Japanese Myths

I would like to share a few myths and legends of Japan in this space.

My Lord Bag of Rice:

Long ago, in Japan, there lived a brave warrior known to all as Tawara Toda, or 'My Lord Bag of Rice'. His true name was Fujiwara Hidesato, and this is the story of how his name changed.

One day he went out in search of adventures because he had the heart of a warrior and couldn't bear to be idle. So he buckled on his two swords, took his huge bow (which was much taller than himself) and slinging his quiver on his back he went out. He hadn't gone far when he came to the bridge of Seat-no-Karashi spanning one end of the beautiful Lake Biwa. No sooner had he set foot on the bridge than he say lying right across his path a huge serpent-dragon. It was so big that it looked like the trunk of a large pine and took up the width of the whole bridge. One of its claws rested against the parapet of one side of the bridge, while its tail laid against the other. The dragon appeared to be asleep, and as it exhaled fire and smoke came out of its nostrils.

At first Hidesato couldn't help but be worried at this sight because he had to either turn around and find another way to go or climb over the dragon. He was brave however and so he climbed on top of the dragon to cross the bridge.

He had only gone a few steps when he heard someone calling him from behind him. When he turned around he saw a strange looking man bowing at him instead of the dragon. The man had long red hair that went past his shoulders and had a crown upon his head which was shaped like a dragon's head and a sea green dress that had shell patterns on it. He knew at once this was no ordinary man and wondered what had happened to the dragon. However he came up to the man and asked,
'Was it you that called me just now?'
'Yes, it was I,' answered the man:'I have an earnest request to make to you. Do you think you can grant it to me?'
'If it is in my power to do so I will,' answered Hidesato, ;but first tell me who you are?'
'I am the Dragon King of the Lake, and my home is in these waters just under this bridge.'
'And what is it you have to ask of me?' said Hidesato.
'I want you to kill my mortal enemy the centipede, who lives on the high mountain beyond,' and the Dragon King pointed to a high peak on the opposite shore of the lake.
'I have lived now for many years in this lake and I have a large family of many children and grandchildren. For some time past we have lived in terror, for a monster centipede has discovered our home, and night after night it comes and carries off one of my family. I am powerless to save them. If it goes on much longer like this, not only shall I lose all my children, but I myself must fall a victim to the monster. I am, therefore, very unhappy, and in my extremity I determined to ask the help of a human being. For many days with this intention I have waited on the bridge in the shape of the horrible serpent-dragon that you saw, in the hope that some strong brave man would come along. But all who came this way, as soon as they saw me were terrified and ran away as fast as they could. You are the first man I have found able to look at me without fear, so I knew at once that you were a man of great courage. I beg you to have pity on me. Will you not help me and kill my enemy the centipede?'

Hidesato felt very sorry for the Dragon Kin on hearing his story, and quickly promised to do whatever he could to help the man. The warrior asked where the centipede lived so that he could dispatch it as soon as possible. The Dragon King replied that its home was on mount Mikami, but that it came at a certain hour every night to the palace of the lake so it could lay in wait to kill them. And so Hidesato went with the Dragon King to the palace under the bridge. As he went the waters parted for him and the Dragon King to pass and his clothes did not get wet at all. When Hidesato saw the Dragon King's palace he was struck by its beauty and goldfishes, red carp, and silvery trout waited upon the two men.

Hidesato was astonished at the feast that was spread for him. The dishes were made of crystallized lotus leaves and flowers, and the chopsticks of the rarest ebony. As soon as they sat down the sliding doors opened and 10 goldfish dancers came out and behind them ten red carp musicians with the koto and the samisen. The hours flew by until midnight and be music and dancing had banished all thoughts of the centipede. The Dragon King was about to toast the warrior when the palace was suddenly shaken by what sounded like a mighty army had begun to march not far off.

Hidesato and his host rose to their feet and went to the balcony, where they saw on the opposite mountain two great balls of fire coming nearer and nearer. The Dragon King stood near the warrior trembling in fear.
'The centipede! The centipede! Those two balls of fire are its eyes. It is coming for its prey! Now is the time to kill it.;

Hidesato looked where his host pointed, and, in the dim light he saw the rest of the centipede which was winding around the mountains.

Hidesato showed not a sign of fear and he tried to calm the Dragon King.
'Don't be afraid. I shall surely kill the centipede. Just bring me my bow and arros.'

The Dragon King did as he was asked and the warrior saw he only had 3 arrows left. He took careful aim and let fly an arrow. The arrow hit the centipede in the middle of his forehead, but it glanced harmlessly off the creature.

Undaunted, Hidesato took another arrow and let lose another arrow that hit the same place, with the same result as before. The Dragon King saw that even the brave warrior's arrows were powerless against the centipede and so he began to tremble with fear.

The warrior knew he only had one arrow left and if this one failed he would fail in killing the centipede. Meanwhile the centipede was still coming on strong.

Then suddenly the warrior remembered hearing that human saliva was deadly to centipedes, but seeing as this was no ordinary centipede he wasn't sure if it would work. He took his last arrow and put the end of it in his mouth, then took aim and let it fly.

