Pathway to Japanese Literature

Author: Toyoshima Yoshio

Part I

Early in the morning, all the children gathered at Masao’s place.

“Let’s hurry up and go.” Just as they were growing tired of waiting, Masao came out.

“Alright, let’s go.” With Masao at their center, they formed a tight group and set out.

Masao was carrying the white-painted boat. It was a toy boat. Though it was a toy, it measured three meters long—equipped with a spring-driven mechanism that would set it moving across the water once wound up and launched. This had been sent by his uncle in Tokyo. Today they were all going to hold the boat’s launching ceremony. Being a proper ceremony, they needed to select a pristine location.

There was just the right place. At the pond beside Hachiman Shrine, located at the foot of a hill on the outskirts of the village, where one bank was densely wooded and the other was a grassy embankment. In that pond, water that springs forth on its own is always clear.

Masao and the others carried the boat and made their way there.

But they were shocked. The pond water had turned muddy. Usually clear enough to see straight through to the bottom, they could always make out crucian carps and small fish swimming about. Yet today, it lay murky and filthy throughout. What had happened? Could there be something strange in the pond? Like this, they couldn’t hold the pure white boat’s launching ceremony.

“What should we do?” Everyone discussed. “I refuse to hold the launching ceremony elsewhere.”

"Masao declared."

So they decided to wait until the pond water became perfectly clear.

But they wanted to hold the launching ceremony soon. When they came to check in the evening, the water had mostly cleared, so tomorrow seemed safe.

The next morning, everyone mustered their energy and came again.

But it had turned muddy again! “That’s weird…” “What’s going on?” “Could it be a water bird?” “Maybe it’s an otter?” Upon closer examination, they found that the grass on the embankment was wet here and there.

“There must be some suspicious creature here.” “That’s right—let’s catch it!”

They postponed the boat’s launching ceremony for a couple of days and decided to catch that suspicious creature. They were energetic children.

In groups of three or four, they patrolled during the dim evenings and foggy dawns but found nothing. “It must come out at midnight.” Yet midnight was rather frightening. They all pondered what to do.

Two

Because the pond water was muddy and they couldn’t hold the launching ceremony for the white-painted boat, Masao and the others were troubled once again that day.

At that moment, Old Man with White Hair happened to pass by. He was an old man respected by the villagers and called Old Man with White Hair because his hair was beautifully white.

The children all bowed respectfully.

“What are all of you doing here?”

“What are all of you doing here?” Mr. Goinkiyo asked.

The children all explained the reason they were troubled.

Mr. Goinkiyo gazed at the pond and thought for a while. Then he said calmly, "The pond is muddy because there's sediment at the bottom. Instead of waiting for the water to clear, why don't we all dredge the pond, scoop out the sediment, and clean it up?" "But this is Hachiman Shrine's pond. Are we really allowed to do such a thing?" "Of course—we're purifying it, after all."

“In the past, we dredged this pond too,” said Mr. Goinkiyo. “Since it’s probably too much for just you children, we’ll have the adults lend a hand too. I’ll take care of it for you.” Hearing that, everyone— “Whoa!”

they exclaimed.

Things became exciting. Things became serious. They would drain Hachiman Shrine’s pond and dredge it. What could be inside? Old Man with White Hair would handle all the arrangements.

Since it was a pond where water naturally springs forth, they had to finish everything within a single day. Preparations from the previous day were a huge task. At the spot where water was trickling out, they dug it open wide and deep to drain as much of the pond’s water as possible. After that, they lined up two waterwheels and pumped out the remaining water. And caught fish and scooped out mud. They needed lots of tubs and buckets. They also needed several large tubs to keep the caught fish alive. Everyone discussed all sorts of things.

“And what if there’s something like a river otter?” “Let’s catch them all alive.”

But how were they supposed to catch them alive? The nets might get torn apart. Everyone returned home, but with so many things weighing on their minds, they couldn't fall asleep easily. They dreamed of river otters and loaches, of carp and crucian carp and such.

The next morning, everyone leaped out of bed while it was still dark.

Three

At last, the pond dredging began. By now, most of the pond’s water had drained away from where they had dug open the embankment. After that, two waterwheels were set up, and the adults trod on them, pumping out water with a steady rhythm.

The old man with white hair was smiling warmly as he watched. The children were waiting together with the other adults. The water was steadily receding. The pond’s bottom was becoming exposed. What would emerge? A strange creature might come crawling out stealthily. But what had happened? No strange things emerged at all. There were three or four carp, a few crucian carp and dace, and a small number of little loaches—that was all.

