"oh! that the white waves far out

on the sea of ise

were but flowers,

that i might gather them

and bring them as a gift to my love."

prince aki. (trans. by w. g. aston.)

the tide of the returning ghosts

on the last day of the festival of the dead the sea is covered with countless shoryobune (soul-ships), for on that day, called hotoke-umi, which means buddha-flood, or the tide of the returning ghosts, the souls go back to their spirit world again. the sea shines with the light of the departed, and from over the waves comes the sound of ghosts whispering together. no human being would dream of putting out to sea amid such sacred company, for the sea that night belongs to the dead; it is their long pathway to the realm where emma-Ō reigns supreme.

it sometimes happens, however, that a vessel fails to come to port before the departure of the soul-ships, and on such occasions the dead arise from the deep, stretch forth their arms, and implore that buckets may be given them. sailors comply with this request, but present the ghosts with one that has no bottom, for if they gave the dead sound buckets, the angry spirits would use them for the purpose of sinking the vessel.

urashima

"'tis spring, and the mists come stealing

o'er suminóye's shore,

and i stand by the seaside musing

on the days that are no more.

[pg 324]

"i muse on the old-world story,

as the boats glide to and fro,

of the fisher-boy urashima,

who a-fishing lov'd to go."

trans. by b. h. chamberlain.

"the legend of urashima," writes professor b. h. chamberlain in japanese poetry, "is one of the oldest in the language, and traces of it may even be found in the official annals." in the popular version, which we give below, "the evergreen land," recorded in the japanese ballad, "the fisher boy urashima," appears as the dragon palace. professor chamberlain writes: "the word dragon palace is in japanese ryugu, or, more properly, ryukyu, which is likewise the japanese pronunciation of the name of the islands we call luchu, and the chinese liu-kiu; and it has been suggested that the dragon palace may be but a fanciful name given by some shipwrecked voyager to those sunny southern isles, whose inhabitants still distinguish themselves, even above their chinese and japanese neighbours, by their fondness for the dragon as an artistic and architectural adornment. there is one ode in the man-yoshu which would favour this idea, speaking as it does of the orange having first been brought to japan from the 'evergreen land' lying to the south."

urashima and the tortoise

one day urashima, who lived in a little fishing village called midzunoe, in the province of tango, went out to fish. it so happened that he caught a tortoise, and as tortoises are said to live many thousands of years, the thoughtful urashima allowed the creature to return to the sea, rebaited his hook, and once more waited for the bite of a fish. only the sea gently waved his line[pg 325] to and fro. the sun beat down upon his head till at last urashima fell asleep.

he had not been sleeping long when he heard some one calling his name: "urashima, urashima!"

it was such a sweet, haunting voice that the fisher-lad stood up in his boat and looked around in every direction, till he chanced to see the very tortoise he had been kind enough to restore to its watery home. the tortoise, which was able to speak quite fluently, profusely thanked urashima for his kindness, and offered to take him to the ryukyu, or palace of the dragon king.

the invitation was readily accepted, and getting on the tortoise's back, urashima found himself gliding through the sea at a tremendous speed, and the curious part about it was he discovered that his clothes remained perfectly dry.

in the sea king's palace

arriving at the sea king's palace, red bream, flounder, sole, and cuttlefish came out to give urashima a hearty welcome. having expressed their pleasure, these vassals of the dragon king escorted the fisher-lad to an inner apartment, where the beautiful princess otohime and her maidens were seated. the princess was arrayed in gorgeous garments of red and gold, all the colours of a wave with the sunlight upon it.

this princess explained that she had taken the form of a tortoise by way of testing his kindness of heart. the test had happily proved successful, and as a reward for his virtue she offered to become his bride in a land where there was eternal youth and everlasting summer.

urashima bashfully accepted the high honour bestowed upon him. he had no sooner spoken than a great company of fishes appeared, robed in long ceremonial[pg 326] garments, their fins supporting great coral trays loaded with rare delicacies. then the happy couple drank the wedding cup of saké, and while they drank, some of the fishes played soft music, others sang, and not a few, with scales of silver and golden tails, stepped out a strange measure on the white sand.

