Pathway to Japanese Literature

I

The three sister Star Women would gaze upon the beautiful world below every night and say over and over that they wished to descend there.

One evening, the three Star Women found a beautiful spring in the middle of the forest, its surface covered with water lilies. All three wanted to step into that water, but they had no means to descend that far. The three Star Women gazed at the spring all through the night, sighing. The following night as well, the three of them again gazed down at that spring. The spring appeared even more beautiful than it had the previous evening.

“Ah, I want to go down. Even just once, I want to bathe in that spring and return,” said the eldest sister. The two younger sisters also expressed their desire to descend in the same manner.

Then, the Moon Lady—who loved walking atop high mountains—heard this,

"If you wish to descend so badly, tell the Spider King what you desire and have him let you down via his spider thread," she said. The Spider King was sitting in his web as usual, listening intently. The Star Women made their request to the Spider King. The Spider King said, “Now then, please descend.” "My thread is as light as air, yet as strong as steel," he said.

The three grasped the thread and descended one by one, smoothly coming down beside the spring. Moonlight spread across the entire surface of the spring, and the sweet fragrance of water lilies filled the air. The three took off their glittering star robes and quietly slipped into the water. The water was refreshingly cold. The three quietly parted the water lily flowers and moved forward. On their skin, water droplets glistened like pearls.

And there, right beside the spring, lay a young hunter asleep. The three of them remained completely unaware as they continued bathing joyfully in the water. The hunter had been sleeping deeply when he dreamed of three celestial women swaying through water lilies as they walked through the spring's waters, causing him to awaken abruptly. Propping himself up on his elbows to gaze at the spring's surface, he saw three beautiful women bathing happily beneath moonlight that cast everything in deep azure hues.

The hunter stealthily crept along the spring's bank and went to where the three women's robes had been taken off. And then, he picked up the most beautiful robe among them and examined it. It was a magnificent robe woven with gold and silver threads, adorned with various gemstones stitched into its design, with a large red ruby shaped like a heart glittering on the left side of the chest. The hunter carried the robe, returned to his original spot, and hid.

The three Star Women, blissfully unaware of this occurrence, continued bathing joyfully in the water for a long time. Gradually, dawn drew near. Then, the Spider King called down from the heavens, "You must return now. When the Sun graciously appears, its noble horses will trample through and sever the thread. Please ascend quickly to the heavens."

When the Star Women heard this, they hurriedly climbed to the shore. The two elder sisters immediately put on their robes, ascended the invisible spider thread ladder, and returned to the heavens. The youngest sister—the most beautiful among the three—was shocked to find that the robe she had removed along with the others was missing. Since she could not return to the heavens without it, she searched the vicinity desperately, but it could not be found. Before long, the Sun graciously appeared. The Sun's noble horses trampled down and severed the spider thread with their hooves.

The Star Woman, utterly at a loss, lay face down on the grass and wept. Then the forest birds awoke and came, “Your beautiful robe was taken by the young hunter.” “That hunter is over there under that tree, pretending to be asleep.” Thus chirping, they told her. When the Star Woman heard this, she strung water lilies together to fashion a floral robe, wrapped herself in it, and went to where the hunter was. And then,

“Please return my gold and silver robe.” “In exchange I will do anything you wish,” she pleaded tearfully. The hunter said, “I want nothing for myself.” “If you become my bride I will need nothing else,” he said. The Star Woman—now that her robe had been taken and she had lost all magic to depart the earthly realm—reluctantly became the hunter’s bride.

The hunter cherished the Star Woman dearly. The Star Woman's figure was as beautiful as water lilies, and her voice resonated more tenderly than any bird's song.

The hunter went out hunting every day and brought back food. And he told the Star Woman all sorts of cheerful stories from that day. However, even amidst such circumstances, the Star Woman could not forget her home in the heavens. On moonlit nights, she would go out alone to the water lily spring and weep while gazing at the heavens. She kept yearning, thinking how wonderful it would be if at least her two elder Star Sisters would descend once more, but they merely blinked their blue eyes in silence, and even though the Spider King lowered his thread every night, they showed not the slightest intention of coming down.