“It’s all neat and tidy now,” said the adults. “This is so boring…” said the children. But they still didn’t know what might be lurking in the mud.

Everyone started scooping out the mud. This was hard work. They scooped up the excavated mud with buckets and sieves and carried it out of the pond. Everyone worked until they were covered in mud. Only a few eels and loaches had emerged. And finally, the pond dredging was completed. Since water was springing forth from beneath the row of trees on the hill, it was better to shift their dredging efforts there instead.

When they removed the mud, only clean sand remained, and as water began trickling in there, it looked as though it had been washed clean. Within a single day, it was completely finished. They filled the dug-out section of the embankment with soil again, packed it down, laid stones, and created a water outlet.

And since the water had accumulated, they released all the caught fish.

The children remained at the embankment until the very end.

“Ahh… I’m exhausted.” “This is so boring… There’s nothing here at all.”

The old man with white hair said.

“But now that we’ve thoroughly dredged it, it won’t get muddy anymore. From tomorrow on, you’ll be able to play here pleasantly.”

That was true. It was no longer the unpleasant pond it had been. This was their pond, now thoroughly clear down to its very bottom. They still needed to hold the launching ceremony for the white-painted boat. The springwater kept gathering steadily.

By the next day, the pond was filled with water as usual.

And oh, what a beautiful sight it was! The water had become perfectly clear; the bottom was visible all the way down, and even the fish swimming about could be seen clearly.

“It’s so beautiful.”

“Let’s hold the launching ceremony right away.” “Yeah, this time it’s totally safe.”

The sky was perfectly clear.

Everyone gathered at Masao’s house and brought out the white-painted boat. It was an impressive three-meter-long object.

They decorated the boat with Hinomaru flags, and everyone carried it to the pond.

Four

In the freshly dredged pond, it was the launching ceremony for the pristine white-painted boat. In the center of the boat stood a single pole, with short poles also erected at both the front and rear ends. They connected those three poles with string and adorned the string with numerous Hinomaru flags. They all supported it from four sides and gently pushed it into the pond. The boat glided smoothly along. The Hinomaru flags fluttered in the wind, their reflections shimmering in the water.

“Wow!” “Hooray!” Everyone clapped their hands. And so the launching ceremony was concluded.

Then, everyone stripped naked, jumped into the pond, and played by pulling the boat around and swimming. It was a clear pond. However, it was so cold that they couldn’t stay in for long.

Though the boat was three meters long, when viewed from atop the embankment, it looked small—a genuine toy through and through. “I wish we had a real boat,” said Ichiro. “A regular boat would work too.”

"A regular boat would work too," said Taro.

They wanted a boat they could ride and play on.

“Let’s build a raft! If it’s a raft, even we can make one!”

"Let’s build a raft! If it’s a raft, even we can make one!" said Eikichi.

Everyone agreed to that.

So they named Masao’s toy boat *Hachiman Maru* and entrusted it to the Hachiman Shrine near the pond, while separately deciding to build a large raft in the shrine’s garden. Now they became busy.

The children had to run around everywhere searching for logs, wide planks, bamboo poles, and such things, and bring them back. And to bind it together, they had to prepare hemp ropes and palm-fiber ropes that would hold up even when soaked in water. They were making a large raft that they could ride and play on. Each of them went to their houses and brought back wood, bamboo, and rope. They also got materials from other houses and gathered as much as they possibly could.

And after several days of work, they finally completed a large raft. They all carried it and floated it on the pond. It was splendid. It could comfortably hold about two or three people. They floated the Hachiman Maru in the center of the pond and rowed around it. It wasn’t just for play. The raft served a practical purpose. When dead leaves from trees fell and floated on the pond, they would get on the raft, remove them, and keep the pond clean at all times.

They wanted to keep the pond clean at all times. However, the trouble was that once the raft got waterlogged, it became so heavy that even with all their strength combined, the children couldn’t haul it up onto the hill. “Ah, let’s just leave it as it is.”

They left it just as it was, tied together with ropes and floating on the pond.

However, the next day, disaster struck.

Something had boarded the raft.

5

What could be on the raft? The children stood on tiptoe atop the embankment and stared, holding their breath. The morning sun shone upon them, its light turning the pond’s surface into a mirror-like sheen. Across the water, the raft they had tied to a tree floated motionless—and there upon it crouched a large dark mass, something resembling a millstone, utterly still. Then, its protruding part shifted. Slowly, it moved once more.

