magical animals

many of the following stories are the tales a japanese mother narrates to her child, for animal stories make a universal appeal to the child-mind. they are generally regarded as fairy stories, but they contain so much legendary material that it is necessary to include them in a book of this kind, for they tend to illustrate our subject in a lighter vein, where the miraculous is mingled with the humorous. we have devoted a separate chapter to fox legends on account of the importance of the subject, but it must be borne in mind that the supernatural characteristics of this animal apply also to the badger and cat, for in japanese legend all three animals have been associated with an incalculable amount of mischief.

the hare

the hare is supposed to attain, like the fox, tortoise, crane, and tiger, a fabulous age, extending to no less than a thousand years. in taoist legends the hare is said to live in the moon, and is occupied in pounding, with pestle and mortar, the drugs that compose the elixir of life, while in other legends, as we have seen elsewhere, this animal is represented as pounding rice. shaka muni (the lord buddha), according to legend, is said to have sacrificed himself as a hare in order that he might appease the hunger of indra, who drew the animal upon the moon by way of showing his admiration. the fur of the hare becomes white when it has lived for five hundred years, and we give below the famous legend from the kojiki known as "the white hare of inaba."

[pg 256]

the white hare of inaba

in ancient days there were eighty-one brothers, who were princes in japan. with the exception of one brother they were quarrelsome fellows, and spent their time in showing all manner of petty jealousy, one toward the other. each wanted to reign over the whole kingdom, and, in addition, each had the misfortune to wish to marry the princess of yakami, in inaba. although these eighty princes were at variance in most things, they were at one in persistently hating the brother who was gentle and peaceful in all his ways.

at length, after many angry words, the eighty brothers decided to go to inaba in order to visit the princess of yakami, each brother fully resolved that he and he alone should be the successful suitor. the kind and gentle brother accompanied them, not, indeed, as a wooer of the fair princess, but as a servant who carried a large and heavy bag upon his back.

at last the eighty princes, who had left their much-wronged brother far behind, arrived at cape keta. they were about to continue their journey when they saw a white hare lying on the ground looking very miserable and entirely divested of fur.

the eighty princes, who were much amused by the sorry plight of the hare, said: "if you want your fur to grow again, bathe in the sea, and, when you have done so, run to the summit of a high mountain and allow the wind to blow upon you." with these words the eighty heartless princes proceeded on their way.

the hare at once went down to the sea, delighted at the prospect of regaining his handsome white fur. having bathed, he ran up to the top of a mountain and lay down upon it; but he quickly perceived that the cold wind blowing on a skin recently immersed in salt water[pg 257] was beginning to crack and split. in addition to the humiliation of having no fur he now suffered considerable physical pain, and he realised that the eighty princes had shamefully deceived him.

while the hare was lying in pain upon the mountain the kind and gentle brother approached, slowly and laboriously, owing to the heavy bag he carried. when he saw the weeping hare he inquired how it was that the poor animal had met with such a misfortune.

"please stop a moment," said the hare, "and i will tell you how it all happened. i wanted to cross from the island of oki to cape keta, so i said to the crocodiles: 'i should very much like to know how many crocodiles there are in the sea, and how many hares on land. allow me first of all to count you.' and having said these words the crocodiles formed themselves into a long line, stretching from the island of oki to cape keta. i ran across their horny bodies, counting each as i passed. when i reached the last crocodile, i said: 'o foolish crocodiles, it doesn't matter to me how many there are of you in the sea, or how many hares on land! i only wanted you for a bridge in order that i might reach my destination.' alas! my miserable boast cost me dear, for the last crocodile raised his head and snapped off all my fur!"

"well," said the gentle brother, "i must say you were in the wrong and deserved to suffer for your folly. is that the end of your story?"

"no," continued the hare. "i had no sooner suffered this indignity than the eighty princes came by, and lyingly told me that i might be cured by salt water and wind. alas! not knowing that they deceived me, i carried out their instructions, with the result that my body is cracked and extremely sore."