II In time, three boys were born to the Star Woman in succession. The Star Woman lived with the sole joy of watching those children grow. Next came a lovely girl. To the Star Woman, that girl was unbearably dear.

One day, a messenger came from the distant town where the Hunter had been born. The news was that the Hunter's father was gravely ill and nearing death. The Hunter was startled,

“I must go right now,” he said. The Star Woman heard this and, “But what will you do if wild beasts kill you during that long journey?” she asked through tears. The hunter comforted her, “There’s no need for such worry. Since my father has no other children but me, I must go help him close his eyes peacefully. Once I’ve performed the funeral rites, I’ll return right away. Please wait here with our children. When seven days have passed, I’ll surely return,” he vowed. Then the eldest son spoke up,

“I want to go with Father and see Grandfather,” he said. The hunter said, “You stay home with everyone and keep watch for thieves,” he said. The boy said, “In that case, I’ll go with you to the edge of this forest and come back from there.” “And then I’ll guard the house together with Mother.”

When the hunter came to the edge of the forest with the child, “Now you must turn back from here. Since these are the keys to all the rooms in the house, I will entrust them to you,” he said, handing over the bundle of keys. “And then, “I’ll say this clearly—no matter what happens, you must not enter the small upstairs room. This golden key fits into that room’s lock, but you must never open that one under any circumstances,” he repeatedly impressed upon him. The boy nodded vigorously in understanding.

The hunter said, “Now there’s nothing to fear here, so be good and wait,” he said, parting from him. The boy made his way back through the forest and returned home, only to find Mother standing at the doorway, weeping softly. The boy said, “Why are you crying? Now that I’ve returned, there’s nothing to fear from thieves anymore, right?” he said. At that moment Mother, “There’s nothing to fear from thieves at all,” she said.

“Then what are you sad about?”

“But Father will never come back here again.” “No, that’s not true. Father said he would return soon.” “And then I too must return home.” “Once I return, I can never come out again.”

Mother said this and began weeping bitterly again. The boy,

“Then will you leave all of us three and the little baby behind?” he asked. The Star Woman was startled upon hearing this, “No, no—I will never return, no matter what happens.” “Rest assured.” “How could I go back leaving that baby and all of you behind?” She wiped her tears while repeating these words. The boy, now reassured, played together with everyone.

Then that night, the boy awoke to a voice outside in the moonlight—someone repeating something in a beautiful tone like a small bird’s song. As he listened, that bird-like voice sang in a mournful melody: “The spider’s ladder has descended—come back quickly now.” The Mother nursing the baby nearby sang softly: “Hush now, hush... You are my ruby—how could I return without you?” Her melody carried this meaning as she gazed down at the sleeping baby’s face.

Then, from outside, “Then return together—the two of you. Holding the Red Ruby, come back together—the two of you,” they sang. Mother remained silent for a while. Before long, the voices outside once again, “The spider’s ladder has descended.” Though you’ve been gone seven years, “The two Star Women are weeping.” And they began singing again. The baby suddenly woke up and started crying. Mother gently patted its back, “Hush now~, hush now~. Return again they may tell me, but the jewel-adorned robe isn’t here,” she sang sorrowfully.

The baby fell peacefully asleep again.

After that, there were no voices for a while, but before long, once more from the moonlight outside— “Search for the key. “The golden key to the small room where your robe is hidden,” they sang in a small, beautiful voice. The boy, while listening to that song, naturally fell into a deep, drowsy sleep. Then, into the child’s dream came two beautiful women, “Since you’re a good child, please open the door of that upstairs room. “If you do that, your Mother will no longer cry,” they said. When the boy woke up in the morning, he turned to Mother and,

“I heard someone last night singing over and over for Mother to return quickly,” he said. Mother said, “You must have been dreaming,” she said. And then later he wept bitterly by himself. The boy, having indeed heard it with his eyes wide open, kept worrying about what would happen if Mother truly did return home, and spent the entire day thinking only of last night’s song.

