Japanese Tales

by Royall Tyler

Overview

Two hundred and twenty tales from medieval Japan—tales that welcome us into a fabulous faraway world populated by saints, scoundrels, ghosts, magical healers, and a vast assortment of deities and demons. Stories of miracles, visions of hell, jokes, fables, and legends, these tales reflect the Japanese civilization. They ably balance the lyrical and the dramatic, the ribald and the profound, offering a window into a long-vanished culture.

With black-and-white illustrations throughout
Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375714511
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/13/2002
Series:	Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library Series
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	119,585
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.17(h) x 1.06(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

ROYALL TYLER has taught Japanese language and culture at many universities, including Harvard, the Australian National University, the University of Oslo, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Australia.

Read an Excerpt

35.
THE INVINCIBLE PAIR
 
In Sanuki province there still is a large body of water named Mano Pond that Kōbō Daishi made out of kindness toward the people who live nearby. It is so big, and the dikes around it are so high, that it looks more like a lake than a pond. Its deep waters harbor countless fish great and small, and at the bottom there once lived a dragon.
 
One day this dragon came out of the water to sun himself, and slithered around on an isolated section of the dike in the shape of a little snake. Just then the tengu of Mount Hira, far off in Ōmi province, flew over in the form of a kite. He dove at the little snake, caught him in his talons, and soared up again into the sky.
 
A dragon is, of course, immensely strong, but this one had been taken so suddenly that all he could do was hand in the tengu’s claws. The tengu for his part meant to crush the snake and eat him, but that turned out to be impossible since, after all, it was a mighty dragon he had seized and no weakling serpent. Not knowing quite what else to do, the tengu took the dragon back to his lair on Mount Hira and stuffed him into a hole in the rocks so small that the dragon could hardly move. The poor dragon was miserable. Not having a drop of water he could not fly away, and for several days he lay there waiting to die.
 
Meanwhile the tengu was planning a little foray to Mount Hiei to catch himself a nice fat monk. That night he perched in a tall tree and kept his eyes on the dormitory across the valley on the side of the hill. A monk came out on the veranda to relieve himself. When he picked up the water jar to wash his hands, the tengu pounced, seized him, and carried him off to Mount Hira, where he stuffed him into the hole with the dragon. The terrified monk thought he was done for, but the tengu went off again.
 
From out of the darkness a voice asked, “Who are you? Where did you come from?” The monk explained what had happened—so suddenly that he still had his water jar—and asked who had spoken. The dragon introduced himself and told his own story. “It’s very tight in this hile, you know,” he groaned, “but I can’t fly away because I haven’t a drop of water!”
 
“Maybe there’s some left in this jar,” suggested the monk.
 
“Oh, how wonderful! What luck you’re here! If there is, I can save us both. I’ll take you back home!”
 
With joyous anticipation the monk turned the jar upside down over the dragon and a drop of water fell out. The dragon was wet.
 
“All right,” said the dragon, “don’t be afraid. Just close your eyes and sit on my back. I’ll never forget what I owe you.”
 
The dragon turned into a small boy, took the monk on his back, smashed the rock walls of their hole, and burst forth amid thunderclaps and bolts of lightning. Huge clouds gathered in the sky and heavy rain fell. The monk was frightened but trusted the dragon enough to hang on. He was deposited instantly right where he had started, on the veranda of his dormitory on Mount Hiei. The dragon flew off.
 
With all the crashing and roaring, the other residents of the dormitory were sure that any second a bolt would destroy them.  Then suddenly the thunder stopped and blackness fell. When the sky cleared, they discovered their colleague who had vanished the other night, and he answered their astonished questions by telling them his story.
 
The dragon pursued the tengu everywhere in search of revenge. At last when the tengu was cruising the streets of the Capital, disguised as a warrior-monk soliciting donations for his temple, the dragon swooped down and killed him with one blow. Suddenly the tengu was a kestrel with a broken wing, and he was trampled underfoot by the passersby.
 
On Mount Hiei the monk repaid his debt by reading the sutras faithfully on behalf of his friend the dragon. Each had saved the other’s life—surely the result of a deep karmic bond between them in lives gone by.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvi
 
A NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION xvii
 
INTRODUCTION xix
 
OAK, MELON, GOURD, ANGEL, FLEA
1. The Giant Oak 3
2. Melon Magic 3
3. The Sparrow’s Gifts 4
4. The Maiden from the Sky 7
5. The Flea 9
 
SURPRISES
6. The Little Spider 9
7. A Flash in the Palace 10
8. Salt Fish and Doctored Wine 10
9. The Tapeworm’s Bad End 14
10. A Toad to Reckon With 15
 
