Japanese tales from times past : stories of fantasy and folklore from the Konjaku monogatari shu

206 Pages·2015·1.54 MB·English

by  Allen

Naoshi Koriyama was born on Kikai Island in Japan’s Amami islands in 1926. He studied at the University of
New Mexico and the State University of New York at Albany. He taught at Toyo University in Tokyo from

1961–1997 and is professor emeritus. His publications include Like Underground Water: The Poetry of Mid-
Twentieth Century Japan, co-translated with Edward Lueders (Copper Canyon Press, 1995); Poesie (Forum/
Quinta Generazione, Italy, 1990); and numerous other books of verse. A talented dancer, he enjoys
demonstrating his Amami dance at international poetry meetings.

Bruce Allen was born and grew up in the Boston area. In 1983 he moved to Tokyo where he has lived ever
since. He holds degrees from Amherst College and Sophia University. He is Professor in the Department of
English Language and Literature at Seisen University in Tokyo, where he teaches courses in translation and
environmental literature. His research interests are in translation, environmental literature, and ecocriticism. He
has concentrated particularly on the work of Japanese writer Ishimure Michiko and has translated several of her

works, including her novel Lake of Heaven (Lexington Books, 2008).

Karen Thornber is Professor of Comparative Literature and of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at
Harvard University. Her research and teaching focus on comparative and world literatures, the literatures and
cultures of East Asia and the Indian Ocean Rim, translation, and the environmental and medical
humanities. Her books include Empire of Texts in Motion: Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese Transculturations of
Japanese Literature (Harvard, 2009) and Ecoambiguity: Environmental Crises and East Asian
Literatures (Michigan, 2012).
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Contents
Acknowledgments
A Note on Place Names
Foreword
Introduction
1 Kume, the Hermit with Magical Powers, Builds Kume Temple
2 One of Emperor Tenchi’s Princes Builds Kasagi Temple
3 The Kegon Buddhist Service Held at Todaiji Temple
4 The Copper Statue of the Buddha at Jineji Temple Is Destroyed by a Robber
5 Two Men from Kii Province Are Saved by the Buddha while Drifting at Sea
35
6 Fish are Turned into the Lotus Sutra
7 A Clerk from Higo Province Escapes from a Demon’s Scheme
8 Enku, a Monk of the Tendai Sect, Hears a Flying Hermit Chanting a Sutra
9 A Monk from Kazurakawa Meets the Hermit of Mt. Hiranoyama
10 A Monk from Shimotsuke Province Resides in an Old Cave