Three That evening, the boy remembered how two women had said last night that if he opened that upstairs room, Mother would stop crying. And he thought that if he did so, Mother would probably never return home again either. At that time, Mother had gone to the spring to have the two younger boys and the baby bathe.

The boy hurriedly went up to the second floor and opened the door of that room with a small golden key. When he did so, inside that room hung a beautiful robe woven with gold and silver threads and adorned with various jewel decorations. When he took it down and looked, there was a large Red Ruby attached to the chest of the robe. Both the decorative gems and that Red Ruby shone dazzlingly, exactly like stars in the night sky. The boy, startled, thought to show the robe to Mother and carried it downstairs.

After a while, Mother returned with the two boys and the baby. The boy said, “Mother! There was such a beautiful robe upstairs. Please try wearing it.” When Mother saw it, she smiled happily and immediately put it on. The children, because Mother had put on that robe and become a beautiful Mother, danced around joyfully. The boy said,

“Until Father returns, I’ll lend it to you every night. And when Father returns, I’ll ask him and get it for you,” he said.

Mother said, "Please let me borrow this just until I put the baby to sleep tonight," she entreated.

The boy said, “Then please go ahead and wear it until then.”

That night, the boy stayed awake in bed with his eyes open. Then before long—once more from the moonlight outside—came a beautiful voice: "The spider’s ladder descends. Though you linger seven years away,"

“The two stars are weeping.”

and there came the sound of singing in a beautiful voice like a small bird.

After that, there were no voices for a while—but now, Mother, who had been nursing the baby, “Hush now, hush now. How could I leave behind my dear Red Ruby?” she sang.

As the boy listened, he naturally grew drowsy and heavy with sleep, feeling as though Mother's voice were gradually receding into the distance. And just like that, he slept soundly until the sun rose.

The boy woke up in the morning intending to speak about last night’s song but found Mother nowhere when he looked for her. "The boy, "Then she must have gone to the water lily spring," he thought—and went there to search—but Mother was not there either. When he returned home again to check—not only was Mother gone—the small baby had also disappeared. "The boy,

"This must surely be the work of a wicked thief who has taken Mother and the baby away," he thought. "The beautiful songs since the night before last must have been sung by the thief trying to deceive Mother and take her away." When he looked, the glittering robe with jeweled decorations that he had lent to Mother was also gone. The two younger children began crying, saying, "Mother isn't here, Mother isn't here." The boy consoled them and searched through the forest, but no matter how far he went, Mother was nowhere to be found. The two children,

“Because Mother isn’t here, it’s scary.” “Because Mother isn’t here, it’s scary,” they said, and no matter how much someone tried to console them, they wouldn’t listen, whimpering and wailing all day long and causing distress. In the end, the boy too,

“Mother, come back. Mother, please come back,” he kept saying through tears. The two children, being unbearably hungry, cried even more loudly, wailing at the top of their lungs. The boy suddenly recalled how Father had so strictly forbidden it,

"Oh, I've done something terrible. Because I didn't listen to Father and opened the door to the upstairs room, even that beautiful jeweled robe had disappeared. When Father returns, what will he say? The disappearance of Mother and the baby must surely be my punishment for disobeying what Father told me." Thinking this, he grew even sadder.

Before long, the sun set, and a beautiful moonlit night arrived.

The boy was trying to put the two children to bed when suddenly the entrance door opened, and Mother returned wearing last night’s jeweled robe. Overjoyed, the two younger children clung to Mother.

“Because Mother wasn’t here, it was scary.” “We were scared too,” the two said one after another.

Mother said,

“Now that I’m here with you, there’s nothing to fear.” “More importantly, you must all be terribly hungry.” “Here, eat this,” she said, distributing the delicious fruits she had brought from the heavens. The two younger children were delighted and devoured them eagerly. But the eldest boy made no move to eat, “Mother, where has the baby gone? You said you wouldn’t leave us behind, so why did she go elsewhere?” he asked. Mother replied,

“The baby is sleeping beside my two elder sisters.” “I will return home right away and watch over you from afar, so everyone must be good and go to sleep quietly.” “I’ll bring something delicious again tomorrow night too.” The boy said, “Then please take off that jeweled robe and go.” “Father said we mustn’t open that room, but since I opened it and took it out, I’ll be scolded by Father.” “When Father returns, I’ll plead and get it for you.” Mother said,

“Never mind that; hurry up and eat this fruit,” he said. The boy, reassured by these words, sat beside Mother and ate the delicious fruit. Then little by little, they forgot all about the golden key and the jeweled robe. And they were overjoyed that Mother wore a beautiful robe and had become a beautiful woman.

