THE SLEEPING CAT

THE SLEEPING CAT

A wood carving, “Sleeping Cat” by Jingoro Hidari in Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, 100 kilometers north of Tokyo, is designated as a national treasure. Surprisingly, there was another sleeping cat in the shrine, according to “Meisho Ihachiro Jitsuden” (Carpenter Ihachiro Biography). The woodcarver of the cat was a master carpenter named Ihachiro Kora. He was head of the 350 temple carpenters from Edo (Tokyo) and Oshu (Northern Japan).

About 400 years ago, in February in 11^th year of Kan-ei (1634), the third Shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa decided to remodel the old shrine that enshrined the first Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa. He called a government official, Yasutomo Akimoto, and ordered him to be in charge of the construction. Akimoto then summoned Ihachiro Kora immediately.

The Koras was a family of temple carpenters. Ihachiro Kora had directed the construction of Fushimi Castle, the five-story pagoda of Kan-eiji Temple, and the donjon of Edo Castle.

Ihachiro went to Akimmoto’s office and waited for him in the Ichino-ma waiting room. Soon Akimoto appeared, took a seat of honor, and said:

“Ihachiro, the shogun has decided to renew Toshogu Shrine. I am in charge of the construction. I order you to be the construction director.”

“It’s my honor, sir,” Ihachiro said.

“Then do your best. This is a draft version of the bird-watching view of the renewed shrine. In principle, follow the draft, but you may improve it with my consent. I hope your construction will please the shogun.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best, sir.”

Ihachiro received the draft and looked at it. There were roughly two parts: the exterior and the interior buildings. The former included a stone tori gate, a five-story pagoda, the main entrance gate, god’s storehouse shrines, a hand-washing shrine, a god-stable shrine; the latter included Yomei Gate and Sakashita Gate, corridors, a potable-shrine building, the front shrine, the main shrine, the rogation shrine, and the inner shrine. There were all together 58 shrines and buildings.

When Ihachiro finished browsing the draft. Akimoto said to him:

“You shall be in charge of the interior part. As for the exterior, Jingoro Hidari shall take on the job. I hope both of you will compete with each other and build unprecedented shrines. The construction deadline date is March 17 of the year after next. You have two full years until the deadline. A month later, on April 17, the shogun will visit the new shrines and pray for the first shogun’s soul. So, be sure that you finish your job by that time.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll complete the construction by the deadline in the name of Buddha.”

When Ihachiro heard the name of Jingoro Hidari, he became nervous, because Jingoro was a well-known temple carpenter from Hida, Gifu Prefecture. He had directed the construction of Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine, Chion-in Temple, and Izumo Grand Shrine. He was the head of about 300 temple carpenters from Osaka and western Japan. According to the rumors about him, the wooden daffodil he carved bloomed in the morning; and the wooden mouse he made ran round in a tarai-basin. The rumors had reached Edo and Ihachiro had heard about it.

Ihachicho himself was no less skillful a wood carver than Jingoro. When he was young, he stayed in an inn, but he had lost his wallet and unable to pay the room charge. So, carved a Daikoku rice god statue and had the inn owner put it in front of the inn. Soon it so happened that Lord Hosokawa passed the inn and passed the statue for ten ryo, worth a million yen today.

The difference between the two carpenters were: while Ihachiro was emulous, bellicose, and bossy, Jingoro was patient, generous, and a devoted virtuoso.

Soon Ihachiro came to Nikko leading 350 Edo carpenters and Jingoro also reached Nikko leading 300 carpenters from Osaka area. And they started their work.

Time flies like an arrow. A year and nine months passed. There were only three months of January, February, and March till the deadline. 650 carpenters worked hard from morning till evening, tiling and thatching the roofs, lacquering pillars, and setting wood carvings in place. Everyone of them was busy adding the last touch.

One day in February, the construction minister, Yasutomo, came to the construction site accompanied by Ihachiro and jingoro, and looked at each building one by one carefully. Soon they reached the inner courtyard surrounded by the cloister. Standing in the yard, Yasutomo looked at the overhead transom of the east cloister.

“How are you going to decorate that transom, Ihachiro,” Yasutomo said.

“I’m planning to set a kara-jishi lion wood carving there,” Ihachito said.

“A kara-jishi?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see a lot of kara-jishi carvings. It is rather boring. Isn’t there any other animal besides a kara-jishi?”

