Legends of Japan (5 page)

11. The ogre's horses

L
ONG, LONG AGO
, a company of three Buddhist
priests were going about the country for the practice of Buddhistic austerities. They wore black robes and big straw hats and carried canes and small bells. Ringing the bells, they visited from door to door to offer prayers. In return for this service, they received alms. When night fell, they slept in the open air or asked for a night's lodging.

After they made the rounds of the mainland, they went across the sea to Shikoku Island and visited villages on the seashore.

One day they took the wrong way and found themselves in mountains. They thought that as they had been traveling along the coastline to their right, they would come out on the seashore if they continued. So they went to the right, but they only went deeper into the mountains. The sun had already set and it was dark all around. And they became very hungry.

The priests still kept walking because they thought they would be eaten up by wolves if they should sleep under the stars. As they went farther they saw a light in the distance and went straight to it. After some time they found themselves in front of an old house. They immediately asked for admission, but no answer came. Silence prevailed all about the place, and the priests felt uneasy, imagining that the house might be inhabited by man-eating monsters. But they were so tired that they had no choice but to ask for lodging there that night.

Knocking on the door, they asked for admission again. This time a big voice answered and an old priest about sixty years old stuck out his head. They were stunned to see this priest, who had black sparkling eyes, a big mouth and hands, and looked grim enough to eat them up in a moment.

"Do come in and rest yourselves," said the old priest kindly.

The three priests were shown into the drawing room, where a fire was burning in the hearth. The old priest prepared a meal for them, and since they were so hungry they ate it all greedily. After they finished the meal, the host called in his servant, who looked even grimmer than the master.

"We have three guests tonight, so bring 'them' here," said the old priest. Then the servant grinned and retired to the next room.

"What are 'them'?" asked one priest.

"What is he going to do with 'them'?" asked another.

The three priests waited restlessly to see what was going to take place in the room. The servant soon came back with a whip and horse bridles. They wondered what he would use them for.

"Let us begin at once," the old priest said.

"Which one shall we start with, Master?" asked the servant.

"Any one you like," the master replied.

Then the servant picked up one of the three visitors and threw him out into the garden. The other two priests were amazed at his giant strength and fearfully watched what he was going to do with their fellow priest. The servant immediately started whipping him. "Oh! Help me!" the victim cried. The priest was whipped as many as fifty times and his screams finally became almost inaudible. The monstrous servant then took off the priest's kimono and whipped his naked body another fifty times, and he fainted.

"That's enough. Pick him up!" the master said. When the servant tried to pull up the fainted one, the priest suddenly rose to his feet neighing. And lo! He was now turned into a fine horse and shook his head several times, pawing the ground with his hoof. The other priests were astonished to see him. Then the servant put the bridle on him and led him away to the stable.

"The host is a monster. We shall soon be turned into horses. What shall we do?" the two priests thought.

The servant soon came back and resumed his peculiar work on the second priest, who was also turned into a horse and led away to the stable. Now, the third priest earnestly prayed to Buddha for help.

When the servant came back again from the stable, the master told him to stop for a while and they retired to the next room for a rest. They bade the third one to stay where he was. The survivor now had to find some way to escape from the devil's house. The next moment, however, a big voice came saying, "You are staying where you are?" The priest immediately answered the voice. Again the voice said, "Go and see if the paddy fields behind the house are filled with water."

The priest could not understand why the voice had asked such a queer question, but he immediately examined the fields. After some time he heard snores which were as loud as thunder.

"Now is the time to escape. Oh, Hotoke-sama, please protect me from the monsters," he prayed. He stole cautiously out of the house and ran as fast as he could. After running for some time he saw a lighted house in the distance and went straight toward it.

When he came near the house he found someone standing in front of it. He instinctively thought that the house might also be a monster's den. But as he tried to run away, someone suddenly called him. It was a woman.

"Who are you?"

"I am an itinerant priest. I have just come from an ogre's house where my friends were turned into horses," the priest said.

The woman kindly showed him into her house and asked if the ogre had told him to examine the paddy fields. The priest was surprised at her question and replied yes. Then she told him that the ogre had intended to bury him alive in the fields. She added that the ogre was none other than her father, and she promised that she would be glad to help him escape from the danger. Then the woman advised him to seek shelter at her sister's and wrote a letter of introduction to her.

With that, the priest visited her sister. But, before long, there was someone knocking on the door, and the woman told him to hide quickly in a closet. Then he heard a big voice telling her to open the door. The priest in the closet trembled with fear, for the door was soon opened and someone came into the house.

"Did the bonze come here?"

It was the ogre's voice. He talked with the woman for some time and then went away. She opened the closet and told the priest to run as far away as possible.

"You are the only person to escape from the ogre. You are very lucky," the woman said.

The priest, who deeply appreciated her kindness, immediately left for the human world.

12. The dragon king's palace

L
ONG, LONG AGO
, in the capital, there lived a young
samurai, whose name still remains unknown— probably because he was an insignificant samurai. This samurai was a pious man. On the eighteenth day of each month, which was the day of worshiping Kannon, he abstained from animal food and visited the Buddhist temples in the capital.

