from japanese

7/31/2019 From Japanese

1/8

FROM JAPANESE

The Snow Bride

Orientatin

Mosaku and his apprentice Minokichi journeyed to a forest, some little distance from their village. It was

a bitterly cold night when they neared their destination, and saw in front of them a cold sweep of water. Theydesired to cross this river, but the ferryman had gone away, leaving his boat on the other side of the water, and as

the weather was too inclement to admit of swimming across the river they were glad to take shelter in the

ferryman's little hut.

Complication

Mosaku fell asleep almost immediately he entered this humble but welcome shelter. Minokichi,

however, lay awake for a long time listening to the cry of the wind and the hiss of the snow as it was blown

against the door.

Minokichi at last fell asleep, to be soon awakened by a shower of snow falling across his face. He found that the

door had been blown open, and that standing in the room was a fair woman in dazzlingly white garments. For a

moment she stood thus; then she bent over Mosaku, her breath coming forth like white smoke. After bendingthus over the old man for a minute or two she turned to Minokichi and hovered over him. He tried to cry out, for

the breath of this woman was like a freezing blast of wind. She told him that she had intended to treat him as she

had done the old man at his side, but forbore on account of his youth and beauty. Threatening Minokichi with

instant death if he dared to mention to anyone what he had seen, she suddenly vanished.

Then Minokichi called out to his beloved master, "Mosaku, Mosaku, wake! Something very terrible has

happened!" But there was no reply. He touched the hand of his master in the dark, and found it was like a piece

of ice. Mosaku was dead!

During the next winter, while Minokichi was returning home, he chanced to meet a pretty girl by the

name of Yuki. She informed him that she was going to Yedo, where she desired to find a situation as a servant.

Minokichi was charmed with this maiden, and he went so far as to ask if she were betrothed, and hearing that she

was not, he took her to his own home, and in due time married her.

Yuki presented her husband with ten fine and handsome children, fairer of skin than average. When Minokichi's

mother died, her last words were in praise of Yuki, and her eulogy was echoed by many of the country folk in

the district.

One night, while Yuki was sewing, the light of a paper lamp shining upon her face, Minokichi recalled

the extraordinary experience he had had in the ferryman's hut.

"Yuki," said he, "you remind me so much of a beautiful white woman I saw when I was eighteen years old. She

killed my master with her ice-cold breath. I am sure she was some strange spirit, and yet tonight she seems to

resemble you."

Yuki flung down her sewing. There was a horrible smile on her face as she bent close to her husband

and shrieked, "It was I, Yuki-Onna, who came to you then, and silently killed your master! Oh, faithless wretch,

you have broken your promise to keep the matter secret, and if it were not for our sleeping children I would kill

you now! Remember, if they have aught to complain of at your hands I shall hear, I shall know, and on a night

when the snow falls I will kill you!"

Resolution

Then Yuki-Onna, the Lady of the Snow, changed into a white mist, and, shrieking and shuddering,

passed through the smoke-hole, never to return again.

Setting of place ; forest

Setting of time ; afternoon

The participants and characteristicsYuki-Onna ; kind

Minokichi ; kind, never give up

Mosaku ; kind, never give up


2/8

FROM JAPANESE

The Princess Peony

Orientatin

Many years ago at Gamogun, in the province of Omi, was a castle called Adzuchi-no-shiro. It

was a magnificent old place, surrounded by walls and a moat filled with lotus lilies. The feudal lord

was a very brave and wealthy man, Yuki Naizen-no-jo. His wife had been dead for some years. He had

no son; but he had a beautiful daughter aged eighteen, who (for some reason which is not quite clear to

me) was given the title of Princess.