It seemed to be a head. On the opposite side, there was something like a tail.

“It’s a turtle! A turtle!” said Masao. Indeed, it was a turtle. It was a large stone turtle they had never seen before. The stone turtle was drying a gourd on the raft. “What should we do?”

“What should we do?” said Taro. “Let’s go call the Old Man with White Hair.”

“Let’s go call the Old Man with White Hair,” said Ichiro.

And then, the two immediately ran off to the Old Man with White Hair’s place.

The others were hiding in the shadow of the embankment, watching what was happening.

Mr. Goinkiyo came leaning on his cane, out of breath. “Well, well, this is a large turtle.” Mr. Goinkiyo was also surprised.

“So it had been hiding somewhere in the pond after all.” “It must’ve come out to bask since it’s gotten a bit chilly. What a large turtle.” “An auspicious turtle indeed.” “Well then, I suppose you’ll be giving the raft to this turtle.”

But even if they went to the trouble of giving it the raft, if they didn’t tie it down properly, it might escape somewhere. They were worried.

“Oh, come now—it won’t run off,” said Mr. Goinkiyo. “It lives in this pond.” “And I’ll bring more companions for it too.”

And so, they decided to take the stone turtles that were in the pond at the town’s temple. Mr. Goinkiyo’s servant went by bicycle with Mr. Goinkiyo’s letter and brought back several stone turtles from the temple. When the turtle on the raft climbed down, it hid itself somewhere.

The children attached a large rock to the raft as an anchor substitute and secured it in the middle of the pond.

And on it, they released the turtles they had received. To feed the turtles, they decided to put many fish into the pond. They scooped up crucian carp, killifish, and loaches from the river and released them into the pond. From then on, strangely enough, that large turtle swam around the pond together with the turtles from the town’s temple, no longer startled when people approached, and would occasionally climb onto the raft to sit perfectly still.

The children could hardly contain their joy. The clear pond, with its various fish, many turtles, **the** toy boat**,** and **the** large raft**,** was just like a park.

“That’s right—let’s make it like a real park!” Without anyone having to voice it first, everyone’s intentions aligned perfectly, and they all began working on the task.

6

It was an enormous undertaking. However, since everyone still needed to keep up with schoolwork, they resolved to devote themselves to the task solely on Sundays. In the field below the embankment, mud scooped up from the pond stood heaped in tall mounds.

They leveled the mud smoothly and planted chrysanthemums.

However, the very next day, a terrible gale struck.

When they went to check, the chrysanthemums had been completely knocked down and were covered in mud.

“Flowers are no good,” “Let’s plant trees instead.”

So they decided to plant cherry trees, plum trees, maple trees, and others like them. “Fruit trees would work well too,” said Masao.

Everyone’s eyes sparkled. “That’s right. That’s perfect.” And then，they brought such trees from the mountains，received others from elsewhere，and planted them. However，since they only worked on Sundays，progress was rather slow. Moreover，as it gradually grew colder and leaves fell，making the pond dirty，they also had to scoop those up.

The turtle had already withdrawn somewhere, but they still wanted to keep the pond clean.

In the woods upstream of the pond，dead branches were catching the eye in great numbers. They also had to gather those.

Amidst their various tasks, days passed, and winter break arrived.

On particularly cold days, they would gather dead branches and build a bonfire. They would bring sweet potatoes, roast them over the fire, and eat them deliciously as steam wisped up.

On snowy days, there was nothing they could do. On those days, they would stop working and play by riding bamboo stilts or having snowball fights.

One such morning after the snow, they all gathered together and went out to inspect the trees they had planted in the field.

Everywhere, all around, was pure white with snow. And then, the morning sun burst forth, shining brilliantly—it was truly beautiful. Over the pond, thin steam was rising.

The pond’s water was spring-fed, so in winter—being somewhat warmer than the air—steam rose from it. “Oh, what’s that?” “What’s that?” In the pond, on that raft, there was a pure white object. The pure white object was standing upright.

Everyone stealthily approached the embankment. At that very moment, the white object abruptly flew up. It was a white heron. Spreading its large white wings and stretching its long legs behind, it soared up and flew off toward the mountains. It was truly beautiful. The swooshing sound of wings cutting through the wind reached right to where everyone stood. Everyone stood gazing in awe, but then hurried off to consult Mr. Goinkiyo.

