Pathway to Japanese Literature

Characters

Old Man Urushima

Old Woman

Daughter

Village Youth (Bando Sankichi)

Crab

Snake

Frog

Village Children and such

(1)

The time was long ago, the season was summer, the place was Yamashiro Province.
In the lonesome village of Kuse District.
The rear of the stage was entirely a lotus pond, where flowers bloomed and leaves lay piled.
By the pond's edge stood a willow tree.

(Three children - a boy and two girls - walk along singing.)

Shall we catch a frog? Catch a crab? Catch a frog wearing a lotus? Catch a crab with claws?

(The three clapped their hands toward the pond and sang again, raising their voices in unison.)

Shall we catch a frog? Catch a crab?
Shall we catch the frog leaping into the water? Catch the crab hiding in its hole?

(The village children finished their song and walked away, repeating the initial chant as they went.)

The sound of water was heard quietly.
Parting the lotus leaves, a small frog wearing a large lotus leaf on its head danced out.

Frog: “Yeah, what noisy brats.”
"Why do children always want to make such a racket?"
Wait—now that I mention it, I’m still a kid myself.
On warm evenings when shadows fall and everything’s quiet, I get this urge to sing something too—belting it out full volume without caring who hears me croaking away. Can’t really fault the humans then.
Looks like those little troublemakers have left.
Maybe I’ll sing my happiest song now.

(The Frog looks around and dances while singing.)

Frog: "Shall I catch a person? Shall I catch a child?
Shall I play dead and catch a child?...... Ah, how amusing! How amusing!"

The frog spread lotus leaves on the ground and sat.

From the shadow of the willow emerged a great red crab.
The crab was armed, carrying a long sword with a blade resembling claws.

Frog: "Oh, it's Uncle Crab!"

Crab: "Human children may be rowdy, but you're quite the noisy one yourself.
You make noise from dawn till dusk.
'A frog's child is a frog'—well said indeed!
Take a lesson from us and keep quiet for once."

Frog: "If I stay quiet like Uncle Crab, I'll end up getting sick!
Coming up onto land like this every now and then to sing and dance is my greatest joy."

Crab: "Don't you know there are terrifying things on land?"

Frog: "Human children? What's there to fear? If they come to catch me, I'll just jump right into the water—it'll be fine."

Crab: "There are things far more terrifying than humans for your kind!"

Frog: What could it be? (Ponders.) Hmm.
A snake?

Crab: "That snake."
"The snake moves swifter than humans."
"Hiding among tree shadows and grasses—when it spots you lot, it'll suddenly come slithering over and gulp you down headfirst in one go."
"For you lot, that snake's your most dreadful enemy of all."
"Once that snake marks you, there's no escaping—so keep that in mind and stay sharp."

Frog: "Is the snake really that strong?"

“It’s certainly stronger than you all.”

“Then even you wouldn’t stand a chance, Uncle.”

“No—I’ve fortified myself with this sturdy shell. What’s more, I have these sharp weapons—it’s actually the Snake who should be trembling in fear.”

“I see—you do look strong, Uncle. As you can see, I’m small, so I’m weak.”

“That’s why you need to grow up fast. Grow big and become strong. If you become strong, you could turn the tables and swallow even a small snake. I was weak once too. I used to run and hide whenever I saw enemies, but now that I’ve grown this big and strong, I don’t get startled even when most foes come around. I charge straight at them and snip them clean off with my claws. It’s not just me. In any world, the strong prevail.”

“Well then, Uncle—strong Uncle! If the snake comes here, won’t you help me for mercy’s sake?”

“There, there—I’ll save you without fail, so keep playing carefree. I’ll go nap under that tree while drying my shell. If anything frightful comes, call me at once. Understood?”

“If you’ll stand by me, I’ve nothing to fear. Then I leave it to you.”

“There, there.”

(The Crab retreated into the willow's shade once more.)

