笠地蔵 Kasajizou

In one hour I will depart to a two weeks trip to China, yet I am crazy enough to quickly tell you one more fairy tale. It is one of the most known fairy tales in Japan and inspiration for many good deeds.

笠地蔵
(English Version below)

むかしむかし、あるところに、貧乏(びんぼう)だけど心優しい、おじいさんとおばあさんがいました。
　ある年の大晦日(おおみそか)のことです。
　おじいさんとおばあさんは、二人でかさを作りました。
　それを町へ持って行って売り、お正月のおもちを買うつもりです。
「かさは五つもあるから、もちぐらい買えるだろう」
「おねがいしますね。それから、今夜は雪になりますから、気をつけて下さいよ」
　おじいさんは、五つのかさを持って出かけました。
　家を出てまもなく、雪が降ってきました。
　雪はだんだん激しくなったので、おじいさんはせっせと道を急ぎました。
　村はずれまで来ると、　御地蔵さま(おじぞうさま)が六つならんで立っています。
　お地蔵さまの頭にも肩にも、雪が積もっています。
　これを見たおじいさんは、そのまま通り過ぎることが出来ませんでした。
「お地蔵さま。雪が降って寒かろうな。せめて、このかさをかぶってくだされ」
　おじいさんはお地蔵さまに、売るつもりのかさをかぶせてやりました。
　でも、お地蔵さまは六つなのに、かさは五つしかありません。
　そこでおじいさんは、自分のかさを脱いで、最後のお地蔵さまにかぶせてやりました。
　家へ帰ると、おばあさんがビックリして言いました。
「まあまあ、ずいぶん早かったですねぇ。それに、おじいさんのかさはどうしました？」
　おじいさんは、お地蔵さまのことを話してやりました。
「まあまあ、それはよいことをしましたねえ。おもちなんてなくてもいいですよ」
　おばあさんは、ニコニコして言いました。
　その夜、夜中だと言うのに、ふしぎな歌が聞こえてきました。
♪じいさんの家はどこだ。
♪かさのお礼を、届けに来たぞ。
♪じいさんの家はどこだ。
♪かさのお礼を、届けに来たぞ。
　歌声はどんどん近づいて、とうとうおじいさんの家の前まで来ると、
　ズシーン！
と、何かをおく音がして、そのまま消えてしまいました。
　おじいさんがそっと戸を開けてみると、おじいさんのあげたかさをかぶったお地蔵さまの後ろ姿が見えました。
　そして家の前には、お正月用のおもちやごちそうが、山のようにおいてありました。

おしまい

Kasajizou
(The Jizou statues with strawhats)

A long time ago in a small village in Japan there lived a poor old man and his wife. One day, as New Year's drew near, the wife looked in her rice chest and found that there was hardly any rice left. And with the snow so deep that they could not gather the leaves needed for weaving kasa (sedge hats) to sell, there was nothing else she could do but prepare hot water for cooking what was left of the rice.

Just then, a baby mouse appeared from a hole in the wall, crying, "Oh, I'm so hungry." The mother and father mice scolded their son, "This house is so poor that there are seldom any food scraps left to eat, so you'll just have to bear with it."

"Poor baby mouse," said the old man. "We are so bad off that even the mice are hungry." Feeling sorry for them, he gave the mice a small portion of the last of their rice, which they used to make rice cakes, and together they dined.

The next morning, after eating a sparse breakfast of pickles and tea, the mice tramped out into the snow and gathered a generous pile of sedge, which they then brought back to the house. "This is in return for last night's rice." The old couple thanked the mice. If they could weave and then sell lots of hats in the town, they would be able to buy plenty of food for New Year's. So the old couple and the mice promptly got to work weaving hats. When they were finished, the old man shouldered his ware and went out in the snow toward the town.

When he reached the outskirts of the town, he noticed that the stone statues of Jizo-sama, the Buddha that protects the common people, had their heads covered with snow. "Jizo-sama," he said, "your heads look cold." The old man took the towel he wore around his own head and gently wiped the snow off each statue.

The town on New Year's Eve was bustling with people making their last minute New Year's preparations. The old man joined the throng, singing out, "Sedge hats, sedge hats. Who needs a sedge hat?" But nobody bought a hat from him. Before long, the streets grew empty and the night watch bell began to toll. The old man, having sold not even one hat, shouldered his load and trudged toward home. "I have nothing I can even offer to Jizo-sama," he thought dejectedly.

The old man made his way through the snow-filled streets and finally reached the outskirts of the town. There he noticed that snow had once again piled up on top of the heads of the Jizo-sama statues. So again he took his towel and carefully wiped the snow from each one. Then he said to the statues, "I couldn't sell even one hat for money to buy dumplings, so I have no food to offer you. I'll give you my hats instead." With that, he placed a hat upon each statue's head. But there were six statues and only five hats. The old man thought for a moment and then took the towel and placed it gently on the sixth statue's head. Now completely empty-handed, he returned home.

When he arrived home, the mice looked at his empty back and excitedly thought that he must have sold all of the hats. "Forgive me. I couldn't sell even one hat," said the old man, and then preceded to relay the day's events to his wife and the mice. The old woman, listening, solaced her husband, "That was a kind thing you did. Let's have some pickles and warm water and welcome the New Year."

Just then, in the middle of the night, they heard loud voices cry, "New Year's Delivery! New Year's Delivery! Where is the house of the old hat seller?" Amazingly, the voices came from none other than the Jizo-sama statues, who came forth pulling a sleigh loaded to the hilt with rice, miso (bean paste), and many other delicacies. "Hat seller, thank you for your hats. We leave these gifts for you in return. Have a Happy New Year." With that, the Jizo-sama statues returned to the outskirts of the town.

Since there was more food than the old couple could eat, they had the mice invite their animal friends over, and everybody prepared the food together. Then the old man stacked the boxes of special New Year's food and rice cakes that they had made and took them to the Jizo-sama statues. "Jizo-sama. Now I can make you an offering. Thank you."

The old man returned home and, together with his wife, the mice, and their friends, welcomed in a festive and happy New Year.

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Very inspiring. When a man as poor as this hat maker at the border of starvation can have pity with stone statues,to what amazing things are we able! According to Nakamura-san, my trusted source for fairy tales, and my own experiences in Shikoku this little tale was inspiration for many women and men to do selfless deeds giving away things to people in need. :)
Also you can find the 地蔵 Jizou of the fairy tale in many spots in Japan, for example I found them on 宮島 Miyajima.

mika