after the festivities were over, otohime showed her husband all the wonders of her father's palace. the greatest marvel of all was to see a country where all the seasons lingered together.[1] looking to the east, urashima saw plum- and cherry-trees in full bloom, with bright-winged butterflies skimming over the blossom, and away in the distance it seemed that the pink petals and butterflies had suddenly been converted into the song of a wondrous nightingale. in the south he saw trees in their summer glory, and heard the gentle note of the cricket. looking to the west, the autumn maples made a fire in the branches, so that if urashima had been other than a humble fisher-lad he might have recalled the following poem:

"fair goddess of the paling autumn skies,

fain would i know how many looms she plies,

wherein through skilful tapestry she weaves

her fine brocade of fiery maple leaves—

since on each hill, with every gust that blows,

in varied hues her vast embroidery glows?"

trans. by clara a. walsh.

it was, indeed, a "vast embroidery," for when urashima looked toward the north he saw a great stretch of snow and a mighty pond covered with ice. all the seasons lingered together in that fair country where nature had yielded to the full her infinite variety of beauty.

after urashima had been in the sea king's palace for[pg 327] three days, and seen many wonderful things, he suddenly remembered his old parents, and felt a strong desire to go and see them. when he went to his wife, and told her of his longing to return home, otohime began to weep, and tried to persuade him to stop another day. but urashima refused to be influenced in the matter. "i must go," said he, "but i will leave you only for a day. i will return again, dear wife of mine."

urashima and the sea king's daughter

the home-coming of urashima

then otohime gave her husband a keepsake in remembrance of their love. it was called the tamate-bako ("box of the jewel hand"). she explained that he was on no account to open the box, and urashima, promising to fulfil her wish, said farewell, mounted a large tortoise, and soon found himself in his own country. he looked in vain for his father's home. not a sign of it was to be seen. the cottage had vanished, only the little stream remained.

still much perplexed, urashima questioned a passer-by, and he learnt from him that a fisher-lad, named urashima, had gone to sea three hundred years ago and was drowned, and that his parents, brothers, and their grandchildren had been laid to rest for a long time. then urashima suddenly remembered that the country of the sea king was a divine land, where a day, according to mortal reckoning, was a hundred years.

urashima's reflections were gloomy in the extreme, for all whom he had loved on earth were dead. then he heard the murmur of the sea, and recalled the lovely otohime, as well as the country where the seasons joined hands and made a fourfold pageant of their beauty—the land where trees had emeralds for leaves and rubies for berries, where the fishes wore long robes and sang and danced and played. louder the sea[pg 328] sounded in urashima's ears. surely otohime called him? but no path opened out before him, no obliging tortoise appeared on the scene to carry him to where his wife waited for him. "the box! the box!" said urashima softly, "if i open my wife's mysterious gift, it may reveal the way."

urashima untied the red silk thread and slowly, fearfully opened the lid of the box. suddenly there rushed out a little white cloud; it lingered a moment, and then rolled away far over the sea. but a sacred promise had been broken, and urashima from a handsome youth became old and wrinkled. he staggered forward, his white hair and beard blowing in the wind. he looked out to sea, and then fell dead upon the shore.

professor chamberlain writes: "urashima's tomb, together with his fishing-line, the casket given him by the maiden, and two stones said to be precious, are still shown at one of the temples in kanagawa."

the land of the morning calm

chosen, the land of the morning calm, was the old name for korea,[2] and however poetical the phrase may be, it was, nevertheless, totally inapplicable to actual fact. in its early history it was a country divided against itself, and later on it was troubled with the invading armies of china and japan, to say nothing of minor skirmishes with other countries. there is certainly a pathetic calm in korea to-day, but it is the calm of a long-vanquished and persecuted nation. it now rests with japan whether or not the koreans rise from serfdom and regain something of that old hardihood that was at one time so prominent a feature of her northern men.

