Tiny Finger
A Japanese Tale
Many, many years ago there lived an honest man and his wife in a small
village
in the southern part of Japan. This couple lived in happiness together,
and even
when they were tired from the day's work, they cheered each other with
the
news of the day. Kenta, for that was the man's name, would tell his wife
of the
things which had happened in the village that day, and Mori, the wife of
Kenta,
would tell her husband the news her neighbors had related to her.
Although they were poor, Kenta and Mori were cheerful together. Their
happiness was not complete, however, for they had no son to carry on the
family name. Each morning the old couple would pray that the Sun Goddess
would bless them with a son of their own. Kenta and Mori wished for a
son so
badly that one day while praying they said, "We will be happy even
though our
child were but as small as our little fingers. If you give us a child we
will do
anything in return for your kindness."
Many months passed, but still no child was born. At last, when they had
almost
given up hope, Mori surprised her husband by telling him that soon they
would
have a child. Oh, their delight was beyond description! Immediately
Kenta
hurried to the village shrine and thanked the Sun Goddess for the
blessing
bestowed upon their marriage.
But when the day of the baby's birth arrived, everyone was astonished
and
puzzled to see that the child was no larger than the little finger of a
human
hand.
Nevertheless, Kenta and Mori were happy, and they remembered their
promise
to the Sun Goddess. Accepting this blessing, they named the baby
Issunboshi,
which in English means "as tiny as a finger."
Though the little boy was as tiny as a finger, Kenta and Mori loved him
very
much. And though Tiny Finger grew older and stronger, he remained just
as
small as he was when he was born. And Mori and Kenta often went to the
temple to ask the Sun Goddess to protect their little son.
But even if he was small, Tiny Finger was a brave and strong boy. One
day he
said to his parents in his thin and lovely voice, "Dear Father and
Mother, thank
you very much for your love during my boyhood, but the time has come
now,
and I am of age. I wish to go to the great capital of Kyoto where the
emperor
lives. There I wish to serve the emperor and become a brave warrior in
his
household."
Kenta and Mori were a little surprised, but they realized their son was
old
enough to go forth into the world. Still, it was difficult for them to
let him go,
for he was so small and looked so helpless. However, there was nothing
that
would satisfy Tiny Finger except to go to the emperor and seek to enter
his
service.
After his mother and father had consented to the trip, Tiny Finger asked
of
them, "Since I am going out into the world, will you give me a needle?
From
the needle I can make a sword. If I am to be a warrior I must have a
weapon to
protect and defend myself."
So old Mori took a large, sharp needle from her sewing box and attached
it to
the vest of her little son.
And again Tiny Finger asked, "Will you give me a wooden bowl and a
chopstick? I must go up the river to get to Kyoto. I will use the bowl
for a boat
and the chopstick for an oar."
So Kenta hurried to the kitchen and returned with a small rice bowl and
a
chopstick. He carried them to Tiny Finger and told him to be careful,
and to use
the bowl and stick well.
The day for his departure arrived and Tiny Finger said good-by to his
parents.
As Tiny Finger rowed away from the shore of the river Yodo, his parents
watched with sad eyes. They waved to him, and soon the little boy and
the tiny
boat were out of sight.
In the river Yodo the little wooden boat bobbed up and down like a cork.
But
Tiny Finger was a strong boy, and, using all his strength, he rowed with
the
chopstick. Oh, but it was a dangerous trip for so small a boat, and the
oar
seemed so heavy, even though it was only a chopstick. But that was
natural, for
you must remember that Tiny Finger was small, and that the chopstick was
even taller than he was. Sometimes the wind blew, and the large waves
almost
wrecked the little boat. And sometimes large fish appeared from the blue
waves
and attacked the strange little traveler in his small, funny craft.
However, Tiny
Finger did not lose courage, and he rowed for many days and nights,
keeping
his boat skimming over the water.
After a long and hard voyage, Tiny Finger reached Kyoto. At last he had
arrived where he longed to be -- in the city where the emperor lived.
Full of delight and feeling extremely brave, Tiny Finger went into the
city of
Kyoto. Everything was strange to the little country boy, for he had
never
before been in a large city -- or, for that matter, in any city at all.
Tiny Finger just gazed in wonderment at the sights. On the main street
long
processions of warriors marched one after another in wide ranks. On one
side
of the street rode an armored warrior lord on a splendid white horse.
And on
the other side of the street was a wonderful golden carriage, perhaps
belonging
to a princess, carried by two strong bearers.
The brilliancy and noise of this splendid city overwhelmed Tiny Finger,
and his
heart beat fast with excitement. He grasped his precious sword even
tighter,
and set out for the palace of the emperor.
Soon he came to a tall, wooden gate where two huge warriors stood with
long
swords. There they guarded the gates and watched all the passers-by. So
Tiny
Finger knew that he had found the palace of the emperor at last.