Ihachiro and Jingoro glanced at each other and began to mention the names of the animals scheduled to decorate various parts of the shrines. Some were imaginary animals such as dragons, dragon-like horses, elephant-like tigers, pig-like dragons, godly giraffes, Chinese phoenixes. Others were twelve Chinese zodiac animals, deer, elephants, rhinoceros, pheasants, peacocks, sparrows, and carp.

Listening to the names, Yasutomo suddenly uttered:

   “Oh, how about a cat? The shogun is very fond of cats. A cat is the best. Set a wooden carving cat over there, all right?”

   “Certainly, sir.”

   Ihachiro got confused. A mere cat and a dignified lion are quite different.

   “I will carve a cat as you say, but what kind of cat do you want me to carve?” Ihachico said.

   “A good question. What do you think, Ihachiro?”

   Ihachiro was embarrassed to be asked in return.

   “Let me see. Since the transom of the cloister is just in front of Omotemon Gate, which leads to the Innermost Shrine of the first shogun, the carving cat should look fierce so that it would threaten his enemy.”

   “A good idea,” Yasutomo said and turned to Jingoro.

   “What do you think, Jingoro?”

   “I would carve a sleeping cat.”

   “A sleeping cat? How come?”

   “Because the world has been enjoying peace since the first shogun conquered the whole of Japan. There couldn’t be any enemy against the shogun. So, the cat doesn’t have to look fierce. It should feel content with the peaceful world. It should feel sleepy in Nikko (Sunshine).”

   “Well said. I think so, too. Carve a sleeping cat.”

   Ihachiro felt vexed because his idea was ignored, but he held his temper; after all, he had to follow whatever Yasutomo said.

   “Oh, I have a good idea,” Yasutomo suddenly said. “Both of you shall curve a sleeping cat. I’ll compare the two cats, and decide the one that would decorate the transom.”

   “Mr. Yasutomo, let me humbly say,” Ihachiro said. “The cloister belongs to the interior part, which is under Edo carpenters charge. So, I’ll carve the cat.”

   “You are right. The cloister is under your charge, but it’s a mere cat. It’s not a big deal. To tell you the truth, since both of you are well-known wood carvers, I would like to see how both of you carve a cat. Ihachiro, I don’t think you are less skillful than Jingoro, are you?”

   “No, I don’t think so,” Ihachiro said.

   “Then, accept my request and carve a cat, will you?” Yasutomo said.

   “As you say, sir.”

   Ihachiro reluctantly obeyed his order. He got vexed again. Yasutomo gave Jingoro a chance to carve a cat for the cloister, which Ihachiro’s group was in charge. He directed his anger toward Jingoro even though it should be vent at Yasutomo.

From the next day on, both Ihachiro and Jingoro entrusted most of the master carpenter’s work to their sub-masters and began carving a sleeping cat. Ihachito desperately wanted to get the better of Jingoro to pay for the grudge against him.

   Around the end of February, both of them had almost finished carving the cat. Since Ihachiro wanted to beat Jingoro, he was anxious to know how well Jingoro had carved his cat. So, he brought one of the construction officials to his side and asked him to investigate how Jingoro was doing. The official went to Jingoro’s workshop.

   “Jingoro, I’ve come here on behalf of the Construction Minister Yasutomo. He wanted me to report how your work is going,” the official said.

   “Thank you for the trouble,” Jingoro said.

   “Well,” the official said looking at his cat. “You’ve almost finished it, haven’t you?”

   “Yes, sir. What remains is the final job of carving the eyes.”

   “Is that so? Since the cat is supposed to be sleeping, carving closed eyes must be easy,” the official said.

   “No, it’s the most difficult part.”

   “Really? The most difficult? I can’t believe it.”

   “Other carvers may finish them in an hour or so, but I need a whole day,” Jingoro said.

    After the official left his workshop, Jingoro began to perform a ritual before carving the eyes. First he cleansed himself with clean water, put his chisels on the altar of a Buddha statue, and concentrated his mind on prayer. Then he took the chisels from the altar and began to carve the eyes, paying the utmost attention to the movement of his chisel. Even a mistake of one-hundredth of an inch would damage the cat. He carved the eyes all through the night and finished them at dawn.

   The officer returned to Ihachiro’s workshop.

   “Master, I’ve seen his cat,” he said.

   “Thank you. And how’s his cat?” Ihachiro said.

   “That’s a poorly-carved cat. I don’t know anything about carving, but I can say this: his cat is crude, its fur does not look soft or smooth. It looked coarse. On the other hand, your cat looks real. It looks so real that I want to touch and stroke it. Even its whiskers and hairs are finely curved. Your cat is far better than his, I am sure.”

