a
the trav eler go into
the hu t an d decid ed
scar e. " W h a t a d u m b wa y to get you rse lf killed! " m ur mu r ed
the villagers as they gazed at the corpse.
2
o
A
.
THE GRINNING FACE OF AN OLD WOMAN People often went hunting to an old pond in the Minase Hills which was freq uen ted by
floc ks of wa te r birds , b ut some thi ng in
the pon d wo ul d
catc h the hun te rs an d ma ny of th em died. Three brothers, personal guards at the retired emperor's palace on the Mi na se Rive r, wer e just to stay
a w a y from
believe the story
setting
of f hu nt in g wh e n someo ne w ar ne d th em
th e po nd . O n e of the three , Na ka to sh i, ref used
, an d feeling
no t to bra ve the pon
to
an y w ay th at it wo ul d be un w o rt h y of him
d' s da ng er s, h e set of f un da un te d, wi th just
on e
young attendant. It was evening and too dark even to see the path, but Nakatoshi got through the hills, found the pond, and waited on the bank under the ov er ha ng in g br an ch es of a pin e. D e e p in the night an d wa ve s rolled
acr oss
the
the wa te r tre mbl ed
po nd . Th e frightened Nak
ar ro w to his bo ws tr in g. Ne xt , a lu mi no us ma ss rose out
at os hi fit ted an of the pon d an d
fle w ov er the pi ne. A s soo n as Na ka to sh i d re w his bo w the thi ng fl ew back to the pond, returning only when he relaxed and removed the arrow from the string. This happened several times till Nakatoshi understood
2
9
8
th at his
b o w wo u ld be no
use . H e pu t it do w n an d d re w his sw ord
instead. This time the luminous mass came so close that Nakatoshi saw in the light the gri
nn in g face of an old w o m a n .
With the light so unexpectedly close and the form inside it so clear, he dr op pe d his
sw or d an d atta cke d ba re han de d. Wh en the
to dr a g him into the po
nd , h e bra ce d himself
thing
trie d
aga ins t th e roo ts of the
pine and resisted until he could draw his dagger and stab it. The light went out. A hairy beast lay dead at Nakatoshi's feet. It was a badger. Nakatoshi carried it back to his room at the Minase Palace and went to bed. The next morning his two brothers came to find out how his expedition had gone. "L oo k at th at !" cried Na ka to sh i, and thr Th ey we re deeply impresse
F
O
X
E
S
ew the ba dg er out to the m.
d.
I I
2
5
O
FOX ARSON A ret ain er w h o ser ved the
go ve rn or of Kai wa s hea din g ho me one sun
down from the governor's mansion when he saw a lox, gave chase, and sho t at it
wi th t he k in d of no is em ak er a rr o w used for
sca rin g of f dog s.
He hit it in a back leg. Th e fo x ye lp ed in pain,
rolled over, an
d do ve limpi ng into the bru sh .
As th e ret ai ne r w e n t to retrie ve his a rr o w the f ox re ap pe ar ed in f ront of him, and he was about to shoot at it again when it vanished. A q u a r t e r of a mile from h o m e he saw the fo ca rr yi ng a flam ing
x ru nn in g ah ea d of him
b ra n d in i ts mo ut h. W h a t coul d it be up to?
He
.
spurred his horse on. On reaching the house, the fox changed into a human being and set the house on fire. The retainer was ready to shoot as soon as he got within range, but the human changed right back into a fox and got away. The house burned down. Beings like that exact swift vengeance. It's better to leave them alone.
206.
THE FOX'S BALL A heal er and his
w o m a n me di um w e re onc e called
to get rid
of the spiri t
that was making someone ill. The spirit declared through the medium that it was a fox. "I didn't mean to put a curse on anyone," it said. "I only ca me bec au se I t ho ug ht yo u might
hav e som eth ing goo d to eat. Yo u
didn't have to shut me up like this!" T h e me d iu m d r e w from ball (foxes
often have on
th e fold at th e bre as t of he r ro be a littl e wh it e
e) , an d be ga n tos sing it
in the
air an d catc hi ng
it. The people present thought the ball pretty enough, but they were sure the medium had hidden it in her robe beforehand to trick them. One a m o ng them , a br av e y o u n g ma n, wai te d f or the me di um to toss the ba ll into the air
aga in, t he n quic kly stuck out his
p o p p e d it int o th e front
ha nd , ca ug ht the ball, an
d
of his o w n ro be .
"C on fo un d y o u ! " sn ap pe d the f ox. "Gi ve me ba ck my bal l!" Th e ma n ig no re d it s plea s t il l finally
it said tearfu
lly, "A ll right , y o u 'v e got the ball,
but y o u don' t kn o w h o w to kee p it. It wo n' t be a ny go od to yo u. Fo r me, it's a te rr ib le loss.
I tell y o u , i f y o u do n' t give it ba ck I'll be y o u r e n e m y
foreve r. If y o u d o giv e it ba ck , th ou gh , I' ll stick to
y o u like a pr ot ec to r
god." Th e y o u n g man deci
ded
the whol e thin g wa s a wa ste of
time.
"S o
you'll protect me?" he asked. "Of course I will. Creatures like me never tell lies, and we always rep ay a de bt of gr at it ud e. " "Will the
gu ar di an spirit
w h o caug ht y o u vo uc h fo r yo u no w ? "
"Li ste n, gu ar di an sp iri t!" crie d the fox. "I
sw ea r I 'l l pro tec t him if he
gives me back my ball!" Th e man took
th e ball out and re tu rn ed it to the wo m a n, whi ch mad e
the fox very happy. Next, the healer dismissed the spirit and the fox left.
3
0
0
The people seized the medium immediately, before she could get up, and searched her. The ball was not on her. She really had been possessed. S om e ti m e later the ma
n w a s on his
w a y ho m e after
da rk from
a visit
to the great temple at Uzumasa. When he reached the Oten Gate he became afraid, for the neighborhood was well known to be dangerous at ni gh t. Vi si on s of all
th e awf ul
th in gs tha t cou ld ha pp en to
him ran
through his head. Then he remembered that the fox had sworn to protect him . Al l al one in the
da rk ne ss he called, " Fo x!
F o x! " A series
ba r ks ra ng ou t in an sw er , an d in a mo me nt the fox "You
of sh ar p
wa s before him.
did ke ep y o u r wo r d, fo x! " he said. "I 'm to uc he d. You see, I'm
afrai d to go th r ou g h this ar ea an d I wa nt y o u to stay T h e f ox se em ed to
un de r st an d.
ar ou n d an d avo idi ng the usual
wit h me . "
It we nt ah ea d, looki ng carefully
pat h, while
the man follow
it st op pe d, ar ch ed it s bac k, an d mo ve d fo rw ard
again
only
wit h the
lightes t ste ps, gl an ci ng ab ou t ev en mo re cau tio usl y th an before. Th tip toe d.
He soon ca
ug ht th e so un d of hu m an voices
hu m an sh ap es mov in g just beyo a large gr
ou p of ar m ed m en.
nd a fence. Th
al l
ed. Ev entually e ma n
an d a glimp se of
ro ug h the gloom he
Th ey seem ed to be talking
spied
som eth ing o ver,
and shortly he gathered what it was: they were discussing where to co mm it the ir ne xt ro bb er y.
Th e fox ha d led him this wa
or di na ry pe rs on wo ul d kn ow — just bec aus e the band
y — a wa y no
its wou ld
not be
looking for a traveler to pass so close. The fox disappeared once he was safely
by, a nd he re ac he d ho me wit ho ut fur the r diffic ulty.
T h e fo x stay ed fai thfully
wi th him
an d often
res cue d him aga in. M o r e
a n d m or e to uc he d by its fide lity , he wa s ve ry glad inde
ed that he
ha d had
the good sense to return that ball.
2 0 7 .
SINGED FUR Ko ya Br oo k ru ns east
of Nin naj i, just nort
hw es t of th e Cap ital . On e
ev en ing at dus k a pre tty y o u n g wo m a n stood on
the ban k. W h e n a man
rode by toward the city, she asked him to let her up behind and take her wi th h im . W i th a brie f w o r d of ass ent he ha d her get on. After of a mile she
a qu ar te r
j u m p e d d o w n a nd ra n. S he tu rn ed in to a fox as he ch as ed
he r an d got clean away
, ba rk in g.
This happened more than once and the word spread. One day the warriors of the Palace Guard were passing the time among themselves wh e n the
stor y ca me up
in the
con ver sat ion . A bra ve and
clever
young
warrior swore he would catch the girl and mocked all those who had let he r get aw ay . T he rest of
the gu a rd s w er e sur e he wo ul d f ai l, but he
ignored them and promised he would do it that very evening. He rode to Koya Brook alone on a good horse. When he first crossed th e str ea m th er e w a s no sign of th e girl, but once he
tu rn ed ba ck to wa rd
Ky ot o she wa s the re on th e ba nk . "Pl eas e tak e me up be hin d yo u, sir! '" she called, smiling sweetly at him. "Al l righ t!" he an swe red . "W he re are yo u go in g? " " T o the cit y, sir. It's mig htn 't ride
al re ad y su nd o wn , y o u see, an d I w o n d e r if I
wit h y o u . "
She got on. Quick as a flash he tied her to the saddle with a rope he ha d ready . " O h s ir, w ha t are y o u do in g? " she cried. "Y ou 'r e co mi ng to bed
wi th me, so I
just w a n t to ma ke sure y o u do n' t
get away." Darkness fell. He rode east along First Avenue and had just passed West Omiya when he saw torches coming his way, accompanying a pro ces sio n of car ria ges . S er va nt s we re goi ng before the proce ssion
wi th
loud and imperious shouts to clear the road. Obviously a person of qual ity wa s on his
w a y so me wh er e. H e cauti ously
tu rn ed sout h do w n
Om iy a, con ti nu in g east w h e n he re ac he d Sec on d Av en ue . Finally, a long
de to ur sout h ar ou nd the
palace com
po un d, he reach
after
ed the gat e
where he had told his fellow guards to meet him. They were all there. Untying the girl, he roughly pulled her to the ground, seized her arms, and forced her in through the gate. Guards with torches lit his way to their
he ad qu ar te rs wh er e the rest
of the men
we re wai ting . "H e re she
is!" he announced. The girl, terrified by so many men, was crying and be gg in g him in
vain to
let he r go . Th e gu ar ds su rr ou n de d him an d h is
captive. Torches blazing, the guards urged him to let her go in the circle. He said no, s he wo u ld get a w a y if he did, bu
t th ey insiste d an d a do ze n d re w
their bows, shouting what fun it would be. "We'll shoot her miserable b ut t !" th ey crie d. Wh e n he ga ve in an d let he r go, she
inst ant ly tu rn ed
into a fox and darted off, barking. Th e fi re a n d th e circle
of me n va ni sh ed . He wa s alo ne in the dar
k.
Completely confused, he called to his companions over and over but got no response. A glance at the surroundings told him that he was so me wh er e (he had no
idea wh er e) out
in the
wil ds. T ho ug h his hea rt
pounded and he was overcome with dread, he managed not to lose con-
3
0
2
tr ol of hims elf. that he mus
F r o m th e look of th e hills a n d th e l ie of th e la nd he ju dg ed
t be in the gre at bu rn in g gr ou nd at Tori ben o. N atur ally h is
horse was nowhere to be seen. The trouble must have started when he turned down Omiya Avenue to avoid the pro
ce ss io n of ca rr iag es . After
tha t he ha d only believed he
was heading for the Tsuchimikado Gate, but had actually been coming here. All those torches on First Avenue had been fox-fires. He started walking and reached home late in the night. The next day he was almost dying. The guards who had missed him th e nig ht befor e we r e me an wh il e ha vi ng a go od laugh pr es si ng him to
at his ex pen se an d
join th em . L at e on th e th ir d da y he fin ally we nt , st il l
lo ok in g far from well, to
face the ir qu es ti on s an d ta un ts . The y de m an de d
to know what he had done with the fox. He answered that he had suddenly become ill and had not been able to go after the fox after all. "B ut to ni gh t, " he pr om ise d, "I'l l try aga in. "
two foxes!" his companions cried. Taciturn as
"Well then, bring us ever,
he le ft wi th ou t an ot he r wo rd .
He did not really suppose that the fox would be foolish enough to a p p e a r ag ai n, bu t if it did he ne ce ss ar y. If it did not, Th is time he
w a s pr ep a re d to hold on
he wo ul d hide
to ok the stro
from the
wo rl d forever.
ng es t of his ow n me n wit h him.
as th ey rod e h o w m ad he wa s to risk th ou gh of co ur se his
himself
to it al l night if
He th ou gh t
his wh ol e ca re er on suc h nons ens e,
pr om is e l ef t him no
ot he r cho ice .
There was no sign of the girl when they crossed Koya Brook. Then they turned back and there she was. At least, there
a girl was, because
the face was different from last time. As before she asked to ride behind hi m an d he let he r get up ; an d as bef ore he tied he r sec ure ly to the sadd le and continued on toward town along First Avenue. By no w it w a s d ar k. He had so me of his men ride ah to rc he s an d kept
ot her s right beside him. Th
ea d of him
wi th
e ba nd reac hed their
gate
without meeting a soul and dismounted. He seized the girl by the hair and forced her, despite her tears and cries, to the same spot as before. His fellow guards were all there, clamoring for news. "Here she is!" he replied again. This time he had tied her up so tightly that she kept her human form for some time, but the men tormented her till she turned into a fox in the end, despite being a prisoner. They singed the fox's fur off wi th the ir tor ch es an d sho t it over
an d ove r wit h stingin
s ho u ti ng at it all th e wh il e nev er to tr y its tr ic ks ag ai n. In the let it go without killing it, and it managed somehow to run off, although it could hardly walk. Only then did the warrior confess how the fox had fooled him the first time and led him off all the way to Toribeno.
g ar ro ws , en d th ey
Ten days later he decided to visit Koya Brook again. A very sickloo kin g girl, l oiter ing on th e ba nk , de cli ne d his invit ation to
get up be hi nd
him. "I'd like to," she said, "butyou burned me so badly last time!" Then she disappeared.
2 0 8 .
NOT REALLY A TREE AT ALL Ch ud ai fu liv ed in N a r a since his
unc le w as the high
Shr in e. Late one afternoon Chudai
fu's
horse
prie st of the Ka su ga
dis app ear ed while
out gra z
ing. Chudaifu and a servant set out eastward toward the mountains to look for it, armed with bows. They had not gotten far when the sun set and night fell. There was onl y the di mm es t light
from a
veiled mo on . As th ey wa lk ed on, sti ll
hoping to find the stray animal, Chudaifu glimpsed through the gathering shadows a colossal cryptomeria tree, twelve feet thick and a good two hu nd re d fe et tal l. He
st op pe d de ad in his tra ck s. "Am I
seein g th in gs ?"
G o you see that cryp
he exclaimed. "Has some spirit addled our brains?
tomeria too?" The servant answered that he did. "Then it's not my imag ina tio n," s aid Chud aif u. " W e mus t have met one of yo u lost , an d he's
thos e go ds w h o get
led us of f go od ne ss kno ws wh er e. W h e re in the
pro vi nce of Y am a to are y o u going to
wh ol e
fi nd a cr yp to me ri a like t h a t? "
"I've no idea, sir," the servant replied. "I've seen a few cryptomerias here and there, of course, but they've all been quite small." "T ha t' s it , then . We 'v e bee n be wi tc he d an d no w we 're lost . W h a t are we go in g to do ? I'm frig
hte ned , y o u kn o w . I th in k we 'd bet te r get on
ba ck. I wo n de r ho w far we 'v e co me . Th is is te rri bl e! " "It's a strange business we've run into, sir, but it would be too bad just to go home again without trying anything ourselves. I suggest, sir, that you shoot an arrow into that tree, then come back tomorrow morning and check it." Chudaifu heartily approved and said they should both shoot the tree. W h e n the ir a rr ow s hit the tree it su dd en ly van ish ed. "S ur e en ou gh ," said Chu dai fu, "w e' ve met
a spirit!
