Pathway to Japanese Literature
Discover Japan's stories—across time, across language.
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| Original Title | 物のいわれ |
|---|---|
| Author | 楠山 正雄 |
| Genre | Children's Literature |
| Author Type | Male Author |
| Summary | In a realm where nature’s mysteries unfold through timeless fables, creatures and humans alike navigate a world brimming with cunning, consequence, and transformation. A mother’s warning to her children spirals into a chilling encounter with a shapeshifting Mountain Witch, whose demise leaves an indelible mark on the earth. Trickster animals—monkeys, crabs, and foxes—scheme and betray, their rivalries etching lasting traits into their very beings: hairless rumps, clawed limbs, and festival traditions. A frog’s mockery condemns it to a serpent’s gullet, while vanity and filial piety shape the fates of sparrows and woodpeckers. \nFrom vengeful crows dyed irrevocably black to honeybees bargaining for deadly stingers, each tale weaves moral lessons into the fabric of the natural world. Sibling bonds fracture into haunting avian cries, and disobedient doves mourn graves washed away by relentless rivers. These stories pulse with eerie beauty, where every crimson root, mournful call, or creature’s quirk whispers of ancient choices—and the price paid for greed, pride, or love. Discover a tapestry of folklore where the ordinary is forged from the extraordinary, and every shadow holds a secret waiting to unravel. |
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