"bathe in fresh water, my poor friend," said the[pg 258] good brother, "and when you have done so scatter the pollen of sedges upon the ground and roll yourself in it. this will indeed heal your sores and cause your fur to grow again."

the hare walked slowly to the river, bathed himself, and then rolled about in sedge pollen. he had no sooner done so than his skin healed and he was covered once more with a thick coat of fur.

the grateful hare ran back to his benefactor. "those eighty wicked and cruel brothers of yours," said he, "shall never win the princess of inaba. it is you who shall marry her and reign over the country."

the hare's prophecy came true, for the eighty princes failed in their mission, while the brother who was good and kind to the white hare married the fair princess and became king of the country.

the crackling mountain

an old man and his wife kept a white hare. one day a badger came and ate the food provided for the pet. the mischievous animal was about to scamper away when the old man, seeing what had taken place, tied the badger to a tree, and then went to a neighbouring mountain to cut wood.

when the old man had gone on his journey the badger began to weep and to beg that the old woman would untie the rope. she had no sooner done so than the badger proclaimed vengeance and ran away.

when the good white hare heard what had taken place he set out to warn his master; but during his absence the badger returned, killed the old woman, assumed her form, and converted her corpse into broth.

"i have made such excellent broth," said the badger, when the old man returned from the mountain. "you[pg 259] must be hungry and tired: pray sit down and make a good meal!"

the old man, not suspecting treachery of any kind, consumed the broth and pronounced it excellent.

"excellent?" sneered the badger. "you have eaten your wife! her bones lie over there in that corner," and with these words he disappeared.

while the old man was overcome with sorrow, and while he wept and bewailed his fate, the hare returned, grasped the situation, and scampered off to the mountain fully resolved to avenge the death of his poor old mistress.

when the hare reached the mountain he saw the badger carrying a bundle of sticks on his back. softly the hare crept up, and, unobserved, set light to the sticks, which began to crackle immediately.

"this is a strange noise," said the badger. "what is it?"

"the crackling mountain," replied the hare.

the fire began to burn the badger, so he sprang into a river and extinguished the flames; but on getting out again he found that his back was severely burnt, and the pain he suffered was increased by a cayenne poultice which the delighted hare provided for that purpose.

when the badger was well again he chanced to see the hare standing by a boat he had made.

"where are you going in that vessel?" inquired the badger.

"to the moon," replied the hare. "perhaps you would like to come with me?"

"not in your boat!" said the badger. "i know too well your tricks on the crackling mountain. but i will build a boat of clay for myself, and we will journey to the moon."

down the river went the wooden boat of the hare[pg 260] and the clay boat of the badger. presently the badger's vessel began to come to pieces. the hare laughed derisively, and killed his enemy with his oar. later on, when the loyal animal returned to the old man, he justly received much praise and loving care from his grateful master.

the badger

the badger in legend has much in common with the fox. it can adopt human form and assume the shape of the moon; but in many legends it is described as a humorous creature, an animal intensely fond of a practical joke. the badger is frequently depicted in legend and art as playing a tattoo on its protuberant and drum-like stomach, and it is for this reason that japanese jesters are sometimes called badgers.

kadzutoyo and the badger

on one occasion kadzutoyo and his retainer went fishing. they had had excellent sport, and were about to return home, when a violent shower came on, and they were forced to take shelter under a willow-tree. after waiting for some time the rain showed no sign of abating, and as it was already growing dark they decided to continue their journey in spite of the inclement weather. they had not proceeded far when they perceived a young girl weeping bitterly. kadzutoyo regarded her with suspicion, but his retainer was charmed by the maiden's great beauty, and inquired who she was and why she lingered on such a stormy night.

"alas! good sir," said the maiden, still weeping, "my tale is a sad one. i have long endured the taunts and cruelties of my wicked stepmother, who hates me. to-night she spat upon me and beat me. i could bear[pg 261] the bitter humiliation no longer, and i was on the way to my aunt, who lives in yonder village, there to receive peace and shelter, when i was stricken down with a strange malady, and compelled to remain here until the pain subsided."

these words much affected the kind-hearted retainer, and he fell desperately in love with this fair maiden; but kadzutoyo, after carefully considering the matter, drew his sword and cut off her head.

