Week 7: Reading A
The Two Frogs: Two frogs that lived in two separate places but that have never met somehow got the same idea at the same time. They both wanted to see more of the world so the frog from Osaka wanted to go to Kioto and the frog from Kioto wanted to go to Osaka. They both started on their journey, but they came to a mountain that took them a very long to climb but when they reached the top they saw each other. They decided to take a nice break and they started converting on why they had wanted to take their journeys. They came up with the idea to stand up on their hind legs and hold onto each other to see the towns. This way they did not have to keep traveling. So they both got onto their hind legs and pointed their noses towards opposite towns. They did not realize that their eyes were on the back of their heads. So as long they lived they believed that the two always believed the towns were exactly the same.
The Stonecutter: A Stone cutter went on with his daily work but one day it grew harder and heavier. He wished to be a rich man who did not have to work. Then he heard a voice that said "you're wish id heard." A rich an he became but was quickly unsatisfied and wished to be several other things in process and became even more unhappy with each wish. Finally, on the brink of death and him as rock being cut by a stone cutter he wished to be a man again. When he transformed back into a man he learned to be satisfied with the life that he had as a poor stonecutter. He never wished for anything he didn't't have and was happen to never to hear the mountain spirit again.
The Maiden with a Wooden Helmet: A mother and a father took their daughter and set off into the country because they had lost all of their fortune. Not long after they settled in the country the father had passed and the mother and daughter were broken. The mother and daughter continued to make a living and live the best they could but one day after years had passed the mother got very sick. The mother had died from her illness but right before that her mother gave her daughter all the advice she could give. She also made her a helmet and made her wear it at all times to hide her beauty. After the mother died the daughter went off to find work in order to support herself. She came across a farmer in the country and he allowed her to work for him in the garden and eventually tended to his sick wife. While she was working for the farmer his son returned home and was always fond of her but his family disapproved. The say say the daughter with her helmet tilted one day and decided he wanted to marry her. The daughter bade him off time and time again but one night she saw her mother in her dream and she to her to say yes. So the next time he asked she said yes and they were set to get married. Before the wedding they tried to get her helmet off but it would not budge and she was in pain. She got married with the helmet on but after the wedding and a few drinks the helmet burst off of her head and into pieces of jewels that her mother made the helmet out of. But the people were not amazed by the jewels they were amazed by the girls beauty. They all lived happily ever after.
Then Envious Neighbor: An old couple were poor but living nicely. One day they old man was sitting out in the garden watching his dog but he noticed dust and his dog digging at something but this was not unusual. But when the old man went ti check on it he saw a gold box with treasures. When the old couples neighbor heard of this he requested the old couple to lend him their dog so he could find him treasure. they said no several times but finally gave in to their neighbor. The dog merely found some old bones at the neighbors house so he got angry and killed the dog. The old man retrieved his dog and buried him under their fig tree where the treasure was found. One night he had a dream of his dog telling him to cut down the tree and though he was hesitant at first he cut down the tree. After that he he got mortar that turned into gold pieces. The neighbor heard and requested some of his mortar and they gave him some but his did not turn into gold flakes. The Diamio was coming so in tradition everyone had to bring ashes. The old man did not bow when he was supposed to but he claimed up into a tree and sprinkled his ashes and they turned into blossoms and everyone was so amazed and the prince gave him riches. The neighbor was envious and sprinkled his ashes but it just turned to black and burned everyones eyes so he was sent to prison for a few months and when he got out he was banished.
The Sparrow with the Slit of the Tongue: A man and his greedy and envious wife lived in the forest. One day the man saved a sparrow and decided to keep it as his pet but the woman was so envious and hated the sparrow. So when the man left one day she finally got the opportunity to punish the sparrow. The woman grabbed her broom and swung at the bird several times but it finally escaped and flew out of the door. When the man returned the wife told him what had happened and he was enraged and went off searching for his friend. He searched everyday for several days but had no luck. He went out searching one day and ventured off into a bamboo field where in the middle of it he saw a beautiful garden and house with a maiden outside. The maiden invited him in and was excited that her old friend had found her and she explained to him that she was the sparrow. In gratitude for the man saving her life she gave him the choice to choose between a small and a large chest. The man chose the small chest and started home. When he returned home the wife was so angry and interrogated him. He showed her the chest and opened it and it was heaping with jewels and he told her that he had found his old friend and what had happened. She was enraged again and went to the maiden's house to obtain the other chest because she felt that she deserved it. The wife carried the large chest all the way home and when she opened the chest it was full of venomous snakes that inject poison into her veins. She died and no man was upset.
Bibliography: Japanese Fairytale, Andrew Lang, Un-Textbook
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