Being so small, Tiny Finger nimbly jumped through an opening in the huge
gate
and entered the garden of the palace. Timidly he approached the front
door of
the palace and cried, "Hello! Hello!" But his voice was so thin that no
one
could hear it.
Then with all his might Tiny Finger shouted over and over again, "Hello,
great
lord, hello!"
And at last, hearing the weak voice calling, one of the guards noticed
Tiny
Finger and brought the Lord of the Palace to the doorway.
But what a strange thing -- no one was there! At least the Lord of the
Palace
thought that no one was there. He did not expect such a tiny visitor.
The thin little voice kept calling, "Hello! Hello! Great Lord of the
Palace, I am
down here by your feet! "
And when the Lord of the Palace looked down, there stood the smallest
boy he
had ever seen. Why, he was no longer than a finger!
The great lord bent down and in a soft voice asked of Tiny Finger,
"Strange
little boy, what do you want?"
Tiny Finger replied, "I am Tiny Finger, and I came here to learn to be
as great a
soldier as you."
The Lord of the Palace was delighted with this speech and with the
bravery of
the little visitor. "You shall be a soldier," he said. "Come and meet my
young
daughter. I think I will make you her personal guard."
So that is how Tiny Finger went to the great Japanese city of Kyoto and
how he
became the personal guard of the princess of that city.
Life in the castle with the princess was a wonderful experience for Tiny
Finger.
The princess grew to love her finger-high guard, and she had him
accompany
her wherever she went.
One day the princess was visiting a shrine on the outskirts of the city,
and Tiny
Finger went along as usual, for he was her personal attendant. On their
way
home they passed through a deep forest, and just as they were near the
middle
of the woods, a tall, fierce bandit suddenly appeared before the
princess. The
bandit was very bold and he gruffly caught the princess by the sleeve of
her
kimono.
"Help me! Help me!" the princess cried. She tried to escape from the
bandit,
but he was too strong, and he held her fast.
Seeing the princess in danger, Tiny Finger unsheathed his needle sword
and
sprang at the shaggy bandit. Running and kicking, he finally succeeded
in
pricking the bandit in a sensitive spot with his needle sword.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! I have been cut!" roared the bandit. Then he looked all
around
for the one who had hurt him. But Tiny Finger was so small that he could
run in
and out between the bandit's feet, sticking the long needle into the
bandit's big
toes and into his heels. And the bandit was so tall and so clumsy that
he could
not catch Tiny Finger. Nor could he escape from him. Every time the
bandit
tried to run away, Tiny Finger would catch him by one trouser leg and
stick him
with his needle. This he did many, many times, and every time the bandit
tried
to catch Tiny Finger, the little boy would hide between the bandit's
toes or in
the folds of his trousers.
The bandit could not get away from the little boy, and he could not
catch Tiny
Finger. So he surrendered. And when Tiny Finger jumped down to the
ground,
the bandit escaped into the forest, leaving behind him many precious
treasures
and a mallet.
The princess, who had stood trembling under a tree while Tiny Finger
fought
with the bandit, now approached him with delight and appreciation.
To her small protector she said, "Thank you most kindly for bravely
doing
battle with that wicked bandit. You have saved my life. If it had not
been for
you, the bandit would certainly have carried me away into the forest.
And he
would have made my father pay a large ransom for my release. I will tell
my
father how brave you are, and he will reward you."
Then the princess picked up the mallet the bandit had left, and she said
to Tiny
Finger, "This is a wonderful and mysterious mallet, my little soldier.
It is a
treasure of the bandit family. If you make a wish, you will receive
anything you
ask of it."
Tiny Finger was most delighted, and he made a wish. "Please," he said,
"make
me a tall and strong boy like all the other boys of Japan."
He shouted this wish three times, and, to his astonishment, he grew
several feet
every time he shouted. Before the very eyes of the princess, he became a
handsome and strong warrior.
There was a great feast in the banquet hall of the grand palace that
night. Many
soldiers praised Tiny Finger, and everyone admired his beauty and
strength.
The great lord was so pleased with the bravery of the young warrior that
he
gave his daughter in marriage to Tiny Finger.
The next day Tiny Finger and his lovely bride set out for the town where
Kenta
and Mori lived. But this time Tiny Finger did not sail in a rice bowl,
nor did he
row with a chopstick. The old lord had given the young couple a strong
and
sleek ship with tall white sails to help them skim over the water.
Off they went over the blue waves to visit the aging parents of the
young
warrior. In time, Tiny Finger became a great lord himself.
** To UNSUBSCRIBE from dehai, send mail to: majordomo@primenet.com **
** with the following text in the body of your mail: **
** unsubscribe dehai your-email-address **