Let's
get aw ay from
he re !" Th ey practi
cally ran home. Early the next morning Chudaifu and his servant returned to the
3
0
4
scene. They found a bald old fox lying dead with a cryptomeria branch in his jaws and pierced through the belly by two arrows. "Aha!" they exclaimed.
"Here's
Before leaving, t
the fellow
w h o ha d us so co nf us ed !"
he y retr ieve d their
ar ro ws from
the corpse.
2 0 0 .
THE WHITE FOX: FOUR DREAMS Shaped is
an
like
emblem
a fat,
falling
drop,
of good fortune.
sometimes
end
F o u r ni gh ts ag o so me on e br ou gh t me w h a t he said
in
a
ore last
tail)
Wishing
Wishing
Jewel shape.
e.
I wa tc he d the ev en in g sta r an d a bri ght mo on
rise ov er Flo we r Mo un ta in . St ar an d moo n we re the sa me size. Last night in the fields I came to a big stone that looked like a Wishing J e w e l , an d I tou ch ed i t. It wa s wa r m . No r th of the stone
lay thr ee fo xes.
I pi ck ed th e wh it e tuft off on e' s tail a n d sa w it w a s a big wh it e fox. "W e a r red," the fox said, "whenyou bring me offerings." At d a w n I got tw en ty go lde n relics As I wr it e do wn this with joy and awe.
of the Bu dd ha .
ma rv el ous se que nce of dr eam s,
I shiver
Jewel
of magic foxes
wa s a pic tur e of the
Ka su ga God , th ou gh I coul dn' t see wh at the go d looked lik T h e night bef
the
The
again
B
E
Y
O
N
D
T H E R
U
L
E
S
210.
THE TELLTALE FLSH Once upon a time a monk went visiting. His host served him wine and a special deli
cac y: s om e tiny, de lici ous fi sh wh ic h had just come into
so n. O f co ur se m o n k s ar e not su pp os ed to eat f is h at all, but have suspected that this one would be broad-minded. Ha vi ng ex cu se d himse lf a mo me nt , the host
sea
th e hos t m a y
noti ced on his
re tu rn th at
there were now fewer fish in the dish than when he had left the room. Naturally he said nothing. But while the two chatted, a little fish sud denly popped out the monk's nose. "P ar do n me, " said the host, "b
ut how 'd that
fis h get up y o u r no se ?"
" O h , the se li ttle fi sh , y o u kn ow , the y' re co mi ng out eyes ev er yw he re latel y!" replied the
an d nos es
mo nk wi th ou t missi ng a beat.
Both men roared with laughter.
211.
A TASTE FOR FLSH Rin'e, a monk from Nara, was on his way up to the Capital when he stopped at a house by the Kizu River and asked for fresh fish. The request shocked his host, who knew that monks are not supposed to eat the meat from any living creature.
3
0
6
The man's wife had been suffering from an abnormally swollen belly and to all appearances was dying. That night she dreamed that eight boy s, an no un ci ng the ms elv es as Rin'e 's familiars,
ta pp ed her on the belly
a n d ex pe ll ed a ll th e fou lne ss from i t. S he a wo ke perfe ctly well an d found the impure matter from inside her all over her sleeping mat. W h e n she told
he r hu sb an d, he realized
that Rin' e wa s no ave rag e
monk. First thing next morning he brought Rin'e more fish. Accomplished holy men certainly do sometimes eat both fish and fowl. F or ex am pl e, the y say
tha t Ni nk ai ate
small
bir ds. N ot that
or din ary
monks ought to imitate them!
2
1 3 .
THE PROMISE It
Li
unclear
whether
or
not
this
Ninkai
really
L< the Mine monk iu< in no. 21I.
Ninkai, a monk in Nara, was peerlessly talented as a scholar, but one day he decided to give up his temple and its conventionally studious at m os ph er e in or de r to de vot e himse lf mo re freel y to tr ue religious tice.
pra c
Un fo rt un at el y, th e ab bo t wo ul d not hea r of his plan .
Ni nk ai re sor ted to
co urt ing a w om a n w h o lived across town, a
nd soon
people were gossiping about his affair. To make sure everyone knew, he wo u ld sta nd be hi nd her
at her
gat e wi th his
se rs by we re pro per ly shock ed. Actually, th
ar ms ar ou nd her. The
oug h, h e never
pas -
slept with her.
Instead he spent his nights, sleepless and weeping, before an altar. Th is rea ch ed th e ea rs of the abb ot , w h o rev ere d Nink ai al l the mor e and began to want his company all the time. The desperate Ninkai ran off, married a local official's daughter some distance away, and even gave up ca rr yi ng his ro sa ry . B ut he only long ed f or enl igh ten me nt the mor e. A county magistrate who noticed Ninkai became deeply attached to hi m. F or so me tim e he an d his wife ac co mp an ie d Nin ka i ev er yw he re an d prepared his food, clothing, and bath. They did so, as they told Ninkai himself, out of ce rn ," they
p ur e re ve re nc e for his san cti ty. " W e ha ve only one con
confe ssed.
" H o w can we
ma ke sure to
be with
yo u wh en yo u
pas s a w a y ? " Ni nk ai rea ssu red the m. "D on 't wo rr y, " he said , " I'l l be with you." Then he went his way.
Ye ar s later, a t nightfall
on a sn ow y wi nt er day , Ni nk ai ca me to th ei r
house. They greeted him gladly, excused their servants, and brought him food themselves. Then he took a bath and lay down. Th e next mo rn in g the cou ple rose early. As
the y we re pre pa ri ng bre ak
fast a marvelous fragrance from Ninkai's room filled the whole house. They decided he must be burning some rare incense. He had said he wanted to leave early, but it was light by now and he still was not up. W h e n the mor ni ng gru el w a s re ad y th ey as ke d a disciple T he disciple refused
to let him kn ow .
. " M y ma st er ha s qui te a te mp er ," he said, "a nd if I
bother him he'll only beat me. I'm sure he'll be up any moment." By sunrise the couple were worried enough to call Ninkai through the door. There was no answer. When they entered they found him seated facing the west with his palms together in prayer. He was dead. Deeply stirred, they prostrated themselves with Ninkai's disciples before the hu sk of th e saint. At da we lc om e to Ni nka i' s soul.
w n the y ha d smelled
th e pe rf um e of Am id a' s
Ni nk ai ha d kn ow n wh en he wo ul d die an d ha d
kept his promise to his friends.
2
1
3
.
THE JELLYFISH'S BONES Th e re no wn ed
mo nk Zo ga wa s bo rn
mo ve d to th e Ea st.
in Kyoto , but
his
pa re nt s soon
T he y built fo r th e jo ur ne y a sort of pa la nq ui n wh ic h
th ey mo un te d on a ho rs e, a nd installe
d in it a we t nu rs e wi th thei r littl e
son in her arms. Unfortunately, it was such a long way that the wet nurse fell asleep and dr
op pe d the bab y. Little
Zo ga tu mb le d to the gr ou nd .
Nearly a mile further on, the wet nurse woke up and realized the baby mus t have fa lle n out, tho ug h go od ne ss kn ow s wh er e. T he ne ws dro ve Zoga's parents wild. They ranted and raved about how all the passing horses, oxen, and people must have trampled him to death, but they turned back anyway since they still wanted his poor body. They found the ba by on his bac k in the mid dle of th e na r ro w trail, smi
ling hap pil y.
T he r e w a s not a sp ot of m u d or a we t pat ch on him . It was a miracle. That night Zoga's parents had a dream. A sumptuous co uc h spr ea d wi th a cost ly cove rlet r od e on an ex pa ns e of mu d, a nd on it lay littl e Zo ga . Fo u r exq uis ite boy s, o ne at eac h co rn er of the couch, ch an te d in the lan gua ge of the scr ipt ure s:
3
0
8
TbLf
chili)
wherefore
Li we
horn keep
N o w Zo ga 's par en ts kn ew their
from him
the from
Buddha \i all
mouth,
harm.
son wa s unus ual, a nd they rai sed him
tenderly. W he n he wa s five,
little Zoga announced that he would soon be going
to ma st er th e Lotu s Su tr a on M o u n t Hiei. His
par ent s tho ugh t him mu ch
to o y o u n g to be say in g th ing s like tha t an d feared some spirit migh t be ta lk in g t hr o ug h him. Bu t soon his mo th er dr ea me d tha t even as she nursed her boy he grew into a mature monk with a sutra scroll in his ha nd ; an d bes ide him stood
an ot he r mo nk w h o explai ned that it
wa s her
son's destiny to enter religion. Zoga's parents stopped opposing their son' s pla n an d we re ha pp y ab ou t it instead. W h e n he wa s eleven,
Zo ga found
a disting uished mas
Hi ei. Af ter a few ye ar s ev er yo ne re cog niz ed his
piety
ter on M ou nt
an d lear ning.
He
caused quite a stir, though, when he came back starked naked from th e Ise S hr in e,
ha vi ng be en ins pir ed by
a dr ea m (a voice
"F or ge t th e b od y ! " ) to take of f all his clot hes and pas be gg ar s.
Peo ple
th ou gh t he wa s mad , and
told him,
s th em out to
tho ugh his
mas ter
the
mor e or
less understood, he felt obliged to remind Zoga that the wish to tran scend worldly ambition did not necessarily exempt him from behaving nor ma lly . Ano th er time, wh en his the hig hest ecclesi
astical rank,
ma ste r ha d just
Zo ga joined the
been pro mo te d to
tri ump hal processio
n
m o u n t e d on a b o n y old ox, w it h a dr ie d sa lm on at his wai st inste ad of a sword. Res pect abil ity an d succe ss really
me an t not hin g to Zoga, wh
o wa nt ed
above all a quieter place to live. He chose Tonomine in the hills south of N a r a . Wh e n th e ab bo t refu sed him leave
to go, he
qui ckl y ch an ge d the
ab bo t' s mi nd . He st op pe d se nd in g a se rv an t to fetch his meal s but instead ca m e wi th a bl ac ke ne d a nd fil thy sor t of bo x to collect
th em himself.
Then he would squat by the path with the workmen, pick up a couple of twigs for chopsticks, and share out his dinner as he ate. People decided he was crazy and the abbot was glad enough to let him go. Z o g a fo un d the top of
th e mou nt ai n at To no m in e too thic k wit h the
demons that hinder enlightenment and instead built a hut at an inconspic uous spot in the valley. Alas, he was so revered by now that the emperor insi sted on na
m i ng him to
his
pe rs on al st aff of heale rs, a nd nat ura lly
ot he r gr eat nobl es de m an de d h is services as
well. Z og a generally ignored
these calls, but when he did go he behaved like a madman and got out of the Capital as fast as he could. Th er e wa s, for
exa mp le, th e em pre ss 's ordin ation . P lann ing to retire
into the religious life, the Sanjo Empress invited Zoga to preside at the
ceremony. Her messenger thought this a fine idea, since so holy a man would no doubt make the empress into a properly worthy nun. Zo ga 's disciples ha ps eve n beat the
as su me d thei r mast er wo ul d fly into me sse ng er , but he
a rage an d per
did not hi ng of the kind . He ac co m
panied the messenger back to the empress's palace without a murmur. All sor ts of gr ea t nob les an d mo n ks had
ga th er ed fo r the rite. Th
er e
was even someone to represent the emperor. They all noted Zoga's fierce eyes an d imp res siv e be ar in g, b ut th ou gh t he se em ed a litt le un we ll . Zo ga we nt right
up to the emp res s's curta
ins and
start ed the ce re mo ny .
At the appropriate moment the empress put her long, beautiful hair out through the curtains and Zoga, in the gesture which above all divides the worldly from the religious life, cut it off. Within the curtains the em press's ladies wept as though their hearts would break. Ha vi ng do ne his
bit
Zo ga tidied
up , then add
re sse d the emp re ss in
ring ing ton es. "W h a t did y o u wa nt me fo r, a n y w a y ? " he com pla ine d. "I do n' t ge t it. D i d y o u h e a r I've go t a bi g di ck or so me th in g? We ll y es , it's bigger than most, but it's as limp as silk floss right now." All ove r the roo ms eyes
po pp ed an d jaw s dr op pe d. Wh o kn ow s ho w
the emp re ss fel t? It wa s unb eli eva ble ! Th e holy au ra wa s gon e an d the speechless assembly broke out instead in a cold sweat. Zo ga 's farewell followe
d. "I' m an old ma n, y o u k n o w , " he w en t on .
" M y ins ide s do n' t w o r k a n d I've go t th e tr ot s so ba d all th e ti me th at I sho uld n't hav e co me at all . Th e hono r wa s just too tem pti ng, But no w, y o u und er st an d, I can't hold it
I sup po se .
in an y mo re and , beg gin g y o u r
pa rd on , I've just got to g o . " He squatted on the veranda, tucked up his skirts, and let it squirt. The noise was revolting and the stench a horror. Both hit the empress full force. Th
e yo u ng er court ier s we nt into
mo nk s mu tt er ed to each ot he r that
con vul sion s of laug hter , while the
H e r Maj esty wa s cra zy herself
called in such a lunatic. But nothing Zoga could do seemed to tarnish his unwanted fame. He was past eighty, as sound as ever in body and spirit, when he understood he was to die in ten days. "At last I'll have what I've always prayed for!" he exclaimed. "Soon I'll leave this world behind and be reborn in paradise!" He had his disciples write verses on going to para dise, a nd cheer fully ma d e on e up himself
Eighty with into What the
yean aye an
from a classic
of patience,
slowly old
a joy jellyfish's
wrinkling
man! at
last
to
bones!
find
me
pa ra do x:
to hav e
3
I
0
Zoga announced the great day himself. When he called for a
g o board
his disciples brought him one from next door, assuming he wanted to put th e Bu d d h a on i t. But no, he
d e m a n d e d to be pr op pe d up an d in a we ak
voice invited a close friend to play. The friend was shocked and saddened that at a time like this, when Zo ga sho uld ha ve bee n calling
on L or d Am id a an d looki ng forw ard to
his we lc om e, he w a s th in ki ng of suc h foolishn ess inst ead . Wh y , he mus t be out
of his mi nd ! Bu t Zo g a w a s so em in en t tha t the frien d da re d not
disobey. He sat down at the board, and he and Zoga each placed their first ten stones. "All right," said Zoga, "no more," and swept the stones from the board. " W h y did yo u wan t to play
go?" the friend asked timidly.
"I've watched people play ever since I was a boy, and as I was calling the Name just now I wanted to try it too." N o w Zog a de m an de d to be pr op pe d up again . "Ge t me a pair of stir rup gu ar ds ," he co mm an de d, me ani ng the leather feet.
W h e n th ey ca me , he ha d th em tied
gu ar ds that protect
a rider's
to ge th er an d hu ng ro un d his
ne ck . Th e n he op e ne d his a rm s wi de , tho ug h it w a s clearly
painful
fo r
him to do so, and announced he would dance. After doing a little dance he had them removed. " W h e n I wa s first
on the
mo un ta in ," he explai ned, "a
bu nc h of y ou ng
monks lived next door and they had a very good time. Once I saw one h a n g a pa ir of st ir ru p g ua r ds ro u nd his neck an
d da nc e to th e tu ne of a
cl eve r so ng w hi ch I su pp os e he 'd just ma de up . It really
tickled me.
I'd
fo rg ot te n all a b o u t it , bu t th e m e m o r y ca me bac k just no w an d I fe lt like doing it too. That's all, though. I've nothing more on my mind." The Venerable Zoga then sent everyone away and retired to an inner room, where he sat in a crude chair facing the west and chanted the Lotus Sutra till he passed into Nirvana.
a
1
J .
THE STINKING HUT A mo n k onc e roa me d the provi
nce s, wo rsh ip pi ng at each holy
in K y us hu on e d ay he got los t in a de ser te d stre tch of da ys he saw no sig
place, t ill
mo un ta in s. F or
n of an ot he r hu m an be ing.