HAUNTS
11. Better Late Than Early 16
12. The Ravenous Storehouse 17
13. The Grisly Box 18
14. The Bridge 19
15. The Rooted Corpse 22
16. An Old, Old Ghost 23
 
MONK JOKES
17. Syrup 24
18. Not Quite the Right Robe 25
19. The Nose 25
20. Two Buckets of Marital Bliss 27
21. Home in a Chest 29
 
BUDDHIST BEGINNINGS
22. The Emperor’s Finger 30
23. Japan’s Finest Gold 31
24. Gyōgi and Baramon 33
25. The Old Mackerel Peddler 34
26. Kōbō Daishi 35
27. The Kannon in the Pine 37
 
GODS
28. Very Kind of Him, No Doubt 38
29. The Dog and His Wife 39
30. An Old God Renewed 40
31. Come to My Kasuga Mountain! 42
32. Princess Glory 46
 
TENGU AND DRAGONS
33. The Murmuring of the Sea 47
34. Japan Means Trouble! 48
35. The Invincible Pair 52
36. Rain 53
37. No Dragon 55
 
PURE HEARTS
38. Things As They Are 56
39. The Portrait 57
40. What the Beans Were Saying 57
41. Mercy 58
42. Among the Flowers 59
 
MUSIC AND DANCE
43. For Love of Song 60
44. Three Angels 61
45. Give Me Music! 61
46. The Weight of Tradition 62
47. The God of Good Fortune 63
48. Divine Applause 67
 
MAGIC
49. Bring Back That Ferry! 67
50. The Man-Made Friend 68
51. The Laughing Fit 70
52. Small-Time Magic 72
53. The Little Oil Jar 75
 
THE SEXES
54. A Hard Moment 76
55. A Nice Mug of Molten Copper 77
56. The Little Bottle of Tears 78
57. Elimination 78
58. But She Couldn’t Help It! 81
 
YIN-YANG WIZARDRY
59. The Genie 82
60. One Frog Less 83
61. The Spellbound Pirates 83
62. The Test 84
63. Man’s Best Friend 85
 
ROBBERS
64. Genjō 87
65. The Rashō Gate 88
66. The Selfless Thief 89
67. Authority 90
68. The Wrestler’s Sister 92
69. To Sooth the Savage Breast 93
 
HEALING
70. The Buddha with Lots of Hands 94
71. The Protector Spirit 94
72. The Flying Storehouse 95
73. No Respect 97
74. The Invisible Man 99
 
ESCAPES
75. Dyeing Castle 102
76. Taken In 104
77. The Sacrifice 107
78. The Lure 110
79. Just Like a Bird 113
 
FOXES
80. Enough Is Enough! 114
81. The Loving Fox 115
82. Touched in the Head 116
83. Yam Soup 118
84. The Eviction 122
 
ASCETICS
85. Incense Smoke 124
86. The Blessing 125
87. Another Flying Jar 126
88. The Wizard of the Mountain 127
89. An Awful Fall 130
90. The Ricepoop Saint 131
 
ODDITIES
91. What the Storm Washed In 132
92. Sea Devils 133
93. The Dancing Mountain 134
94. The Best-Laid Plans 135
95. Real Flames at Last! 136
96. The Painted Horse 137
 
GOLDEN PEAK AND THE ŌMINE MOUNTAINS
97. A Model Demon 137
98. The River of Snakes 138
99. The Wine Spring 139
100. Very High in the Mountains 141
101. The God of Fire and Thunder 144
102. The God of Golden Peak 149
 
TURTLES AND A CRAB
103. The Thunder Turtle 150
104. The Catch 151
105. The Grateful Turtle 152
106. Urashima the Fisherman 154
107. The Grateful Crab 156
 
DESIRE
108. Young Lust 157
109. The Pretty Girl 158
110. Mesmerized 159
111. Red Heat 160
112. Lovesick 162
 
PARADISE
113. Gone, Body and Soul 163
114. Paradise in the Palm of the Hand 164
115. No Compromise 165
116. The Failure 168
117. Letters from Paradise 169
118. Not Exactly the Land of Bliss 171
 
TENGU, BOAR, AND BADGER
119. One Last Shower of Petals 172
120. Inspiring, Unfortunately 173
121. No Fool, the Hunter 174
122. The Hairy Arm 176
123. Expert Help 176
 
HEALING
124. Rice Cakes 177
125. A Memorable Empress 178
126. Quite a Stink 181
127. The Master 182
128. A Simple Cure 184
 
LOVE AND LOSS
129. A Beloved Wife, a Bow, a White Bird 185
130. The Unknown Third 186
131. An Image in a Flame 187
132. The Forsaken Lady 188
133. She Died Long Ago 190
134. I Saw It in a Dream 191
 