[pg 329]

long ago korea came under the glamour of the chinese civilisation, and it haunts her people to this day. japan borrowed from korea what korea had borrowed from china. it was because japan went on borrowing from the west when she had exhausted all that korea and china could teach her that she eventually became, with the progressive stream of thought and action flowing vigorously through her, a world-power, while korea remained a forlorn example of an almost stagnant country.

when japan had succeeded in convincing korea that she alone could be her faithful guide, russia came, like a thief in the night, and established a military outpost at wiju. the russo-japanese war resulted, and korea became a japanese colony, an experimental ground for social and political reform. japan has waited long for korea. may she find it at last, not a turbulent and rebellious country, but in very deed the land of the morning calm. korea in the past has contributed to the making of japan's greatness in handing on the religion, art, and literature of china. now it is japan's turn to succour an impoverished country, and if the morning calm is united with the rising sun, there should be peace and prosperity in her new possession.

professor j. h. longford, in the story of korea, writes in regard to the invasion of the empress jingo: "dr. aston....contemptuously dismisses the whole as a myth founded on two very distinct historical facts—that there was, at the time of the alleged invasion, an empress of japan, a woman of real determination and ability, and that not one, but several japanese invasions of korea did occur, though at later periods, in which the japanese did not invariably meet with the triumphant success that they claim for the empress." we give[pg 330] below the picturesque legend of japan's first invasion of korea.

the tide jewels

one night the empress jingo, as she lay asleep in her tent, had a strange dream. she dreamt that a spirit came to her and told her of a wonderful land, a land in the west, full of treasures of gold and silver, a dazzling land, fair to look upon as a beautiful woman. the spirit informed her that the name of this country was chosen (korea), and that it might belong to japan if she would set out and conquer this wealthy land.

the next day the empress jingo informed her husband about her dream; but the emperor, a stolid, matter-of-fact man, did not believe in dreams. however, as his wife persisted in thrusting upon him what he deemed to be a foolish scheme, he climbed a high mountain, and looking toward the setting sun saw no land in the west. when the emperor had come down from the mountain, he informed his wife that he would on no account give his consent to invade and conquer a country which simply owed its existence to a disordered dream. but the gods were angry with the emperor, and shortly after he had uttered his prohibition he died in battle.

the gift of the dragon king

when the empress jingo became sole ruler she was determined to go to this country she had heard about in a dream; but as she was resolved to make her expedition no puny and tame affair, she called upon the spirit of the mountain to give her timber and iron for her ships. the spirit of fields gave her rice and other grain for her army, while the spirit of grass presented her with hemp for rope. the wind god looked[pg 331] favourably upon her scheme, and promised to blow her ships towards korea. all the spirits appeared in compliance with the empress jingo's wishes except isora, the spirit of the seashore.

isora was a lazy fellow, and when he finally appeared above the waves of the sea, he did so without gorgeous apparel, for he was covered with slime and shells, and seaweed adorned his unkempt person. when the empress saw him she bade him go to his master, the dragon king, and ask him to give her the tide jewels.

isora obeyed, dived down into the water, and presently stood before the dragon king and made his request.

the dragon king took out the tide jewels from a casket, placed them on a great shell, and bade isora promptly return to the empress jingo with this precious gift.

isora sprang from his master's palace to the surface of the sea, and the empress jingo placed the tide jewels in her girdle.

the voyage

now that the empress had obtained the jewel of the flood-tide and the jewel of the ebb-tide she had three thousand ships built and launched, and during the tenth month she started on her great expedition. her fleet had not proceeded far when a mighty storm arose, so that the vessels crashed together and were likely to sink to the bottom of the sea. the dragon king, however, commanded great sea-monsters to go to the rescue; some bore up the ships with their great bodies, others pushed their heads against the sterns of many vessels, thus propelling them through a heavy sea which had very nearly driven them back whence they came. powerful dragon-fishes lent their aid to those pushing and snorting in the rear by holding the ships'[pg 332] cables in their mouths and towing the vessels forward at a surprising speed. directly the storm ceased, the sea-monsters and dragon-fishes disappeared.

the throwing of the tide jewels

at last the empress jingo and her army saw the distant mountains of korea loom out on the horizon. on nearing the coast they perceived that the whole of the korean army stood upon the shore with their ships ready to be launched at the word of command. as soon as the korean sentinels perceived the japanese fleet, they gave the signal for embarking, and immediately a great line of war-vessels shot out over the water.

