Week 7 Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki), Part A

Part A of Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki) in the Un-Textbook contains three different stories: My Lord Bag of Rice, The Adventures of Kintaro, and The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die. My storybook project is solely focused on Kintaro, so for these reading notes I will ignore the other two for the purpose of taking longer and more detailed notes on Kintaro.

Image Source.
Kintaro and his Mother

Long ago there was once a brave soldier named Kintoki who married a beautiful lady. His friends turned on him and his wife fled to Mount Ashigara, where she later gave birth to Kintaro. 

Kintaro grew up to be extremely strong. Living in the mountains, he'd chop down trees with local woodcutters as an 8 year old boy. He learned to talk to animals and utilize them as servants; he was fond of the monkey, deer, hare, and one bear whose back he'd ride on and whose cubs he'd play with. One day, Kintaro and these animals decide to set up a wrestling match in the woods.

Image Source. Kintaro hitches
a ride on his friend the bear

The monkey and the hare wrestle first. The hare beats the monkey, who claims he wasn't fairly beaten and calls for a rematch. The deer goes up next. They continue playing and wrestling until they have tired themselves out. On their way home, they come to a river but there is no bridge in sight to cross it. Kintaro uses his bare hands to lift a huge tree out of the ground, then lays the tree down so the animals can cross. The animals are fascinated by Kintaro's strength.

Unbeknownst to Kintaro, a nearby woodcutter witnessed this display of strength, and, in absolute awe, followed Kintaro home to learn more about him. The man interrupts Kintaro and his mother when they are catching up at home, and he challenges Kintaro to see who is stronger. Surprisingly, their arm wrestling match ends in a draw.

Impressed, the man reveals a secret - he is not an ordinary woodcutter, he is Sadamitsu, a Japanese general who is on a journey to find the greatest potential samurais in the country. He is convinced Kintaro will grow to be the strongest man in all of Japan. So, Kintaro decides to go with Sadamitsu. He is introduced to "The Four Braves" of Lord Raiko's army of which he later becomes chief of as an adult.

Shortly after becoming Chief of the Four Braves, Kintaro must save the city from a cannibal monster. He cuts off the head of this monster and brings it back as memorabilia. As the story ends, he fulfills a promise that he made to his mother when he originally left to become a warrior - he builds a home in the capital (Kyoto) for her where she can come and live nearby him again.