“Alright! With Uncle Crab backing me up, I’ll be fine,” said the Frog.
He thought he might play around a little longer.
Then he noticed someone approaching from afar.
“Not Snake or mischievous kids—it’s that beautiful farmer’s daughter.”
“She wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Keep singing like nothing’s wrong.”
“Wait—that’s not right.”
“Appearances deceive.”
“Better hide for safety.”

(The frog jumped into the pond and hid beneath a lotus leaf.)
(The daughter of Old Man Urushima went to wash her clothes.)

Daughter: "It seems to be clouding over again today."
"I should wash this kimono before the rain starts."
(She peered into the pond.) "Oh, the pond water is so clear."

(The daughter approached the edge of the pond and washed her clothes.)
(The frog's voice could be heard.)

Daughter: “Oh, the frog is singing so merrily.”
Maybe I should sing too and not let him outdo me.
No, no—there’s no one of any sort around here.
If someone heard me, it would be embarrassing.
Well, well—I should just wash in silence.

(The frog croaked incessantly.)
(The daughter finished washing the clothes.)

Daughter: “Well, that should do it.”
I’ll hang them on that branch there to dry.

(The daughter hung the clothes on the willow tree and left.)

Parting the lotus leaves, the Frog emerged once more.

The Frog thought wistfully that the girl should just sing something without holding back... When we sang, it was just mindless shouting, but from a beautiful girl like that there must come a lovely bell-like voice. He wished he could hear it just once. Now then—what was Uncle Crab up to? He was probably still asleep over there blowing bubbles from his mouth and snoring loudly. Peering into the willow's shade—so this was how the strong carried themselves! There he slept so peacefully in such a place! Truly today was a drowsy sort of day—no wind blowing nor sun shining. He'd grown quite tired of singing since earlier—maybe he'd take a little nap here too! If he covered his head with this lotus leaf no one would notice him at all.

(The Frog covered himself with a lotus leaf and slept.)
The Snake appeared.
(On his head he wore a serpent, his body draped in scale-patterned robes.)

Snake: "Frogs these days have gotten too clever. When they glimpse me from afar, they dive straight into the water—rarely do they end up in my jaws anymore."
"No matter—I must catch them unawares. Pounce suddenly and swallow them whole."
(As he spoke, his gaze fixed on a lotus leaf.) "Hm... That leaf looks suspicious."
"Well now."

(The Snake moved forward to the lotus leaf's vicinity, and when he lightly stirred it with his foot, the Frog peeked out from between the leaves only to recoil in shock upon seeing him.)

Snake: "Just as I thought—hiding in a place like this."
"Now I won’t let you escape!"
"Stay still."

(The frog attempted to flee while keeping himself covered with the leaf.)

Snake: "Oh, running away won't work for you! Once I've spotted you, do you think you can move even a single step? Hahahahaha!"

(The frog shrank down and crouched.)
The snake quietly closed in for the kill.
The frog crawled about in frantic escape.
(The same daughter appeared again, carrying clothes.)

Daughter: "It definitely seems like it will rain tomorrow."
"I should wash one more piece before it rains."
(While murmuring this to herself as she approached, she rushed over upon seeing the situation.) "Wait, please!"
"Poor thing—what are you going to do with such a small frog?"

“What do you mean, ‘what will happen?’” said the Snake. “The fate of the weak who meet the strong is generally decided.”

“But this is too cruel…” The Daughter’s voice trembled. “Oh, look—see how it’s shrunk so small and shakes like this?”

“Soon it won’t even tremble,” the Snake observed coolly.

“For mercy’s sake, spare this frog! When I washed those robes earlier, that cheerful singing must have been its voice.”

“That may be true,” said the Snake. “Until fate’s hand grasps them, all remain blissfully unaware.”

“But killing those who know nothing is too cruel,” protested the Daughter. “Isn’t that heartless?”

“Pity avails nothing,” the Snake hissed. “As I said—the weak exist to be devoured by the strong. This was no choice of mine. The gods themselves ordained it.”

“But… doing something so cruel…”

(The frog, as though pleading for rescue, hid in the shadow of the daughter’s sleeve.)