The white heron would surely come to the raft again. They were determined to find a way to catch it.

7 Everyone thought the white heron would come again and consulted Mr. Goinkiyo about how they might catch it. Mr. Goinkiyo listened to everyone’s story and said: “That won’t do.” “A white heron, unlike a turtle, is quite difficult to keep.” “If you want a white heron that badly, I could find you something else instead.” “What would you like?” “How about a crane?”

“How about a crane?” said Masao.

“A crane, eh? That’d be even more trouble.” “How about a goose?”

“How about a goose?” said Ichiro. “They’d be too noisy—won’t do.” “How about ducks?” said Eikichi. “They’d make a mess—won’t do.”

The children were at a loss. Mr. Goinkiyo said.

“The problem is you lot only think about the pond.” “How about keeping pigeons at Hachiman Shrine instead?” “Why don’t you build a pigeon coop and try raising lots of pigeons?” Indeed, pigeons would be splendid. Everyone, “That’s a good idea.”

they agreed. Mr. Goinkiyo said. “But since it’s still cold，you’ll have to wait until spring.” “Before long，I’ll build you a pigeon coop.”

But the children could hardly wait. So they discussed whether they might devise some fun game to play at this pond during the cold months.

“Shall I show you something clever?”

Then Mr. Goinkiyo came out with a strange thing to say. He said they should spread the pond water over the flat field outside and leave it there. “If we do that, it’ll just turn into a puddle!” “Well, just give it a try. It’ll turn into something interesting.”

Everyone didn’t fully understand, but they did as Mr. Goinkiyo said anyway.

The next day, when they went to look, the entire area was damp.

The next day, they went to look again. It was an especially cold day. Then all around—oh my, what a sight!—it glistened brilliantly, transformed into a field of ice. Everyone began sliding across its surface. It was a gently sloping field. Thick ice had formed solidly across its surface. It glided smoothly.

From then on, every day they would put on skates or straw sandals and glide around playing.

“Let’s try riding the boat and sliding around,” proposed Masao.

So, everyone went to retrieve the white-painted Hachiman Maru, which was stored inside the sanctuary of Hachiman Shrine. And they exclaimed, “Ah!” in surprise.

VIII

When they tried to pull out the Hachiman Maru from the rear of Hachiman Shrine, something white stirred inside. Tiny, adorable white mice.

Inside the boat, they were building a nest with dead grass and straw scraps. Where could they have come from? When did they multiply into such a large number?

“How cute!” “Let’s leave them alone.” “Let’s make a big wire net.” They would buy wire and use it to make a wire net.

But school also started. This time, since they were moving up to the next grade, they had to study diligently.

Spring break was just around the corner. “I wish spring break would come soon,” everyone thought. This spring break was going to be nothing but happy things. The pond has become clean. Goldfish and other fish are swimming in great numbers. The turtles, too，now sometimes come up to the water’s surface.

The trees planted in the field were vigorously beginning to sprout buds. The plum tree had already formed buds. The cherry trees would also bloom beautiful flowers. Peaches, chestnuts, persimmons, mandarins—before long, they would likely bear fruit year-round. Since the field could no longer be used for skating, they drained all the water. On the roof of Hachiman Shrine, many pigeon coops had been built. The old man with white hair, Mr. Goinkiyo, was supposed to put pigeons in them.

Inside the Hachiman Maru, the pure white mice were thriving. They ought to quickly put them into the wire net.

When they thought about it, it had turned into something marvelous. With the pond at its center, it had truly become a park.

It began with Masao-san’s toy boat. And especially from that pond.

“What a mysterious pond!” Saying that, the children were proud. They were so happy they could barely contain themselves. It was a fine Sunday—still cold, yet with hints of spring beginning to emerge.

Masao, Ichiro, Taro, Eikichi, Hanako, and a great many others, with the old man with white hair, Mr. Goinkiyo, at their center, gathered together and paid their respects at Hachiman Shrine. Then, they sat down on the pond’s embankment. Across the vast field, wheat swayed lush and green in the wind. “That’s right—I want a field too.”

“That’s right—I want a field too,” said Masao. “That’s right—that would be nice.” “Mr. Goinkiyo, do you think we can make a field in this open space?”

Everyone clamored. “Of course it can—and it’ll be splendid!” Everyone exchanged glances. When April arrived, they would also prepare a field in one corner of the sports ground. Yet another joyful task had been added.