   “Is that so? That’s good news. I’m greatly relieved,” Ihachiro said.

   The day of the competition came. A long desk covered with white cloth was set in the inner garden in front of Sakashita Gate. The two carved cats were set on the desk. Ihachiro’s cat looked real. It was sleeping peacefully. It made everybody feel like stroking it, while Jingoro’s had an unusually large head. The cat’s body looked rough and unfinished. Its eyes looked magical, because they looked both closed and at the same time open. The most incomprehensible part was the front paws. They were stretched forward leisurely supporting its head, but at the same time looked ready to jump at any moment.

   Yasutomo looked at each of the cats alternatively for a minute or so.

   “The game is over. Ihachiro’s cat is much better. I’ll choose Ihachiro’s,” he said.

   Ihachiro’s face slightly beamed.

   “Wait a moment, please!” Jingoro said sharply. “The cat is supposed to be set in that transom. So, please set both of the cats there and look at them again.”

   “Again? There won’t be any difference, I suppose,” Yasutomo said.

   “There will be a great difference,” Jingoro said.

   “OK, then. Set them up there,” Yasutomo said.

   Several carpenters set the two cats side by side in the transom about 2.7 meters high.

   Yasutomo stood under the transom and looked at the cats.

   “What a surprise! They look quite different. Jingoro’s cat is alive but Ihachiro’s is dead. What’s happened to them? Explain, Jingoro,” Yasutomo said.

   “Certainly. Ihachiro’s cat looks real in front of your eyes, but the cat is not supposed to decorate an alcove, but decorate that transom, and to be looked up at from 2.7 meters below. The head of my cat looks too large in front of your nose, but it looks modestly-sized there. Furthermore, it looks like it is sleeping, enjoying the peaceful world, but actually its inner eyes are open as wide as Temple Guardian’s eyes and watching out for anything disturbing,” Jingoro said.

“How admirable!” Yasutomo said.

   As a matter of fact, Jingoro had a chance to compete with Ohkei, the most skillful wood carver in Nara, in carving of an egg when he was young. When they finished the eggs, the judges looked at them carefully. All of them said, “Ohkei’s egg is far better than Jingoro’s.” Jingoro protested at this judgment.

“Please release a chicken and see which egg it will sit on?” Jingoro said.

The judges did not understand him, but since Jingoro insisted firmly, they released a hen. Then it immediately rushed to Jingoro’s egg and sat on it. Everyone was surprised and wondered why it ran straight to his egg. Jingoro said that he had put a chick inside the egg. Similarly with the case of his cat, Jingoro had put the Temple Guardian’s eyes behind his cat’s eyes.

   Completely defeated by Jingoro, Ihachiro felt frustrated all the more because he had thought he would surely win.

   When he returned to the Edo carpenters’ house he began to drink sake with his sub-master carpenter, Seijiro. The more he drank, the more frustrated he became, until finally his anger burst.

   “Hey, Seijiro, do you understand how frustrated I am? I was disgraced in public. I hear people saying, “Jingoro is a genius; Ihachiro is all show and no substance. Damn it! You see, I was supposed to carve the cat because the cloister belongs to us, the Edo carpenters, but Jingoro interfered. He boasted to the Minister how well he had carved his cat. He has grated my nerves. He has disgraced my family name. I can’t face my ancestors after I die. Just imagine! My cat will be discarded in a filthy ditch and his cat will be praised forever. I can’t stand it. I would be No. 1 carver without him. Seijiro, I’ve decided to kill him and destroy his cat,” Ihachiro said and was about to stand up.

   “Master, wait a moment, please. I understand you, but you don’t have to do it; I will do it for you. You should just stay here and wait, please,” Seijiro said.

   “What? Are you going to kill him? Quit kidding, you don’t have the guts. You are a damn coward,” Ihachiro said.

   “Don’t belittle me. I am not a chicken. I’ll prove it. So, please don’t make a move.”

   The next day after dark, Jingoro and Denji, his sub-master, was walking back to the carpenters’ house. It was dark and cold; the moon was covered with clouds. The paper lantern Denji held was swaying as he was walking down the dark road, illuminating the pine trees and bamboo leaves swaying in the wind.

   “A cold night, isn’t it, Master? I want to go back as quickly as possible and warm myself with….” Denji said.

   Suddenly several masked men appeared from behind the trees and surrounded them. One of them had a sword.

   “What do you want? Don’t confuse us with someone else. This is the Master Carpenter Jingoro Hidari,” Denji said standing before Jingoro.

   “We want Jingoro. Get him!” the man with the sword said.