"oh! my lord," said the retainer, "what awful deed is this? how can you kill a harmless girl? believe me, you will have to pay for your folly."

"you do not understand," replied kadzutoyo, "but all i ask is that you keep silence in the matter."

when they reached home kadzutoyo soon fell asleep; but his retainer, after brooding over the murder of the fair maiden, went to his lord's parents and told them the whole pitiful story.

kadzutoyo's father was stricken with anger when he heard the dreadful tale. he at once went to his son's room, roused him, and said: "oh, miserable murderer! how could you slay an innocent girl without the least provocation? you have shamed the honourable name of samurai, a name that stands for true chivalry and for the defence of the weak and helpless. you have brought dishonour upon our house, and it is my duty to take your life." having said these words, he drew his sword.

"sir," replied kadzutoyo, without flinching at the shining weapon, "you, like my retainer, do not understand. it has been given me to solve certain mysteries, and with that knowledge i assure you that i have not been guilty of so foul a crime as you suppose, but have been loyal to the fair calling of a samurai. the girl i cut down with my sword was no mortal. be pleased[pg 262] to go to-morrow with your retainers to the spot where this scene occurred. if you find the corpse of a girl you will have no need to take my life, for i will disembowel myself."

early next day, when the sun had scarce risen in the sky, kadzutoyo's father, together with his retainers, set out upon the journey. when they reached the place where the tragedy had taken place the father saw lying by the roadside, not the corpse of a fair maiden as he had feared, but the body of a great headless badger.

when the father reached home again he questioned his son: "how is it," said he, "that what appeared to be a girl to your retainer seemed to you to be a badger?"

"sir," replied kadzutoyo, "the creature i saw last night appeared to me as a girl; but her beauty was strange, and not like the beauty of earthly women. moreover, although it was raining hard, i observed that the garments of this being did not get wet, and having noticed this weird occurrence, i knew at once that the woman was none other than some wicked goblin. the creature took the form of a lovely maiden with the idea of bewitching us with her many charms, in the hope that she might get our fish."

the old prince was filled with admiration for his son's cleverness. having discovered so much foresight and prudence, he resolved to abdicate, and proclaim kadzutoyo prince of tosa in his stead.

the miraculous tea-kettle

one day a priest of the morinji temple put his old tea-kettle on the fire in order that he might make himself a cup of tea. no sooner had the kettle touched the fire than it suddenly changed into the head, tail, and legs of a badger. the novices of the temple were[pg 263] called in to see the extraordinary sight. while they gazed in utter astonishment, the badger, with the body of a kettle, rushed nimbly about the room, and finally flew into the air. round and round the room went the merry badger, and the priests, after many efforts, succeeded in capturing the animal and thrusting it into a box.

shortly after this event had taken place a tinker called at the temple, and the priest thought it would be an excellent idea if he could induce the good man to buy his extraordinary tea-kettle. he therefore took the kettle out of its box, for it had now resumed its ordinary form, and commenced to bargain, with the result that the unsuspecting tinker purchased the kettle, and took it away with him, assured that he had done a good day's work in buying such a useful article at so reasonable a price.

that night the tinker was awakened by hearing a curious sound close to his pillow. he looked out from behind his quilts and saw that the kettle he had purchased was not a kettle at all, but a very lively and clever badger.

when the tinker told his friends about his remarkable companion, they said: "you are a fortunate fellow, and we advise you to take this badger on show, for it is clever enough to dance and walk on the tight-rope. with song and music you certainly have in this very strange creature a series of novel entertainments which will attract considerable notice, and bring you far more money than you would earn by all the tinkering in the world."

the tinker accordingly acted upon this excellent advice, and the fame of his performing badger spread far and wide. princes and princesses came to see the show, and from royal patronage and the delight of the[pg 264] common people he amassed a great fortune. when the tinker had made his money he restored the kettle to the morinji temple, where it was worshipped as a precious treasure.

