BOOK HOUSE DUCK

Kuramochi-no-Miko was also a cunning man, and requested permission from the Imperial Court to take a vacation to Tsukushi Province (present-day Fukuoka Prefecture) to rest, but told Princess Kaguya that he was going across the sea to search for the Jade Branch of Mount Horai, and set sail.

However, on the third day he returned home secretly so that no one would see him.

Kuramochi-no-Miko then gathered master craftsmen from all over the country who made crafts using gold, silver, and jewels, and had them secretly make a fake Jade Branch of Mount Horai that Princess Kaguya had requested, with silver roots, a gold trunk, and jeweled fruit attached to the branches, in his mansion.

Kuramochi-no-Miko was a very cunning man, so when he completed this fake jeweled branch, he placed it in a beautiful box and took the trouble to board a ship and landed at a port called Naniwa.

He wore worn clothes, had a beard, and pretended to be a man who had been on a difficult voyage. 

He told the people who came to greet him, "It was a difficult journey, so difficult that I nearly died," and then showed them the jeweled branch inside the box and explained, "As you can see, I have been able to bring back a jeweled branch that bears jeweled fruit from Mount Horai."

This led to rumors spreading that Kuramochi-no-Miko had brought back a very valuable treasure from Mount Horai.

When Princess Kaguya heard the rumor, she became worried that this time she might finally have to marry Kuramochi-no-Miko.

A few days later the gatekeeper at the mansion told Okina, "Kuramochi-no-Miko has come to visit."

When Okina welcomed Kuramochi no Miko into Okina’s mansion, 

Kuramochi no Miko was still dressed for the journey. 

He said to Okina, "It was a difficult journey. The ship caught a storm and nearly sank many times, but we managed to return alive. It was a difficult journey, but I was able to bring back the jeweled branch from Mount Horai that Princess Kaguya asked me to bring back. Please show this treasure to Princess Kaguya."

Okina entered Princess Kaguya's room with the jeweled branch. 

Attached to the branch was a letter from Kuramochi-no-Miko.

The letter contained a poem that said, "No matter what danger I face, even if it means losing my life, I cannot help but bring back this jeweled branch for you."

Okina believed that the jeweled branch was real, and from this poem she could not help but acknowledge Kuramochi-no-Miko's love for Princess Kaguya.

Okina entered Princess Kaguya's room and said, "He has done all this to show his love for you, so you no longer have any reason to refuse the marriage."

Princess Kaguya was at a loss as she could not refuse the wish of Okina, who was like a parent to her.

Okina immediately left the room to make preparations for the wedding, and just to be sure, he asked Kuramochi-no-Miko, "How did you manage to find such beautiful and precious things that can never be seen in Japan?"

Kuramochi no Miko replied:

Three years ago, on the tenth of February, I set out on a boat from Naniwa on a journey. 

However, I was feeling very lonely because I had no idea where Mount Horai in the Tokai region was, but I decided that there was no point in living if I could not achieve my goal, so I let the wind take me and sailed endlessly through the sea.

As they traveled far and wide away from Japan, they were caught in a storm and their ship almost sank. 

One time, they landed on an island blown by the wind and were confronted by a terrifying monster that nearly ate them to death. 

Another time, our food ran out and I had to search for edible grass on an unknown island to eat.

I got sick on the ship, but there were no doctors or medicines, and I came close to death many times, but anyhow I continued my voyage. 

As I was drifting aimlessly like this, one morning about 500 days after we set sail, I saw the faint shadow of an island on the horizon.

As I sailed in the direction of the island and gradually drew closer, I saw that it was a large island with a beautiful towering mountain.

I thought that this must be Mount Horai, my destination, but I didn't have the courage to go ashore right away, so I had my servants wander around the island for about three days, exploring the area, when I spotted a woman dressed as a heavenly being drawing water with a silver bowl. 

I got off the boat and asked the woman, "What is the name of this island?"

The woman replied, "This is the island of Horai."

When I realized that this was the island I was looking for, I was so happy I wanted to dance. 

