Japanese Fairy TalesA collection of 20 fairy tales from Japan including "Chin-Chin Kobakama," "The Serpent with Eight Heads," and "The Tea-Kettle." |
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Common terms and phrases
acolyte afraid asked Autumn beautiful began bowl brave bright bright eyes cats Centipede child Chin-chin Kobakama cried crying daimyo dance daugh daughter dead dear devils door Dragon dress eighty-first brother eyes face fairies fell fisherman Fizō floor-mats goblin goblin-spiders gods Green Willow grew hakama hand happy hare head holy husband Japan Japanese Jelly-Fish kettle Kioto lady LAFCADIO HEARN laughed lived Long-haired maiden looked Lord of Noto maid mats millet dumpling mirror Mistress Tassel Monkey moon morning mother mountain never night novices O'Yoné Ogres old father old woman once peach phantom cats pheasant poor pretty priest Princess red dawn rice saké samisen samurai says Momotaro says the tea-kettle says the tinker servants Shippeitarō sleep sleeve sleeve-linings soon sparrow strange Susa sweet sword tell temple thing thought told Tomodata took Urashima wife Yedo young warrior
Popular passages
Page 25 - So the old woman put just one rice-grain into the pot, as the oni told her, and began to stir it with the paddle; and, as she stirred, the one grain became two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, and so on. Every time she moved the paddle the rice increased in quantity, and in a few minutes the great pot was full. After that, the funny old woman stayed a long time in the house of the oni, and every day cooked food for him and for all his friends. The oni never hurt or frightened...
Page 54 - ALONG, long time ago, there lived in a quiet spot, a young man and his wife. They had one child, a little daughter, whom they both loved with all their hearts. I cannot tell you their names, for they have been long since forgotten, but the name of the place where they lived was Matsuyama, in the province of Echigo.
Page 57 - ... that everybody loved her. Mindful of her own little passing vanity on finding herself so lovely, the mother kept the mirror carefully hidden away, fearing that the use of it might breed a spirit of pride in her little girl. She never spoke of it, and as for the father, he had forgotten all about it. So it happened that the daughter grew up as simple as the mother had been, and knew nothing of her own good looks, or of the mirror which would have reflected them. But by and by a terrible misfortune...
Page 55 - You may fancy how glad this good wife was to see him come home safe and sound, and how the little girl clapped her hands, and laughed with delight when she saw the pretty toys her father had brought for her. He had much to tell of all the wonderful things he had seen upon the journey, and in the town itself. " I have brought you a very pretty thing," said he to his wife: •• it is called a mirror. Look and tell me what you see inside.
Page 34 - He painted a great many cats upon the screens, and then he began to feel very, very sleepy. He was just on the point of lying down to sleep beside one of the screens, when he suddenly remembered the words, "Avoid large places — keep to small!" The temple was very large; he was all alone; and as he thought of these words — though he could not quite understand them — he began to feel for the first time a little afraid. And he resolved to look for a small place in which to sleep. He found a little...
Page 54 - It happened once, while the little girl was still a baby, that the father was obliged to go to the great city, the capital of Japan, upon some business. It was too far for the mother and her little baby to go, so he set out alone, after bidding them good-by, and promising to bring them home some pretty present. The mother had never been...
Page 66 - ... ever after to gain the victory over all his enemies. The third was a suit of armor which no arrow could penetrate. The fourth was a roll of silk, which never grew smaller, though he cut off large pieces from time to time to make himself a new court dress. The fifth was a bag of rice, which, though he took from it day after day for meals for himself, his family, and his trusty retainers, never got exhausted as long as he lived. And it was from this fifth and last present that he took his name...
Page 35 - ... through a chink of the little cabinet: he lay very still, holding his breath for fright. The light that had been in the temple went out; but the awful sounds continued, and became more awful, and all the temple shook. After a long time silence came; but the boy was still afraid to move. He did not move until the light of the morning sun shone into the cabinet through the chinks of the little door. Then he got out of his hiding-place very cautiously, and looked about. The first thing he saw was...
Page 44 - Let you and me compete, and compute the numbers of our respective tribes. So do you go and fetch every member of your tribe, and make them all lie in a row across from this island to Cape Keta. Then I will tread on them, and count them as I run across. Hereby shall we know whether it or my tribe is the larger.
Page 58 - When she found that she must so soon leave her husband and child, the poor woman felt very sorrowful, grieving for those she was going to leave behind, and most of all for her little daughter. She called the girl to her and said, "My darling child, you know that I am very sick; soon I must die, and leave your dear father and you alone. When I am gone, promise me that you will look into this mirror every night and every morning. There you will see me, and know that I am still watching over you.