He was enormously relieved to find a hut at last, but the woman who
came to the door warned him that this was no house for him to stay in. He protested that he was a pilgrim, exhausted and lost. "I don't care w h a t y o u r ho us e is li ke ," he said, "a s lo ng as I can res t for a wh il e. " In the end the woman gave in and agreed to let him spend the night. S h e led hi m insi de, s p re a d a cle an ma t, an d fed hi m a go od meal
w h i ch
he ate gratefully. After dark a man came in with a big bundle on his sh ou ld er s an d set it do w n. He w a s in a religio us ro be bu t his hai r w a s cut short, not shaven, and he was too disgustingly filthy to go near. "Who's this?" he asked on seeing the monk, and when the woman told him, muttered that he was a bit surprised since no one like that had been ar ou nd for ye ar s. Ne xt, he be ga n eati ng some of
the stuf f he had br ou gh t
in. It w a s al l c h u n k s of cattl e an d hor se mea t. By this time the m
on k wa s wo nd er in g wh at sort
to. Ob vi ou sl y the m an n ot only ate
of place he h
ad come
me at bu t lived by su pp ly in g th e local
hunters with meat to feed their dogs. To a pious soul the very thought w a s horr ifyi ng, bu t in th e da rk th er e w a s no wh er e else to go . Th e m o n k was stuck, disgusted and miserable, in the little stinking hut. Ve ry late
at night the
ma n got up, wa
sh ed in w a rm wat er, c ha ng ed
into a fresh robe, and went out behind the hut. The curious monk saw him enter a tiny chapel and light the altar lamps and incense. He went on to do th e Lot us Con fes sio n rite, th en ch an te d the Lot us Sut ra th ro ug h. Finally, after
pr os tr at in g himsel f before the
of the B u dd h a Am id a. His voice
altar , he int one d th e Na m e
wa s dee ply holy.
When he left his chapel at dawn, he and the monk found themselves face to face. He said his
na me wa s J o s o n an d he qui ck ly apo log ize d f or
his ignorance and uncouthness. He acknowledged that despite having be en bo rn in a h u m a n bo dy he w a s st il l co mm it ti ng terr ible sins. "If
onl y
I could really follow the Buddha's Teaching!" he cried. "But I can't, and tha t's w h y I live
of f mea t, wh ic h nor ma l pe opl e wo n' t to uc h. I'm so gla d
ka rm a has bro ug ht y o u her e, th ou gh , be cau se ye ar s from no w, on a dat e I'll tell y o u , I'm go in g to leave this
wo rl d be hi nd an d be reb or n int o th e
La nd of Bliss. C o m e agai n th en , if y o u 'd like to
ha ve th e blessi ng of my
passing!" The monk saw that the man he had taken for an especially brutish sort of be gg ar w as act ual ly a saint, a nd he pr om is ed to re tu rn . Th en he we nt his way. He came back on the date named by Joson, curious to see whether or not the prediction would come true. Joson, now properly shaven and ba th ed and
we ar in g a clean rob
e, gree ted him
joyfu lly. "I
hav en' t tou ch ed
meat for months," he said, "and tonight I'm going to be reborn in para dise!" His wife was now a nun.
3
1
2
Th e co up le sp en t th e nigh t in their
chap el, calling
Am id a' s N am e. As
dawn broke, light burst through the chapel door. The monk heard the sw ee tes t of mu si c re so un d in the
sky an d mo ve slowly
aw ay to wa rd the
west, while a delicious fragrance filled the air. At daylight he went into the chapel. Joson and the nun were seated together facing the west with their palms pressed together in prayer. They had passed away. The weeping monk prostrated himself in reverence and awe. He never left again, and everyone in the province who heard the story came to rec eiv e the bl ess ing of the pla ce.
2
1
5 .
BE GOOD TO YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER! Koma no Yukimitsu, a dancer attached to the Kasuga Shrine in Nara, had learned the dance th en he h ad often da
Katen from his fath
er w h e n he w as fif teen . S inc e
n c e d it all by himse lf at the shri
ne , just fo r the god' s
pleasure. O n c e he f ell ill . Th e n his
br ea th in g st op pe d an d he fou nd himself
the pal ac e of E m m a , the kin g of h ell. W h e n a majestic
at
ge nt le ma n arr ived ,
Emma welcomed him with every sign of respect. " Th is ma n has be en loyal to
me ev er sin ce he w as fifteen,"
the gen tle
man declared. "I want him released." Kin g E m m a obe yed , an d the ge ntl em an led Yuki mits u away" M y lor d," said me pard
the ama ze d Yuk imi tsu , " I tha nk yo u f or havi ng gotten
one d. But wh o are y o u ? "
"I'm the Go
d of Kas uga ," the gen tle man answ
ere d. " Wo ul d yo u care
to see hell?" "Y es, ple ase ," said Yu ki mi tsu . T h e go d to ok him righ ki nd s of hor rib le suffering
t o ff to sh ow him hell.
Yu ki mi ts u sa w so ma ny
th at it w ou ld be imp ossi ble to de sc rib e th em
all, and afterwards he begged to be told how he could escape the same awful fate. "B e go od to y o u r mo th er an d fat he r!" said the god . "T ha t' s the highes
t
vi rt ue . If yo u cul tiv ate it , y o u won 't fa ll int o hell."
216
.
HELL IN BROAD DAY
H a v i n g c on tr a ct ed a pain ful illness, th e wife of a pro vin ci al of fi cia l in Etchu eventually died. Her husband and three sons looked after the funeral as well as they could and had the proper rites performed for seve n wh ol e day s,
but w h e n the
seve n da ys we re over
th at th ei r gri ef w a s as fresh as ever
the sons found
.
They wanted at least to find out where their mother had been reborn, and they knew that to do this they would have to visit Tateyama, a steep and forbidding mountain in the same province, covered with hot hellspri ngs an d ot he r suc h ho rr or s.
In this
un ea rt hl y lan dsc ape y ou could
so me ti me s get n ew s of the de ad . S o th ey pe rs ua de d a holy man to th em an d set of f wi th ou t de la y to see
th e hells
join
of Ta te ya ma bu rn , a nd to
disc ove r w ha t had bec om e of thei r mo th er . They visited hell after hell on the mountain and felt as though they the mse lve s w er e bur ni ng , bec aus e al l ar ou nd th em wa te r wa s boiling
up
amid curls of flame. Even from a distance the heat was terrible, and it wa s awful to
imag ine the
to rm en ts of the un h ap p y spirits
imm er sed in
such fierce waters. They had the holy man shake his staff, tipped with j a n g l i n g b r a s s r i n g s , in p o w e r f u l r h y t h m a s he c h a n t e d a lita ny for t h e s e spirits, an
d th ey ha d him pre ac h th e Lo tu s Su tr a. Wh e n he di d this, the
fla mes of th e hell th ey w e re i n wo ul d plainly
die d o w n .
At last, in a hell that was even hotter and more hideous than the rest, th ey had the holy m
an sh ak e his
staf f an d pro cla im the
Te ac hi ng as
before. The flames had just dimmed a little when they heard their dear
3
1
A
mother's voice calling her eldest son's name from a cleft in the rocks: "Taro, Taro!" At first they refused to believe their ears and did not an sw er , bu t th e cr y ca me aga in an d agai n ti ll th ey we re ter rified. "Wh ca lli ng? " Ta ro cried.
Th e voice
o' s
from the cl ef t an swe red , " H o w can yo u
ask? Could a son not know his mother's voice? In life I was mean and co mm it te d m a n y sins, and no
w I suff er endl ess an d uns pe aka ble ag on y! "
T h e sons ha d he ar d of th e dea d visiti ng the living
in dre am s, bu t never
of th e de ad sp ea ki ng to the living in bro ad daylig ht. Ye t the voice the ir mo th er 's . " H o w can we help y o u ? " they cried in reply. T h e voi ce ca me aga in : " Th er e' s no easy
wa s
w a y for yo u to lighten the
suffering my sins have brought me. You're too poor to afford the good works that would help me. It wil be eons before I escape from this hell!" "But what
would it ta ke to free
y o u ? " her sons insisted.
" T h e on ly w a y is to m ak e a th ou sa nd copies
of the Lo tu s Su tr a an d
dedicate them all for me on the same day." The sons knew how hard it was to do one copy a day. Not ten, not a hu nd re d,
bu t a th ou sa nd copies
we re clearly
impossible, but now
that
they had seen their mother's agony with their own eyes they could not simply ignore her and leave. Each would far rather have taken her place in hell. The holy man had to remind them that although one might take
thi) world, in the afterlife we all receive the impartial
another's place in
re w a r d for ou r o w n ac tio ns so th at no one can be
pu ni sh ed for an ot he r' s
sins. " G o ho me ," he ur ge d the m, " co py the Sut ra as best yo u can ! Eve n a single copy will help her a little!" Th ey we nt h om e st un ne d wit h grief ha d seen and
their father
wh at the y
he ar d. H e ac kn ow le dg ed that a th ou sa nd Lotus
Su tr as wa s
mo re tha n they coul
d man ag e.
an d told
Since they
wo ul d just
have to
do wh at
th ey coul d, t he y de ci de d to sta rt o ff wi th a goal of th ree h un dr ed . W h e n the
go ve rn or of the province hea
rd wh at had
hap pen ed,
he
called in the father and got the whole story from him. Pious and compas sion ate, h e re sp on de d by vo wi ng to join in the Sut ra cop ying an d enc our aged everyone he knew in the neighboring provinces to do the same. A thousand copies were soon done and the dedication rite performed. Knowing that their mother was now delivered from the torments of hell
th e son s rejoic ed, a nd the eldest
ha d a dr ea m. His mot he r ca me to
him, exquisitely beautiful, and told him that their care had lifted her up to re bi rt h in th e To ri H ea v en . Th e n she flew of f into the sky . Na tu ra ll y he bro ad ca st this
dr ea m fa r an d wid e, and it
gla dde ne d eve ryo ne w ho
heard it. La te r on the sons ret
ur ne d to Tat ey am a an d we nt ro un d the
again, but this time no voice came from the rocks. T h e hells th em se lv es , of co ur se , ar e st il l th er e.
hel ls
THE OLD WOMAN ON THE MOUNTAIN
An old w om a n livi ng wit h a y o u n g e r cou ple at Sa ras hin a in Sh in an o pr ov in ce look ed after th em for m a n y ye a rs like a mo th er . Bu t th e wil e, who in her heart detested her, hated especially the way the old woman was being deformed by age. She kept harping to her husband about how awful the old woman was. He tried to discourage her complaints, but he too ended up as often as not neglecting the old woman, whose body in the meantime had bent almost in two. Finally the wife could take no more. Why, the hag did not even have the grace to die! Telling her husband she had had enough, she ordered him to take the old woman somewhere far into the mountains and aban don her. He did not like the idea a bit and at first did nothing, but she pestered him mercilessly till he was fed up and gave in. It w a s th e fifteenth ni
gh t of th e ei gh th mo on , the gr ea t full- moon n ig ht
of th e ye ar . Mo on li gh t flooded "t he re 's a ve ry holy
the sky. "Co
me , de ar ," said the hus ba nd ,
serv ice at th e te mp le . I'll ta ke y o u t h e re !"
The old woman was eager to go. He put her on his back and headed strai ght up the high mo
un ta in beh ind their
village.
W h e n he wa s sur e she
cou ld ne ve r get bac k by hersel f, he pu t her d o w n an d f led. She sho
ut ed
after him in vain. At home again he found he could not forget what his wife had made him do, and considering how kindly the old woman had once looked after them he wished he had not done it. All night long, with the moon bright ov er th e mo un ta in , h e lay sleepl ess an d h is th ou gh ts w en t out to her . As he lay there he murmured the poem: Thu
heart
refiuie.i ah, aj
of mine
comfort, Sarashina!
I
bright
watch
the
over
moon
/Mount
Obajule.
Then he went back up the mountain, brought the old woman down, and cared for her as before. So don 't le t y o u r wife's th ou gh ts . No dou bt this
un pl ea sa nt tong ue turn sort of thi ng goes on
As fo r the moun ta in , it' s bee n called
y o u r mind to
un wo rt hy
even no w, th ou gh .
O ba su te y am a eve r since: "M
ou n-
3
1
tain
6
of th e De se rt ed Cr o n e . " Unti l the n pe op le
had alwa ys called
it
Kamuriyama, "The Cap," because it's shaped like the cap a gentleman wears.
2
l
8
MOTHER Two brothers who hunted for a living went one day, as usual, into the mo un ta in s. Ea ch h ad his loo ko ut in th e fork of a tall tre e. Th e pair of tr ee s w e r e a bo ut f if ty y a r d s ap ar t, an d the br ot he rs wo ul d wa it f or de er to drift in down below, between them. It w a s a pi tc h- bl ac k night late th ey wa it ed pat ien tly just to
in th e nint h moo n. Un ab le to see a thi ng,
he ar th e dee r. H o u r after ho u r cre pt by. Th e
deer did not come. All of a su dd en s om et hi ng re ac he d d o w n fr om high er up in the elder brother's tree, gripped his hair, and hauled him upward. He made a franti c g r a b at th e top of his hea d an d to uc he d a wi ze ne d han d. A de mo n w a s dr ag g in g him off to eat him! "If so me th in g ha d me by the hai r an d w as pullin g me u p ," he sh ou te d to his yo un ge r br ot he r across the
way,
"w ha t wo uld yo u do ? "
"I'd take good aim and shoot it!" "We ll, do
it ! Bec aus e that 's exac tly wh at 's ha pp en in g! "
"All righ t, I' ll aim by y o u r vo ic e! " The y o u n g e r aim ed at the spot
just
above where his brother's voice had come from and felt he had a hit. "B e t I go t it !" he ye ll ed . T h e el de r b ro th e r fel t th e t o p of his hea d ag ai n a nd his fingers on the hand, now severed at the wrist. "You cut its hand off!" he shouted. "L et 's call it a nig ht!
clos ed
I' ll ke ep th e h a n d ! "
The pair climbed down from their trees and got home well past mid night. Their mother, so old and tottery that she could hardly even stand, lived in a ro om bet we en the
tw o. T he y he ar d her gr oa ni ng wh en they
cam e in
and called to ask what the matter was, but got no answer. By th e light
of a la mp the y ex am in ed th e ha nd . It loo ked very
mo th er 's . In fact it
like the ir
wad their mother's, beyond a doubt.
" T h a n k s a lot !" snarl ed the ir mo th er wh en th ey s li d ope n her
door .
Sh e leapt to
he r fee t a n d ne ar ly hur le d herse lf at th em , b ut the y just said,
"D id yo u l ose some thin g, M o t h e r ? " then tossed
the han d in to the room
and closed the door. So on she
w as de ad . T h e po or th in g ha d go tt en so old a nd senile
she ha d tu rn ed into
th at
a d e m on a nd go ne of f to th e mo un ta in s to eat her
children.
2 1 9 .
PERILOUS GRATITUDE A poor couple in Kyushu lived by the sea, and every day the wife would go out to comb the shore. One day she went gathering shellfish with a ne ig hb or 's wife.
On the bea ch she
to ok the ba by o ff he r bac k, p ut it
down on a flat rock, and set a child to watch it. The spot was close to the hills. While working, the two women noticed a monkey by the water, appar ently trying to catch fish. This deserved a closer look. They assumed the monkey would flee when they got too close, and it certainly seemed fright ened ; bu t it sta yed
cr ou ch ed w he re it wa s, chat ter ing
furiously.