   Two men jumped at Denji. The paper lantern was thrown down on the ground and caught fire. It lighted up the dark bushes. Meanwhie, Denji was brought down to the ground.

“Master, run away! I’ll….” Denji said struggling.

The lantern was burnt out and it became pitch dark. Then, the moon appeared from behind the clouds.

   “What do you want with me?” Jingoro said sharply. The next moment, one of the men thrust his fist into Jingoro’s stomach. “Ugh,” Jingoro groaned wobbling, when the man got behind him and held him in a full nelson. Another man pulled his arm. That instant, the sword flashed and his arm was cut off.

   When the sword-man picked up the arm and said, “Let’s bug off,” the ruffians ran away in the dark.

   “Master! Master!” Denji cried holding Jingoro’s body in his arms.

   “Denji…,” Jingoro said feebly.

   Blood was spurting from the cut edge. Denji pressed his hands on the cut, but blood was flowing from between his fingers.

   “Tie here,” Jingoro said pointing at his upper arm.

   Denji took out a tenugui handkerchief and tied it as firmly as possible, but he could not stop the bleeding.

   “Master, Isn’t that our Master?” one of the two carpenters who coincidentally walked by said.

   “Oh, you’re just in time,” Denji looked up at them and said. “Master’s arm has been cut off.”

   Jingoro was carried to the carpenters’ house. The doctor was called for. Soon, the doctor came, applied blood stanching drug plant, and covered the cut with oil paper and a bandage, until finally the bleeding stopped.

   Jingoro’s room was crowded with angry excited carpenters.

   “Who on earth has done such a thing to Master?”

   “Someone did out of malice.”

   “Damn it! I will kill the thug.”

   “The thug must be the master carpenter from Edo.”

   “Yes, Ihachito must have done it.”

   “He was disgraced in public.”

   “Yah, with that poorly-made cat.”

   “That’s why he did it.”

   Denjiro stood up determinedly.

   “Hey, everyone, listen,” his voice was sharp and strong. “Let’s go to the Edo carpenters’ house and kill them all!”

   “Yes!”

   “Let’s kill them!”

   Every carpenter stood up excitedly.

   At that moment, a thunderous voice vibrated the whole room.

   “Calm down! Denji, look at me. How dare you say such a thing? You are short tempered like Ihachiro. Do you have an evidence that Ihachiro did this? Are you going to kill him? No kidding. Be serious. If you kill him, Shogunate new shrines will be stained with blood. That’s a disrespectful act against the Shogun. You have to commit hara-kiri suicide for that. Do you have the gut to do hara-kiri? Are you prepared for that? I believe Ihachiro cut off my arm. He will not be satisfied with my arm. He’ll surely break my cat. But, listen. My cat is not an ordinary one. It has the Temple Guardian’s spirit. Although its eyes are closed, it has Temple Guardian’s eyes. Leave things to him. So, stay out of this!”

   Denji sat down dejectedly. The other carpenters looked at each other silently and sat down, too.

   One of the carpenters whispered to the one next to him.

   “What does it mean? ‘To leave things to the temple guardian.’”

   “I have no idea,” the carpenter said.

 

   Seijiro ran to Ihachiro with the cut-off arm.

   “Master,” he said out of breath upon reaching his house.

   “Oh, Seijiro, I’ve been waiting for you. So, you’ve done it?” Ihachiro said.

   “I’m sorry I haven’t, but instead, look at this,” Seijiro opened a wrapped furoshiki. A bloody arm was in it.

   “What’s this? Didn’t you kill him? Why? You said you had the guts to do it.”

   “Yes, I did, but he is as dead as a door nail now that his arm has been cut off. I understand your point, but Jingoro didn’t interrupt things. He just obeyed the construction minister’s order. The minister decided everything. So, Jingoro is not responsible. You’re going too far if you kill him.”

   “What? How dare you say that?” Ihachiro said frowning at him.

   “Master,” Seijiro said seriously. “It’s ridiculous to kill him. Don’t be unreasonable. Please, be patient and come to your senses.”

   Seijiro bowed his head deeply. Looking at Seijiro, Ihachiro kept silent for a while.

   “I understand. Raise your head,” he said.

   “Thank you, Master,” Seijiro said. “Then, I’ll go and break his cat tonight.”

   “Wait a moment. You stay here. I will break it,” Ihachiro said.

   “I see, but I’d like to accompany you, for it might be dangerous to do so alone during the dead of the night,” Seijiro said.

   “OK, then. Come with me.”