“I beg you—please save this frog.”
“I implore you…”

“You’re the one asking?”
“Look—I’m bowing to you. Please.”
“Very well. I’ll spare it.”

Daughter: “Is that true?”
“Oh, I’m so happy!”

(To the frog.) "Now, you must hurry and escape.
Let this be a lesson—don’t you dare carelessly come back onto land again."

(The frog, overjoyed, hastily fled to the pond.)

Daughter: "Look here.
There it goes—escaping joyfully."
Ah, I’ve truly performed an act of merit.

“You’ve truly done a good deed.”

“I’ve never been happier.”

“So I granted your request.”
“In return, you’ll heed mine, won’t you?”

“Your request being...?”

“To become your husband.”

“Wha—”

“To wed a beauty like you.”

“But... if my parents don’t agree...”

“The parents matter not.”
“I made a pact with you.”

(The daughter, afraid, fell silent.)

Snake: “I know exactly where your house is.”
“Tonight, when the bell tolls the hour of the rooster, I will come to wed you.”
“Mark my words—don’t forget.”

Having declared this, Snake quietly walked away.
(The daughter stood in a daze for a moment.)

Daughter: Oh no—this had turned into something terrible.
That snake was coming to my place as a bridegroom…….
Oh, what was I to do?
They said snakes were relentless—once one fixed its desires on you, it would surely pursue you to the ends of the earth.
That snake...
That terrifying, lewd snake was coming to my place as a bridegroom…….
Oh yes, the very thought made me shudder.
If only I had been stronger—no matter how many snakes came crawling, I could have chased them all away from my doorstep—but I was just a woman… a weak woman.
Father and Mother were getting old too.
In my household, there wasn’t a single strong person.
If I had known it would come to this, I never would have saved that frog…
Ah, I had done something reckless and caught the eye of something formidable.

(Rain began to fall lightly.)
(The daughter looked up at the sky.)

Daughter: Before she knew it, rain had started falling.
(She removed the robe hung on the willow.) Tonight would surely bring rain—it was certain to be a dark, terrifying night.
The terrifying snake... The relentless snake... What form would it take when it came?
(She shuddered.) Ah, what was she to do?
There was no use crying there.
At any rate, she had to hurry home—there was nothing else to do but consult Father and Mother.
She had to hurry and do just that.

(The daughter, holding two robes, walked away dejectedly.)
(From the shadow of the willow emerged the crab.)

Crab: Just when I was enjoying a good nap by my pillow, all that crying, laughing, and racket completely woke me up.
That blasted frog should've woken me sooner instead of trembling like a leaf once that snake took notice—probably too scared to even croak now.
What a weakling.
(Sneering.) But really, that girl's got no sense at all.
No matter how pitiful the frog seemed, she had to go carelessly stepping forward despite being a weak woman herself—that's how we ended up in this mess.

(The frog’s voice could be heard.)

Crab: That Frog bastard.
While leaving that beautiful girl offered up as his substitute sacrifice yet singing merrily without a care—meanwhile her house must be in an uproar by now.
What a pitiful situation.

(II)

The same village, Old Man Urushima’s dwelling.
The interior of the house that appeared on the stage was entirely a dirt-floored area; in the inner room hung an old reed curtain.
In the upper area stood a large earthen stove where nearly extinguished straw fire smoldered faintly.
In the dirt-floored area were a rough straw mat for sitting and a tree stump suitable for resting one’s waist.
In addition, there were hoes, spades, and other farm tools.
Threshed straw scraps lay scattered about.
In the lower area stood a bamboo gate using logs as pillars.
Outside the gate stood a large tree.
Through gaps in the trees, that lotus pond could be seen in the distance.

(The white-haired old man and old woman talked before the earthen stove.)

Old Woman: "This terrible problem has come upon us—what do you mean to do about it?"

Old Man: "What can be done? We've no choice but to accept this as our karma."

