Melon Princess

Long time ago,

lived an Old Man and his Old Lady in a small village.
One day Old Man went to a mountain to gather woods whileOld Lady went to a river to wash clothes. When she was washing in the river, she found a big melon flowing down to her. She took it and brought the melon to old man at, "Dad, I found this big melon in the river today, so let's eat together." said Old Lady trying to cut it with a kitchen knife, when it split of itself, a pretty baby came out of it.

Now they had children, they were very happy. They named her 'Melon' because she was born from a melon.
Soon the baby grew up to be a pretty girl, then a beautiful lady. She was so clever and especially good at making textiles. The rumor of her went to the town, lastly to the lord of the country.

The lord sent his men to the house. The old man and his wife were so glad to hear that their daughter would marry the lord. On the day before her marriage her parents went shopping in the town.

"Dear Melon, we'll go shopping in the town to buy your trousseaus. You must be in the house and must not open the door and windows even if someone calls you. Be careful in case a mountain monster comes to you."

Melon was making textiles alone at home. A mountain monster had been watching them leaving the house and now visited her.

"Miss Melon. Are you in? I'm your grandmother. Please open the door." said the monster.

"I'm here, but I was told by my parents never to open the door even if somebody came. So I can't open the door."

"If so, why don't you open it for my finger to enter?"

Melon opened a little.

"Miss Melon. Why don't you open for my hand to enter?"

Melon opened a little more.

"Miss Melon. Why don't you open for my leg to enter?"

Melon opened a little more.

"Miss Melon. Why don't you open for my head to enter?"

"No. I will be scolded by my parents" answered she.

"But, Miss. Melon. I would like to see your face. Why don't you open?"

"So, I'll open for only your head to enter."

Melon opened a little more for a head.

The monster rushed into the house. The monster changed her dirty clothes with her beautiful Kimono and transformed herself into 'Melon', who was taken to the mountain and tied to a plum tree.

On the next day, the lord's men were carrying the monster in a palanquin to the lord castle. On their way to the castle, when they came near the pear tree to which she was tied, the crows in the mountain began to have a strange cry.

"She is not Melon. Melon is in the mountain."

"She is not Melon. Melon is in the mountain."

They thought there was something strange with her and found 'Melon' tied to the tree. The mountain monster was caught and killed on the spot.

The beautiful lady got married to the lord and she was called 'Melon Princess.'

The Sleeping MAN

long time ago lived a queer young man who was always sleeping
at the every day and every night day in a village.

He never awoke to get up
even if he was spoken ill of by the villagers
or made fun of by the children.

When he was a small child, he was an ordinary boy.
But one day he suddenly began to sleep in his bed all days.
When he woke up and got up from his bed, it was the time he went to the toilet because he couldn't stand it.

After that he fell asleep again.
He was called "A Sleeping Man" by villagers.

By the way this village was troubled with a long spell of dry weather.
They prayed seriously to God for rain.
At last they thought God got very angry because "the sleeping man" never worked and was only sleeping.


The villagers came to punish him.

He opened his eyes,
got up on his bed,
stretched himself,
whispered something and left his house.

He climbed up the mountain step by step to the top of it.
Whispering something, he began to push a huge rock.

The villagers were much surprised and thought; "It is impossible to move such a huge rock."

He PUSHED and PUSHED the rock.
It never moved. He PusHeD and PusheD and PUSHED with all his might.

The huge rock began to sway a little until it rolled down the valley.
It moved the enormous rocks.
They moved the gigantic rocks.
They stopped the stream of the river.
The river changed the stream to the fields in the village.

HORAY!!
They all jumped for joy. Their rice fields had enough water for rice plants.
"The young man" was always thinking of a drought and the solution for it.
He went to bed and fell into sleep again.

Hi-Otoko |Fire Boy

long times ago
lived an old man and old woman in a village.

The old man was kind and hardworking.
He always went to a mountain to gather woods.

The old woman was greedy and lazy.
She didn't like to work and she was always at home.

One day, when old man was gathering woods in the mountain, he heard the voice from somewhere.

"Give me woods."

He follow the voice and knew it came from a hole in the ground.
Whenever he took woods in front of the hole, they were absorbed into it.
Old man want to know what's down there, so He looked into it,
and old man got absorbed there, too.

fire Fire was burning there and he was invited to a fire shrine.
He met the God of fire.
The God said to him,
"Thank you for your woods. I'll give you this bundle in return for woods."

Returning his house in safe,
he found a little boy with funny face in the bundle.

The greedy old woman was very angry at the present,
but the kind old man named the little boy 'Hi-Otoko(Fire Man)' and took good care for him.

The little boy did nothing, just sit and touch his navel every day.
Though the old man told him not to touch it,
he never stopped until it got swollen very big.

Feeling great sorry for him, though the old woman ignored him,
the old man hit him on the navel with his cigar holder.
Then a gold coin came out of it. He hit once more.
A gold coin came again.

The old greedy woman was much pleased at it.
fire boy After that the old man hit him lightly on the navel three times a day.

Though they became very rich soon,
the old man went to the mountain to gather woods everyday.
One day while old man was working in the mountain,
the old greedy woman, having a larger cigar holder, ran after him, saying:
"Hiotoko!If I hit you on the navel with this cigar holder, I can get many gold coins."

The little boy ran
and ran away from her
and jumped into a burning kitchen stove.
He returned to the country of fire, the place of Fire God.

The old man missed the little boy very much
and made his mask and put it on a pillar near the kitchen stove.
And then, Japan have a habit to hang a mask of 'Hi-Otoko' near a kitchen stove.

Wedding of a Mouse

This is an old story of a Mouse.

Long, long ago there was a beautiful young mouse-lady in a house.
The parents were always thinking like this:
-We must look for the most wonderful bridegroom in the world for ours daughter."-

One day the father said to his wife.
"Mother. It is the Sun most wonderful, because it shines over us and gives us light."
They went to the Sun and asked him,Sun
"Mr. Sun. You are the most wonderful man in the world,aren't you?
Would you mind marrying our daughter?"

The Sun answered, smiling.
"Well, Mr. Mouse. I am not the most wonderful in the world.
It is the cloud that is the most wonderful, because I am hidden by him."
"Oh, I see." said the father.


They went to the Cloud and asked him.
"Mr. Cloud. You are the most wonderful man in the world,aren't you?
Would you mind marrying our daughter?"

cloud The Cloud answered, embarrassed.
"Well, Mr. Mouse. I am not the most wonderful in the world.
It is the Wind that is the most wonderful, because I am blown off by him."
"Oh, I see." said the father.


wind They went to the Wind and asked him.
"Mr. Wind. You are the most wonderful man in the world,aren't you?
Would you mind marrying our daughter?"

The Wind answered, pouting the lips.
"Well, Mr. Mouse. I am not the most wonderful in the world.
It is the Wall that is the most wonderful, because I am stopped by him."
wedding "Oh, I see." said the father.


They went to the Wall and asked him.
"Mr. Wall. You are the most wonderful man in the world,aren't you?
Would you mind marrying our daughter?"

The Wall answered, surprisingly.
"Well, Mr. Mouse. I am not the most wonderful in the world.
It is the Mouse that is the most wonderful, because I am eaten by him."
"Oh, I see." said the father.


The parents decided to make their daughter marry a handsome young mouse living near by.
"Oh, you are the most wonderful bridegroom in the world.
Would you marry our daughter?"

"With pleasure."
Both the father and his wife were very happy.

Soon they had many grandchildren.