the cat

"feed a dog for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years; feed a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days."

a japanese proverb.

the japanese cat, with or without a tail, is very far from being popular, for this animal and the venomous serpent were the only two creatures that did not weep when the lord buddha died. nipponese cats seem to be under a curse, and for the most part they are left to their own resources, resources frequently associated with supernatural powers. like foxes and badgers, they are able to bewitch human beings. professor b. h. chamberlain writes in things japanese: "among europeans an irreverent person may sometimes be heard to describe an ugly, cross old woman as a cat. in japan, the land of topsy-turvydom, that nickname is colloquially applied to the youngest and most attractive—the singing-girls." the comparison seems strange to us, but the allusion no doubt refers to the power of witchery common alike to the singing-girl and the cat.

the japanese cat, however, is regarded with favour among sailors, and the mike-neko, or cat of three colours, is most highly prized. sailors the world over are said to be superstitious, and those of japan do their utmost to secure a ship's cat, in the belief that this animal will keep off the spirits of the deep. many sailors believe that those who are drowned at sea never find spiritual repose; they believe that they everlastingly lurk in the waves and shout and wail as junks pass by.[pg 265] to such men the breakers beating on the seashore are the white, grasping hands of innumerable spirits, and they believe that the sea is crowded with o-baké, honourable ghosts. the japanese cat is said to have control over the dead.

the vampire cat

the prince of hizen, a distinguished member of the nabéshima family, lingered in the garden with o toyo, the favourite among his ladies. when the sun set they retired to the palace, but failed to notice that they were being followed by a large cat.

o toyo went to her room and fell asleep. at midnight she awoke and gazed about her, as if suddenly aware of some dreadful presence in the apartment. at length she saw, crouching close beside her, a gigantic cat, and before she could cry out for assistance the animal sprang upon her and strangled her. the animal then made a hole under the verandah, buried the corpse, and assumed the form of the beautiful o toyo.

the prince, who knew nothing of what had happened, continued to love the false o toyo, unaware that in reality he was caressing a foul beast. he noticed, little by little, that his strength failed, and it was not long before he became dangerously ill. physicians were summoned, but they could do nothing to restore the royal patient. it was observed that he suffered most during the night, and was troubled by horrible dreams. this being so his councillors arranged that a hundred retainers should sit with their lord and keep watch while he slept.

the watch went into the sick-room, but just before ten o'clock it was overcome by a mysterious drowsiness. when all the men were asleep the false o toyo crept into the apartment and disturbed the prince until[pg 266] sunrise. night after night the retainers came to guard their master, but always they fell asleep at the same hour, and even three loyal councillors had a similar experience.

during this time the prince grew worse, and at length a priest named ruiten was appointed to pray on his behalf. one night, while he was engaged in his supplications, he heard a strange noise proceeding from the garden. on looking out of the window he saw a young soldier washing himself. when he had finished his ablutions he stood before an image of buddha, and prayed most ardently for the recovery of the prince.

ruiten, delighted to find such zeal and loyalty, invited the young man to enter his house, and when he had done so inquired his name.

"i am ito soda," said the young man, "and serve in the infantry of nabéshima. i have heard of my lord's sickness and long to have the honour of nursing him; but being of low rank it is not meet that i should come into his presence. i have, nevertheless, prayed to the buddha that my lord's life may be spared. i believe that the prince of hizen is bewitched, and if i might remain with him i would do my utmost to find and crush the evil power that is the cause of his illness."

ruiten was so favourably impressed with these words that he went the next day to consult with one of the councillors, and after much discussion it was arranged that ito soda should keep watch with the hundred retainers.

when ito soda entered the royal apartment he saw that his master slept in the middle of the room, and he also observed the hundred retainers sitting in the chamber quietly chatting together in the hope that they would be able to keep off approaching drowsiness. by ten o'clock all the retainers, in spite of their efforts, had[pg 267] fallen asleep. ito soda tried to keep his eyes open, but a heaviness was gradually overcoming him, and he realised that if he wished to keep awake he must resort to extreme measures. when he had carefully spread oil-paper over the mats he stuck his dirk into his thigh. the sharp pain he experienced warded off sleep for a time, but eventually he felt his eyes closing once more. resolved to outwit the spell which had proved too much for the retainers, he twisted the knife in his thigh, and thus increased the pain and kept his loyal watch, while blood continually dripped upon the oil-paper.