Old Woman: "How fortunate you are to resign yourself so easily! I could never accept it—never! To quietly offer up our irreplaceable daughter, raised with such care these seventeen years, as human sacrifice to that dreadful snake... How I envy your composure!"

Old Man Urushima: “Enough now—stop your crying.”
“But I’m human too…”
“When I think our lovely daughter’s been chosen by the Snake—this terror and sorrow—I clench my teeth and endure the tears welling in my chest.”
“When you cry beside me like this, I can’t hold back anymore.”
“Well… there’s no helping it.”
“Just… give it up.”

“No matter how I reconsider,” the old woman said, her voice fraying like worn hemp, “I can neither bear this nor resign myself.” A shudder passed through her stooped shoulders as she clutched at her faded apron. “How utterly wretched this is! That beautiful, precious daughter of ours…”

The old man turned his face toward the smoldering hearth, calloused hands gripping his knees until the knuckles whitened. “Enough—enough now,” he rasped, the words scraping like gravel in his throat. “For mercy’s sake… Treat it as a past that never was.”

“If it were truly an unmade past,” she countered, her eyes burning with decades of remembered prayers, “we’d have been spared this torment!” Her fingers twisted in the fabric of her sleeves—the same hands that once cradled an infant through twenty-one nights of incense-lit vigils before Benzaiten’s shrine. “When we grieved childless into our forties, when we lit those three-times-seven-day candles… Through divine wonder she came to us!” A sob broke through as she stared at the soot-stained rafters where baby clothes once hung drying. “We nurtured her like tender shoots—rejoiced to think we’d soon find her a proper husband and know peace at last—”

Old Man Urushima: “What an abominable groom we’ve gotten.”
(muttering.)

Old Woman: “Truly—this calamity fell upon us like a lightning strike! Our cherished daughter snatched away by that serpent.”
“Merely picturing it chills my blood—every hair standing rigid.”
“If only... if only there were some scheme to save her...”
“Ah! This torment will drive me mad!”

(She edges closer to her husband.)
(Old Man Urushima sits motionless, head bowed low.)

Old Man Urushima: “Enough—cease this wailing.”
“Should madness claim anyone here, I’ll be first in line.”
“This child came through Benzaiten’s grace—perhaps the snake reclaiming her fulfills nature’s compact.”
“That viper serves as the goddess’s envoy.”

“You say that, but you’re crying too!”

“I’ve been clenching my teeth to hold back tears all this time, but with you grumbling beside me like this, I can’t keep it together anymore.”

“Don’t put on airs—better to cry your fill. A parent’s tears over a stolen child might yet catch the gods’ notice… There’s no telling when some unexpected salvation might come…”

“Nonsense! There’s no such thing as gods or buddhas! While you cling to these false hopes, time passes without mercy. There’s hardly any time left before the hour of the rooster.”

(Old Man Urushima bowed his head and sighed.)
The old woman also wept.
(The daughter lifted the inner curtain and entered.)

“Both of you, please stop crying now.”
“I have made my resolve.”

Old Woman: “Oh, my daughter...”
(Rushing over to embrace her.) “Even if your resolve is set, ours won’t be settled so easily.”
“Will that dreadful bridegroom truly come?”

Daughter: "He said he would surely come at the toll of the hour of the rooster."

Old Man Urushima remarked that the bell would soon toll.

Old Woman: "Why on earth did you make such a promise? Since it's only natural for a snake to swallow a frog, you should have just left it alone..."

Daughter: "Because it seemed so pitiful, I ended up feeling compelled to save it—but now that I think back, that was my mistake."
"I too was just like the Frog—a weak being after all."

Old Man Urushima: “I too am weaker than the Snake.”

Old Woman: “In this house, there isn’t a single being stronger than the Snake.”

Daughter: “I’ve now realized for the first time—to save the weak, one must be strong oneself.
“It was a mistake for someone without even enough strength to protect themselves to try saving others.
“There’s no escaping this.
“I’ll brace myself and wait for the hour to come.”