Four

The boy, now convinced Mother would go nowhere else, went to bed reassured. Then, before long, he awoke abruptly to hear a song once more. When he listened intently, sure enough, in the same beautiful voice as last night, "Ruby cries without cease. Should she not return ere sunrise, the horses' hooves will sever the thread." they sang.

Mother was just putting back to sleep the youngest child who had woken up. When the voices outside ceased, Mother, "Hush now, hush now. This child I will take with me tonight. If this child cries here, I too will weep in heaven," she said while wiping away tears. The eldest boy once again grew drowsy on his own. And then, "Tomorrow I'll tell Mother that and have her bring back the baby. If I do that then Mother won't need to return to her own home anymore," he thought as he drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke the next morning and looked, Mother had vanished without a trace, taking the youngest brother with her. The second brother wailed loudly, saying Mother wasn’t there. The boy, “You don’t need to cry. Mother will come again when night falls,” he said, comforting them. However, no matter what was said, the younger brother wouldn't stop crying, until at last his eyes became swollen and bright red from tears.

Before long, the sun set, and stars filled the sky. Then, before long, the entrance door opened, and Mother returned. The second boy ran up, clung to Mother’s hand and cried, “I don’t want to stay here with just the two of us.” “Take me to your home.” Mother pressed her cheeks against them and let them eat the same delicious fruits as the night before.

The eldest boy said, "Mother has finally taken both of them to your home, then. When Father returns, what should I say?" he asked anxiously. Mother said, "I'll tell you about that later, so hurry up and eat now." The boy, so hungry he couldn't bear it, hurriedly ate the fruit. And then, forgetting all his sadness and worries, he talked happily with Mother and finally went to bed.

The boy suddenly awoke near dawn. Then, once again, the sound of singing could be heard outside. “Before the sun rises, she must return, The horses’ hooves will sever the thread. The two have been crying throughout the night.” they sang in a beautiful voice like a small bird’s. Mother was putting the second child, who had woken up, back to sleep while, “Hush now, hush now. Once this child falls asleep, I will take them with me. If this child cries here later, I too will weep in the heavens,” she said sorrowfully.

The boy fell soundly asleep again while listening to that song.

When he awoke and looked in the morning, sunlight already streamed through the window in pure yellow. And Mother and his younger brothers—all of them were gone.

The boy cried alone all day long, his eyes swelling bright red from tears.

As night fell and stars began to glitter in the vast sky, the entrance door opened once more, and Mother returned. The boy clung to Mother’s hand, “Mother, why did you take everyone away? When Father returns, he’ll be so surprised. Please take everyone back quickly. Please, Mother. Please... because Father seems so pitiable,” he pleaded. Mother said while laying out plenty of fruits she had brought from the sky, “Never mind that for now, hurry and eat this.” However, no matter how much she urged him, the boy would not eat. Mother said,

"In that case, let us now go together to where your beloved baby and those two younger brothers are." "Now rise," she said. The boy declared, "I shall remain here alone." "Father told me to guard the house properly until his return, so I will keep watch alone," he said.

“In that case, I will go now. Since Father is supposed to return tomorrow, when he comes back, please tell him so. Tell him that Mother has returned home because she found the jeweled robe. You may not know how desperately Mother has longed to return home every single day all this time, but since she will never come here again after tonight, look well upon my face. Then, if Father asks why you opened the upstairs room, tell him this: ‘Two women appeared in a dream and said Mother was crying so pitifully that we should open it for her—so we did.’”

Mother said this between sobs and wept. “Where is your home? Is it very far from here?” the boy asked.

“Ask Father about that later.” The Star Woman, having said this, soon returned to the sky.