I asked her, "What's your name?" 

She answered, "I'm Ukanruri," and started walking toward the mountain.

When I looked at the mountain that Ukanruri had left, I saw that it was a steep mountain that was impossible to climb.

As I walked around the steep cliffs, I noticed trees planted there with otherworldly beautiful flowers in bloom.

Gold, silver, and lapis lazuli water flowed through a river, and a bridge made of beautiful jewels spanned it.

Shining trees stood all around, with beautiful jewel fruit hanging from their branches. The branch I have brought here is not the finest of all, but it must not be different from the one Princess Kaguya had requested, and although there were some that were more beautiful, I brought this one.

Mt. Horai was a very beautiful place, but now that I had obtained the requested branch, I wanted to hurry back, so I boarded a boat and left the island.

With a favorable wind at my side, the boat arrived at the port of Naniwa in just over 400 days.

I truly believe that this was thanks to the Buddha's blessing.

I returned to my home in Kyoto from Naniwa yesterday, and although my traveling clothes were still wet with salt water, I hurried back with the branch.

When Kuramochi-no-Miko finished speaking, Okina was so moved that he let out a big sigh and composed the following poem.

"I am an old man who has made a living by harvesting bamboo in the mountains and fields for many years, but I have never suffered as much as you have."

Hearing this, Kuramochi-no-Miko said, "After hearing your song, I have felt a sense of relief from the great pain I have experienced up until now," and she composed a poem in return.

"My clothes, which were soaked with salt water, have dried today and I am able to forget all the hardships I have experienced up until now."

While the two were talking like this, six men appeared in the mansion's garden.

When one of the men, who seemed to be their leader, saw Kuramochi-no-Miko, he made the following appeal:

"I am the representative of the craftsmen who make the jewelry and other ornaments that decorate the palace. In order to create an exact replica of the jeweled branch that is said to exist on Mount Horai, I have devoted myself to the craft for over 1,000 days, even fasting and praying to the gods and Buddhas, purifying both body and mind. However, I have yet to receive payment for my work. I would like to receive the payment and use it to pay my poor apprentices."

Taketori-no-Okina listened to what the craftsman was saying, thinking it was a strange tale.

Meanwhile, Kuramochi-no-Miko, the important person in the story, was so surprised by the craftsman's sudden appearance that he was unable to respond and just sat down as if he had fainted.

When Princess Kaguya heard about this, she had her maid bring the letter of complaint from the master craftsman, and she read it.

The letter said the following:

"Kuramochi-no-Miko lived in hiding with us lowly craftsmen for 1000 days, and had us make a jeweled branch from Mount Horai. He promised to reward us with plenty of money and even an official position if we could make a jeweled branch that was just like the real thing. I then learned that this jeweled branch was made for Princess Kaguya, who was engaged to be married to Kuramochi-no-Miko, so I came to this mansion hoping that I could ask for the money."

When Princess Kaguya read this letter, she was so amused that she burst out laughing.

This was because ever since she heard that Kuramochi-no-Miko had come to visit her with a branch of the jewel from Mount Horai, she had been feeling gloomy and worried about whether she should keep her promise and marry Kuramochi-no-Miko.

Evil deeds are always discovered, and so Kuramochi-no-Miko's plot was discovered.

"I thought this was a genuine branch of the Jewel of Horai, but now that you know it's a fake, please return it to Kuramochi-no-Miko," Princess Kaguya said to Okina.

"That is certainly true," Okina agreed.

Princess Kaguya returned the fake branch along with a letter in which she wrote the following poem:

"I thought it was really a branch from the jewels of Mount Horai, so I believed your story and looked at it, but the branch decorated with gold and jewels was actually a branch adorned with lies."

Okina was ashamed of herself for having believed Kuramochi-no-Miko's story and for being convinced that this man was indeed the one who should become Princess Kaguya's husband. Meanwhile, Kuramochi-no-Miko felt uncomfortable because her evil deeds had been discovered and Princess Kaguya had rejected the jeweled branch, so he secretly left Okina's mansion and fled home.