the empress stood watching these proceedings with unruffled calm. she knew that the victory or defeat of her army lay in her power. when the korean vessels drew near to her fleet she threw into the sea the jewel of the ebb-tide. directly it touched the water it caused the tide to recede from under the very keels of the korean ships, so that they were left stranded upon dry land. the koreans, suspecting no magic and believing their stranded condition to have been the result of a tidal wave and, moreover, that the japanese vessels would succumb to the back-wash, sprang from their vessels and rushed over the sand. now the japanese bowmen twanged their bow-strings, and a great cloud of arrows flew into the air, killing many hundreds of the enemy. when the koreans were quite near the japanese vessels, the empress flung forth the jewel of the flood-tide. immediately a great wave rushed over and destroyed nearly the whole of the korean army. it was now an easy matter for the japanese to land and capture the country. the king of korea surrendered, and the empress returned to her own kingdom laden with silk[pg 333] and jewels, books and pictures, tiger-skins and precious robes.

when the tide jewels had been thrown by the empress, they did not lie long on the bed of the ocean. isora speedily rescued them and carried them back to the dragon king.

prince ojin

soon after the empress jingo's return she gave birth to a son named ojin. when ojin had grown into a fair and wise little boy, his mother told him about the wonderful tide jewels, and expressed a wish that he, too, should possess them in order that he might bring honour and glory to japan.

one day the prime minister, who was said to be three hundred and sixty years old, and the counsellor of no less than five mikados, took ojin with him in a royal war-barge. the vessel skimmed over the sea with its gold silk sails. the prime minister in a loud voice called on the dragon king to give young ojin the tide jewels.

immediately the waves about the vessel were churned into foam, and amid a great thunderous roar the dragon king himself appeared with a living creature of dreadful countenance for a helmet. then out of the water arose a mighty shell, in the recess of which glittered the tide jewels. after presenting these jewels, and making a pretty little speech, he returned to his great green kingdom.

the slaughter of the sea serpent[3]

oribe shima had offended the great ruler hojo takatoki, and was in consequence banished to kamishima,[pg 334] one of the oki islands, and forced to leave his beautiful daughter tokoyo, whom he deeply loved.

at last tokoyo was unable to bear the separation any longer, and she was determined to find her father. she therefore set out upon a long journey, and arriving at akasaki, in the province of hoki, from which coast town the oki islands are visible on a fine day, she besought many a fisherman to row her to her destination. but the fisher-folk laughed at tokoyo, and bade her relinquish her foolish plan and return home. the maiden, however, would not listen to their advice, and at nightfall she got into the lightest vessel she could find, and by dint of a fair wind and persistent rowing the brave girl came to one of the rocky bays of the oki islands.

that night tokoyo slept soundly, and in the morning partook of food. when she had finished her meal she questioned a fisherman as to where she might find her father. "i have never heard of oribe shima," replied the fisherman, "and if he has been banished, i beg that you will desist from further search, lest it lead to the death of you both."

that night the sorrowful tokoyo slept beneath a shrine dedicated to buddha. her sleep was soon disturbed by the clapping of hands, and looking up she saw a weeping maiden clad in a white garment with a priest standing beside her. just as the priest was about to push the maiden over the rocks into the roaring sea, tokoyo sprang up and held the maiden's arm.

the priest explained that on that night, the thirteenth of june, the serpent god, known as yofuné-nushi, demanded the sacrifice of a young girl, and that unless this annual sacrifice was made the god became angry and caused terrible storms.

[pg 335]

"good sir," said tokoyo, "i am glad that i have been able to save this poor girl's life. i gladly offer myself in her place, for i am sad of heart because i have been unable to find my father. give him this letter, for my last words of love and farewell go to him."

tokoyo and the sea serpent.

having thus spoken, tokoyo took the maiden's white robe and clad herself in it, and having prayed to the image of buddha, she placed a small dagger between her teeth and plunged into the tempestuous sea. down she went through the moonlit water till she came to a mighty cave where she saw a statue of hojo takatoki, who had sent her poor father into exile. she was about to tie the image on her back when a great white serpent crept out from the cave with eyes gleaming angrily. tokoyo, realising that this creature was none other than yofuné-nushi, drew her dagger and thrust it through the right eye of the god. this unexpected attack caused the serpent to retire into the cave, but the brave tokoyo followed and struck another blow, this time at the creature's heart. for a moment yofuné-nushi blindly stumbled forward, then with a shriek of pain fell dead upon the floor of the cavern.