while ito soda watched he saw the sliding doors drawn open and a beautiful woman creep softly into the apartment. with a smile she noticed the sleeping retainers, and was about to approach the prince when she observed ito soda. after she had spoken curtly to him she approached the prince and inquired how he fared, but the prince was too ill to make a reply. ito soda watched every movement, and believed she tried to bewitch the prince, but she was always frustrated in her evil purpose by the dauntless eyes of ito soda, and at last she was compelled to retire.

in the morning the retainers awoke, and were filled with shame when they learnt how ito soda had kept his vigil. the councillors loudly praised the young soldier for his loyalty and enterprise, and he was commanded to keep watch again that night. he did so, and once more the false o toyo entered the sick-room, and, as on the previous night, she was compelled to retreat without being able to cast her spell over the prince.

it was discovered that immediately the faithful soda had kept guard the prince was able to obtain peaceful slumber, and, moreover, that he began to get better, for the false o toyo, having been frustrated on two occasions, now kept away altogether, and the guard was[pg 268] not troubled with mysterious drowsiness. soda, impressed by these strange circumstances, went to one of the councillors and informed him that the so-called o toyo was a goblin of some kind.

that night soda planned to go to the creature's room and try to kill her, arranging that in case she should escape there should be eight retainers outside waiting to capture her and despatch her immediately.

at the appointed hour soda went to the creature's apartment, pretending that he bore a message from the prince.

"what is your message?" inquired the woman.

"kindly read this letter," replied soda, and with these words he drew his dirk and tried to kill her.

the false o toyo seized a halberd and endeavoured to strike her adversary. blow followed blow, but at last perceiving that flight would serve her better than battle she threw away her weapon, and in a moment the lovely maiden turned into a cat and sprang on to the roof. the eight men waiting outside in case of emergency shot at the animal, but the creature succeeded in eluding them.

the cat made all speed for the mountains, and caused trouble among the people who lived in the vicinity, but was finally killed during a hunt ordered by the prince hizen. the prince became well again, and ito soda received the honour and reward he so richly deserved.

the dog

generally speaking the dog in japan is looked upon as a friendly animal, and in most legends he acquits himself well; but in the oki islands many of the inhabitants believe that all dogs have supernatural power, attributed to the fox elsewhere. professor b. h. chamberlain writes: "the human beings in league[pg 269] with them are termed inu-gami-mochi—that is, 'dog-god owners.' when the spirit of such a magic dog goes forth on an errand of mischief its body remains behind, growing gradually weaker, and sometimes dying and falling to decay. when this happens the spirit on its return takes up its abode in the body of a wizard, who thereupon becomes more powerful than ever."

shippeitaro and the phantom cats

a certain knight took shelter in a lonely and dilapidated mountain temple. towards midnight he was awakened by hearing a strange noise. gazing about him, he saw a number of cats dancing and yelling and shrieking, and over and over again he heard these words: "tell it not to shippeitaro!"

at midnight the cats suddenly disappeared, stillness reigned in the ruined temple, and our warrior was able to resume his slumber.

the next morning the young knight left the haunted building, and came to one or two small dwellings near a village. as he passed one of these houses he heard great wailing and lamentation, and inquired the cause of the trouble.

"alas!" said those who thronged about the knight, "well may you ask why we are so sorely troubled. this very night the mountain spirit will take away our fairest maiden in a great cage to the ruined temple where you have spent the night, and in the morning she will be devoured by the wicked spirit of the mountain. every year we lose a girl in this way, and there is none to help us."

the knight, greatly moved by these pitiful words, and anxious to be of service, said: "who or what is shippeitaro? the evil spirits in the ruined temple used the name several times."