Complication

For a considerable period there had been peace and quiet in the land; the feudal lords were on

the best of terms, and everyone was happy. Amid these circumstances Lord Naizen-no-jo perceived

that there was a good opportunity to find a husband for his daughter Princess Aya; and after a time the

second son of the Lord of Ako, of Harima Province, was selected, to the satisfaction of both fathers, the

affair having little to do with the principals. Lord Ako's second son had viewed his bride with approval,

and she him. One may say that young people are bound to approve each other when it is the parents'

wish that they be united. Many suicides result from this.Princess Aya made her mind up to try and love her prospective husband. She saw nothing of

him; but she thought of him, and talked of him.

One evening when Princess Aya was walking in the magnificent gardens by the moonlight,

accompanied by her maids-in-waiting, she wandered down through her favorite peony bed to the pond

where she loved to gaze at her reflection on the nights of the full moon, to listen to frogs, and to watch

the fireflies.

When nearing the pond her foot slipped, and she would have fallen into the water had it not been that a

young man appeared as if by magic and caught her. He disappeared as soon as he had put her on her

feet again.

The maids-of-honor saw her slip; they saw a glimmer of light, and that was all. But Princess Aya had

seen more. She had seen the handsomest young man she could imagine.

"Twenty-one years old," she said to O Sadayo San, her favorite maid, "he must have been -- a

samurai of the highest order. His dress was covered with my favorite peonies, and his swords were

richly mounted. Oh that I could have seen him a minute longer, to thank him for saving me from the

water! Who can he be? And how could he have got into our gardens, through all the guards?"

So spoke the princess to her maids, directing them at the same time that they were to say a word to no

one, for fear that her father should hear, find the young man, and behead him for trespass.

After this evening Princess Aya fell sick. She could not eat or sleep, and turned pale. The day

for her marriage with the young Lord of Ako came and went without the event; she was far too sick for

that. The best of the doctors had been sent from Kyoto, which was then the capital; but none of them

had been able to do anything, and the maid grew thinner and thinner.As a last resource, the Lord Naizen-no-jo, her father, sent for her most confidential maid and friend, O

Sadayo, and demanded if she could give any reason for his daughter's mysterious sickness. Had she a

secret lover? Had she a particular dislike for her betrothed?

"Sir," said O Sadayo, "I do not like to tell secrets; but here it seems my duty to your lordship's

daughter as well as to your lordship. Some three weeks ago, when the moon was at its full, we were

walking in the peony beds down near the pond where the princess loves to be. She stumbled and nearly

fell into the water, when a strange thing happened. In an instant a most beautiful young samurai

appeared and helped her up, thus preventing her from falling into the pond. We could all see the

glimmer of him; but your daughter and I saw him most distinctly. Before your daughter could thank

him he had disappeared. None of us could understand how it was possible for a man to get into the

gardens of the princess, for the gates of the castle are guarded on all sides, and the princess's garden isso much better guarded than the rest that it seems truly incredible that a man could get in. We maids

were asked to say nothing for fear of your lordship's anger. Since that evening it is that our beloved

princess Aya has been sick, sir. It is sickness of the heart. She is deeply in love with the young samurai

she saw for so brief a space. Indeed, my lord, there never was such a handsome man in the world

before, and if we cannot find him the young princess, I fear, will die."


3/8

"How is it possible for a man to get into the grounds?" said Lord Yuki Naizen-no-jo. "People

say foxes and badgers assume the figures of men sometimes; but even so it is impossible for such

supernatural beings to enter my castle grounds, guarded as it is at every opening."

That evening the poor princess was more wearily unhappy than ever before. Thinking to enliven her a

little, the maids sent for a celebrated player on the biwa, called Yashaskita Kengyo. The weather being

hot, they were sitting on the gallery (engawa); and while the musician was playing "Dannoura" there

appeared suddenly from behind the peonies the same handsome young samurai. He was visible to allthis time -- even the peonies embroidered on his dress.

"There he is! There he is!" they cried; at which he instantly disappeared again. The princess was

highly excited, and seemed more lively than she had been for days; the old Daimio grew more puzzled

than ever when he heard of it.