IX

Warm spring arrived. School was on spring break. The children went to the edge of Hachiman Shrine’s pond every day, where they played and worked. That area had already become like a park. Everything they had envisioned had been perfectly accomplished, yet a tremendous task still remained. They wanted to grow the beans for the pigeons and the sweet potatoes for the white mice themselves. They had to cultivate the field next to the pond even more thoroughly and turn it into a proper field.

The children each brought out hoes and plows and cultivated the field.

Before long, something mysterious began to happen. One day, the wire netting for the white mice disappeared. The number of mice also seemed to have decreased considerably.

Could someone have stolen it? The children, indignant, appealed to Mr. Goinkiyo. Mr. Goinkiyo thought for a while, then said.

“There, there,” said Mr. Goinkiyo. “The mice must’ve felt cramped under that wire netting. Let’s stop using it.” “That’s right!” the children chimed in. “We’d hate being trapped under wire netting too.” They spoke in unison, their voices blending with spring’s first warmth.

Now then, where should they place the Hachiman Maru, which had become the nest for the white mice?

“Since it’s a boat, it should be by the pond.” So it was decided. Yet another task was added. By the pond, in a spot where trees grew thickly clustered, they were to build a small shed. Although small, it had to be something sturdy enough to withstand wind and rain. The children built it themselves, without relying on adults’ help.

They gently placed the Hachiman Maru inside the shed. The white mice, released into a wide-open space, grew even livelier. “That worked out well!” The children went to check on the white mice many times.

However, this time, about three pigeon nesting boxes disappeared.

Could someone have stolen it again?

Upon hearing this, Mr. Goinkiyo said: “Now, now, it’s fine. In those boxes, even the pigeons must feel cramped. We’ll make a big one then.”

But that particular task was beyond the children’s capabilities. Mr. Goinkiyo enlisted a carpenter to build a long, large nesting box on the eaves of Hachiman Shrine’s hall.

The pigeons amicably went in and out of the box together. “With this, no matter how many pigeons there are, it’ll be perfectly fine.” The children looked up at the pigeons happily.

The children looked up at the pigeons happily.

Even so, mysterious events still continued. On the grass by the pond, mud and trash were often discarded, leaving the area wet. Although the pond had been dredged clean, there still remained some mud and debris at the bottom. The mud and debris on the grass were none other than what had remained at the bottom. It seemed someone was playing tricks on the pond.

They became worried. However, the Old Man with White Hair said calmly.

“Since the pond hasn’t been fully cleaned yet, someone must be tidying up the bottom for us.” “Then let’s do it ourselves.”

The children, having said that, even though the pond water was still cold, jumped in naked and scooped up the mud and debris from the bottom.

The pond was now completely clean.

Up until then, everything had been fine, but one day, the children noticed that the pond’s giant turtle had disappeared. It was a rare turtle, so large that they had never seen or heard of anything like it. It was a turtle that seemed like the guardian of the pond. That it had disappeared was a grave matter. At this, even Mr. Goinkiyo scowled.

Could the turtle have been stolen by someone? Could it have gone somewhere?

The children searched everywhere. Starting with the pond itself, they looked through the woods, pushed through thickets, and prodded the riverbed, but it was nowhere to be found. “Mr. Turtle! Mr. Turtle, where are you?”

No matter how much they called, there was no response.

Now they were truly worried.

“What should we do?” “What should I do?” No matter how much they worried, there was nothing to be done. They felt frustration mingled with sadness—an urge to burst into tears. Looking back now, that giant turtle seemed to have been their most precious treasure. With it gone, everything felt unbearable. “Wait a little longer,” “It might come back.”

Mr. Goinkiyo said this, but he looked uneasy.

The children grew even more uneasy.

10

When the giant turtle from Hachiman Shrine’s pond disappeared, leaving the children withered with grief and Mr. Goinkiyo fretting over the situation, Taiju—who lived on the village outskirts—suddenly arrived carrying a large sieve to seek out Mr. Goinkiyo. Taiju was a cunning troublemaker and, on top of that, a lazybones.

That Taiju now bowed his head before Mr. Goinkiyo and, trembling fearfully, confessed everything.

○ Taiju had suddenly conceived a wicked thought. He stole the wire netting for the white mice from Hachiman Shrine, put some of them inside it, and went to town to sell it. “A large wire netting and snow-white mice. I’ll sell them cheap. Won’t you buy?”