Old Woman: “If we wait... what becomes of us then?
“The very thought chills my blood.”

Old Man Urushima: “Princess Inada was saved from the eight-headed giant serpent by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, but we’ve no such mighty warrior here.”

Old Woman: “Even so, we shan’t surrender our daughter without a fight. When the hour comes, let’s bar every door against the snake’s entry and stand guard till dawn breaks...”

Old Man Urushima: “But he’ll return tomorrow night.”

Old Woman: “Should we hold firm each night—tomorrow, the next day, three days, five, ten, a month, even two—that persistent serpent might finally abandon his pursuit.”

“Just as you can’t abandon your resolve,” said Old Man Urushima, “neither will that snake relent easily. When endurance is tested—mark my words—might alone decides victory.”

(The three of them exchanged glances and sighed.)

A single village youth, wearing a long sword and carrying a bow and arrow, entered.

Village Youth: “Hello? Hello?”

Old Man Urushima: “Oh! Have you come already?”

(The old woman hurriedly hides her daughter behind her.)
While Old Man Urushima paces restlessly, the youth steps forward and their eyes meet.

Old Man Urushima: “Oh! It’s you.”
“Well, this is a relief.”

Village Youth: “I hear something terrible has happened.”

Old Woman: “Then... you already know?”

Village Youth: “I heard everything from your daughter moments ago.”
“But set your minds at ease.”
“When that snake comes, I’ll show you how I’ll slay it.”

Old Man Urushima: “You’ll kill it for us?”

Old Woman: “Will you truly destroy the snake?”

Village Youth: “I’ll become Susanoo-no-Mikoto himself.”
“This bow and these arrows are mine to wield.”

Old Man Urushima: "Are you skilled with a bow?"

Village Youth: "Even birds flying through the sky—I never fail to shoot them down. When that Snake attacks here tonight, I'll pierce its glowing eye with my first arrow. With my second arrow, I'll pierce through its throat. There's no need to worry—please rest assured."

“Thank you,” said the Old Woman. “If you defeat that dreadful snake with your bow and arrow, my daughter will be saved. My husband and I will be saved too.” She turned to her daughter. “It’s all right now. You’ll surely be saved...”

The Daughter whispered, “Will I truly be saved?”

“This young man is strong,” the Old Woman assured her.

“Is he strong?” the Daughter asked uncertainly.

The Village Youth straightened his shoulders. “I believe myself to be strong.”

“You truly look strong,” said Old Man Urushima. “Ah... ah... Now I can finally rest easy.”

“I’ve finally calmed down too,” said the old woman.

“Will I ever find peace?”

Old Man Urushima: “You should not say such disheartening things. You must keep your spirits strong no matter what.”

(The sound of rain was faintly heard.)
(The people peered outside.)

“Oh! The rain’s started again,” said the Village Youth.
Old Man Urushima muttered, “Day’s fading already.”
“Best string this bow while I can,” the Youth declared, tightening the cord with practiced hands.

(The youth strung the bow.)
(Old Man Urushima approached to look.)

Old Man Urushima: “Indeed, this is a thick string. If you draw this tight and shoot an arrow, it could pierce even iron armor.”

Old Woman: “No matter how large the snake may be, it cannot endure having its vital spot shot.”

(The youth smiled as he plucked the bowstring two or three times, propped the bow against the nearby wall, then drew his long sword and inspected its edge.)

Village Youth: “I’ll slice off that snake’s head with this blade.”

Old Man Urushima: “Ah! Well now…”
“This blade looks plenty sharp too.”

Village Youth: “I’ve honed it to a razor’s edge.”

“I want to slice that detestable snake into pieces.”

(The youth sheathed his long sword.
The sound of the rain grew increasingly fierce.)

Old Man Urushima: “The rain’s been getting stronger.”

Old Woman: “It’s been getting dark both inside and outside.”

“It seems the wind has started blowing a little—the grasses and trees are rustling noisily.”

“It looks like a night when strange creatures will appear.”