Next night, while two of the maids were playing for their mistress -- O Yae San the flute, and O

Yakumo the koto -- the figure of the young man appeared again. A thorough search having been made

during the day in the immense peony beds with absolutely no result, not even the sign of a footmark,

the thing was increasingly strange.

A consultation was held, and it was decided by the lord of the castle to invite a veteran officer

of great strength and renown, Maki Hiogo, to capture the youth should he appear that evening. Maki

Hiogo readily consented, and at the appointed time, dressed in black and consequently invisible,concealed himself among the peonies.

Music seemed to have a fascination for the young samurai. It was while music was being played

that he had made his appearances. Consequently, O Yae and O Yakumo resumed their concert, while

all gazed eagerly towards the peony beds. As the ladies played a piece called "Sofuren," there, sure

enough, arose the figure of a young samurai, dressed magnificently in clothes which were covered with

embroidered peonies.

Everyone gazed at him, and wondered why Maki Hiogo did not jump up and catch him. The

fact was that Maki Hiogo was so much astonished by the noble bearing of the youth that at first he did

not want to touch him. Recovering himself, and thinking of his duty to his lord, he stealthily

approached the young man, and, seizing him round the waist, held him tight. After a few seconds Maki

Hiogo felt a kind of wet steam falling on his face; by degrees it made him faint; and he fell to theground, still grasping the young samurai, for he had made up his mind that he would secure him.

Everyone had seen the scuffle, and some of the guards came hurrying to the place. Just as they

reached the spot Maki Hiogo came to his senses, and shouted "Come, gentlemen! I have caught him.

Come and see!" But on looking at what he held in his arms he discovered it to be only a large peony!

By this time the Lord Naizen-no-jo had arrived at the spot where Maki Hiogo lay, and so had the

Princess Aya and her maids.

All were astounded and mystified except the Daimio himself, who said "Ah! It is as I said. No

fox or badger spirit could pass our guards and get into this garden. It is the spirit of the peony flower

that took the form of a prince." Turning to his daughter and her maids, he said, "You must take this a

compliment, and pay great respect to the peony, and show the one caught by Maki Hiogo kindness as

well by taking care of it."

The Princess Aya carried the flower back to her room, where she put it in a vase of water and

placed it near her pillow. She felt as if she had her sweetheart with her. Day by day she got better. She

tended the peony herself, and, strange to say, the flower seemed to get stronger and stronger, instead of

fading. At last the princess recovered. She became radiantly beautiful, while the peony continued to

remain in perfect bloom, showing no sign of dying.

The Princess Aya being now perfectly well, her father could no longer put off the wedding.

Consequently, some days later, the Lord of Ako and his family arrived at the castle, and his second son

was married to the princess.

Resolution

As soon as the wedding was over the peony was found still in its vase , but dead and withered. The

villagers always after this, instead of speaking of the Princess Aya, or Aya Hime, called her Botan

Hime or Peony Princess.

Setting of place ; palace adzuchi no-shiro,



4/8

The participants and characteristics

The Princess Peony ; kind,

feudal ; brave, famous

Naizen Yuki-no-jo ; kind

Lord Ako ; cruel

O Sadayo San ; loyal, obedient to the master

Maki Hioga ; loyal, kind


5/8

FROM JAPANESE

The Princess Peony

Orientatin

Many years ago at Gamogun, in the province of Omi, was a castle called Adzuchi-no-shiro. It was a magnificent

old place, surrounded by walls and a moat filled with lotus lilies. The feudal lord was a very brave and wealthy

man, Yuki Naizen-no-jo. His wife had been dead for some years. He had no son; but he had a beautiful daughter

aged eighteen, who (for some reason which is not quite clear to me) was given the title of Princess.

Complication

For a considerable period there had been peace and quiet in the land; the feudal lords were on

the best of terms, and everyone was happy. Amid these circumstances Lord Naizen-no-jo perceived

that there was a good opportunity to find a husband for his daughter Princess Aya; and after a time the

second son of the Lord of Ako, of Harima Province, was selected, to the satisfaction of both fathers, the

affair having little to do with the principals. Lord Ako's second son had viewed his bride with approval,

and she him. One may say that young people are bound to approve each other when it is the parents'

wish that they be united. Many suicides result from this.