during this adventure the priest and the maiden stood on the rocks watching the spot where tokoyo had disappeared, praying fervently for the peace of her sorrowful soul. as they watched and prayed they saw tokoyo come to the surface of the water carrying an image and a mighty fish-like creature. the priest hastily came to the girl's assistance, dragged her upon the shore, placed the image on a high rock, and secured the body of the white sea serpent.

in due time the remarkable story was reported to tameyoshi, lord of the island, who in turn reported the[pg 336] strange adventure to hojo takatoki. now takatoki had for some time been suffering from a disease which defied the skill of the most learned doctors; but it was observed that he regained his health precisely at the hour when his image, which had been cursed and thrown into the sea by some exile, had been restored. when hojo takatoki heard that the brave girl was the daughter of the exiled oribe shima, he sent him back with all speed to his own home, where he and his daughter lived in peace and happiness.

the spirit of the sword

one night a junk anchored off fudo's cape, and when various preparations had been made, the captain, tarada by name, and his crew fell asleep on deck. at about midnight tarada was awakened by hearing an extraordinary rumbling sound that seemed to proceed from the bottom of the sea. chancing to look in the direction of the bow of the vessel, he saw a fair girl clad in white and illumined by a dazzling light.

when tarada had awakened his crew he approached the maiden, who said: "my only wish is to be back in the world again." having uttered these words, she disappeared among the waves.

the next day tarada went on shore and asked many who lived in amakura if they had ever heard of a wondrous maiden bathed, as it were, in a phosphorescent light. one of the villagers thus made answer: "we have never seen the maiden you describe, but for some time past we have been disturbed by rumbling noises that seem to come from fudo's cape, and ever since, these mysterious sounds have prevented fish from entering our bay. it may be that the girl you saw was the ghost of some poor maiden drowned at sea, and the noise we hear none other than the anger[pg 337] of the sea god on account of a corpse or human bones polluting the water."

it was eventually decided that the dumb sankichi should dive into the sea and bring up any corpse he might find there. so sankichi went on board tarada's junk, and having said farewell to his friends, he plunged into the water. he searched diligently, but could see no trace of corpse or human bones. at length, however, he perceived what looked like a sword wrapped in silk, and on untying the wrapping he found that it was indeed a sword, of great brightness and without a flaw of any kind. sankichi came to the surface and was quickly taken aboard. the poor fellow was gently laid on the deck, but he fainted from exhaustion. his cold body was rubbed vigorously and fires were lit. in a very short time sankichi became conscious and was able to show the sword and give particulars of his adventure.

an official, by the name of naruse tsushimanokami, was of the opinion that the sword was a sacred treasure, and on his recommendation it was placed in a shrine and dedicated to fudo. sankichi faithfully guarded the precious weapon, and fudo's cape became known as the cape of the woman's sword. to the delight of the fisher-folk, the spirit of the weapon now being satisfied, the fish came back into the bay again.

the love of o cho san

"to-day is the tenth of june. may the rain fall in torrents!

for i long to see my dearest o cho san."

trans. by r. gordon smith.

in the isolated hatsushima island, celebrated for its suisenn (jonquils), there once lived a beautiful maiden called cho, and all the young men on the island were eager to marry her. one day the handsome shinsaku,[pg 338] who was bolder than the rest, went to gisuke, the brother of cho, and told him that he much desired to marry his fair sister. gisuke offered no objections, and calling cho to him, when the suitor had gone, he said: "shinsaku wishes to become your husband. i like the fisherman, and think that in him you will make an excellent match. you are now eighteen, and it is quite time that you got married."

o cho san fully approved of what her brother had said, and the marriage was arranged to take place in three days' time. unfortunately, those days were days of discord on the island, for when the other fishermen lovers heard the news they began to hate the once popular shinsaku, and, moreover, they neglected their work and were continually fighting each other. these lamentable scenes cast such a gloom upon the once happy hatsushima island that o cho san and her lover decided that for the peace of the many they would not marry after all.

this noble sacrifice, however, did not bring about the desired effect, for the thirty lovers still fought each other and still neglected their fishing. o cho san determined to perform a still greater sacrifice. she wrote loving letters of farewell to her brother and shinsaku, and having left them by the sleeping gisuke, she softly crept out of the house on a stormy night on the 10th of june. she dropped big stones into her pretty sleeves, and then flung herself into the sea.

the next day gisuke and shinsaku read their letters from o cho san, and, overcome by grief, they searched the shore, where they found the straw sandals of cho. the two men realised that the fair maid had indeed taken her precious life, and shortly after her body was taken from the sea and buried, and over her tomb shinsaku placed many flowers and wept continually.