Something was wrong. They soon saw what it was. In reaching for a huge clam it hoped to eat, the monkey had stuck its hand into the clam's open shell. The clam had snapped shut and trapped the monkey's hand. Now the tide was coming in and the clam was burrowing deeper and deeper into the sand. Soo n the mo nk e y wo ul d be ov er wh el me d by the s ea. The women took in the scene and laughed heartily. The neighbor's wife pi ck ed up a big stone to
ba sh at th e mo n k e y wi th bu t he r friend, th
e
woman with the baby, reproved her sharply and snatched the stone away. "I only want to kill it so I can roast it for dinner," the neighbor's wife co mp la in ed . B ut th e bab y' s mo th er insisted, and
wi th a bit of w oo d
pried the clam open far enough for the monkey to get its hand out. Then she declared it would also be wrong to kill the clam, and so even though both women were actually there to collect shellfish she carefully removed the clam from their harvest and buried it again in the sand. After running a little way off, the monkey turned back toward its sav ior
wi th an
in gra tia ti ng ex pr es si on
on it s face. "Wel
l, yo u' re s afe
3
I
8
n o w, " said the w o m a n , "a nd I hop e y ou appre cia te al l my tro ubl e. I kn ow y ou ' r e only an anim al, bu t sti ll , y o u sho uld be grat eful ." The monkey seemed to listen, then scampered toward the hills. On the w a y it he ad ed , of all pla ces , for th e ro ck w he r e the ba by lay, pick ed up the bab y, a n d ran on. T
h e child
wa tc hi ng the ba by took frig ht an d bur st
into tears. The mother looked on in dismay as the monkey darted into the hills with her baby, and she raged at its ingratitude. "W el l, " said he r friend, "that'll tea ch yo u! A lo t of app rec iat ion yo u ge t fro m a fur -fa ce like th at ! If I'd killed it , it w ou ld hav e m ad e me a
you w ou ld n' t have had
meal and
yo u r ba by stolen. Th
T h e tw o w o m e n ra n after th e mon ke y an d found it mo re than ab
e nasty
bru te! "
took care not
ou t a hu nd re d ya r ds ahe ad of the m. W h e n they
spe ed, the mon
ke y ma tc he d the m; whe n they
slowed
to get
ran at top
do wn , it slowed
down too. Finally
the
wo m e n sto ppe d. "I gn or an t bea st! " the
after i t. " H e r e I sa ved y o u r li fe , yo u could H o w da re y o u steal me his
mot her
at l east sh ow some
shou ted
gr ati tud e!
my ba by ! I su pp os e you' ll eat him. O ou ld n' ty ou give
life for y o u r s ? " But
th e m o n k e y ra n on an d car rie d the ba by to
th e to p of a tall tr ee . T h e we ep in g mo th er ga ze d up from belo w whil e the mon ke y sat in a fork high
aloft. Nex
t, th e mo nk e y held
bac k, a t th e sam e time jiggling to cry . W h e n it st opp ed , the
a good -si zed br an ch bent fa r
the ba by und er its ar m. Th e bab y beg an mo nk ey jiggled
it again
an d mad e it cry
some more. The sound quickly attracted an eagle, which swooped in to seize the prey. Obviously the baby was going to be eaten one way or an ot he r, i f not by
th e mo nk ey th en by th e eagle . But the mo nk ey bent
th e b r a n c h a little
fur the r, the n re lea se d it wi th perf ect tim ing.
It ca ug ht
the eagle in the head and the bird plummeted to the ground. Again the monkey bent the branch and made the baby cry, and again an eag le cam e s w oo pi ng in. I t w e n t th e wa y of the fi rst.
Th e mo th er
un de rs to od tha t th e m on ke y had ne ve r me an t actu ally to steal It had just wanted to repay its debt by killing eagles for her.
her child.
"I un de rs ta nd , mon key , I un de r st an d! " she calle d thr oug h her tears. "B ut that 's en ou gh now ! Please, please
br ing my bab y back do w n! "
By now the monkey had killed five eagles. It descended from tree to tree, laid the baby gently near its mother, then leapt into the tree again and sat there, scratching. Smi ling
th ro ug h her
tear s, the mot
he r nur sed her
child. Whe
n her
hu sb an d da sh ed up, th e mon ke y van ish ed into the f ores t. U nd er the tree lay five dead eagles. The husband wondered at the story he got from his wife. He cut off
the five eagles' wings and tails and took them home with his family. Bit by bit he sold the eagle feathers for basic necessities, so that in the end th e m o n k e y did
re pa y it s de bt — bu t at the pri ce of w h a t a go ny for
th e
mother before she understood!
THE UGLY 5 ON Long ago a gambler had a son whose eyes and nose looked as though th ey ha d been
sq ua sh ed toget her by main force
. Thi s ma de the y o u n g
man outstandingly ugly. His parents were wondering how on earth they we re to get him ma rr ie d w h e n they hea rd th at a rich ma n wa s see kin g a handsome bridegroom for his beloved daughter. They let the father know th at th e "fairest
y o u t h in al l the la nd " wa nt ed to ma rr y the g irl. Th e rich
ma n ac ce pt ed the matc h an d set the date f or the betr oth al. On the coupl e's fi rs t night the br ot he rh oo d of gam ble rs ga the re d in bo rr ow ed finery
an d escorte
d the y o u n g ma n to h is bride, d oin g their
best to hide their faces under a brilliant moon. The groom looked quite presentable among them. This was how he began his nightly visits to the girl , in ac co rd an ce with cust
om.
But all too soon came the dreaded night (the one that would seal the mar ria ge fore ver) trot hed
right
w he n the y o u n g man woul
thr oug h da wn and in to day.
d hav e to lie wit h his Un da un te d, the
be
gam ble rs
thought up a plan. O n e of th em go t up ove r the ceiling of
the cou ple 's roo m, t ro d the
boards till they creaked and groaned, and bellowed in a terrible voice, "Fairestyouth in all the land!" Th e ho us eh ol d qu a ke d to he ar him , fo r th ey recal led cou ntl ess storie s of su pe rn at ur al visitati
ons that had
sta rt ed exac tly this wa y. Th e terrified
groom called back, "I hear I'm the one people call fairest in the land. Wh a t do yo u w a n t ? " Th re e times the
voice
ove r the cei ling roa red and
three times the groom replied. The family wanted to know why he answered at all. "I can't help myself!" he explained. "T he da ug ht er of this hou se ," the de mo n bellow ed, "h as bee n mine f or thr ee ye ar s, a nd I wan t to k n o w wh at yo u think with her!"
yo u' re doing
sleeping
3
2
0
"Bu t, bu t, " st am me re d th e gr oom , "I
ha d no idea!
I didn' t kn ow !
Please don't hurt me!" "Y ou na sty sn ea k! " the de mo n roar ed. "I'll
ask yo u just
one
thin g
bef ore I go . W h i c h do y o u che ris h mos t, y o u r li fe or y o u r lo ok s? " " H o w can I an sw er th at ?" prote sted the brid egro om. Hi s par ent s- in- law wh is pe re d franticall
y to him that
his loo ks as lo ng as he kep t his li fe. "Tell him
he shou ldn' t min d
y o u r lo ok s! " th ey said.
He obeyed. T h e d e m o n rep lie d wi th a ho rr id sort
of su ck in g noise. T he gr oo m
screamed, buried his face in his arms, and collapsed. The demon left. W h a t had ha pp en ed to the gr oo m' s face? A
lam p wa s br ou ght in , and
by its light they saw that his eyes and nose looked as though they had be en j a m m e d to ge th er . "O h , if only I'd " H o w ca n I live
a m o n g pe op le with a
told
him my
face like this?
life!"
he sob bed .
An d to thi nk tha t
y o u nev er on ce sa w me as I use d to be ! W h a t an awful mista
ke it wa s to
get involved with a girl claimed by a horrible demon!" M o v e d by this comp
lai nt, th e girl's father
pr om is ed him
his fort une in
co mp en sa ti on . In fact , to th e y o u n g ma n' s enti re satisfaction, hi in- law to ok exce llen t care of him a nd even
s father-
built a se pa ra te hou se for him,
on the pretext that the present one's possibly faulty location might have ha d som et hi ng to do wi th th e cala mity . T he y o u n g ma n lived pleasant life indeed.
a ve ry
S
O
U
R
C
E
S
A N D N
W h e n possible
, I ha ve gi ven appr
oxi ma te date s f or the event
O
T
s des cri bed in
E
S
the
tales, or
the internal evidence which makes it possible to date them. (Not that these events are neces sarily historically true
1. Konjaku
31/37.
2 . Konjaku
28/40.
Konjaku
6.
Kokoncbomonju
246.
Konjaku 28/25.
Sanes
2 9 . Konjaku uke
lived
957-
28/5.
Tamemori
was
jenkithe
1029.
1 0 . Konjaku 28 /4 1.
27/9. 9th 27/7.
32. Thi rd
quar ter
of 11th
28/12.
1 9 . Vji
217.
thai
duces
46 0- 70 . Ca.
880s.
3 4 . Konjaku 20/2.
Ca.
980.
20/11. Per ha ps
in 986 62.
40.
cen tur y.
oku liv ed 91 0- 10 07 . K aza n
abdi cate d
an d di ed in 1 008 .
Tjurezureguja 69. Se e
2 1 . Konjaku28 /1 1. Kai shu
died in 1016.
4 1 . HoMbiiuhu
2 2 . Konjaku 11/29.
reigned
4 2 . Ho.vhmjbu 6/12.
661-
8th
UjiAui\M6.
3 8 . Senjujho6/10. Sh
Tenji
not e
38 .
4/10. Sai gyo
lived
11
18 -
1190.
668.
2 3 . Konjaku 11/13 . S ec on d quar ter
of 8th
4 3 . Jikkuwho 0/24 1 .
Early
1200s.
Ten -
noji, on e of the fir st te mp le s fou nd ed
century. 2 4 . Konjaku 11/7.
73 6.
in Ja pa n, is n ow in Osa ka, whi
2 5 . Konjaku 12/7.
75 2.
not exi st th en . Its
2 6 . Konjaku 11/25,
the
as "th is
Gotakujenki.
from
3 9 . Kokoncbomonju 38 6.
2 0 . Kobon .let.mwashu
himself
3 3 . Konjaku 20/1.
37.
Sbasekubami.
17.
is
3 6 . Konjaku 13/33 .
27/1.
1 8 . Konjaku
Dai-
Gotaku
In
(sp eak in g thr oug h
Sbintubu .8 Ca.
3 5 . Konjaku
27/13.
UjL
1 6 . Konjaku
go d
Kaluga
1 7,
gotakujenki.120 2.
hav in g bee n highe r than My o e after all
cen tur y.
century.
15.
wa s
old man." The passage about the god
So ns of the court no
bility studied at the Academy.
1 4 . Konjaku
Yos hi o
1000 .
genki
me di um ) intro
28/39.
1 3 . Konjaku 27 /2 1.
Ca .
Gongen
myojin
ap
poi nte d go ver no r of Ec hi ze n in
1 2Konjaku .
no
31/15.
3 0 . Konjaku 19/32. 3 1 .Kaluga
1046.
1 1 .Konjaku
10071013.
B an
exiled in 866 and died in 868.
7.
9 . Konjaku
ranjhoki.
2 8 . Konjaku 21/11 .
7/17.
8 . Konjaku
here.
in 835. 2 7 . Kofukuji
31/33.
Shajckubu 5.
are noted again
turned from China in 804 and died
UjidbuiVXe.
3.
4.
!) Da te s ment io ne d in the tales
11/9. Kob
o Dai sh i re
relics
ch did
we re famou s.
In an important myth the Sun God-
3
2
2
des s, ange ra ge ou s
red b y her co nd uc t,
brother's out
hid
herse
lf
Mot ots une
in
a
7 2 . Uji
cave and so plunged the world into darkness.
She
had
agai n by the othe 4 4 . Konjaku 4 5 .Kcutuga
to
be
Gongcn
died
Jikkinsho
aka lived 999-
314. Saigyo
live d
11 1 8 -
Perhap
s mid-11
th cen
tbui 9/1,
Konjaku 20/10.
Yozei
reigned 877-884. 5 3 .Konjaku
27/19. Pe rh ap s
fi rst
qua rte r
esu ke lived
950 .
quarter
Ca.
1180 s.
681.
8 2 . Konjaku16/17.
896 .
Uji.tbui 1/18. Pe rh ap s ca. 900 .
8 4 . Konjaku 27/3 1.
957-
Kiyoyu
ki
lived
847-
918. 8 5 . Uji.,hat 8/7. Jokan lived 843-927.
1046. 5 4 . Uji.thai 1/ 14. Mi nam ot o no Sadaf us a
1130-1188.
5 5 . Uji.thai 9/7.
8 6 . Konjaku
13/2.
8 7 . Uji.thai
13/13.
8 8 . Nora
5 7 . Konjaku30 /1 . H ei ch u died
.tbui3/ 2.
Tad aie ,
1032 -1091
a
than
the
ryoiki(ca.
UjidbOi 11/3 . S ee note
89.
59.
14/10.
24/24.
(966-
ver sio n of
Konjaku version
ga
no
(9 18 -
9 4 . Konjaku
29/18.
6 6 . Konjaku
13/10.
Montoku
Ca.
1025
Ear ly
11th
(9 68 -1 04 8)
cen tur y.
Ud a abdi cated
but
in
.
Nic hiz o
lived
905?-
985? 9 8 . Konjaku14/ 43.
9 9 . Konjaku
70 . Sbajek,../.•<<7/24. 1278.
must
28/18.
Per ha ps
century.
Kanemichi
.
Uji.
9 7 . Uji .thai 11/10.
999 .
10/27.
Not
reigned
1171 .
89 7 an d di ed in 931
be ca me gov er no r of Ko zu ke in
.thai 15/6.
28/24.
9 6 . Kokonchomonju 385.
6 7 . Konjaku 25/11. Yorinobu
in Nihon
be the early 12th century.
95.
6 5 . Konjaku
d acco unt
9 3 . Konjaku 28 /28 . "O ur ow n time"
reigned
Sammi
standar 8 22 ).
9 1 . Konjaku31/ 17.
Hiromasa.
Ujidhui 13/6.
no
858.
980) is also known as Minamoto no
6 9 . Jikkinobo
I chos e this
9 2 . Kokonchomonju 59 9.
in 1 020 .
Murakami
Haku
850-
59.
Michinaga
10 27 ) built Hojoji
94 6- 96 7.
En
Jikkin.
9 0 . Konjaku
24/19.
VjiobOi 11/3 . S ee note
6 4 . Konjaku
Gyoja."
is incomplete, and because it is luller
.
1005.
.thai
no
his story because the
lived
5 9 . Uji.thai2/ 8. A b e no Sei mei liv ed 921 -
6 1 . Konjaku
"En
pe ar ed in 70 1.
in 92 3. poet ,
ebon
Gyoja was exiled in 699 and disap
56 . Kohon deU umuta 19. Ca. 90 0.
7 1 . Uji
ca.
ce ntu ry.
8 0 . Kokonchomonju 60 6.
83.
of 11t h century. San
68.
erh aps
8 1 . Kokonchomonju
tury.
6 3 . Uji
79 4- 86 4.
29/28.
of 10th
5 1 . Uji.'bui 14/11.
62.
lived
7 9 . Uji .tbui 7/4. P erh aps sec ond
1190.
60.
En nin
7 6 . Konjaku 16/20. P
7 8 . Konjaku
5 0 . Scnjiuhd5/15 .
5 8 . Uji
sa, liv ed 82 9- 90 0.
77 . Ujii bOi 10/ 6.
4 9 .Uji.thai
lived
He
So me -
He returned from China in 847.
1107.
1076.
5 2 . Uji
856 . The
16/32.
7 5 . Uji.'bui 13/10.
10/25.
48 . Jikkiiuho 1 0/22. Norit
reigned
8 31 -9 18 .
Mud oji in
7 4 . Konjaku
4 7 . Kokonchomonju 26 5.
Daigo
Uji.'bui 15/8. So o lived
no Yoshifu
in
1017. 46.
Emperor
do no Emp res s, daug hte r of Fujiwa ra
lived
abbot
he
930.
lou nd ed
868 .