Princess Aya made her mind up to try and love her prospective husband. She saw nothing ofhim; but she thought of him, and talked of him.

One evening when Princess Aya was walking in the magnificent gardens by the moonlight,

accompanied by her maids-in-waiting, she wandered down through her favorite peony bed to the pond

where she loved to gaze at her reflection on the nights of the full moon, to listen to frogs, and to watch

the fireflies.

When nearing the pond her foot slipped, and she would have fallen into the water had it not

been that a young man appeared as if by magic and caught her. He disappeared as soon as he had put

her on her feet again.

The maids-of-honor saw her slip; they saw a glimmer of light, and that was all. But Princess

Aya had seen more. She had seen the handsomest young man she could imagine.

"Twenty-one years old," she said to O Sadayo San, her favorite maid, "he must have been -- a

samurai of the highest order. His dress was covered with my favorite peonies, and his swords were

richly mounted. Oh that I could have seen him a minute longer, to thank him for saving me from the

water! Who can he be? And how could he have got into our gardens, through all the guards?"

So spoke the princess to her maids, directing them at the same time that they were to say a word

to no one, for fear that her father should hear, find the young man, and behead him for trespass.

After this evening Princess Aya fell sick. She could not eat or sleep, and turned pale. The day

for her marriage with the young Lord of Ako came and went without the event; she was far too sick for

that. The best of the doctors had been sent from Kyoto, which was then the capital; but none of them

had been able to do anything, and the maid grew thinner and thinner.

As a last resource, the Lord Naizen-no-jo, her father, sent for her most confidential maid andfriend, O Sadayo, and demanded if she could give any reason for his daughter's mysterious sickness.

Had she a secret lover? Had she a particular dislike for her betrothed? "Sir," said O Sadayo, "I do not

like to tell secrets; but here it seems my duty to your lordship's daughter as well as to your lordship.

Some three weeks ago, when the moon was at its full, we were walking in the peony beds down near

the pond where the princess loves to be. She stumbled and nearly fell into the water, when a strange

thing happened. In an instant a most beautiful young samurai appeared and helped her up, thus

preventing her from falling into the pond. We could all see the glimmer of him; but your daughter and I

saw him most distinctly. Before your daughter could thank him he had disappeared. None of us could

understand how it was possible for a man to get into the gardens of the princess, for the gates of the

castle are guarded on all sides, and the princess's garden is so much better guarded than the rest that it

seems truly incredible that a man could get in. We maids were asked to say nothing for fear of yourlordship's anger. Since that evening it is that our beloved princess Aya has been sick, sir. It is sickness

of the heart. She is deeply in love with the young samurai she saw for so brief a space. Indeed, my lord,

there never was such a handsome man in the world before, and if we cannot find him the young

princess, I fear, will die."

"How is it possible for a man to get into the grounds?" said Lord Yuki Naizen-no-jo. "People

say foxes and badgers assume the figures of men sometimes; but even so it is impossible for such

supernatural beings to enter my castle grounds, guarded as it is at every opening."


6/8

That evening the poor princess was more wearily unhappy than ever before. Thinking to enliven

her a little, the maids sent for a celebrated player on the biwa, called Yashaskita Kengyo. The weather

being hot, they were sitting on the gallery (engawa); and while the musician was playing "Dannoura"

there appeared suddenly from behind the peonies the same handsome young samurai. He was visible to

all this time -- even the peonies embroidered on his dress.

"There he is! There he is!" they cried; at which he instantly disappeared again. The princess was

highly excited, and seemed more lively than she had been for days; the old Daimio grew more puzzledthan ever when he heard of it.

Next night, while two of the maids were playing for their mistress -- O Yae San the flute, and O

Yakumo the koto -- the figure of the young man appeared again. A thorough search having been made

during the day in the immense peony beds with absolutely no result, not even the sign of a footmark,

the thing was increasingly strange.