11 Unjo, a Sutra-chanting Monk, Escapes a Snake’s Attack by Chanting the Lotus Sutra

12 A Shameless, Depraved Monk Recites the Chapter on the Buddha’s Life from the Lotus Sutra

13 Biwa no Otodo Copies the Lotus Sutra and Saves a Precept Master

14 A Monk of Dojoji Temple in Kii Province Brings Salvation to Two Snakes by Copying the Lotus Sutra

15 How a Man Copied the Lotus Sutra to Save a Dead Fox
16 A Nun Who Was the Mother of the High Priest Genshin Goes to Heaven
17 A County Administrator of Tamba Province Has a Statue of Kannon Made
18 A Man from Michinoku Province, Who Catches Hawks’ Chicks, Is Saved by Kannon
19 A Believer in Kannon Goes to the Dragon’s Palace and Returns Rich
20 A Woman from Yamashiro Province Is Saved from the Danger of a Snake by the Grace of Kannon
21 Kaya no Yoshifuji of Bitchu Province Marries a Fox and Is Saved by Kannon
22 The Kannon of Ishiyama Temple Helps a Man Compose a Tanka Poem
23 A Woman Traveling to Chinzei Escapes from Bandits with the Help of Kannon
24 A Woman Who Could Not Speak Is Healed, Owing to the Grace of the Kannon of Ishiyama
25 A Poor Woman Who Worships the Kannon of Kiyomizu Temple Is Saved
26 A Man from Kii Province Falsely Accuses His Wife and Is Punished
27 A Monk from a Temple on Mt. Hiei Receives Enlightenment with the Help of the Bodhisattva of
Boundless Space
28 The Monk Koku Is Saved from Death with the Help of Fugen Bodhisattva
29 On Seeing a Wild Duck Mourning the Death of the Drake He Shot, a Man Becomes a Monk
30 Snakes Are Seen in a Vat of Sake Made from Rice Cake Offerings
31 A Turtle Repays the Kindness of Gusai of Paekche
32 A Human Skull Repays the Kindness of Doto, a Priest from Korea
33 A Woman Haunted by a Tengu Goblin Visits the Quarters of Ninsho, the Eminent Monk of Butsugenji
Temple
34 Empress Somedono Is Abused by a Tengu Goblin
35 A Dragon Is Caught by a Tengu Goblin
36 A Monk from Mt. Atago Is Bewitched by a Wild Boar
37 A Man from Settsu Who Killed Cows Is Saved and Returns to This World
38 A Man from the Old Capital Strikes a Mendicant Monk and Is Punished
39 A Man from Yamato Province Catches a Hare and Is Punished
40 A Man from Kawachi Kills a Horse and Receives Retribution
41 Kishi no Himaro Is Punished for Attempting to Kill His Mother
42 A Mysterious Being Incarnated as a Beggar Refuses a Gift from Monk Gishoin
43 Vice Minister Takafuji Is Caught in a Storm and Meets a Beautiful Young Woman
44 Tachibana no Norimitsu, a former Administrative Officer of Michinoku Province, Kills Three Bandits
45 A Wrestler Named Amano Tsuneyo Meets a Snake and Tries His Strength
46 Kudara no Kawanari the Painter Competes with the Craftsman of Hida
47 A Woman Visits a Physician, Is Healed, and Runs Away
48 The Monk Tojo Predicts the Fall of Shujaku Gate
49 Minamoto no Hiromasa, a High-ranking Court Noble, Visits the Blind Man Living in Ausaka
50 The Nun at Ohe no Asatsuna’s Home Gives a Correct Reading of a Poem
51 Arihara no Narihira Composes Tanka Poems on His Trip East
52 Fujiwara no Noritaka Composes Tanka Poems Even after His Death
53 Fujiwara no Yasumasa Meets a Notorious Bandit Named Hakamadare
54 Fujiwara no Akihira Visits a Woman in His Youth
55 A Monk Visits a Person’s Home, Holds a Purification Ceremony for a Woman, and Is Killed
56 A Man Is Eaten by the Demon at Agi Bridge in Ohmi Province
57 A Woman Sees Her Departed Husband Visit Her
58 A Fox Whose Ball Is Returned Repays a Man’s Kindness
59 A Fox from the Koya River Changes into a Woman and Rides on a Horse
60 Taira no Suetake, a Retainer of Yorimitsu, Comes across a Woman with a Baby
61 Three Men Spend a Night at an Unfamiliar Temple in Suzuka
62 Fujiwara no Nobutada, the Governor of Shinano, Falls into a Gorge
63 A Man Pretending to Be Brave Is Frightened by His Own Shadow
64 A Group of Ex-convicts Tries to Rob a House and Gets Caught
65 Robbers Come to a Temple and Steal Its Bell
66 A Robber Climbs to the Upper Structure of Rashomon Gate and Sees a Corpse
67 A Man Traveling with His Wife to Tamba Province Gets Tied Up by a Young Man at Mt. Ohe
68 A Bandit Living to the South of Kiyomizu Temple Uses a Woman to Lure Men and Kill Them
69 A Hunter’s Dog in the North Country Kills a Serpent
70 An Eagle in Higo Province Bites and Kills a Snake
71 A Monkey in Chinzei Kills Eagles to Repay a Woman for Her Kindness
72 Wasps Sting and Kill the Robbers at Mt. Suzuka
73 Wasps Attack a Spider in Revenge
74 A Mother Cow Gores a Wolf to Death
75 The Daughter of the Governor of Ohmi Province Becomes Intimate with Priest Jozo
76 A Man from Shimotsuke Province Leaves His Wife and Then Returns to Her
77 A Man of Refined Taste Leaves His Wife and Then Returns to Her
78 A Man from Tamba Province Reads His Wife’s Poem
79 Tsunezumi no Yasunaga’s Dream at the Fuwa Barrier Station
80 Magari no Tsunekata of Owari Province Sees His Wife in a Dream
81 A Monk Passing Through Ohmine Strays into a Country of Sake
82 Monks Passing through Remote Areas of Shikoku Stray into an Unknown House and Are Transformed
into Horses
83 The Presiding Monk of Ryoganji Temple Breaks Apart a Rock
84 The Governor of Sanuki Province Destroys Manono Pond
85 One Brother Plants Daylilies, while the Other Plants Asters
86 Fujiwara no Nobunori Dies in Etchu Province
87 The Woman Fish Peddler at the Guardhouse
88 An Old Bamboo Cutter Finds a Girl and Raises Her
89 The Grave of Chopsticks
90 The Great Oak Tree in Kurimoto County of Ohmi Province
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge our appreciation for
the assistance we have received from a number of people and institutions. Thanks to
Karen Thornber for her support and comments, and for contributing the foreword.
Thanks also to Professor Scott Slovic for his comments and support. Discussions
with Professors Koichi Kansaku, Akira Suganuma, and David Bialock, and with
Mr. Stanley Barkan have helped us deal with questions regarding the historical,
religious, and literary background of these tales, and with the publication process.
Our thanks also to Cathy Layne, our editor at Tuttle, for her thoughtful advice and
guidance. We are also grateful for the generous support we have received from our
respective universities: Toyo University and Seisen University.
Our translations are based on the following source: Mabuchi Kazuo et al., eds.,
Konjaku monogatari shu (Tokyo: Shogakukan, 1976).
Naoshi Koriyama and Bruce Allen
Translators
A Note on Place Names
The place names we have used are the historical names used in the original text.
Their corresponding modern names or locations are given below.
Historical name Modern name, or location
Awa Tokushima Prefecture
Bingo Eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture
Chikuzen Northeastern part of Fukuoka Prefecture
Chinzei Kyushu
Echigo A large part of Niigata Prefecture
Etchu Toyama Prefecture
Higo Kumamoto Prefecture
Ise Mie Prefecture
Iyo Ehime Prefecture
Izumi Southern part of Osaka Prefecture
Kaga Southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture
Kamutsuke Gunma Prefecture
Kawachi Eastern part of Osaka Prefecture
Kii Wakayama Prefecture
Michinoku Aomori Prefecture and part of Iwate Prefecture
Mikawa Eastern part of Aichi Prefecture
Mino Southern part of Gifu Prefecture
Musashi Partsof Tokyo and of Saitama and Kanagawa Prefectures
Ohmi Shiga Prefecture
Sanuki Kagawa Prefecture