Rin'e
bec ame
.tht'u 8/3.
89773.
in
gcnki 10. He
out
r go ds .
24/1.Ma ko to
95 0 -1 02 5 .
lured
founded Gokurakuji;
lived 836-891.
100.
31/13.
Konjaku13/1.
94 1.
earl y
10 th
101.
Fum Ryakkt plied
the
2 5 . Genko .tbakiuho 9 ending
about
the
characters for Kozen are to be pro
sup
no un ced "Ka
"vajra-
ing
handled bell," etc.
els ewhe re.
102.
Uji.
103.
Kokonchonwnju 45. srcina l has
930
or
93 1, but I
the date to
93 1.
this
hitting
version
salmon,
the
has
the
god
as
W
I have
the
127. Konjaku 128.
hall
(Shingonden)
another
of he re
has
Konjaku
130.
Konjaku 31/9.
105.
Konjaku 19/29 .
17/26. live d 8 2 5 -
son
889.
Tango
Fudoki.I
garbled,
us ed
and
this
ver sio n
131.
Kojuhn is a little
lacks
the
plac e wh er e the drago
the
date,
Koret aka,
Em per or
Konjaku 31/8.
31/7. 27/24.
134.
Konjaku
31/10.
135.
Jikkirubo
136. 137.
Konjaku 23/22. Uji.
108.
Sha.icki.ihu 7/18.
109.
Konjaku
29/40.
138.
110.
Konjaku
29/39.
139.
Konjaku
13/43.
111.
Konjaku
14/3.
140.
Konjaku
29/1. 29/36.
682. Be
tw ee n
1264
and
1275.
112.
Sha.
113.
Konjaku
114.
Konjaku15/1.
115.
Konjaku
1270 s.
15/20. Ca.
77 0- 78 0.
19/14.
Uji.
in
jhui2/14.
930. Acc ister
D
141.
Konjaku
Konjaku29 /2 1.
143.
Konjaku
144.
Konjaku29/ 19.
Ca.
145.
Uji
.ihiti 2 /10 .
Fuj iwa ra
the
hu sb an d of the
1 040 .
aig o
reigned
to Konjaku,the
ol the Right
897Mi n
wa s Mi na m ot o no
Hikaru, who died in 913.
Jikki/vbo1/ 7.
Reizei
122.
Kokonchonwnju
123.
Sha.
124. Uji.thai
607.
All.
Konjaku 20/7.
The
press , daugh ter ifusa ,
lived
son, reign
Konjaku The
Somedono of the Rege
8 29 - 9 00 .
Em
En'yu
srcinal
nt Yos h-
Mo nt ok u,
reigned
indicates
146.
Konjaku Konjaku
14/7.
148.
Konjaku
12/28.
her
that
Ujubui
10/10.
Konjaku
13/41.
152.
Uji.
1/12.
153.
T.iurezurcgusa
154.
Uji.
156.
Uji.ibui
1/13.
157.
NiwhiiLibu
158.
Konjaku 12/31.
i
Shi-
95 8- 10 36 .
no
Tos hiy uki
o lived
10 32 -1 11 6.
3/5. Koke
758.
Konjaku
lived
Ya su ma sa , Izum
53.
Konjaku
159.
no
poet
90 7.
150.
the
1000.
Fuji wara
151.
969-
1000.
17/42.
di ed in 901 or
155.
ed 85 0- 85 8.
20/4.
(no . 178),
147.
967-
M8/6.
Uji
Ca.
29/17.
149. Uji .ihiii 8/4.
reig ned
969. 121.
10/26.
Ujiobui4IS.
kibu
ordi ng
Em
century.
142.
118. Uji ,
984.
eldest died
served
Mid-1 1th
Konjaku
Kokonchonwnju
126.
the
Mo nt ok u,
K och ujo
107.
125.
live d 9 5 6 - 1 0 2 9.
press Shoshi (988-1074).
133.
477.
120.
n
30/14.
of
132. Konjaku
closing
Nihongisu ppl ie d
passage.
Uji
"Ko zen "
897.
because the one in
119.
adop ted
recognizably the
981.
Konjaku
117.
read
This incident cannot be earlier than
104.
116.
the
attested
I A/44.
129.
106.
place
Ujisbui 12/5. Kinsue
him as hall frog.
Yama kage
well
lived in no. 183.
101. O th er
palace.
make
is
sa me as the
ha ve ch an ge d
agr ee wi th no.
do cu me nt s hav e 93 0 fo r the bolt light ning
to
Th e
guy ama ," but
"Kozen"
13/34.
n
reigned
749-
3
2
4
160.
Konjaku
195. Hckvbinjhu
15/41.
161. HoMhuubu3/8 . Probab ly 117 6. 162.
Konjaku24/ 15 . Per hap s ca. day uki (n o.
wa s
the
1000. of
Ujijhui 10/9. Moc
164.
Konjaku 28/29. 845-
hi su ke Ki
no
Ta
Ya su no ri.
died
Haseo
167.
Jikkinjhd 10/2 0.
197.
958.
age to
1000. 198. no
Sam mi
qua rte r of
171.
Th e regent,
He
w en t
Konjaku
iwara
to
Seki der a in
717.
monogatari4.
Be tw ee n
1151
I thought the com
posit e mon ste r motif
ma de the story
worth including.
12/24.
Jikkin.*bd6/18. G ensh o re igne d 7 1 5 -
201.
Konjaku 27/29.
M as am ic hi
died
in
1017.
172.
Konjaku
17/47.
202.
Konjaku
27/32.
173.
Konjaku
16/29.
203.
Konjaku
27/36.
204.
60 3. Kokoncbomonju
Uji*biii7lh.
The
Mina
se
Pal
Konjaku
26/11.
ace
belo nged to Empero
176.
Uji ohui
6/2.
who
abdicated in 1198 and died in
177.
Konjaku
17/33.
1239.
178.
Uji dhui 1/1. D o m y o
175.
179.
205.
Uji .•but
Izumi Shikibu's husband appears in
206.
Konjaku
27/40.
no.
207.
Konjaku
27/41.
208.
Konjaku
27/37.
died
in
1020 .
145.
Konjaku 19/3.
Yoshis
hige
no
Yas u-
tane became a monk in 986 and died
209. Tamon'in
3/20.
nikki 4 3.
Thi s
series
of
dreams was recorded by a monk in
day uki
his
(no s. 162, 165)
.
dia ry
17/17.
mo on ,
181.Konjaku
27/5.
them
Senjiuhd6/3,
7/ 4,
7/5.
Ch
us an
183.
Kojidan
184.
Konjaku
7/3. Ca.
211.
the
four
had
578, 2 nd drea med
previous
er Mou nta in"
127 0.
Jikkuuiho7l\\.Rin'e
is Hana -
213.
Konjaku
Konjaku
26/9.
1/1,
188.
Konjaku
26/8.
1003.
189.
Konjaku
31/12.
27/2. U da
214. abd ica ted
in
89 7
95 0- 10 25 .
Konjaku
lived 19 0.
192. UjidbUi 12/22. Yozei abdicated
and died in 949.
in 884
12/33,
SenjOtho
1090-1152.
Konjaku
14/8.
217.
Konjaku
30/9. 27/22.
218.
Konjaku
193.
Kokoncbomonju 60 5.
Ca.
1215 .
219.
194.
60 1. Kokoncbomonju
Ca.
1200 .
220.
Konjaku
917-
15/28.
Gongen
216.
U ji thai
Ujidbui 12/7,
Ho.ubin.ihu 1/5 . Zog a lived
215. Kajuga
and died in 931. S e e no te
lived
212. Uji thai 15/ 9.
187.
Kojidan1/7.
He
UjiAOi6/10.
210.
16/15.
186. Uji .
190. Konjaku
during
day .
yama in the Kasuga Hills.
5/24.
185. Shajekiihu
un de r the date 1
15th
nights. "Flow
live d
935 -97 6.
191.
r Go- Toba ,
in 1 00 2. H is fathe r w a s Ka mo no Ta
180.Konjaku
182.
th e
19/8.
like my others,
724.
174.
Fuj
and 1154. Although this source is un
10th
UjithuiXIZ. ^bui
8th cen
wo rs hi p the Bu dd ha -O x in h is
199. HoMhifubu
century.
170. Uji
957-
spring of 1025 (Manju 2.5.17).
H aku g a
First
Pos sib ly early
Konjaku 12/24 .
200. Heike
Konjaku 14/ 42.
liv ed
no Michinaga, recorded his pilgrim
lived
lived 918-980.
169.
13/5 .
diary .
166.
ke
tury.
912.
Konjaku29/ 5. Ca. Konjaku 24/20.
168.
196. Uji jbui
Ja ku sh in
17 9) as wel l as of little
163.
165.
father
7/6. Sanesu
1046.
29/35.
9 /8.
gcnki
6.
Yukimitsu
T H E T
H
E
C
The se capsu
le descr
ipt ion s of the
wo rk s the tales
S
O
W E
O
T
M
E
K
S
L
E
S
A F
co me from omit
R
R
O
a few supp
M
lem ent ary
sou rce s wh ic h gav e me
onl y a para grap h or tw o. Su ch supp le me nta ry sou rce s are
cate d in "S our ces and N
ot e s" an d in the l ist "Tales Classified by
En
no
Gydja (1 tal e).
boo k") type, in
A
po pu la r illus trated
boo
simpl e Jap an es e. Per haps 16th
kl et
indi
So ur ces ."
of the Nara
chon ("Nara
picture
centu ry. An on ym ou s.
Ftud ryakki,"A Su m ma ry Hi sto ry of Ja pa n" (1 tale)
. A 1 2th-c entu ry history
of Ja pa n,
written in Chinese by the monk Koen.
Heike monogatari,"T he Ta le of the cent ury, an d on e of the maste time and has
no single
He i k e " (1
tal e) . An
ep ic on the
rpi ece s of Ja pa ne se literat
auth or.
It wa s srcin ally
wa rs of the late
ure. The work
12th
de ve lop ed over
su ng by wa nd er in g entertai
ners, to
the
acc omp ani men t of the biwa.
Ho^biiwbu,"Th os e
Who Awoke
to
Faith
" (6
tale s).
Stori
abou t Budd his t beli ever s w h o ac hi eve d salvat ion, mi to be dr awn from
their
exa mpl es.
Early 13th
a mi no r cou rti er an d poe t from the monk
late
fam ous
in
life.
Chomei's
century, by Kam
prie stly famil
Jikkuubo, "Te n Mor al Tea ch in gs " (1 0 tale s). Tale
Kaluga scrolls
1309. The high birt
ng
text
the
Ja pa ne se on the
les son s
y of the K am o Sh rin e, wh o be ca me a on e of the mo st
s on man y subjec ts, organ
truct ion. Ch apt ers hav e suc h t itles
ize d so as to
as "The N ee d to Avo id
are
rather
drily
told. Th
A
of illust rated
e
ny mo us .
Gongen genki,"T he Mir ac le s of the Ka su ga Go d " (3 narrati
sober
o no Cho mei (1 15 37 -1 21 6) ,
e e d to Ch oo se On e' s Frien ds. " M an y tales
wo rk is dated 1252. Ano
fine ,
pa ne se literature.
provi de exam pl es of moral ins Prid e" and "The N
in
Hojdki ("An Ac co un t of My Hu t" ) is
brief
wo rk s of classical Ja
es
ngl ed wit h reflections
tal es) .
mir acu lou s de ed s of the Kas ug a Go d, in
wa s put together
h; an d co pi ed out by
by Kaku
en ( 12 77 -1 34 0) , a Kofukuji
a for mer rege
nt an d his
set
Ja pa ne se . Comp le ted in mon k of extrem
ely
thr ee so ns , one of w h o m wa s rege nt
at the time.
Kofukuji
ranjhokl,"T he
Kofuku ji, in Chin
B eg in ni ng s
ese. Of
Kobon .•c't.'itu'ti.'bii, "Ol d Tale Colle nese, da
ting
of
uncertain
per ha ps from the
Kof uku ji"
date. An cti on" (2
(1
ta le).
A
com pi lat ion
of
lore
on
on ym ou s. tale s). A
colle ction of
stories in
pure Jap
12th cent ury, bu t redis cov ere d onl y in the 20th . The
a
srcinal
title is lost. Anonymous.
Koju)an, "A ne cd ot es of the Past in an inco nsis tent style able
but
genera
(1 16 0- 12 15 ), a
lly
poor
courtier
" (2
tales ). Ane cd ot es
ran gin g from Chin reading.
Comp
on
vari ous
subje cts, noted
do wn
es e to hybr id Si no -J ap an es e; historically ile d
ca.
12 12 -1 21 5
by
Mi na mo to
no
and off icia l.
Kokoncbomonju,"Th ing s See n and H ear d, O ld
an d Ne w " (1 3 tales) . A large
valu
Akikane
collection
3
on
2
6
a wi de ran ge
"Mu sic ," "Gamb plea sing ,
of th em es , orga niz ed un de r con ven ien t topic s like lin g," "Fright
enin g Prodigies
studi edl y und ers tat ed
style.
court ier and off icia l w h o s e dat es are
Konjaku
monogataruibu, "Tales
ane se literature inclu
des
of Time
D
." The
at ed
12 54.
s No w Past"
mi ss ing , the
vo lu me s of wh ic h the fir st is
By
Tac hib ana
no
"Poetry
written
Naris ue,
,"
in a
a minor
un kn ow n.
ov er a th ou sa nd tales
th ou gh a fe w se ct io ns are
"Go ds ,"
text, i n Japa nes e, is
(111
tales). This
and prob
ably
mon um en t of Ja p
date s from
sta nda rd mo de rn edit ion is
de vo te d to
tales from
India
about
in five
and the
1100. Ev
clos ely
se co nd to
en
prin ted
tales Irom
China . Th e Jap an es e section cov ers man y them es, religious or secular, serious or humor ous. Konjaku is in a rath er "pre ac hy " sort of Ja pa ne se , wri tte n so as to look as muc h like Ch in es e as possib beg ins and end to the
le, but the stories are
s wit h set formula
col lec tio n's
gr ea tn es s.
d o w n a broa d river
Senjiubo, reflecti
past
both agreea
their
sa me format, the
by a play
(3
tal es) .
Tal es
k Saig yo ( 1 1 1 8 - 1 1 9 0 ) , one
is no w consider
Each tal e
stori es f i t well toget
her
in lon g
like
of
B ud dh is t piety ,
freely
min gle d wit h
and the
lyri cal
tone
mid -13t h cen tury . Th e auth or wa s long of Ja pa n' s fine st poe ts (se e nos. 42
and
are
thoug ht 50) , but
ed un kn ow n.
Sba.iekuihu,"A
Boo k
of
Sa nd
Ja pa ne se , usually serious
and
but
had gott
P eb bl es "
som eti mes
Ichi en ( 1 2 2 6 - 1 3 1 2 ) in 1 287. Muj tim es that he
dev elo ped .
asso ciat ion. R ead in Konjaku g can be
of
signi ficanc e. T he orn am en ted Ja pa ne se style
ble . Com pi le d pe rha ps in the
to be the mon
exper tly
uctio n, but th is onl y contri butes
an eve r- ch an gi ng land scap e.
"A Cho ic e of Ta le s"
ons on
and often
not ed in the Introd
Ha vi n g the
se qu en ce s, link ed t o on e an oth er glid ing
lovin gly
s, as
en the stor
(7
tales) .
Budd hist
amus ing, gathere
u wa s particularly y straight fr
om its
tales
in
d together by
intereste
d in recent
unad orn ed
the
monk Mu
ju
stories, noting
sou rce , or ev en that he
at
had wi tn es se d
the event himself.