A consultation was held, and it was decided by the lord of the castle to invite a veteran officer

of great strength and renown, Maki Hiogo, to capture the youth should he appear that evening. Maki

Hiogo readily consented, and at the appointed time, dressed in black and consequently invisible,

concealed himself among the peonies.

Music seemed to have a fascination for the young samurai. It was while music was being played

that he had made his appearances. Consequently, O Yae and O Yakumo resumed their concert, whileall gazed eagerly towards the peony beds. As the ladies played a piece called "Sofuren," there, sure

enough, arose the figure of a young samurai, dressed magnificently in clothes which were covered with

embroidered peonies.

Everyone gazed at him, and wondered why Maki Hiogo did not jump up and catch him. The

fact was that Maki Hiogo was so much astonished by the noble bearing of the youth that at first he did

not want to touch him. Recovering himself, and thinking of his duty to his lord, he stealthily

approached the young man, and, seizing him round the waist, held him tight. After a few seconds Maki

Hiogo felt a kind of wet steam falling on his face; by degrees it made him faint; and he fell to the

ground, still grasping the young samurai, for he had made up his mind that he would secure him.

Everyone had seen the scuffle, and some of the guards came hurrying to the place. Just as they

reached the spot Maki Hiogo came to his senses, and shouted "Come, gentlemen! I have caught him.Come and see!" But on looking at what he held in his arms he discovered it to be only a large peony!

By this time the Lord Naizen-no-jo had arrived at the spot where Maki Hiogo lay, and so had the

Princess Aya and her maids.

All were astounded and mystified except the Daimio himself, who said "Ah! It is as I said. No

fox or badger spirit could pass our guards and get into this garden. It is the spirit of the peony flower

that took the form of a prince." Turning to his daughter and her maids, he said, "You must take this a

compliment, and pay great respect to the peony, and show the one caught by Maki Hiogo kindness as

well by taking care of it."

The Princess Aya carried the flower back to her room, where she put it in a vase of water and

placed it near her pillow. She felt as if she had her sweetheart with her. Day by day she got better. She

tended the peony herself, and, strange to say, the flower seemed to get stronger and stronger, instead offading. At last the princess recovered. She became radiantly beautiful, while the peony continued to

remain in perfect bloom, showing no sign of dying.

The Princess Aya being now perfectly well, her father could no longer put off the wedding. Consequently, some

days later, the Lord of Ako and his family arrived at the castle, and his second son was married to the princess.

ResolutionAs soon as the wedding was over the peony was found still in its vase -- but dead and withered. The

villagers always after this, instead of speaking of the Princess Aya, or Aya Hime, called her Botan Hime or

Peony Princess.

Setting of place ; Kyoto churchSetting of time ; afternoon

The participants and characteristicspretty woman ; love to pray, polite

The priests ; love to pray,


7/8

FROM JAPANESE

Danzaymon, Chief of the EtasOrientatin

At Asakusa, in Yedo, there lives a man called Danzaymon, the chief of the Etas. This man

traces his pedigree back to Minamoto no Yoritomo, who founded the Shogunate in the year 1192 A.D.

The whole of the Etas in Japan are under his jurisdiction; his subordinates are called Koyagashira, or

"chiefs of the huts"; and they constitute the government of the Etas. In the "Legacy of Iyyasu," the

36th Law provides as follows:

All wandering mendicants, such as male sorcerers, female diviners, hermits, blind people, beggars, and

tanners (Etas), have had from of old their respective rulers. Be not disinclined, however, to punish any

such who give rise to disputes, or who overstep the boundaries of their own classes and are disobedient

to existing laws.