 

Princess Kaguya called the six craftsmen who had come to demand their payment, said, "You are very wonderful people," and gave them the money they requested as well as many rewards.

The craftsmen were very happy, and left saying, "It was just as we expected. The princess is just as wonderful as the rumors said."

However, on their way home, Kuramochi-no-Miko was waiting for them.

"You have brought great humiliation upon us," Kuramochi-no-Miko told the craftsmen, and he beat them until they bled, then took away their payment and their reward.

The craftsmen barely escaped with their lives, with nothing in their possession.

When Kuramochi-no-Miko returned to his mansion, he said, "I have suffered such humiliation for the rest of my life, and have never been able to get a woman. People are laughing at me. I am so ashamed I can no longer live," and he went off somewhere deep in the mountains.

The servants of the mansion were worried, and searched for him for days and then months, but they were unable to find him.

No one knows whether Kuramochi-no-Miko had died somewhere in the mountains, or was still living in hiding.

 

Princess Kaguya ordered the Minister of the Right, Abeno-Miushi, for a "fire rat's fur coat" that would never burn even when engulfed in flames.

The Minister of the Right, Abeno-Miushi, was very wealthy, and his family was prosperous.

At that time, a Chinese trader named Oukei would come to Japan on a trading ship, and Abeno-Miushi chose a trustworthy man named Ono-no-Fusamori   to deliver money and a letter to Oukei.

The letter said, "I heard there is something called fire rat fur in China. I would like you to buy it and deliver it to me."

After receiving the money from the envoy, Ono-no-Fusamori, Oukei wrote a letter of reply.

"There are no fire rat fur coats in China. I have heard of them, so perhaps they are in India. I will ask an acquaintance to search for them in India. Your request is very difficult, so if I am unable to find the fire rat fur coat, I will return this money."

Later, upon receiving news that Ono-no-Fusamori would be returning home on a trading ship from China, Abeno-Miushi sent a messenger on a fast horse to meet the ship in Tsukushi (present-day Fukuoka prefecture), where it had docked.

Ono-no-Fusamori rode the horse from Tsukushi to Abeno-Miushi’s mansion in just one week, half the journey that would normally take two weeks.

Reading the letter from Oukei, it read, "After searching far and wide, I have finally managed to get hold of a fire rat fur coat, so I am delivering it to you. Fire rat fur is not something that can be easily obtained. I heard that a fire rat skin was brought to China by a saint in India a long time ago, so I looked into it and found out that it was kept in a mountain temple in the west. I knew that I would not be able to travel to such a remote place, even though it was within China, to look for it, so I asked the imperial court for help and asked a powerful person in the region, and was able to obtain it. The money you entrusted to me was 50 ryo short, so I paid the shortfall myself. When my ship returns to China from Japan, please have your messenger carry the additional 50 ryo I paid. If you do not receive the 50 ryo I paid, please return the fire rat fur."

After reading the letter, Abeno-Miushi was overjoyed and said, "It's a piece of cake to pay another 50 ryo to get this precious leather coat. But even so, you have done all that trouble to get me what I wanted."

When he saw the box containing the fur coat, it was decorated with colorful jewels and was a very fine item. When he opened the lid of the box, he found the most luxurious fur he had ever seen, a beautiful blue color with shining golden tips.

"What an incredible thing! I had heard that this fur would never burn even if put in a fire, but it must also be the most beautiful fur in the world. This is incredible!" Abeno-Miushi was so moved that he shed tears.

"It is no wonder that Princess Kaguya wants it. It is truly a treasure that cannot be found anywhere else in the world," Abeno-Miushi said, and wrote a letter expressing his feelings to the poem.

The poem went something like, "My heart for Princess Kaguya burns so fiercely that it burns everything up, but now that I have obtained a fur garment that can never be burned by any flame, my clothes, which I cried thinking of you, can finally dry."

The Minister of the Right, Abeno-Miushi, visited Princess Kaguya's mansion, bringing with him a fire rat fur coat that he had spent a lot of money to purchase, along with a letter expressing his feelings.