Sbintdsbu, "Tales of inten ded as notes fo
Tamon'in at Kofuku
the Go ds " (1 tal e). Tales r popul ar preac hing.
nikki,"T he Tam on 'i n D ia ry " (1 ji, cove
Tango fuHoki,"A cco un t of the
Pro vin ce
pr ep are an acco
of
and
Ta ng o"
un t of its
god s, pro babl y
. Ano ny mo us .
tale ). Th e mass ive
ri ng the ye ar s be tw ee n 1478
or de re d by th e cou rt to
abou t important native
14t h century
diary
of a seri es of mo nk s
1617. (1 tale). In 713 hist ory
each
pro vinc e wa s
an d speci al features. M
os t of
these accounts are lost, and for Tango, only this fragment has been preserved. The lan gua ge is qua si- Chi nes e, read
Tnirezuregiua,"E ss ays in Id of the
most dis
as archaic
Jap an es e.
len ess " (2 tales ). A
tin gui she d wo rk s of classical Jap
boo k of mu sin gs and an es e literature.
anec dote s, and one
Writt en ca.
poet, courtier, and man of letters Yos hid a Ken ko (1 28 37 -1 35 0? ). Vji ,'bui monogatari, "A Col le ct io n of Uji Tal es " (54 tal es) . A bo ok of tales in no
par tic ula r ord er, dat abl e to th e earl y 13th cent
of the med
ie val tale
wi th won de rf ul wit the overall
ury . Thi s is, in many
col le cti ons . Its pu re Ja pa ne s e is light and grace. Th
ser iou sn ess of
to read, and its
e author 's wr y, k no wi ng insight
mos t collec
tion s.
1330
by the
of al l ki nds , wa ys , the
finest
stori es are told
contra sts
sharp ly with
T C
L
A
S
S
I
F S
Th e num be r bef ore each title nu mb er in this
ind ica tes
the ta le's
Mou nta ins
Kaluga
Gongen
6
88
(Genkojhaku.iho9) Th e Go d of
Co m e to
(see Kaluga
25)
My
Gongen
Kofukuji
The Nig htm are
200
T
1/5
(see Konjaku 12/33) Th e Thirs t for Par adi se
3/8
A Tw i n ge of Reg ret
1 9
157
the
Me rc y
6/12
Am on g the Flo wer s
S
srci nal. Th e
pare nth eses .
45
Kas uga 31
gotaktuenki
genki)
ranjhoki h
Ka nn on in the
Pin e
e
Th e Little
6 2
27
Bot tle
of Te ar s
56
T w o Buc ket s of Marital
161
4/10
E
"buwajbu
Kohon
3/5
Blis s
20
41
Wh it e Hai rs
Pov ert y
Kojiian
42
195
1/7
199
Qu it e a Bit of N on s e ns e
5/24
Jikkiiuho
Th e Dr ag on Ca ve
19 1
183
Kokonchomonju
\I7Inspiri
ng,
Unf ort una tel y
120
Ch eri sh -th e-A ged Sp rin g An Aw fu l Fall A Tas te for Fis h Twi nl eaf
10/22
Di vi ne Ap pl au se For
45 17 1
211
167
Lov e of So ng
Th e Th un de r Turtle 246
89
10/2 0
10/24
C
Daimydjin gotaktuenki)
Kaluga Daimydjin
(see Ftudryakki
Hnubiiuba
7/11
BY
21 5
Mo un ta in !
Heike nwnogatan
7/1
R
S
genkt
(Kaluga
101
Gcnkd jhakujbo
6/18
U
Gi ve Me Mu si c!
17
Fire and Th un de r
7/7
O
Father!
Ftuoryakki
7/6 Little
D
E
Be G oo d to Yo ur Mo th er and
10
4
E
nu mb er or locati on in
Th e Wi zar d of the
9
I
L
bo ok foll ows eac h title . Se con da ry sou rce s are indic ated in
En no Gyoja (Nara chori)
25
A
48 43
Th e We ig ht of Tradit ion
46
10/26
The Sn ake Cha rme r
10/27
To So ot he the Sa va ge Breast
103 6
Th e G o d of G o o d Fo rt un e
3 85
Th e Pa in te d Ho rs e
38 6
Th e Portrait
59 9
Se a De vi ls
60 3
135 60 5
47
96
39 92
Th e M o n k in Wh it e Ar mo r
194
Th e Gr in ni ng Fac e of an Ol d Woman
69
Sp ide r
2 65
601
10/25
T he Little
204
Su dd en ly , Ho rs e D u n g
193
3
2
8
60 6
En ou gh Is En ou gh !
60 7
Th e Ha iry Ar m
122
681
Th e Lo vi ng Fo x
81
68 2
Th e Gra tefu l Cr ab
Konjaku 11/7
17/44
80
17 /47 107
monogataruhu Gy og i and
Ba ram on
24
11/ 13
Ja pa n' s First
11/25 11/ 29
(1 1/ 9) Ko bo Dai shi 26 Th e Em per or' s Fin ger 22
12/7
Go ld
Bu dd ha -O x
12/ 28
Th e Vo ic e from
12/31
Th e Ch an ti ng Skull
(Senjujho 1/1,
25
197 the Ca ve
148
158
Hojsh'uubu
15,
Bones 13/1
213
13/2
Th e Ble ssi ng
13/1 0
Th e Selfles R ain
86
s Th ief
66
36
Th e Ni ce Little Away
G o d Sails
159
13/4 1
A Little
13/ 43
Re d Pl um Bl os so ms
Le ss on
14/ 3
Re d He at
14/ 7
A Pl ea fro m Hel l
14/8
Hel l in Br oa d D a y
14/4 2
14 7 21 6
No Ni gh t to Be Ou t Courting
168
14/ 43
Th e Riv er of Sn ak es
14/4 4
Th e Ma st er
15/1
An Ol d Go d Re ne we d
114
15/ 20
Go ne , Bo dy and
15/ 23
Letters
15/ 28
Th e Sti nki ng Hu t
15/41
Th e Un ear th ly Fra gra nce
from
Go ld from Palace
Soul
113
Para dise
the
117
Qu it e a St ink
A Mem or abl e Emp ress
20/10 (See
160
Dr ag on
Th e Invi ncibl e Pair The Tug -of -W ar
To uc he d in the H ea d
16/ 20
Ta ke n In
16/2 9
Th e Solid
82
76 Go ld Co rps e
16/3 2
Th e Invisibl
17 /17
Th e Rep rie ve
17/2 6
Th e Ca tch
17/33
Th e Aw ak en in g
17/42
The
Th re e An ge ls
e Man
74
180
24 /1 9
Th e Spe llb ou nd Pirates
24 /2 0
Ast ride
24/ 24
Gen jo
25/11
Authority
162
the Co rps e
146
61
166
64 67
26 /8
Th ro ug h the Wa te r Curta in
26/ 9
The
Sn ak e and 187
"D og 's He ad " Silk
175
27/1
An Ol d, Ol d Gh os t
16
27/ 2
No No ns en se !
190
27 /5
Th e Wa te r Spirit
27/ 7
The
181
27 /9
Bet ter Lat e Th an Earl y
Ra ve no us Stor ehou se
Ve ry
Kind
Doubt
28
of Hi m,
27 /1 3
Th e Bri dge
27 /1 9
Th e Little
27/ 21
Th e Grisly Mother
No
Jar
Bo x
53 13
218
She
27 /29
Th e Do ub le
Di ed Lo ng Ag o
133
201
Th e Evict ion Bewitched
84
202
27 /3 6
Th e Funer al
27 /3 7
N o t Rea lly a Tr ee at All
27 /4 0
Th e Fox 's Ball Sin ged Salt
12 11
14 Oil
27 /2 4
27/ 41
188
the
26/1 1
28/ 11 177
44
Da ddy , W h o We re Thos e
28 /5
104
Blo ody Sw or d
173
35 136
24/1 5
27/32
16 /17
125
Vji .
23/ 22
27/3 1
184
33
126
20/ 11
27/22
21 4
30
Th e Mu rm ur in g of the Sea Ja pa n Me an s Trouble ! 34
20/ 7
27/ 11
98
105
20 /4
127
Par adi se in th e Pa lm of the Hand
16/ 15
T he Gra tef ul Turt le
19/32
Centipede
111
198
115
19 /2 9
151 139
179
No Co mp ro mi se
People?
100
13 /3 3 13/ 34
Th e Falc oner' s Dr ea m
V er y Hi g h in th e Mountains
172
19/8
24/ 1
Ujijbui 12/7) The Jellyfish's
Th e Bot to mle ss Sack Pi ous Ant ics
20/1 20/2
Th e Ol d Ma ck ere l Ped dler The
12/33
23
the Gol den
155
19/3
19/14
12/24
Th e Bo y W h o Laid Stone
Fur
Fish
and
20 3
20 7 Do ct or ed Wi ne
H o m e in a Ch est
28 /1 2
No t Qu it e the Righ t Ro be The
Plans
8
21
28 /18
Best- Laid
20 8
20 6
. . .
18 94
28/2 4
Th e Ri ce po op Saint
28 /2 5
A Flas h in th e7 Pal ace
90
28/2 8
The
28/ 29
Th e Harm les s Hau nt
28/ 39
The Ta p e w or m s Sad
28/ 40
Me lo n Ma gi c
28/4 1 29/1
Da nc in g Mu sh ro om
93
7/24
End
9
8/11
Th e Te mp le Bell Th e Ra sh o Gat e
29/1 9
The
Tanwnin
143
24
De ad Ma n Wa ke s
144 142
Tango
29/ 35
Perilous
Gratitud
29 /3 6
Wa sp s
141
78 e
Mes me riz ed
(Nibongi) Uras him a
Ttureutrtgiua
109
30 /9
Th e Ol d W om an on the
57
53
Th e Po t-H ea de d D em o n
69
Wh at the
217
Say ing
A Bel ove d Wi le , a Bo w, a Wh it e Bird 129 Uji ,
31/7Th e Fo rs ak en La dy
132
An Im age in a Fl am e
131
31/ 9
Th e U n k n o w n Third
130
31 /1 0
I S a w It in a D r e a m
31/ 12
Cann ibal
31/ 13
Th e W in e Sp rin g
31/ 15
Th e D o g and Hi s Wi fe
31/ 17
Wh at the Sto rm Wa sh ed In
31/ 33
T he Ma id en from
31 /3 7
Th e Giant
Island
Oa k
1/ 2 1/3
Lu m p Off,
Lu m p On
1/13
Che rry
99
1/14
A Ha rd Mo me nt
1/18
Ya m S ou p
29 91 4
1
2/ 14
(See Konjaku 12/3 3)
5/15
The
Th e N os e
19
Th e Ge ni e
59
6/10
Th in gs As Th ey Are
50 38
Th e Mas ter of St rea ms and
Real
Fl am es at Last !
Sbatekuba
7/2
Lov es ic k
7/3
Th e Pon d G od Ta ke s a
112
58
15
Th e Sp ar ro ws 'G if ts
3/2 0
Fo x Ar so n Rice Th e Isle
49
95
Th e Ro ot ed Co rp se
3
20 5
Ca ke s
124
of M a n an d Ma id
186
4/5
Wh at Th e Sn ak e Ha d in Mi nd
5/ 9
R j
5/1 0 6/2
185
o to us
Living
Th e Tellt ale
154
Fis h
6/5
21 0
A Ve ry Sur pri sed Bod his att va
5
119
3/16
4/1
102
145
Br in g Ba ck Tha t Fer ry!
4/4
182
Peak
But Sh e Coul dn' t He lp It!
3/1 5
Ma n -M ad e Friend
83
2/7
3/ 4 3/ 6
156
Th e Go ld of Go ld en
Cowed
152 169
54
O ne La st S h ow er of Petals
3/ 2
u
Bl os so ms
2/4
2/8
(See Tangofudoki)
Wif e
178
He roi c Pati enc e, Alm ost
189
Nibongi
Th e Fle a
G o d s Bi g
C ha nc e
2/1 0
7/1 7
40
Th e Little
134
the Sk y
153
Bea ns We re
monogatari 1 /1
31 /8
6/3,
the
106
110
Elimination
7/4 , 7/ 5 Fal ls
Fo ur
20 9
Fis her man
Th e Pretty Girl
1/1
Th e Wh it e Fo x:
ftuhki
219
30/1
'
32
Dr ea ms
Wi th ou t Ev en a Fight
l J
Pri nce ss Glo ry
nikki
65
Th e Lure
"
17
165
29 /2 8
S
of
Shintuhu
10
29/21
30 /1 4
Lots
70
Syr up
8
In the Ni ck of Ti me
Mou nta in
123
Bu dd ha with
Ha nd s
140
29/ 18
29/40
T he
108
He lp
2
29/ 17
29/3 9
Y o u n g Lust Exp ert
164
A Toa d to Re ck on Wi th Th e En ig ma
29 /5
7/18
7/20
As D e e p as the
176 Se a
13 7
138
3
3
0
7/4
J u s t Li ke a Bir d
7/5
A Fo rt un e fro m a W i s p of Straw
8/3 8/4
79
174
12/5
Th e Fly ing St or eho use I ncor rigi ble
No Foo l, the Hu nt er
8/7
Incen se Sm ok e
9/7
(Konjaku 20/10 )
121
85
12/7
Small-T
Th e Failu re A Mo del
116
D em on
A Si mp le Cu re (See
Konjaku
97 128
12/33)
12/22
O n e Mou th ful
12/24
Ta ke a G oo d Loo k!
13/5
Magic 52 A Ni ce M u g of Mo lt en Copper
9/8
72
149
8/6
9/1
11/9 11/10
ime
196
Th e Wres tler' s Sister 68 N o t Ex act ly the La nd of Bliss
55
118
Th e Ug ly So n
22 0
13/1 0
Dy ei ng Cast le
10/6
Th e Sacri fice
77
13/ 13
An ot he r Fly ing Ja r
10/9
Th e Cu rs e
14/ 10
Ma n' s Bes t Fri end
14/1 1
T he La ug hi ng Fit
163
10/ 10
Th e Pirate' s St or y
ll/3a
The Test
1 l/ 3b
O n e Fr og Less
11/6
No Dr ag on
62 60 37
150
170
Th e Ma n W h o Stol e a Dream
13/6 13/9
192
75
15/6
Th e Pro te cto r Spirit
15/8
No Res pec t
15/9
Th e Pro mis e
73 21 2
87 63 51 71
B
/.
Work.'
Blacker,
in
Western
The
Carmen.
R ow m an & Littlefi
Bernard.
Kelsey,
W.
Twelfth-Century
Cat alpa
Collection
of
H.,
Comedy
Tales,
and
Konjaku
Helen
in
Ancient Tales Univer
A Collection
The
Ivan.
Practiced
in
PH
Y
To to wa , Ja pan.
s E.
Tuttle,
Galli mard.
Tw ay ne
of Heian
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N. J. :
Study
196 2.
1968.
Publishers,
A
Afonogatariihu. To ky o:
Cr
1982.
of the
T he
Secular
Cen tre
McC ull oug h. A Tale
aig
the Heian
of
sity
Stories
for
in
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(2 vol s.) . Period
St anfor d,
Japan:
An
Anthology
Study
ant)
Cali f.:
Fortunes:
Sta nfor d
in
Modern
of Japanese
Folk
Tales.
Tales from
Uji:
A
rsity
World of the Shining Prince:
Press, 1
Translation
o f Vji
Shui Monogatari.
970.
N e w York: Court Life in Ancient Japan.
Alfred
A. Knopf, 1964.
Muju,
Seki,
Collection d e sable el d e pierres: Sbasekishu. Translation,
Ichien.
taries
by Ha rtm ut O. Ro te rm un d. Paris:
Keig
of Ch ic ag o Press , Ury,
Yanagita,
2.
Japanese
En
no
Fuso
ryakki(by
Kappansho,
Ad am s.
os Ang eles , and
The Legends of Tone.Translated by
Chi cago : Un iversit
y
Lo ndo n:
Univer
sity
of
Ronal d A. Morse
. To ky o: The
Ja pa n
Sources
Taka nobu. Koe
n) .