[pg 270]

"shippeitaro," said one of the people, "is a brave and very fine dog, and belongs to the head man of our prince." the knight hastened off, was successful in securing shippeitaro for one night, and took the dog back with him to the house of the weeping parents. already the cage was prepared for the damsel, and into this cage he put shippeitaro, and, with several young men to assist him, they reached the haunted temple. but the young men would not remain on the mountain, for they were full of fear, and, having performed their task, they took their departure, so that the knight and the dog were left alone.

at midnight the phantom cats again appeared, this time surrounding a tomcat of immense size and of great fierceness. when the monster cat saw the cage he sprang round it with screams of delight, accompanied by his companions.

the warrior, choosing a suitable opportunity, opened the cage, and shippeitaro sprang out and held the great cat in his teeth. in another moment his master drew forth his sword and slew the wicked creature. the other cats were too amazed at what they had seen to make good their escape, and the valiant shippeitaro soon made short work of them. thus the village was no longer troubled with ravages of the mountain spirit, and the knight, in true courtly fashion, gave all the praise to the brave shippeitaro.

the old man who made the trees to blossom

one day, while an old man and his wife were in the garden, their dog suddenly became very excited as he lowered his head and sniffed the ground in one particular place. the old people, believing that their pet had detected something good to eat, brought a spade and commenced to dig, and to their amazement they dug up a great number of gold and silver pieces and a variety of[pg 271] precious treasures as well. with this newly acquired wealth the old couple lost no time in distributing alms among the poor.

when the people next door heard about their neighbours' good fortune they borrowed the dog, and spread before him all manner of delicacies in the hope that the animal would do them a good turn too. but the dog, who had been on previous occasions ill-treated by his hosts, refused to eat, and at length the angry couple dragged him into the garden. immediately the dog began to sniff, and exactly where he sniffed the greedy couple began to dig; but they dug up no treasure, and all they could find was very objectionable refuse. the old couple, angry and disappointed, killed the dog and buried him under a pine-tree.

the good old man eventually learnt what had befallen his faithful dog, and, full of sorrow, he went to the place where his pet was buried, and arranged food and flowers on the grave, weeping as he did so.

that night the spirit of the dog came to his master, and said: "cut down the tree where i am buried, and from the wood fashion a mortar, and think of me whenever you use it."

the old man carried out these instructions, and he found that when he ground the grains of rice in the pine mortar every grain turned into a precious treasure.

the wicked old couple, having borrowed the dog, had no compunction in borrowing the mortar too, but with these wicked people the rice immediately turned into filth, so that in their anger they broke and burnt the precious vessel.

once again the spirit of the dog appeared before his master, and informed him what had taken place, adding: "if you will sprinkle the ashes of the mortar over withered trees they will immediately become full of[pg 272] blossom," and having uttered these words the spirit departed.

the kind-hearted old man secured the ashes, and, placing them in a basket, journeyed from village to village and from town to town, and over withered trees he threw the ashes, and, as the dog had promised, they suddenly came into flower. a prince heard of these wonders, and commanded the old man to appear before him, requesting that he would give an exhibition of his miraculous power. the old man did so, and joyfully departed with the many royal gifts bestowed upon him.

the old man's neighbours, hearing of these miracles, collected together the remaining ashes of the wonderful mortar, and the wicked fellow went about the country claiming to be able to revive withered or dead trees. like the original worker of wonders, the greedy old man appeared in the palace, and was commanded to restore a withered tree. the old man climbed up into a tree and scattered the ashes, but the tree still remained withered, and the ashes almost blinded and suffocated the prince. upon this the old impostor was almost beaten to death, and he went away in a very miserable state indeed.

the kind old man and his wife, after rebuking their neighbours for their wickedness, allowed them to share in their wealth, and the once mean, cruel, and crafty couple led good and virtuous lives.

the jelly-fish and the monkey [1]

rin-jin, the king of the sea, took to wife a young and beautiful dragon princess. they had not been[pg 273] married long when the fair queen fell ill, and all the advice and attention of the great physicians availed nothing.

the jelly fish and the monkey.