Okina came out to greet him at the gate, so Abeno-Miushi handed him the box containing the fur coat and asked her to show it to Princess Kaguya.

Okina immediately went to Princess Kaguya's room at the back of the mansion and took the leather coat out of the box to show it to her.

Princess Kaguya said, "It is a very fine leather coat, but I still don't know if it is a real fire rat skin coat or not," so Okina replied, "Anyway, the Minister of the Right is waiting outside, so let's have him come inside," and invited Abeno-Miushi into the mansion.

Both Okina and his wife, Ouna, thought, "Since such a fine Minister of the Right has brought the fur coat the princess requested, this time their marriage will definitely be decided."

Princess Kaguya said, "If this is a real fur coat, it shouldn't burn even if put in fire. Let's try it right now. If it's real, it shouldn't burn. When that happens, I will keep my promise and marry the Minister of the Right."

Both Okina and Ouna thought, "I see, that makes sense," and told Abeno-Miushi what the princess had said.

"This fur coat doesn't exist in China either, and we found it after a lot of trouble. There's no way it's a fake," Abeno-Miushi replied, and with a confident look on his face, he had the fur coat placed in the fire.

However, as soon as he put it in the fire, the fur coat burst into flames and black smoke and burned up. Seeing this, the Minister of the Right became red with rage and exclaimed, "That's ridiculous," and "How could that happen?" When the fur coat had burned completely and turned to ashes, the Minister's face turned completely blue, his eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of his head, and his mouth opened and closed silently like a carp in a pond.

The Minister of the Right was overcome with shock, despair, and fear all at once.

"I'm sorry to hear that it was a fake," Okina said.

"Oh, I'm glad," Princess Kaguya replied joyfully. She then wrote a reply poem to the one the Minister of the Right had sent her, and returned it in the box that had contained the fur coat.

The poem was full of sarcasm, saying, "If it's going to burn without a trace, then you shouldn't have put it in the fire in the first place, and just looked at it as a treasure."

Princess Kaguya requested Dainagon Otomono-Miyuki for the five-colored jewel that is said to be found on the dragon's neck.

Otomono-Miyuki gathered her servants and said,

"They say that there is a jewel that emits five-colored light on the dragon's neck. Whoever retrieves it will have any wish granted."

When the servants heard their master's orders, they all said, "We must obey our master's orders, but retrieving the dragon's ball is an extremely difficult task; it is not something that humans can do."

Otomono－Miyuki was a little angry and said, "I'm not telling you to go to China or India in search of dragons, or to the ends of the earth in search of dragons.  Aren't there dragons in Japan too? Japanese dragons also rise and descend from the sea and mountains into the sky, don't they?  It's not difficult at all, is it?" 

Otomono-Miyuki ordered his servants to go in search of the dragon immediately, and gave them food and money necessary for the journey, saying, "If you are samurai, you must follow my orders even at the risk of your lives. I will pray to the gods and Buddhas until you find the dragon safely and retrieve the jewel hanging from its neck."

When the servants heard their master's unreasonable order, they said, "There's no way we can capture a dragon and get the five-colored ball that's hanging from its neck. He told us not to come back until we get the five-colored ball, so it's fine if we just play around." 

Instead of going in search of the dragon, they spent the time at inns along the way, eating the food and drinking the alcohol that had been provided for them for the journey.

Otomono－Miyuki, unaware that his servants were just playing around, let alone searching for a dragon, thought, "Since I am about to welcome my bride, it would be embarrassing for my house to be old-fashioned like in the past," and ordered his servants to decorate the mansion with beautiful flowers and the finest colorful fabrics.

Otomono－Miyuk thought that since he was about to welcome Princess Kaguya, the most beautiful woman in the world, as his bride, his house must also be beautifully decorated.

Even though he has not yet obtained the five-colored jewel from the dragon's neck, and even though his servants spend their time drinking and having fun instead of going on a journey to find the dragon, Otomono－Miyuki believes he will be able to marry Princess Kaguya.