(The people exchanged glances and were gradually overcome by unease.)

Daughter: “The bell will soon toll.”

Old Man Urushima: Hmm.

(The people waited with bated breath.)
(Eventually, the hour of the rooster bell was heard.)

Old Woman: "Oh, the bell has tolled."

Village Youth: "The bell has tolled."

(The sound of the bell continued to be heard.
The daughter involuntarily clung to her mother.
The Old Woman pulled her daughter close and scanned their surroundings.
Old Man Urushima firmly closed the entrance gate and lowered the lock.)

Old Man Urushima: "This should do it."
"No—the back door still isn't secure."

(Old Man Urushima hurriedly rushed into the back.)

Old Woman: (Lowering her voice.) Will the snake truly come?

“It will come. But please rest assured.”

“Will everything be alright?”

“Everything will be alright,” said the Village Youth.

Old Man Urushima reappeared from the rear.

“I’ve sealed every nook and cranny—it’s safe now,” declared Old Man Urushima. “Not even a mouse could squeeze through this house!”

(The sound of rain and wind could be heard.)
(The daughter screamed as if attacked by something.)

“Look—look! At the gate—...”
(Peering fearfully through the gate.) “No—nothing but pitch darkness and falling rain.”
“No one’s coming.”
“But... footsteps...”
“Steady now.”
“There’s nothing to fear.”

“I am here.”

(A brief silence.)
Eventually, with a strange sound, the string of the youth’s drawn bow snapped on its own.
(The people were startled.)

“Ah! The bowstring snapped!” exclaimed the Village Youth.

“Such a thick bowstring snapped on its own,” muttered Old Man Urushima.

(The people exchanged glances and remained silent for a moment.)

“There really are strange forces at work here,” said the Village Youth. He gripped the broken bow tighter. If this wouldn’t serve, he’d defend them with steel instead.

“There! There!” The Daughter’s scream tore through the farmhouse again, her finger trembling toward the shuddering gate.

“Nothing’s coming through that,” the Old Woman insisted, pulling her close. “Not a soul out in this storm.”

The Youth drew his blade with ceremonial slowness. “This sword has felled greater demons than any snake.” Its edge caught the lamplight as he angled it toward the trembling girl. “Keep watching the steel. Let its virtue steady your spirit.”

The blade snapped at the hilt with a sound like cracking ice. No one screamed now—only the rasp of indrawn breath as their eyes met in silent understanding. Terror coiled thick about them all.

Old Man Urushima: “Ah, it’s no use, no use!”
“You’re no use either, just as I thought.”

(The Village Youth stands gazing regretfully at the broken sword.
A brief silence.
The Snake, adorned in courtly robes and appearing in an elegant form, emerges from the rear.)

Old Man Urushima: “Ah, the bridegroom has come.”

Old Woman: What?
(The Old Woman finally embraced her daughter.)

“As promised, I’ve come as your bridegroom!”
“Have you prepared the wedding ceremony?”

(The people did not respond.)

Snake: “Have you prepared the sake?”

Old Man Urushima: “We have plenty stored—drink your fill.”
“If there’s anything else you want, I’ll give you whatever.”

Snake: “That’s exactly why I’ve come for your daughter.”

Old Man Urushima: “But her alone...”
“Couldn’t you show mercy?”

Old Woman: “We’ll agree to anything else—only spare this!”
“See how I beg you!”

“You will all keep silent!” hissed the Snake. “The daughter has already consented!”
“No—” countered the Village Youth through gritted teeth— “that daughter hasn’t agreed at all!”

“You too—keep quiet!” snarled the Snake. “Making objections now won’t do you any good. Look closely here.” His massive eyes gleamed like polished mirrors. “One glare from these eyes makes most creatures cower!” The red tongue in his mouth blazed like fire. “Open this mouth once, and most things get gulped down in a breath! Look again properly.” Iron-like scales covered his entire body. “Raise these scales, and neither arrow nor blade can pierce through! These are the weapons I possess.” He sneered at the trembling humans. “Only fools try resisting without knowing this.”