Five

When the next day came, the boy stood at the entrance all day waiting, thinking over and over that Father must be returning soon. Then, when evening finally drew near, in the forest beyond, Father’s returning figure came into view. The boy ran to meet him, “Father, I did something terribly wrong. Two women came while I was sleeping and said that Mother seemed so pitiful, so I opened the upstairs room with the golden key. Then there was a beautiful robe decorated all over with jeweled ornaments, so when I showed it to Mother, she asked me to lend it to her. And that night, when someone from outside sang a song calling Mother, she left wearing that robe.”

He told his story through tears. Father was startled upon hearing that, "Look here—it’s because you didn’t listen to what I told you that you’ve ended up losing Mother, haven’t you?" "But there’s no use regretting it now. I’ll forgive you all for opening the room—but from now on you must never disobey what Father says." "Mother might return someday because she’ll want to see you all." “From now on, let’s all take care of the baby and live happily together.”

Having said this, Father shed tears. "But Mother took the baby along that night when she asked to borrow the jeweled-ornamented robe," the boy said. Father, “Did the baby go too?” he said sadly. “However, because that child would be in trouble without milk, it’s better for her to stay by Mother’s side.” “Then let’s live together as four.” "But Mother ended up taking both of them away on the following night and then again the night after that. "Last night she came to take me, but I said I wouldn’t go because Father seemed so pitiable."

When the boy said this, the hunter joyfully lifted him up, “You did well to stay for me. In that case, from now on, no matter what happens, will you never leave Father’s side?” he said, nuzzling his cheek against the boy’s. “I will stay with Father forever. And I will listen well to what Father says,” the boy said.

The two of them continued living in the forest house.

The hunter went out hunting every day with the child, and when evening came, they returned home together. However, every day, the boy could not forget about Mother. When night came and stars filled the vast sky, the boy would go out alone to the doorway, gazing up endlessly while wondering which of those countless stars was his own Mother, which his younger sister, and which his younger brother. And then, even when entering his bed to sleep, he would always cry alone, longing to see Mother and his younger sister and brothers.

Before long, it had been a year since Mother and the others had disappeared. Then one night in the middle of the night, the hunter woke the boy and,

“Come here.” “Hurry. Come here.” “Father has suddenly taken ill,” he said.

When the boy, startled, went to his side and looked, Father had his eyes closed with a ghastly pale face. The boy stroked Father’s hand, “It’s because we walked too far today. Let’s rest from hunting tomorrow and stay home, alright?” he said.

Father said, “Ah... my lips are parched. Let me drink cold water, please.” The boy hurried off in great haste to the spring with water lilies. Father took a sip of the water and fell soundly asleep. The boy stayed awake all night and remained by his side. The hunter finally died just before dawn. The boy wailed.

When dawn broke, the boy cut and gathered wood through his tears and cremated Father’s corpse. The boy could no longer bear being all alone in this forest. But there was nowhere in particular to go. The boy pressed his face into the forest grass and, thinking if only he could see Mother one more time, cried and cried until the sun went down.

Before long, stars began to glitter in the great sky. Then the Spider King spun out in great haste a ladder reaching the earth below. The Star Woman climbed down it and descended to where the crying boy was. The boy tearfully told of Father’s passing. Mother, too, sobbed. And finally,

“That’s enough now, please don’t cry.” “I came to meet you because you seemed so pitiable.” “Now eat this and come with me to Mother’s side.” Having said this, she had him eat the fruit she had brought from the sky. When the boy ate it, his sadness vanished on its own, and he ascended to the sky together with Mother.

The following day，two travelers were passing through the forest when they entered the hunter’s house． Finding no one inside，they thought it strange， and said， “Well then，let us live here together until the people of this house return．”

However, no matter how much time passed, the people of the house never returned. The two travelers lived there for a long time until they finally died. During that time, on every moonlit night, they would always hear three women and four children bathing joyfully in the spring with water lilies. And when dawn approached, without fail from the sky above,

“You must return now. You must return before the sun makes its appearance, or else the sun horses will trample through and sever the ladder.” Having said this, a voice could be heard calling everyone.