The townspeople laughed. “We don’t need such things.” “A large wire netting and pure white mice...” “We don’t need such things.”

Everywhere he went, he was turned down. Taiju wandered all over until, exhausted, he discarded the wire netting and white mice beneath someone else’s eaves.

Nevertheless, Taiju did not give up. This time, he stole a pigeon nesting box with the pigeons still inside and went to town to sell it. “A splendid nesting box and beautiful pigeons.” “I’ll sell them cheap.” “Won’t you buy?”

The townspeople laughed. “We don’t need such things.”

“A splendid nesting box and beautiful pigeons...”

“We don’t need such things.”

Everywhere he went, he was turned down.

Taiju wandered all over the place until, exhausted, he ended up discarding the nesting box and pigeons under someone else’s eaves again.

This time, even Taiju began to think. In Hachiman Shrine’s pond, among all sorts of fish, there was also a large carp. Carp would probably sell. Taiju took a net and went out to catch carp. However, for some reason, he couldn’t catch any carp at all. Not only carp—he couldn’t catch a single crucian carp or even a dace. In the midst of this, Taiju got wind of something advantageous. “In town, a certain wealthy person is eagerly collecting rare turtle hatchlings,” he had heard.

In Hachiman Shrine’s pond there were many turtles. Among them was a rare giant turtle. Far from being a mere hatchling, it was a colossal creature of a size that could not be seen anywhere else.

“That one will definitely sell.”

“That one will definitely sell,” muttered Taiju.

He had targeted the giant turtle but caught it with unexpected ease. Even so, when he saw how enormous it was, Taiju felt uneasy and kept it tied with rope at his house for two or three days. Then he finally resolved himself, placed it in a basket, and set out to sell it in town. However, as he passed by the edge of a deep river along the way, a voice came from within the water.

“Mr. Giant Turtle of Hachiman Pond, where are you off to?”

In response to that voice, Mr. Giant Turtle answered from within the basket. "I'm going for a stroll to town." Taiju was startled. Even so, as he pressed on, this time when he happened to pass by a large marsh, a voice came from within it.

“Mr. Giant Turtle of Hachiman Pond, where are you off to?”

In response to that, he said from inside the basket. "I'm being taken to town by a villain."

Taiju shuddered.

He put down the basket there and tried to think. "This is really bad—I’ve done something terrible."

The moment he thought this, his fear grew ever greater. Carrying the basket, Taiju no longer headed for town but dejectedly turned back. When he reached the marsh again, a voice sounded once more. “Mr. Giant Turtle of Hachiman Pond—returning already?” From within the basket came his reply.

“It would be better to go back.” When he came to the river’s edge again, a voice called out once more.

“Mr. Giant Turtle of Hachiman Pond, are you heading back already?” He answered from inside the basket. “Since I’ve had such a cramped ordeal, I’ll go back and take a good rest.”

Taiju was beyond startled—he had become utterly terrified and ran back to the village.

Even so, his heart still found no peace. He explained the circumstances to Mr. Goinkiyo, apologized to the children as well, and resolved that from now on he would reform his wicked heart.

○

After hearing Taiju’s story, the old man with white hair said.

“And this about the giant turtle speaking—is that truly so?”

“It’s true, I assure you. I heard that voice clearly.” “I see—that’s a fascinating tale indeed. Whether it was your conscience speaking or the giant turtle speaking… well, perhaps it doesn’t matter which.”

In any case, the important giant turtle had returned. Taiju, having been instructed by Mr. Goinkiyo, called and gathered the village children. The children leapt for joy. In their overwhelming joy, they found no room in their hearts to reproach Taiju. They took the giant turtle out of the basket. And carrying it, Masao, Ichiro, Taro, Eikichi, Hanako, and everyone else came to Hachiman Shrine’s pond.

The Giant Turtle, released into the pond, dove briefly into the water, resurfaced, then swam slowly to the raft, climbed onto it, and sat perfectly still. “Hachiman Pond’s Giant Turtle, banzai!”

Everyone, without thinking, raised their voices in unison and shouted just like that.

Taiju, too, at this moment joined in shouting "banzai"—and then: "As long as I live, I want to help the children and join in their work of turning the fields into farmland."

he declared.

Mr. Goinkiyo also agreed to this. Taiju joined the children’s group. The children’s work would likely continue developing and expanding gradually. While studying at school, getting up to all sorts of things along the way—wasn’t that fun?