Tok yo: Kado
In
3 ,
edited
b y
Yo ko ya m a
Shi geru
and
kawa , 1975.
Kaitei shi'eki shuran, edited
by
Ko nd o
Heij o.
To ky o:
K on do
1900.
He ns hu
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In
Kai . To ky o: Yosh
Heike monogatari.Edited b y Takagi Ic gaku
J.
1975.
(by Kokan Shiren) Genko shakttsho Taikei
y Robert
vol. Gydja in Aluromachi jidai monogatari lauei,
Mat sum oto
co mm en
Pres s, 19 79.
Kunio.
Foundation,
and
196 3.
Tales of Times Now Past.Berkeley, L
Marian.
California
preface,
Gall ima rd, 197 9.
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the
East
Press, 1984.
Cam brid ge and Ne w York : Cam bri dge Unive Morris,
A
80.
Hagin.
Bio omi ngt on: Indiana E.
R
Stu die s, 19 79.
William
Fanny
D.
Study of Sbamanutic
Konjaku Aionogatari-shu. Bos ton:
Univ ersit y Press, 19
Mills,
Row: A
of Japanese Aruitocratic Life
Maye r,
G
Languages
The Human
Asi an Cultural
Annals
O
HLiloires qui son! mainlenanl du passe. Paris:
Hiroko.
McC ull oug h,
LI
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B
M. Folk Legend s o f Japan.Rut land , Vt.: Charle
Do rso n, Richard Frank,
I
taikei , vols.
32,
Shinteizoho kokushi taikei,vol. ik aw a Kob unk an, 196
hinosu
ke, O za w a Ma sao , et
33. ) To ky o: Iwa nami , 1 95 9- 60 .
31,
edited
by
Kokushi
5. al . (N ih on
koten
bun-
3
3
2
IIo.vhin.ihu (b y Ka mo
no
Jikkirhihd. Edited
In Hojoki, Hoj.ihin.ihii,edited
Ch om ei ).
Ni ho n kote n shus ei). Toky
o: Shinchds
ha,
by
Miki Sumit
o (Sh in ch o
1976.
by Nagazumi Yasuaki. (Iwanami bunko,
vol. 30 -12 0-1 .) Tok yo: Iwa-
nami, 1942.
Kajuga
Gongen
genki a n d Kaouga
Daimydjin
gotakiuenki. In
H an aw a Hok iic hi. Tok yo : Zok u Gu ns ho Ruiju
Kd/ukujiranohdki. I n Dainihon hukkyd zenjho, edite d
by
Gun.
Kansei
Bu ss ho
ruiju, vol.
2,
edited
by
Kai, 1972. Ka nk o
Kai,
vol.
119.
To ky o:
Bu ss ho Ka nk o Kai, 1915.
Kohon jehuwaohu. In Kobon .
zenchukai, edited
Edited by
i Shich osha,
Konjaku
bu ng ak u taikei,
monogataruhu, bo ok s
vol.
1 9- 3 1.
Kobayashi Yasuharu
vols.
Nihon jhoki.Edi ted by Sa ka mo to Taro, vols . 67,
Mits
. (Koten
ugu.
To ky o:
bunko, vols. 6
0,
by
Na ga zu mi
Yasu aki
and Shimad
a Isao.
84 .) To yk o: Iw anami , 1966 .
Edite d
(N ih on kote n bun gak u taik ei,
Takaha shi
1981.
Kokonchomonju (by Tac hi ban a Nar is ue) . Edi ted (N ih on koten
b y
by
Ya ma da
Yos hi o,
24 -2 6. ) Tok yo: Iwan
Ya ma da
Tada o,
et
al .
ami, 1 96 1- 63 .
Ienag a Sab uro , et al . (N ih on koten bung
aku t aikei ,
68 .) To ky o: Iwan ami , 1967.
Scnjiuhd. Edite d by
Nis hio
Koic
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(Iw anam i bunk o,
vol.
3 0 - 0 2 4 - 1 . ) Toky o:
Iwanami,
1970.
Sha.ieki.ihu (b y Mu ju Ic hie n). Edi ted vol.
by Wa tan ab e Tsu nay a. (Ni ho n kote n bu ng aku
taikei,
85 .) To ky o: Iw anam i, 1966.
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Shigematsu, Akihisa.
55). Toky
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Shi cho sha ,
1981.
Sbintwhu. Edi ted Tamon'in
by
dre ams ), vol.
T.iurezureguja (by taikei,
Ko nd o Kih aku.
nikki.Edi ted
vol.
by
Tsuji
3. To ky o: Kado Yos hid a
To ky o:
kaw a,
Ken ko) .
Toy ko : Sh oga kka n,
by
In
of
the
diari st's
by
Nish io
Min oru .
(Ni ho n
koten
bung aku
1957.
Koba yash i Chi sho . (N ih on
1973.
1967.
Mugenki (a col le ct ion
1965.
Edited
30 .) To ky o: I wana mi,
Uji jhui monogatari. Edit ed
Kad oka wa,
Ze nn os uk e.
kote n bu nga ku
zens hu, vo l.
28. )
I
Th e nu mb er s after
the entries
are t ale
nu mb er s, not pag
N
es . Peo pl e are
D
E
listed und
personal names.
Bonden (king)
Ac ad em y, the 10 Ak as hi 61 , 127
governs rain 36
Aki province 69
Book
A m i d a 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 132, 160,
boy
161, 198, 212, 213, 214
of Changed 51
bawls to see cherry blossoms fall 156
Am id a Su tra 113, 197
bear s go ld en stone
angels
gu zzl es syr up 17
come down to hear music 44
healed by Thousand-Armed Kannon
ascetic
70
fails to fly 89 fall s in lov e wi th emp re ss heals
125
em per or wit h tengu magi
c 126
hu ng ry for rice
du mp li ng s
lo ve d by Zd yo
154
Byodoin
maste r of Ni ch iz o 98 Nichizo meets demon 97
cave
Ni ch iz o visits
afterwo
taug ht less on in humil
rld
10 1
ity 87
turns out to be fake 90
ho us es po we r of Lotu s Sutra
148
centipede by sn ake
187
chamber pot
Atago, Mount 121
is Hei chu 's down fall 57
badger
chest
foo ls as cet ic 121
hides philandering monk 21
hau nt s a cha pel
Chiko
122
haunts a pond 204
has vis ion of
ba mb oo cutte r 4, 3 2 Baramon
dh a 25
Sut ra of the 71
(b ud dh a) 10 1
ma n sle eps wi th wife's 146
of Ku ram a conf ers
Co un ci l of Sta te wea lth
Bitch u pro vin ce 48, 82, Biw a, Lak e 13,
as mas ter of wa te r 1 82 corpse giant, washed up on beach 91
Bishamon 72 de m on
114
Chusan
conse crates Great Bud Be ne vo le nt K ing,
Am id a s par adi se
Ch ik uz en pr ovi nce 104, 160 Ch in a 3 1, 33, 34, 51 , 75 , 187
arrives in Japan 24
kills
189
cl aim s islan d, killed
Asoka (king) 22
152
167
cannibals
Bibashi
155
196
33 , 83 , 10 4
boar
155
cor pse
11
crab sa ve s girl
from sna
ke
crow as magic mes
created by magic 52
cu rs e 51 , 16 3
stages fake funeral 203
Daianji
55
sen ger
59
107
133
X
er th
3
3
Daigo
4
(emperor)
King Zent
healed by Sword Guardian 72 suf fer s in hell Dainichi
101
ten gu 35
dream
101
of po ver ty
Dakini rite
199
of wh it e hairs
com mis sion ed by
Tada zane
47
195
stole n by y o u n g man
(see music and dance)
dance
at su at Mu ro 183
of M a n o Pon d caug ht by
196
twi n drea ms of jeal ousy
deer
134
twi n dr ea ms ol long ing 130
bo w to Kas uga Go d 31
Ec hi zen
(oni)
demon(s)
pro vin ce 8, 49 , 172, 1 97
Em ma (king
be co me s empr ess's lover
125
of hell)
defeated by Lotus Sutra 148
by fox
("devils") invade island 92
by Ko ku zo 104
eat s con tro ller
11
98
fake d by ga mb le r 22 0
Ennin cau ght in Dy
in gate plays flute 167
biwa G en jo 64
healed by false healer 126 Et chu
make man invisible 74
falconer
hiz o in Om in e Mou nta ins
97
("monsters ") remove old man's lump
21 6
phea san ts' angu ish
catch
8
em bar ra sse s lady and
y o u ng gen tle man
e, wi th grisly
on bridg
e pu rs ue s rider 14
168
bo x 13
suito r 58
fi re spe lls 34 , 74, 87 fish po ps out of
se rve s Kichi jot en 172
a mo nk 's no se 210
preferred by monk Rin'e 211
turns out to be a dog 164
flea
ven era te
flying
Lot us Sutra 100
wi th hors e hea d peer s into
ro om
170
(see demon)
5
bowl 72 jar 8 7 ,
Di am on d Wi sd om , Sutra
of 151
100
fox(es)
dog(s) 75
appears as nurse's double 201
dog shi t smell betrays
te ng u mag ic 126 be gs fo r rice 124
g o d ma rri ed to hu m an gi rl 29
cak es, thr oug h medi um
kept by mountain god 26
be gs ma n to sp are his family
help hunter
bewit ch wo ma n 202
dest roy mo nk ey go ds 77
sc ol ded , the n fed yi el ds beautiful Dojoji Domyo
by Ja ku sh in
179
silk 175
111
80
enchants lecherous man 82 get evict
ed from hou
se 84
gets back ball, protects man 206
178
go d de ma nd s mus ic 47
dragon
masquerades as huge tree 208 me ss eng er spe aks
dies to make rain 36 do es not rise gua rds
198
186
fart eat son 21
on bridg
devils
pro vi nce 147,
dre ams of farmer
169 mo th er tries to nearly
ei ng Cast le 75
En'yu (emperor)
killed by Bishamon 146
meets Nic
82 , 202 , 20 7
life story 88
Kan non sa ves ascetic
in gate steals
14 9, 21 5
En no Gy oj a 182
eat s Na rih ira 's girl 12 ema nat ion of
46,
enchantment
from Sa
the Buddh
a's
ru sa wa Po nd 37 Tea chi ng 149
kin g pr ov ide s gol d 184
throug
83 pers ecut es emp res s 125 sets house on fire 205
h man's
wife
tells dreamer to wear red 209
ol Kas uga gli mps ed in
tricks riders, gets singed 207
ol
woman gives life for man 81
of Ka su ga sp ea ks to
frog 60 ,
107
ol
Fudar aku (par
adise of
de vot ee sails
Ka nn on ) 27
to Fu da rak u
157
ol Katsuragi, Hito
159
of Ma ts un oo
Fu do 34 , 73,
74, 75, 95,
126
of Mo u nt
120
vi si on ol
10 1
Fuji
Gyoja 88
121
ori gin
of 32
Fuji, Mount 32, 88
of M ou n t Koy a,
funeral
of Om in e,
co rp se refu ses to mo ve fake, st age d by boar ged
15
Ko ya an d Nif u 26
Za o Go ng en 23, 88,
20 3
ol po nd (s na ke ) pu rs ue s girl 185 ol road gets to
166
of roa d sails
hea r Lo tu s Sutra to par adi se
Fuwa barrier 130
of sk y an d ea rt h
revived by governor's attentions 30
mar rie s off ug ly son 2 20
171
shrine built on grave mound 15
114
Sun G odd ess
genie(s) 59, 62 ghost
Gokurakubo
43
114
Gokurakuji 71
dea d wife
of rider struck b of To ru
190 ,
133
gold
y li ght ni ng
16
"boy " bear s go ld en ston e 15 5
191
corpse
173
Gion Temple 21
lound for Todaiji 23
god(s)
of Go ld en Pe ak, stole
appears to Emperor Tenji 22
pr ov id ed by
n 102
Dr ag on King 184
defend Retired Emperor Uda 191
Go ld en Light,
giv e w om an sil k thr oug h do g 175
Go ld en Pea k 23 , 49 , 94 , 100
Hac him an 101,
20 0
Sut ra of 149
go ld of , st ole n 1 02
has fol low er tort ure girl 74
his tor y o f 88
in dog form married to human 29
paradise and hell of 101
in monkey form demand human sacr ific e 77,
gourds
188
yi el d rice
named Chusan, a monkey 77
or po is on 3
Gyogi
na me d Koy a, a sn ak e 77 of ear th
reco gniz ed as Mo nj u 24
113
Hahaso wood 46
of di sea se call
road go d to co m e
159
Ha ka ma da re
144,
145
of dise ase s ho ws gratitu
de 28
Ha ri ma pr ov in ce 20, 61 , 76,
of di se as e an d cal ami ty
101
Ha se de ra 76, 173
of Fire and Thunder, Dai jo Tenjin 101 of Fire of Go od
an d Thu n de r as turtle
Kan no n confe rs wea lth
103
Ha se o, Ki
Fort une (f ox ) 47
sn ake and cent
ab du ct s bo y 193 ipe de
187
174
wa rn in g 164
haunt
of Hie Shrine 41
127,
no
ign ore s divine r's
of Ha ku sa n 88
of island as
178
159
gambler
ol long-
101,
102
by th ie ve s 1 43
ol lo ng -d ea d wi fe 133,
Gangoji
21 5
88
name licked onto sword by En no
appears as harlot 38
fake, sta
kot onu shi
of Kibit su S hri ne 48
to Fu da ra ku
false
M yo e 31
Ka su ga sav es da nc er from hell
go d sails
Fu ge n 66,
dre am 209
Ka su ga prefe rs mus ic 45
monk in white armor 194
20 3
3
3
6
hawk keeper
In am ino
dr ea ms he
is a phe as ant
sa ve d by Ka nn on
198
137
Ise
he al in g 82 , 124, 1 25, 127, 19
3, 2 0 6
by Tho us and -A rm ed Kannon
20 , 76,
20 3
Indi a 3 1, 3 3 pr ov in ce 141
island
70
cla ime d by sna ke go d
187
Eijitsu heals Kinsue 128
invaded by "devils" 92
Gokurakuji monk heals Kanemichi 71
of can nib als
restores man to visibility 74
set tle d by brot her an d sister
Rin'e heals sick woman 211
Izu province 92
an hea ls Emper
Hea rt Sut ra 74,
or Daig
o 72
Izumi province 20 Izum i Sh iki bu 178
182
Jakushin
Heichu
179
and his fake tears 56
jellyfish's b o n e s 2 1 3
dies of
Jizo 88
hell
dis app oin tme nt 57
46 , 19 5, 2 1 5
of Go ld en Pe ak
101
J i z o sa ve s ma n fro m hell 104 , of Ta te ya ma
180
ap pe ar s as turtle
104
sa ve s m o nk from
hell 180
Kag a pro vi nce 187
147, 216
Kaguya-hime 32
To sh iy uk i in hell 149
hichlriki
Kai pr ov inc e 68 , 205
69
Kamakura
112
Hi da pro vin ce 188
Kamo Virgin 202
Hi e Shri ne 41
Kan aok a, Kos e no
Hiei , Mo un t 33 , 34 , 35 , 47 , 73 , 75 , 85 , 10 0, 120,
127
152 , 155
156 , 177,
paints lively horse 96 2 13
Hi go pro vin ce 148 Hira, Mo
Kane mich i, F ujiwa ra no 71 Kannon 107, 117, 118, 157
un t 35, 86
as sn ak e sa ves kee per
Hitachi province 91
of ha w ks
137
Chusan becomes Thousand-Armed
Horinji 177
Kannon 182
horse
confe rs wea lth
du ng cov ers boy 193 paint ed by Ka
thr ough D ra go n King
184
na oka rava ges fie lds 96
hunter
Ele ven -He ade d, statue of
27
carved from tree 82
as Mo un ta in K ing destro
26
Nyoirin 23
ys mo nk ey go ds 77
of Ha sed era 27, 7
ex po se s false vis ion of Fu ge n 121 hea rs Am id a an sw er from the sea nea rly eat en by insane mot Ibuki
186