(The Snake looked at the Village Youth and sneered.)
The Village Youth discarded the sword’s hilt and took up the bow with its severed string but found he could not wield it effectively—he could only glare futilely.

Snake: “Now then...”
“Daughter...”
“Come here.”

(The Snake raised its sleeve and beckoned, whereupon the daughter released her mother's hand and staggered forward.
The Snake took the daughter’s hand and entered the inner chambers.
The Old Man Urushima and the Old Woman stood dumbfounded, watching them leave.)

Village Youth: "What a shame, but there’s nothing to be done.
Do I not have the strength to save anyone?"

(The Village Youth threw away the bow he was holding.
Before long, a terrifying noise could be heard from the inner chambers.)

Old Man Urushima: "Oh! That noise..."

Old Woman: "Could it be that the daughter is suffering, coiled by that long Snake?"

Old Man Urushima: “I wonder if there isn’t some way to save her…”

(While the old man and old woman pace restlessly, peering toward the inner chambers, the Snake bursts forth from within, hair disheveled.)
Crab, wearing a crimson shell and holding that long sword, chases out after him.
Crab: “You coward!”
“Don’t you dare run!”

(Crab brandished his long sword and attacked.
The Snake blew fire from its mouth and fought fiercely.
Finally, [the Snake] was cut down by Crab.)

Old Man Urushima: Even the formidable Snake proved no match for Crab, it seemed, and was sliced to pieces by his long claws.
Ah, ah, what a relief.
With this, they could at last feel some relief.

Old Woman: Even so, what has become of the daughter?

(The daughter emerged from the inner chambers.)

Old Woman: “Oh, Daughter!”
“You’ve stayed unharmed?”

Old Man Urushima: “Oh,Daughter...”
(He ran over and embraced the daughter.)

Daughter: “Mother!”

Old Woman: “Are you safe?”

Daughter: “I was saved. When that dreadful snake coiled around me and I thought all was lost, this strong Crab came from somewhere and drove it away with his long claws.”

Crab: “I didn’t just drive it away. To make sure it causes no more trouble, I destroyed it right here.”

Village Youth: “I see—you truly are strong.”

Crab: “I am strong.”
“It’s precisely because I’m strong that I saved the weak.”
“When the weak try saving the weak, it’s like a non-swimmer rescuing a drowning person—you both just sink.”
“If you want to save the weak, first become strong yourself.”
“Become strong like me—that’s the natural order of saving others.”
“If nothing but weaklings gather like maggots, yammering on about mercy and compassion, this’ll never end.”
“This world ultimately belongs to the strong.”
“All of you—strive to grow stronger.”
“The more strong ones there are in the world, the more the weak get saved naturally.”

“I get it,” said the Village Youth. “I understand. I’ll become strong from now on. Saving the elderly and women and children is the duty of the young.”

The Crab declared, “A single strong one outweighs a thousand weaklings.” His claws snapped decisively. “Stay strong—I’m counting on you.”

“Alright.”
“I will swear to God before your very eyes.”

(The Village Youth picked up the bow he had thrown away, knelt down, and pressed it to his forehead.)

Daughter: “To repay the debt for saving my life, let us have Crab’s likeness painted and enshrine it at the nearby temple so it may endure through generations.”

Old Man Urushima: “Ah! You’ve struck upon an excellent idea! To make known to the world that humans have been saved by Crab, we should indeed have his form painted and enshrined at the temple.”

Old Woman: “In time this may become the temple’s namesake, adding another historic site to Yamashiro Province.”

Crab: “That doesn’t matter at all.”
“Once my business here is done, I’m leaving.”

(Crab, carrying his long sword, calmly entered the inner chambers.
Old Man Urushima, the Old Woman, and the Daughter bowed reverently to his retreating figure.
The Village Youth crossed his arms and pondered.)

Curtain.

(“Taisho Engei”
(First published in the February 1913 issue / Premiered June 1920 at Kobe Central Theater)