One day when he was on his way to a temple on the eastern outskirts of the capital, he came across an old man carrying a cane. He saw a little snake hanging from the end of this man's cane, and the snake was moving its body.

"Where are you going, old man?" asked the young samurai.

"To the capital, sir," replied the old man.

"Why are you carrying the snake?"

"I have a particular reason."

"Couldn't you set it free? Today is Kannon's day, so it is a sin to kill an animal on such a day."

"Though I don't want to kill the snake, I have to do it to earn my living. I think Kannon-sama will forgive my sin."

"What do you use the snake for?" asked the samurai.

"I need the snake's grease in making maces. I make my living by selling maces."

"Oh, I see. Then how about exchanging your snake for my outer kimono?"

The old man gladly accepted the samurai's offer and they immediately exchanged their goods.

As the young man was about to go, the old man told him that he had caught the snake in a pond a little way off. So the samurai at once went to the pond and released the snake in the water. Then he resumed his pilgrimage to the Buddhist temple. As he went some distance from the pond, he met a pretty girl about twelve years old.

"Why is a girl at such a lonely place?" he wondered.

"Hello!" she said. "I was waiting for you here."

"For what?"

"To say thank you. Because you saved my life. My parents also want to express their gratitude to you, so I am here to take you to them."

The samurai now realized that the girl was the little snake he had saved. The girl at once led him back to the pond, where she asked him to wait for her for a time. And behold! Suddenly she vanished into the pond.

But soon she reappeared and told him to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in front of the big gate of a magnificent castle. The girl immediately showed him into the castle, and he was surprised to see all rooms and halls studded with jewels. It was like a fairyland.

Soon an old man of dignity, about seventy years of age, with a long white beard, appeared before him and showed him into the most gorgeous chamber, where he thanked the young man for his kindness in saving his daughter's life. He said that although he had always told her not to play in the pond, she would not heed his warning and at last was caught.

The old man and his family entertained him handsomely with all kinds of delicacies. He said, "I am the Dragon King. I wish to present you with a treasure in return for your kindness." So saying, he took a piece of golden rice cake out of the treasure box. He divided it
in
two and gave one piece to the samurai. He said, "Whenever you need money, you break it and use a part of it. You will never be out of money."

The samurai accepted his gift thankfully and bade farewell to the Dragon King. The girl accompanied him to the front gate and told him to close his eyes again. When he opened them, he found himself standing by the pond. She again thanked him and disappeared into the water.

Back in the capital, he used the golden rice cake, which, though he broke it, soon attained its original size. Before long, he became a rich man.

After his death, however, this treasure mysteriously vanished, so it was not handed down to posterity.

13. The bishop's kick

L
ONG, LONG AGO
, there lived in Kyoto an old
bishop named Kancho. He was the chief priest of Ninna-ji Temple. A man of noble origin, he was highly learned, virtuous, and also quite vigorous.

Once Kancho had some parts of the temple structure repaired. Many men worked very hard every day on scaffoldings and ladders. Kancho sometimes went his rounds to inspect the work. One evening, after all the workers had gone home, he came out alone to the site. He walked around the place for a while, and when he was going back to his quarters, there suddenly stood in his way a man dressed in black with a black hood. As it was already dark, Kancho could not tell who this man was.

"Who is this?" Kancho asked calmly. The strange man replied threateningly:

"Heh! heh! As you see, I am a pauper. I want your fine kimono, and so I am here before your very eyes."

He seemed to have a drawn sword behind his back. Kancho, however, was not surprised at all. Still very calm, he said, "So you are a pauper? Poor fellow! But don't you know how to beg for mercy? Such impoliteness! I shall have to mend your ways." No sooner had he uttered the words than he kicked the man with crushing force.

The man had no time to express his surprise at Kancho's quick action and the next moment he disappeared up into the air. Kancho, wondering where the man had gone, went back to his quarters, called together his acolytes, and told them the story. At that, the acolytes got excited and ran out to catch the shameless fellow, each armed
with a club
and a lantern. They searched for the
robber all
over the place, but in vain.

"There
he is!" one of them cried suddenly,
pointing
his finger upward. They all looked up, and lo! High up, on the top of the scaffoldings, was hanging something that looked like a human being. They all immediately ran up to the spot, and found the robber dangling from a bar there. He was insensible and had bruises on his body.

The acolytes took him off the bar and angrily dragged him down to the ground. When hauled before the bishop, the robber was very humble.

"You, black gentleman," addressed Kancho tenderly, "remember forever that your unwise attempt to assault me has made you smart for it! Be a good man from now on."

With that, Kancho quickly took off his warm kimono and gave it to the robber. The acolytes watched amazed at all that their master did. The robber, gratefully received the kimono and disappeared into the darkness.

This story of Kancho's mercy was handed down to posterity at Ninna-ji Temple. Those who later heard it were surprised at the bishop's great strength in having kicked a robber high up into the sky. They were sure that the robber, in falling, must have been caught by a bar of the scaffolding. It is said that the many vigorous priests of this temple in later days must surely be successors of Kancho.