This time the arrow hit the centipede in the same place as the others, but instead of bouncing off as before it struck home in the creature's brain and killed it. The wind picked up and a storm started up which shook the palace and frightened the Dragon King and his servants and family. After the night was over the day dawned.

Then Hidesato called to the Dragon King to come out with him on the balcony because now that the centipede was dead there is nothing to fear anymore.

All the inhabitants of the palace came out with joy and he pointed to the body of the centipede which lay in the lake. The Dragon King was very joyous at this and all his family came forward and bowed before the warrior, showering him with much praise for killing the centipede.

Another feast was prepared and this one was more sumptuous than the first. There was fish prepared in every way you can think of and they were served on coral trays and crystal dishes and the wine was the best Hidesato had ever tasted. The whole lake glittered like a diamond and the palace was a thousand times more beautiful in the light of day.

His host tried to persuade him to remain a few more days, however Hidesato insisted on going home as he had done what he had set out to do. This made the Dragon King and his family very sorry but since he was leaving they begged him to take a few small gives with him as token of their gratitude for delivering them from the centipede.

As the warrior stood waiting to leave, a train of fish turned into a retinue of men, all wearing ceremonial robes and dragon's crowns to show they were servants of the Dragon King. The presents that they carried were a large bronze bell, a bag of rice, a roll of silk, and a cooking pot.

Hidesato did not want all these gifts, however because the Dragon King insisted he could not refuse.

The Dragon King himself went with the warrior as far as the bridge and then took leave of him with many bows and good wishes, leaving the train of servants to accompany the warrior.

The household and servants of the warrior had been very concerned when they found he had not returned the night before, but they assuaged their fears and waited for his return. When they saw their master approaching they told the whole household and as the procession approached they wondered what had occurred.

As soon as the Dragon King's retainers pot the presents down they disappeared and Hidesato told all that had happened.

The gifts that he had gotten were found to be magical. The bell only was ordinary and as Hidesato had no use for it he gave it to a temple nearby. The single bag of rice always was full, no matter how much was taken from the bag. The roll of silk never grew shorter though it was used to make the warrior a new suit of clothes every year. The cooking pot cooked deliciously whatever was wanted without any firing.

The fame of Hidesato's fortune spread far and wide, and as there was no need for him to spend money on silk, rice, or firing he became very rich and prosperous and was from then on called My Lord Bag of Rice.

Ashley, Michael. The Giant Book of Myths and Legends . New York: Barnes & Noble Bks., 1995. Print.

Yuki-Onna:

In a village of Musashi Province, there lived two woodcutters: Mosaku and Minokichi. Mosaku was an old man, and his apprentice, Minokichi was 18 years old. Every day they went together to a forest aboout 5 miles away to cut wood. On the way to the forest there was a wide river they had to cross and there was a ferryboat that went across it that was the only means for transportation across as the river swept away any bridges that were built to cross it.

One very cold evening the two men were on their home and a snowstorm overtook them. When they reached the ferry they found that the ferrymen had left for the day and his boat was on the other side of the river, so they chose to stay in the ferryman's hut for the night. Unfortunately they couldn't make a fire because of how the hut was constructed so they covered themselves in their straw raincoats and laid down to wait out the storm.

The old man fell asleep right away, but the boy stayed up listening to the wind, and soon it grew colder and colder outside and within the hut until at last the boy fell asleep as well.

Suddenly the boy was awakened by a showering of snow in his face as the door of the hut had been forced open by a woman all in white. She was bent over Mosaku, and blew her breath on him that appeared as bright white smoke. She turned to Minokichi and stooped over him as well. Minokichi tried to cry out or make any sound, however he found he couldn't. The very beautiful woman bent down until her face almost touched him, and when he looked in her eyes he felt a strike of fear. She continued to look at him for a time, then smiled and said to him

'I intended to treat you like the other man. But I cannot help feeling some pity for you because you are so young...You are a pretty boy, Minokichi; and I will not hurt you now. But if you ever tell anybody-even your own mother-about what you have seen this night I shall know it; and then I will kill you...Remember what I say!'

With these words she turned around and went through the doorway. After he found he could move again he went to look out to see where the woman had gone, but he couldn't see any sign of her and snow was coming into the hut fast, so he closed the door and pushed wood up against it to hold it closed. At first he thought the whole thing had been but a dream, however shortly afterwards he called to Mosaku and found that the man had frozen to death.

The morning after the incident Minokichi was found senseless beside Mosaku. He was cared for and shortly came to himself, but he never told anyone what had occurred that night at the hut. He returned to his job as a woodcutter however.

One evening in the following winter he came upon a girl as he was traveling. She was a tall, slim girl, very pretty, and she answered Minokichi's greeting in a voice as pleasant as the voice of a song bird. As they walked they began to talk to each other. This is how Minokichi learned that the girl's name was O-Yuki, that she had recently lost both of her parents, and that she was going to Yedo where she had some poor relations that might help her find work as a servant. Minokichi soon felt charmed by this strange young woman and each time he looked at her she appeared more beautiful than the last. He inquired whether she was yet betrothed, and she said no, then asked him, to which he also said no as he was still young. After this they continued walking for a while, but their eyes said it all.