[pg 339]

one evening, shinsaku, unable to bear his sorrow any longer decided to take his life, believing that by doing so he would meet the spirit of o cho san. as he lingered by the girl's grave, he seemed to see her white ghost, and, murmuring her name over and over again, he rushed toward her. at this moment gisuke, awakened by the noise, came out of his house, and found shinsaku clinging to his lover's gravestone.

when shinsaku told his friend that he had seen the spirit of o cho san, and intended to take his life in order to be with her for ever, gisuke made answer thus: "shinsaku, great is your love for my poor sister, but you can love her best by serving her in this world. when the great gods call, you will meet her, but await with hope and courage till that hour comes, for only a brave, as well as a loving, heart is worthy of o cho san. let us together build a shrine and dedicate it to my sister, and keep your love strong and pure by never marrying any one else."

the thirty lovers who had shown such unmanly feeling now fully realised the sorrow they had caused, and in order to show their contrition they too helped to build the shrine of the unfortunate maiden, where to this day a ceremony takes place on the 10th of june, and it is said that the spirit of o cho san comes in the rain.

the spirit of the great awabi

the morning after a great earthquake had devastated the fishing village of nanao, it was observed that about two miles from the shore a rock had sprung up as the result of the seismic disturbance and, moreover, that the sea had become muddy. one night a number of fishermen were passing by the rock, when they observed, near at hand, a most extraordinary light that[pg 340] appeared to float up from the bottom of the sea with a glory as bright as the sun. the fishermen shipped their oars and gazed upon the wonderful spectacle with considerable surprise, but when the light was suddenly accompanied by a deep rumbling sound, the sailors feared another earthquake and made all speed for nanao.

on the third day the wondrous rays from the deep increased in brilliance, so that folk standing on the shore of nanao could see them distinctly, and the superstitious fishermen became more and more frightened. only kansuke and his son matakichi had sufficient courage to go fishing. on their return journey they reached the rock island, and were drawing in their line when kansuke lost his balance and fell into the sea.

though old kansuke was a good swimmer, he went down like a stone and did not rise to the surface. matakichi, deeming this strange, dived into the water, almost blinded by the mysterious rays we have already described. when he at length reached the bottom he discovered innumerable awabi (ear-shells), and in the middle of the group one of vast size. from all these shells there poured forth a brilliant light, and though it was like day under the water, matakichi could find no trace of his father. eventually he was forced to rise to the surface, only to find that the rough sea had broken his boat. however, scrambling upon a piece of wreckage, with the aid of a favourable wind and current he at last reached the shore of nanao, and gave the villagers an account of his remarkable adventure, and of the loss of his old father.

matakichi, grieving sorely over the death of his parent, went to the old village priest and begged that worthy that he would make him one of his disciples in order that he might pray the more efficaciously for the[pg 341] spirit of his father. the priest readily consented, and about three weeks later they took boat to the rock island, where both prayed ardently for the soul of kansuke.

that night the old priest awoke with a start and saw an ancient man standing by his bedside. with a profound bow the stranger thus spoke: "i am the spirit of the great awabi, and i am more than one thousand years old. i live in the sea near the rock island, and this morning i heard you praying for the soul of kansuke. alas! good priest, your prayers have deeply moved me, but in shame and sorrow i confess that i ate kansuke. i have bade my followers depart elsewhere, and in order to atone for my sin i shall take my own wretched life, so that the pearl that is within me may be given to matakichi." and having uttered these words, the spirit of the great awabi suddenly disappeared.

when matakichi awoke next morning and opened the shutters he discovered the enormous awabi he had seen near the rock island. he took it to the old priest, who, after listening to his disciple's story, gave an account of his own experience. the great pearl and shell of the awabi were placed in the temple, and the body was reverently buried.

[1] compare "the dream of rosei" in chapter vii.

[2] see the story of korea, by joseph h. longford.

[3] this legend, and those that follow in this chapter, are adapted from ancient tales and folk-lore of japan, by r. gordon smith.