Japanese folk tales from the Edo period

Preface

In this collection, I have gathered for you a selection of Japanese folk tales from the Edo period. These stories, passed down from generation to generation, have been told to children for centuries and continue to capture the imagination of children and adults today.

The Edo period, which lasted from the 17th to the 19th century, was marked by a strong feudal system. It is also considered a culturally important period because of the rich and complex Japanese identity of that time. The stories presented in this book reflect the values and beliefs of this period, offering a glimpse into the daily life of the Japanese.

These stories feature doctors, yokai (creatures from Japanese folklore), samurai, ... There is also a real focus on ordinary characters who have to deal with original challenges and situations. These tales from another time are both entertaining and educational, offering important life lessons on self-knowledge, place in society, justice and many other topics.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that some of these stories are not suitable for children of our time. Many of the stories deal with alcoholism, murder and other sensitive subjects. This book is a compilation of uncensored stories for young audiences, so it's up to the readers to adapt them for the children of our time. Also, amusingly, there is a certain Japanese appeal to flatulence and horse poop. This should entertain many.

I sincerely hope that this book will provide you with enjoyable and informative reading, whether you are a child or an adult, and that it will reveal a new aspect of Japanese culture.

Kévin Tembouret

The heart and appearances

Once upon a time, a young man from the nobility and a young girl from a peasant family fell in love with each other. Unfortunately, their parents did not allow their marriage because of their different origins.

One day, the two lovers found themselves at the edge of a lake where they saw two carp swimming side by side, apparently in perfect harmony despite their different colors. Inspired by this vision, the young lovers decided to run away to fulfill their dream of living together, even if it meant giving up their previous lives.

They jumped into the lake and swam to the deepest point. They knew that a legendary carp, known for granting wishes, lived there. The lovers expressed their desire to live together forever, and the carp responded by granting their wish.

The two lovers were then transformed into two beautiful fish and swam side by side for eternity, regardless of their differences in status or social origin.

A sincere love can transcend all differences and obstacles, it is enough to live it with passion and happiness.

The ten willows

This is the story of a man who loved to plant trees. He had a large garden, in which he spent a lot of time cultivating different varieties of trees and plants. One day, he decided to plant ten willow trees that he had gotten from a friend, but he was afraid that the neighborhood children would damage them by playing around them.

To protect his young trees during an absence of a few days, he asked a local boy to keep them safe. The boy agreed and diligently cared for the willows, watering them regularly and making sure they were well protected. A few days later, the man returned from his trip and asked the boy how the trees were doing.

The boy replied that everything was for the best, he had uprooted them to put them away in the storeroom. The man wept with sadness, his willows so well protected by the child were all dead.

It is good to ask for help from others, but it is bad to protect too much what we love. To believe that we are protecting is sometimes not to see that we are destroying.

The wind bird

Once upon a time, there were three friends who liked to talk about the strange things in the world. One of them had heard about strange insects that nestle in the eyelashes of mosquitoes, and the others were amazed. One of them asked:

Really, there are such small bugs?

But that was not the only strange thing they had heard about. They then discussed the existence of a bird called the wind bird that lived high in the sky and fed on the wind. One of them asked:

If it really exists, what kind of poop does this bird make? And then ... When you're facing the wind and breathing, so that means you're eating your farts ...?

The friends laughed, imagining the droppings of a bird that ate nothing but air.

Finally, they realized that sometimes it's better not to wonder too much about strange things. It's better to just enjoy the beauty and diversity of the world.

The error of the god of thunder

It has long been said that when lightning strikes the ground, the god of thunder steals the navel of the first person to come along.

One day, a lightning bolt fell very close to a house. The owner was startled, and then he looked at everything from his navel. Phew! He was still there. He and his family went to see the impact site.

When they arrived at the place, they found themselves facing the god of thunder, Kaminari-sama, washing his hands in the water of the pond.

The man's family, worried, asked the god of thunder what he was doing there. Embarrassed, the god replied:

This is so embarrassing. I just missed grabbing this gentleman's belly button and my hands slipped into his buttocks...

Even the gods make mistakes! Don't blame yourself if you get it wrong sometimes, nobody is perfect.

Heron! Heron! Heron!

There was once a man who was obsessed with the idea of catching a live heron. He had spent many nights thinking of a method to do so, but without success. Until he finally got an idea. He told a friend of his who said:

You have a lot of free time, it seems, to want such things! Anyway, how are you going to catch this bird?

The man did not pick up on the sarcastic remark and replied:

Come with me tonight, I'll show you.

As the sun set, the two friends met outside. They waited for a moment, then a white heron landed on the ground.

Quickly! They hid in the nearby reedbed and then the man called loudly, Heron! Then he shouted even louder, Heron!".

The called bird turned around in surprise, but saw no one. As a precaution, he started to move away.

You see, your technique doesn't work. Let's go home because it's late, said the friend.

Don't talk nonsense and follow me, he replied.

They moved further towards the animal and then he shouted again in a loud voice: "Heron!

The heron called looked behind him again, annoyed, but there was still no one there. He took two or three more steps away.

Once again, the two men moved forward and the man persisted in shouting, Heron! .

After so many times, the heron didn't even look back and consider the danger.

Then the man came out of the reedbed without being noticed. To give the impression that he was calling the bird from afar, he gradually lowered his voice, then slowly moved closer:

Heron! Heron! Heron! Heron! Hey ... Hop!

Under the astonished eyes of his friend, he had managed to catch a heron.

Sometimes, it is better not to listen to the negative remarks of others in order to do what you want. It is in this way and with creativity that we can surpass ourselves, become better in a field or change a way of thinking.

All thieves

Once upon a time, in a small village, some stupid thieves were looking to steal from the house of a terribly poor man. They rummaged in the cupboard and under the floorboards, but there was nothing to take. One of them muttered:

It's a real mess. I've never seen a house so empty.

However, her words woke up the man who was sleeping in a cheap futon. He saw them and, startled, shouted:

Thieves! Thieves!

The burglars ran away in panic. They had not been able to take anything with them in their flight, because there was really nothing to steal.

The poor man exclaimed:

Thieves, how dare you steal from me? I have no money and no clothes because of you. Well, now I can't pay the rent! My landlord will have to put me up for free for a while because of you!

One of the thieves, upon hearing this, became angry and came out of the shadows shouting:

No, no, no! How dare you say that you have been robbed of things that do not exist? Don't you know the saying 'the liar is a thief'?

The man was so surprised by this answer that he apologized by getting on his knees:

I'm sorry, my apologies... That was stupid of me, I'm not a thief.

The burglar accepted his apology and left.

The moral of this story is that the truth is always the best option, even if it means being honest about your poverty. By lying, the poor man had wanted to rob his own landlord. He had made himself as dishonest as the