Complication

The occupation of the Etas is to kill and flay horses, oxen, and other beasts, to stretch drums

and make shoes; and if they are very poor, they wander from house to house, working as cobblers,

mending old shoes and leather, and so earn a scanty livelihood. Besides this, their daughters and young

married women gain a trifle as wandering minstrels, called Torioi, playing on the shamisen, a sort of

banjo, and singing ballads. They never marry out of their own fraternity, but remain apart, a despised

and shunned race.

At execution by crucifixion it is the duty of the Etas to transfix the victims with spears; and, besides

this, they have to perform all sorts of degrading offices about criminals, such as carrying sick prisoners

from their cells to the hall of justice, and burying the bodies of those that have been executed. Thus

their race is polluted and accursed, and they are hated accordingly.

Now this is how the Etas come to be under the jurisdiction of Danzaymon:When Minamoto no Yoritomo was yet a child, his father, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, fought with Taira

no Kiyomori, and was killed by treachery: so his family was ruined; and Yoshitomo's concubine,

whose name was Tokiwa, took her children and fled from the house, to save her own and their lives.

But Kiyomori, desiring to destroy the family of Yoshitomo root and branch, ordered his retainers to

divide themselves into bands, and seek out the children. At last they were found; but Tokiwa was so

exceedingly beautiful that Kiyomori was inflamed with love for her, and desired her to become his own

concubine. Then Tokiwa told Kiyomori that if he would spare her little ones she would share his couch;

but that if he killed her children she would destroy herself rather than yield to his desire. When he

heard this, Kiyomori, bewildered by the beauty of Tokiwa, spared the lives of her children, but

banished them from the capital.

So Yoritomo was sent to Hirugakojima, in the province of Idzu; and when he grew up andbecame a man, he married the daughter of a peasant. After a while Yoritomo left the province, and

went to the wars, leaving his wife pregnant; and in due time she was delivered of a male child, to the

delight of her parents, who rejoiced that their daughter should bear seed to a nobleman; but she soon

fell sick and died, and the old people took charge of the babe. And when they also died, the care of the

child fell to his mother's kinsmen, and he grew up to be a peasant.

Now Kiyomori, the enemy of Yoritomo, had been gathered to his fathers; and Yoritomo had

avenged the death of his father by slaying Munmori, the son of Kiyomori; and there was peace

throughout the land. And Yoritomo became the chief of all the noble houses in Japan, and first

established the government of the country. When Yoritomo had thus raised himself to power, if the son

that his peasant wife had born to him had proclaimed himself the sons of the mighty prince, he would

have been made lord over a province; but he took no thought of this, and remained a tiller of the earth,forfeiting a glorious inheritance; and his descendants after him lived as peasants in the same village,

increasing in prosperity and in good repute among their neighbors.

But the princely line of Yoritomo came to an end in three generations, and the house of Hojo

was all-powerful in the land.

Now it happened that the head of the house of Hojo heard that a descendant of Yoritomo was

living as a peasant in the land, so he summoned him and said: "It is a hard thing to see the son of an

illustrious house live and die a peasant. I will promote you to the rank of Samurai."


8/8

Then the peasant answered: "My lord, if I become a Samurai, and the retainer of some noble, I

shall not be so happy as when I was my own master. If I may not remain a husbandman, let me be a

chief over men, however humble they may be."

But my lord Hojo was angry at this, and thinking to punish the peasant for his insolence, said:

"Since you wish to become a chief over men, no matter how humble, there is no means of gratifying

your strange wish but by making you chief over the Etas of the whole country. So now see that you rule

them well."Resolution

When he heard this, the peasant was afraid; but because he had said that he wished to become a

chief over men, however humble, he could not choose but become chief of the Etas, he and his children

after him for ever; and Danzaymon, who rules the Etas at the present time, and lives at Asakusa, is his

lineal descendant.

Setting of place ; in Yedo , Minamoto no Yoritomo, Hirugakojima, in the province of Idzu


The participants and characteristics

Danzaymon ; cruel, brave, unyielding

Kiyomori ; cruel

Minamoto no Yoshitomo ; sadistic

Yoritomo ; cruel, vindictive

from japanese

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