Dainagon Otomono－Miyuk also transformed the house with luxurious furniture, curtains, and carpets fit for welcoming his bride. However, the man already had a wife, and he drove her away in order to marry Princess Kaguya. What a greedy and foolish man! 

It's astonishing.

And so, Otomono Miyuki drove out his wife and lived alone in his lavishly decorated mansion, waiting for Princess Kaguya.

One day, several months later, when his servants did not return no matter how long he waited, the Dainagon grew impatient and went to the port to ask the sailors, "Have you ever heard of a story about the Dainagon's servants killing a dragon and returning with a five-colored ball?" However, no matter who he asked, he only got answers like, "No, I have never heard of such a story," or "First of all, I have never heard of anyone going out to retrieve the dragon's ball."

"Well, now it seems I have no choice but to go myself," thought the Dainagon, so he borrowed a boat and set out to search for the five-colored jewel from the dragon's neck himself.

"I'm sure I can shoot the dragon with a bow and easily take the jewel from its head. I can't leave it to my servants, who never return."

Although the Dainagon has still not seen the dragon, he sets sail confidently, but has no idea where it might be.

As they leave the port of Naniwa and head away from land with no particular purpose, the weather gradually worsens, it gets dark all around, and the sky is covered with black clouds. Suddenly, lightning flashes and deafening thunder sounds. The wind begins to blow, the sea turns into big waves, the ship sways like a leaf, and it often threatens to capsize. The Dainagon and his crew are nearly thrown overboard, but all they can do is cling to the mast, ropes, and whatever is nearby to avoid falling into the raging sea.

The captain lamented, "I have sailed on many rough seas before, but I have never experienced anything as terrible as this. If things continue as they are, the ship will either sink, or I will be struck by lightning and die. I wonder if I am going to die because I have been hired by a terrible master who would even slay a dragon."

Hearing this, the Dainagon said, "On board the ship, everything is decided by the captain. I have heard that you must obey your captain, but this captain seems very unreliable."

"Well, as I said before, I have experienced many rough seas, but I have never seen a storm like this. I may be a brave sailor, but I am only a man. There is nothing I can do about a storm like this, one that has incurred the wrath of God. If you too want to return home alive, please give up your outrageous hope of slaying the dragon and pray to God for a safe return."

The captain yelled loudly in the midst of the storm.

The Dainagon also thought that the ship would sink if it continued like this, so he prayed to the god of the sea.

"Sea god, I give up my foolish wish to kill the dragon and take the jewel. I was wrong. Please forgive me. Please calm your anger and return the sea to a peaceful place. Please," the Dainagon prayed over and over again, crying.


After a while, it seemed as if their wish had reached the gods, as the wind gradually calmed down, the thunder receded, and sunlight shone through gaps in the clouds, illuminating the surface of the sea.

"Thank you, God. We will never do something so foolish again," said the Dainagon and the captain, rejoicing.

The raging storm subsided, and about three days later the ship arrived at Akashi Beach in Harima Province.

The province of Harima (present-day Hyogo prefecture) is not far from Naniwa (present-day Osaka Port).

The canvas had been torn in the storm and the boat was badly damaged by the big waves, so the Dainagon and his men abandoned the boat and went ashore. With the help of Harima officials who had rushed to the scene, they decided to return to Naniwa by land.

In this way, the Dainagon was able to return home, and when his retainers heard about it, they gathered round.

"We also went to get the Dragon Jewel, but after much hardship we have finally returned. It is very frustrating that we were not able to steal the Dragon Jewel."

The servants had lied. 

The Dainagon thanked them, forgave them, and said, "If you had killed the dragon, you would have incurred the wrath of the gods and been killed. It was fortunate for us that you did not kill the dragon."

The servants were worried about what they would be told next if they continued to serve such a foolish master, so they all left to serve other masters.

The house that had been decorated to welcome the bride fell into disrepair during his absence, filled with spider webs and infested with rats, bats, and raccoon dogs.

The Dainagon, who had driven his wife out, was left to live in the dilapidated house with the animals.