By the time they reached the village both of them were attracted to the other, and Minokichi asked O_Yuki if she'd rest for a while before moving on to Yedo. She agreed after some hesitation due to shyness, and she met Minokichi's mother this way. His mother approved of this young girl very much and so persuaded her to delay her journey to Yedo, which eventually became a permanent delay as she married Minokichi.

O-Yuki proved to be a very good daughter-in-law, so much so that when Minokichi's mother died her last words were praise and affection for the girl. O-Yuki bore Minokichi ten children (both sons and daughters), all of them handsome and very fair skinned.

All the villagers thought her wonderful, although different from themselves. She didn't age as the other peasant women did; she always looked as she did when she first came to the village.

Then one night, when the children were all asleep, O-Yuki was sitting sewing by the light of a paper lamp when Minokichi suddenly said to her,

'To see you sewing there, makes me think of a strange thing that happened when I was a lad of 18. I saw someone as beautiful and white as you are now-indeed you two are very similar.'

She replied 'Tell me about her...Where did you see her?'

Monikichi told her all about what had occurred that night in the ferryman's hut. And he said:

'Asleep or awake, that was the only time I saw a being as beautiful as you. Of course, she was not a human being; and I was afraid of her-very much afraid-but she was so white!...Indeed, I have never been sure whether it was a dream I saw or the Woman of the Snow.'

O-Yuki flung down her sewing, and rose, bowed above where Minokichi sat, and shrieked at him:

'It was I-I-I! Yuki it was! And I told you then that I would kill you if you ever said one word about it!...But for those children asleep there, I would kill you this moment! And now you had better take very, very good care for them; for if ever they have reason to complain of you, I will treat you as you deserve!'

As she screamed her voice became thinner and thinner, like a cry of wind, then she melted into a bright white mist that spired to the roof and shuddered away through the smoke hole...and she was never seen again.

Ashley, Michael. The Giant Book of Myths and Legends New York: Barnes & Noble Bks., 1995. Print.

Thank you for contributing this tid bit, though it would be nice to read some of your own thoughts on this subject.
Japanese Mythology is a rare topic to be had, I like the variety it's sure to bring.

I used to be to very interested in the Japanese culture, it is filled with specific traditions that often seem quite odd to people here in North America (one reason I loved it so much).
Regarding though, the spirituality the Japanese culture contains is fascinating, especially when it gets into religious views.

Well Zea, the first myth, My Lord Bag of Rice, teaches one that bravery is rewarded. Bravery is not feeling a lack of fear, rather it is pushing through that fear to do what one needs to do, what one feels one must.

This myth also teaches to help those who are in need and you will be rewarded. When someone comes and asks for help these days they are often turned away with "I'm too busy", "I don't know you" or a straight up "go away". This is not how things should be done, however this is so. People in this world can help each other if they all lend a hand, as many have said before "what goes around comes around", and so what you give into the world may one day come back to you. Because of this we should help one another out, not with the intend of getting something back, but with the genuine interest of helping each other out because you can, because you are needed.

Within the second myth, Yuki-Onna, the lesson is about keeping the promises you have made and secrets you have been asked to keep, regardless of who you are speaking to and how much time passes. This is an important thing to remember as secrets are best kept secret. That being said oftentimes people tell others' secrets to their friends and thereby break trust. Even if the breach of trust does not get back to the individual you made a promise with your guilt may well weigh on you, forcing you into an unfavorable outcome. That being said many people cannot keep secrets, usually for one of two reasons; the first is they simply cannot keep their mouths shut and so feel the need to tell everyone everything, and the second is because they secretly wish the news to get out about so-and-so.

While I do agree with the need to keep secrets, I also recognize that often keeping a secret will do more harm than good, and so the individual should choose what the best course of action is when they hear a secret.

As for the promise part of the story, promises should almost always be kept in my opinion. In this case it depends on which promise is greater. If you swear loyalty to your leader, to do whatever it is he asks of you, then he asks you to kill your family, which do you choose? The murder of the one's you love and have promised yourself to protect, or the disobedience of the leader's command? To me this is a simple choice as I put my promises to my friends and family above all else, however to another it may be different.

I'm assuming these myths are from Feudal Japan in the early millennium...
In which case the answer in that perspective would be slightly different from an answer of today's typical person.
As in now, leaders aren't too often worthy of the faith it takes to agree to something like that. Now, there is always a fine print, if you will.

Regarding the other lessons to be taught, I most definitely agree with them. The value in morals is a top priority to me, and always has been. Japanese culture and apparently their mythology teaches the kind of values I cherish.

Again I thank you for reminding me as to why I love this subject.

That is true about the leaders Zea, however if there was a leader I stood behind to the degree that I would swear loyalty then I would swear it gladly. These days there are few that you would swear loyalty to at all, including those in your family unfortunately.