"oh," sobbed the queen, "there is only one thing that will cure me of my illness!"

"what is that?" inquired rin-jin.

"if i eat the liver of a live monkey i shall immediately recover. pray get me a monkey's liver, for i know that nothing else will save my life."

so rin-jin called a jelly-fish to his side, and said: "i want you to swim to the land and return with a live monkey on your back, for i wish to use his liver that our queen may be restored to health again. you are the only creature who can perform this task, for you alone have legs and are able to walk about on shore. in order to induce the monkey to come you must tell him of the wonders of the deep and of the rare beauties of my great palace, with its floor of pearl and its walls of coral."

the jelly-fish, delighted to think that the health and happiness of his mistress depended upon the success of his enterprise, lost no time in swimming to an island. he had no sooner stepped on shore than he observed a fine-looking monkey playing about in the branches of a pine-tree.

"hello!" said the jelly-fish, "i don't think much of this island. what a dull and miserable life you must lead here! i come from the kingdom of the sea, where rin-jin reigns in a palace of great size and beauty. it may be that you would like to see a new country where there is plenty of fruit and where the weather is always fine. if so, get on my back, and i shall have much pleasure in taking you to the kingdom of the sea."

"i shall be delighted to accept your invitation," said[pg 274] the monkey, as he got down from the tree and comfortably seated himself on the thick shell of the jelly-fish.

"by the way," said the jelly-fish, when he had accomplished about half of the return journey, "i suppose you have brought your liver with you, haven't you?"

"what a personal question!" replied the monkey. "why do you ask?"

"our sea queen is dangerously ill," said the foolish jelly-fish, "and only the liver of a live monkey will save her life. when we reach the palace a doctor will make use of your liver and my mistress will be restored to health again."

"dear me!" exclaimed the monkey, "i wish you had mentioned this matter to me before we left the island."

"if i had done so," replied the jelly-fish, "you would most certainly have refused my invitation."

"believe me, you are quite mistaken, my dear jelly-fish. i have several livers hanging up on a pine-tree, and i would gladly have spared one in order to save the life of your queen. if you will bring me back to the island again i will get it. it was most unfortunate that i should have forgotten to bring a liver with me."

so the credulous jelly-fish turned round and swam back to the island. directly the jelly-fish reached the shore the monkey sprang from his back and danced about on the branches of a tree.

"liver" said the monkey, chuckling, "did you say liver? you silly old jelly-fish, you'll certainly never get mine!"

the jelly-fish at length reached the palace, and told rin-jin his dismal tale. the sea king fell into a great passion. "beat him to a jelly!" he cried to those about him. "beat this stupid fellow till he hasn't a bone left in his body!"

[pg 275]

so the jelly-fish lost his shell from that unfortunate hour, and all the jelly-fishes that were born in the sea after his death were also without shells, and have remained nothing but jelly to this day.

the horse of bronze

upon the festival of the minige, or "the body-escaping," the deity of kitzuki, oho-kuninushi, is said to ride through the streets on the bronze horse. the rite connected with the festival is of so mysterious a kind that the officiating priest can only impart the secret after his death to his son through the medium of the deceased man's spirit. the great carved dragon of kitzuki was supposed at one time to crawl over the roofs of many houses, but when his wooden throat was cut he remained simply a work of art and no longer troubled the inhabitants. bronze deer of matsue, a stag and a doe, also had miraculous power and were able to run about the streets at night. these visitations were so frequent and so disturbing that eventually their heads were cut and their escapades came to an end. the gigantic tortoise of the gesshoji temple, a stone colossus very nearly sixteen feet in height, was on many occasions seen endeavouring to swim across a pond covered with lotus. this creature, like those we have just mentioned, was mutilated, and his midnight wanderings permanently checked.

[1] the three mystic apes figure in japanese legend. mizaru is represented with his hands over his eyes, kikazaru with his hands covering his ears, and iwazaru with his hands laid upon his mouth. these mystic apes symbolise (1) he who sees no evil, (2) he who hears no evil, (3) he who speaks no evil.