SNAKES
135. The Snake Charmer 193
136. The Tug-of-War 194
137. As Deep As the Sea 195
138. What the Snake had in Mind 196
139. Red Plum Blossoms 197
 
ROBBERS II
140. The Enigma 199
141. Wasps 200
142. Without Even a Fight 202
143. The Temple Bell 203
144. The Dead Man Wakes 205
145. Cowed 206
 
LOTUS TALES
146. The Bloody Sword 207
147. A Plea from Hell 208
148. The Voice from the Cave 209
149. Incorrigible 211
150. The Pirate’s Story 215
151. A Little Lesson 217
 
BOYS
152. Heroic Patience, Almost 218
153. The Pot-Headed Demon 218
154. Riotous Living 220
155. The Boy Who Laid the Golden Stone 221
156. Cherry Blossoms 224
 
PARADISE II
157. The Thirst for Paradise 224
158. The Chanting Skull 225
159. The Mice Little God Sails Away 226
160. The Unearthly Fragrance 228
161. A Twinge of Regret 229
 
YIN-YANG WIZARDRY II
162. Daddy, Who Were Those People? 230
163. The Curse 231
164. The Harmless Haunt 232
165. In the Nick of Time 233
166. Astride the Corpse 235
 
DEMONS
167. Twinleaf 236
168. No Night to Be Out Courting 237
169. Lump Off, Lump On 239
170. Take a Good Look! 241
 
PLENTY
171. Cherish-the-Aged Spring 242
172. The Bottomless Sack 242
173. The Solid Gold Corpse 244
174. A Fortune from a Wisp of Straw 246
175. “Dog’s Head” Silk 250
 
ODD PATHS TO SALVATION
176. A Very Surprised Bodhisattva 251
177. The Awakening 252
178. The Little God’s Big Chance 258
179. Pious Antics 258
180. The Reprieve 262
 
WATER
181. The Water Spirit 264
182. The Master of Streams and Falls 265
183. The Dragon Cave 266
184. Gold from the Dragon Palace 267
185. The Pond God Takes a Wife 269
 
CLOSED WORLDS
186. The Isle of Man and Maid 270
187. The Snake and the Centipede 271
188. Through the Water Curtain 274
189. Cannibal Island 281
 
HAUNTS II
190. No Nonsense! 282
191. Quite a Bit of Nonsense 283
192. One Mouthful 283
193. Suddenly, Horse Dung 284
194. The Monk in White Armor 285
 
DREAMS
195. Little White Hairs 286
196. The Man Who Stole a Dream 286
197. The Buddha-Ox 287
198. The Falconer’s Dream 290
199. Poverty 292
 
SCARES AND NIGHTMARES
200. The Nightmare 292
201. The Double 294
202. Bewitched 294
203. The Funeral 296
204. The Grinning Face of the Old Woman 297
 
FOXES II
205. Fox Arson 298
206. The Fox’s Bell 299
207. Singed Fur 300
208. Not Really a Tree at All 303
209. The White Fox: Four Dreams 304
 
BEYOND THE RULES
210. The Telltale Fish 305
211. A Taste for Fish 305
212. The Promise 306
213. The Jellyfish’s Bone 307
214. The Stinking Hut 310
 
PARENT AND CHILD
215. Be Good to Your Mother and Father! 312
216. Hell in Broad Day 313
217. The Old Woman on the Mountain 315
218. Mother 316
219. Perilous Gratitude 317
220. The Ugly Son 319
 
SOURCES AND NOTES 321
 
THE WORKS THESE TALES COME FROM 325
 
TALES CLASSIFIED BY SOURCES 327
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 331
 
INDEX 333
 

Editorial Reviews

Few readers who start the book will be able to resist going through to the end.”
—The New York Times

“Enchanting. . . . The stories are variously witty, allegorical, mystical, gross, funny, and enigmatic . . . Tyler provides a helpful introduction, and his poised translations are something of a masterpiece.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“Royall Tyler’s translations are nothing short of superb—crisp, restrained, ably balancing the ribald and the profound. The results make available masterpieces from five centuries of Japanese literature. This book is a stellar addition to Pantheon’s “outstanding folklore series.””
—Booklist
 
“Fresh, imaginative, and uniquely organized . . . told in a style clear, homey, and unpretentious, [they] yield great pleasure.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Translated with exceptional skill, this is a perfect example of scholarship concealing scholarship. Tyler has made these tales read gracefully and effortlessly. He writes in a lively and colloquial style that effectively captures the spirit of the originals without being jarringly modern. This is an important book.”
—Donald Keene, Shincho Professor of Japanese, Columbia University

From the Publisher