Iyo province 28
Soo heals empress 73 Sw or d Guardi
189
115
he r 21 8
Mo un ta in s 118
con fer s we al th 173, 174 of Ro kk ak ud o sav es invi sible man 74 sa ve s girl
fro m hell 1 47
sa ve s old road
Immortal(s)
6
sa ves
g o d 159
prov incia l secre tary 14 8
an ascetic fails to become one 89
Tho usa nd- Ar me d heals
boy 70
ang els com
Tho usa nd- Arm ed saves
asceti c 98
girl
e do wn to hear
ma rri es mor tal
girl of
musi c 44
warri or mist aken for
106
monk
M o u n t Fuji 32
girl refuses to marry mortal 4 in Om in e Mou nta ins 100 on Mo un t Hira
bles ses
rides incense smoke 85
Kan non beco
176
Kasagi, Mount 180 Kash o (B ud dh a) 197
mo nk 86
Kas uga Shrine Ka ts ura
31 , 45 , 208, 215
Ri ve r 116, 161
mes
Katsuragi
Mou nt ain s 88,
Kaw ara -no -in
Pala ce
125
laughter
190, 191
caused by magic 51
Kazan (Retired Emperor)
Lo tu s Su tra 40 , 66,
has Shoku's portrait painted 39 Ke go n Sutra
149,
23 , 25
178,
beats Sutra te ng u 35,
Kibitsu S
101,
121,
of Di am on d Wi sd om
15 1
attracts dragon 36
kestrel form of
73 , 86 , 88,
21 3, 21 4
119
co nv er ts pir ate
hri ne 48
to faith 15 0
devotee gives up his body 158
Kichijoten
heals Kinsue 128
marries admirer 20
inspires thou
ght of
self-im
pro vid es bott om les s sack of
rice 1 72
lady
Kii pr ov in ce 26 , 31 , 129, 1 42,
158, 15 9
ma ke s mo nk Immortal
Kins ue, Fu jiwa ra no
di es after
molatio
ch an ti ng Lo tus
healed by Lotus Sutra 128
sa ve s girl
re bo rn as sn ak e
worsh ips
sa ve s girl
fro m hell
Bud dh a-o x 197
sav es mo nk from
real ly a te ng u Kiyomizudera
sav es old road
78
ki, Miyo
sa ve s sou l of fox 81 visi on ot Bud dh a pre ach ing 120
45 , 1 82, 212
mackerel
Kokuzo
turn into Ke
scholar
k into
be co mi ng great
177
go n Sutr a 25
magic b ow , bird 1 29
Kongobuji
capsizes a ferry 49
srcin 26 Kongosen
go d 159
111
Kobo Daishi foun ds Mou nt Ko ya 26
tricks mon
causes laughing fit 51
125
of Da ki ni rite
Konoe (emperor)
47
gr ow s instant melo
torm ente d by nigh tmar e mon ste r 20 0
im ag e in fla me
ns 2
131
koto 4 4
makes penis disappear 52
Koshin vigil 51
spirit in oil jar kills girl 53
Koy a, M ou n t 50,
160
Mak oto , Minam
dis cove red by Kobo Dais
hi 26, 35
melons 2
Koyadera
Mic hi nag a, Fuji
143
Kozen 126, 183
oto
visit ed by ange
Ko ya no Myoj in 26
no
ls 44
wara
no 167
saved from curse by his dog 63
Ko zu ke pr ovi nc e 67,
130
Michizan
e, Su gawa ra no
Kumano49, 100, 111, 158, 159
app ear s as turtle then as
Ku ma ta Shr ine 18 7
as Go d of Fire
Kurama Bis ham on confer
s wea lth
155
Mi ka wa provi
Ky us hu 51 , 76,
go d 103
an d Thu nd er
Mi id er a 147, 149, 197,
Kuya 179
101
199
nce 175
Mimasaka province 77 105, 160, 18
La nd of Bli ss 114, 180
146
saves snake-man and snake-woman
sh i no
evi ct s fox fami ly 84
Kof uku ji 27, 37,
14 7
de mo n
sav es prov inci al sec ret ary 148
spect acula r esc ape from 79 Kiyoyu
139
saves mother from hell 216
120
115,
9, 21 4, 21 9
117, 1 32,
160,
Minase
204
M n o pr ov in ce M i n o o wate rfall
13, 118, 88,
157
100
mas tere d by mo nk of Mo un t Hiei
kite
n
132
182
130, 17 1
177
3
3
8
Mi r ok u 22 , 23 , 26 , 88 , 102, 11 1, 19 7 Monju
nightmare
120
monster
torments Emperor Konoe 200
true f orm of
Gy og i 24
Ninkai
monkey
eats small birds 211
go d( s) de bu nk ed by monk
hunte r 77, by
goes to Amida's paradise 212
188
Nittai 266
steals baby, kills eagles 219
nos e, long
an d pur ple
monsters (see "demons")
Nose,
mother sp ea ks from he
oak , gi an t 1
get s co nt us ed ove r a dr ago n 37 ll 21 6
tries to eat son 218
Obas ute, Mo
mountain ascetic
find magic girl 32 (emperor)
mo ur ns loss of Muroji
old couple
73
Murakami
un t 217
Oki island (Izu) 92
capsizes a ferry 49 Mudoji
19
The
old man Ge nj o 64
has
183
his
lu mp re mo ve d by de mo ns
Musashino plain 42
abandoned in mountains 217
mushrooms
bec om es
fail to kill old abbot 94 mak e nuns and
de mon 218
rew ard ed by
wood cut ters dance
sp arr ows 3
O m i pr ov in ce 1, 14,
93
22 , 104, 182
Om in e Mou nt ai ns 88, 97,
music (and dance) brings angels down 44
Ow ar i pro vin ce 108, 134 ox
conquers pirates 69
black ox is Buddha Kasho 197
da nc er sa ve d from hell de ma nd ed b y fox
46, 2 15
painting
go d 47
flu te pl aye d by de mo n
of Fu do by
167
Yos hih ide 9 5
of hor se by K an ao ka 96
musician chokes on spider 6
of Ven era ble S ho ku 39
de mo n on biwa 6 4
pla yed by
Palace Guards
preferred by Kasuga God 45
undone by practical joker 8
receives gods' applause 48
paradise
soothes gods 43
151
of A m i d a 113,
Mutsu province 23, 30
m on k fails
Myoe
mo nk tricke
pe rs ua de d not
to go to Ind ia 31
of go ld en
Nag arj una
Bud dha -ox 197
182
erect, k 37 , 45 , 46 , 18 2,
211, 212, 215
183, 208
,
it
117
101 106
no ck s father-in
bo x full
88
pirate(s)
meets demon 97
-law
of se ve re d pen is es
Nichizo 98
Nifu no Myojin 26
21 2, 21 4 157
captured by magic 61 101
fla t 54
exposed in palace 7
pheasants 198
afte rwo rld
116,
penis(es)
Nari hira , Ar iw ar a no 12
visits
Pea k
Pe ac oc k Kin g (ma ntr a of)
Naniwa 24 N a r a 27, 36,
160, 1 61,
d by ten gu visio n 118
of th e Imm ort al s
ll 182
88,
114,
to re ac h it
m on k tri cks him se lf into
Myoson
Na ch i waterfa
98, 99, 100,
101
ch ar ms sn ake 135
wor shi ps
169
old woman
con qu ere d by
music 69
co nv er te d to Lot us faith 150
13
purity
and pollu tion
Shigadera 22
41 , 214
impurity lands Toshiyuki
ni hell 149
Raiko 114 rain
Shigi, Mo
un t 72
Shimotsuke province 23
ma ki ng 36,
183
Sh im ds a pro vin ce 185
Rasho Gate 64, 65
Sh in an o pro vin ce 9, 52,
relics
jbo
(of Bu dd ha ) 43 , 20 9
Rin'e
113,
and his portrait 39
reproached by Kasuga God 45
hea rs bea ns talki
Ri ver sid e Pala ce 190, 19 1
Shomu
affair 18
betrays a monk's
ng 40
see harlot as Fugen 38
robe
(emperor)
appoints Baramon 24
Roben 23
app oin ts mackerel pedd
Rokkakudo 74
se ek s go ld for
sacrifi ce, Sa ga
hu ma n 77, 1 88
25
40
silk mir acu lou s silk
finds hermit wh
o lov es flower
s 42
t o ma ke a hu ma n be ing
tries
ler
Todai ji 23
Sho sha , Mo un t 38, 39,
M o or 198
Saigyo
from
do g 175
snake 52
50
as boy lover 112
salmon
as go d of p on d pu rs ue s girl ol
form
G o d of Fire an d Th un de r
103 Sammi, Hakuga
de st roy ed by crab s 107 form of
de mo n' s flute 167
dr ag on caug ht b y ten gu 35
,
for mer ly a girl, freed by
Sanesuke
for mer ly a girl, sa
Buddha-ox
does not worship
197
o f Little Wh it e Hai rs 195
dreams gets
angry with
yo u n g Noriku
ni 7
esqu ely orda ined by Zog
San jus ang end o 92, in ce 35,
Sa ru sa wa Po nd 37,
194 1 15
183
t o avo id mi sfo rtu ne 14, 163,
164, Seimei,
165
Abe
in plot against Michinaga
ascetic
in Omi
sa ved by
ma n bri ngs we al th
dra ggi ng wres tler
tries
se du ci ng y o u n g girl
So me do no
Empres
85,
s
by de mo n
108, 168
to Fud o, hea ls em pr es s 73
Soul's Recall Incense for the 32 Se cre t R ite of
117
the 50
sparrows
197
province 143, 150 (inOmine) 8 8
136
108
Soo
steals rival's
genies 62
173
do wn
healed by Soo 73
saves man from a curse 59
Shaka Peak
ne Mou ntai ns
tries
talks
kills frog by magic 60
Sekidera
109
s wo ma n 110
So ns ho Dar ani
63
k 11 1
187
pe rs ec ut ed by fox, then no
finds culprit
s em en
138
98
a 213
Sarashina 217
seclusion
a wo ma n, p urs ues mon
killed by
purs ues
Sanjo Empress
San uki prov
formerly
woman
ve d by Lotu s 139
go d cla ims island
mesm erize
spots spirit in oil jar 53
pictur
185
as go d of sh rin e 77 as savi or Ka nn on 137 ch ar me d by mu si c 135
no
biwa Genjo 64
finds
obta ins
Settsu
21 7
Shoku
prefers fish 211
Seishi
176,
6
bring riches or poison as rewards 3 spider chokes musician 6
125
3
4
0
spirit possession and boy
let go on em pe ro r' s ord er
co ve re d wi th horse
by fo x 12 4, 1 25,
du ng 19 3
206
steal
by gho st of dr ow ne d ma n
161
by Go d of G oo d Fo rt une (a
140
pla ys de ad 14 4 te mp le bell 14 3
steals to save prisoners 66
fox go d)
47
trick
a wa rri or 1 42
y o u n g ma n steals
drea m 196
by G o d of Hi e Shri ne 41
th un der 35 , 36 , 101,
by Go d of Ka su ga 31
toad
by go ds of Kats urag i an d Ha ku sa n 88 by tengu 34
trip s pe op le up 10 Toda iji 23 , 24 , 25 , 72 , 18 0
student
103, 18 5
Toji 102, 194
tr ipp ed up by to ad
To mo no ri , Ki no 149
10
Sumiyoshi31, 105
Tonomine
Su o pro vin ce 150
Tori
Su zu ka mo unt ain s 141
To ri ben o 15, 131,
Sword
Toru, ghost of
Guardian
heals Emperor Daigo 72
thr eat ens
Tad ayu ki, K am o no (divi ner) 162, 1 Tad aza ne, Fuj
65
iwar a no (reg ent )
20 7
Em pe ro r U da 190, 19
86, 111
Tsuruga 83
Taicho 88
turtle
Tai sha ku (In dra ) 11 1 j u d g e o f hell
form o f G o d of Fire and Th
147
pro vin ce 146
Ta ng o pr ov in ce
for m of imm ort al gir l form of
106, 117, 136
Jizo
sa ve s little
tapeworm
106
104
bo y 10 5
Ud a (em pero r) 96
be co me s gov ern or of Shi nan o 9 Ta te ya ma 147,
me et s gh os t of To ru
21 6
190,
191
te ng u bor n as so n of 33
tengu
Urashima
assists false healer 126
ma rri es imm ort al girl 106
catches dragon 35
yo un ge r brother
from China bested in Japan 34 a co me s to Mou nt H iei
sh ow s vis ion
33
tricks herm
it wi th visio
120
123
n of Am id a 118
Tenji (emperor)
hel d by sk el et on 88
fou nd by Kob o Da is hi 26 -ha ndl ed bell
fou nd by Ni ch iz o 10 1
vajra-bearer 101 Vaj ra-R ealm
lounds Shigadera 22
Ma nd al a 101, 127
Vul tur e Pe ak 88 , 12 0
159
walnuts
thief/thieves
terrify human tapeworm 9
abbot steals temple property 55 at R as hd Gat e 65 co we d and released by
vajra 87 an d bell
of Lot us pre ach ing
te ac hes pas s of invisibility
of 192
Urin'in 138, 155
po se s as a Bud dh a 119
Tenno ji 43 ,
un de r
103
Ta mb a pro vin ce 122
from Indi
1
To sa pro vi nce 157, 186 Tos ots u Hea ve n 73,
co mm is si on s Daki ni rit e 47
Tajima
213
He av en 81 , 111, 147
wasps pro tec t me rch ant 141
gov ern or 67
co we d by Yas uma sa 145
wa te r spirit
181
wealth
foile d by br av e wa rri or 16 5
con fer red
by Bi sh am on 155
frightened by wrestler's sister 68
con fer red
by Dr ag on King 184
confe rred by con fer red
Ka nn on of Ha se de ra 173
by Kich ijo ten
20 , 17 2
yi n- ya ng mag ic 162 captures pirates 61
wine
used to foil curse 59
laced
wit h laxat ive
un do es Palace
used to harm Michinaga 63
Guards 8 laced
wit h wal nut und
used to kill frog 60 oes tap
ew or m 9
spring found by monk 99 spring found by poor man 171
Yorima
sa,
Mi na mo to
shoot s do wn nigh
wrestler
no
tmare monster 200
Yoshihide
kicks robber out the door 68 str ong er than snak
watches his house burn 95 e 136
Yoze i (em per or) 192
yam soup
learns a little magic 52
made in vast quantity for Sir Goi 83 Yamashina
lay cu rs e 1 63
used to steal rival's genies 62
Wo mb -R ea lm Mand ala 10 1, 127
pro ves
us ed to
Yu rya ku (empe
184
Yam ash iro
prov ince 107
Ya ma to pro vi nce 2, 23 , 26, 89,
ror)
88
Za o Go ng en 102 srcin 88 183
hel ps Sh om u find
Yas utan e, Yos his hig e no 179 yi n- ya ng divi ner 1 4, 63 , 82 , 127, 162, adv ise s secl usio n 164, 165 captures pirates 61
go ld 23
sh ow s Ni ch iz o afterwo 179
Zoga rem ark abl e life of Zoyo
help s ma n es ca pe wife 's curs e 1 66 in love with a boy 154
21 3
rld 101
A B O U T
TH
E
A U T H O R
Born in England in 1936, Royall Tyler has lived in the United States, Canada , France, and Jap an . After receiving his B.A. in Jap
an es e
from Harvard and his Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Columbia University, he taught Japanese language and literature at the Uni vers ity of Toronto , Oh io State Univers of Wi sco nsi n at Mad is on . Sinc e 1984 he Uni vers ity of Os lo . He has previous of a seventeent
ity, and
the Univ ersi ty
has been teachi
ng at the
ly translat ed the wri tin gs
h-cent ury Ze n master
and tw o vol ume s
of No h and
kydgen plays.