   It was around one o’clock at night. Ihachiro, accompanied by Seijiro, opened Yomeimon Gate with the key, entered the shrine site, passed the rogation shrine, and reached the inner garden. Seijiro was carrying an ax.

   The full moon was shining brightly casting dark shadows of the two men on the shrine ground. Soon the clouds covered the moon and it became dark. Nothing was heard except for the hooting of owls and the sound of their steps on the shrine gravel.

   Ihachiro and Seijiro walked across the garth eastward, and stood under the cloister in front of Sakashita Gate, and looked at the cat. Its eyes were closed and the front paws were stretched forward. Ihachiro got irritated.

   “Good God! I can’t stand the sight. Seijiro, hand the ax to me,” Ihachiro said.

   “Here,” he said.

   Holding the ax in his right hand, Ihachiro walked backward about three meters away from the cloister, and raised the ax to throw at the cat. The instant he was about to throw it, the moon appeared from behind the clouds. The cat’s eyes flashed, and at the same time the creature jumped at Ihachiro with a horrible shriek.

   “Ahhhh…” Ihachiro gasped in horror and fell on his ass.

   “Master, what’s the matter?” Seijiro said, sitting down beside Jingoro.

   “Did you, did you see the cat’s eyes flash?” Ihachiro said.

   “No. Did they?” Seijiro said wondering.

   “Yes, they flashed and the cat jumped at me,” Seijiro said as if he had been spellbound.

   “I don’t believe you.”

   “I’m not telling a lie. The cat’s face looked scary. It was like the Temple Guardian’s. Jingoro is not an ordinary wood carver. His skill is far better than mine. He has a consummate skill. I’ve done a terrible thing to him.”

   Ihachiro looked at the sleeping cat in the transom. It looked as if nothing had happened. He closed his eyes and pondered how to compensate for what he had done to him. He failed to think of a good way. Since he cut off his arm, there would be nothing to make up for the deed.

   Ihachiro kept silent for a while with his eyes closed. Suddenly he opened his eyes, extended his right arm forward on the ground, grasped the ax with his left hand, and raised it in the air aiming at his right arm.

   “Stop it!” Seijiro said, but it was too late. Ihachiro cut off his right arm.

   “Master!” Seijiro said in a shocked voice.

   “Ihachiro, this is the best way to compensate,” Ihachiro said.

   “Master, you’re too rash,” Seijiro said looking at his bloody arm.

   Seijiro tore off his sleeve, made a tourniquet, and tied tightly Ihachiro’s upper arm. After a while, the bleeding decreased.

   “Master, let’s go back home as soon as possible and call for the doctor. I’ll help you walk,” Seijiro said.

   “Thank you, but first, pick up the arm,” Ihachiro said.

   The Edo carpenters were surprised to see their master. The doctor was immediately called for.

   It was near the dawn when the bleeding stopped.

   Around 8 o’clock in the morning a few days later, Ihachiro went to Jingoro’s house with a wrapped furoshiki. Jingoro, his arm wrapped up in a bandage, was discussing the day’s plan with Denji and five other carpenters when Ihachiro visited him.

When Denji saw Ihachiro at the entrance, he stood up.

“Ah! Ihachiro, don’t surprise me. What has brought you here?”

   Ihachiro knelt down on the entrance ground with a deep bow.

   “I’ve come here to apologize,” he said.

   “How dare you apologize for cutting off our Master’s arm?” Denji said.

   The other carpenters also stood up and surrounded Ihachiro murderously.

   “Don’t be rude to him,” Jingoro said sharply. “Ihachiro, what do you want with me?”

   “Jingoro, I’m ashamed of myself. I ordered my men to cut off your arm. I’ve done an irreparable thing. I don’t know how to compensate. So, please forgive me with this.”

Ihachiro opened the furoshiki cloth. There was a cut-off arm in it.

   “Did you cut off your arm?” Jingoro said.

   “Yes,” Ihachiro said.

   Jingoro gazed at the arm for a moment, and then looked at Ihachiro.

   “The Temple Guardian attacked you, didn’t he?”

   “Yes, he did, but why do you know that?”

   “Because I carved the Temple Guardian’s eyes behind the cat’s. I’m glad they have worked,” Jingoro said and laughed.

   Ihachiro was stunned. Denji and the other carpenters understood Jingoro’s words: “it has Temple Guardian’s eyes. Leave things to him.”

   Ihachiro felt awe toward Jingoro.

   “Then, Jingoro. You’ll forgive me.”

   “Yes, I will. I was sorry to have been too proud of myself in front of the construction minister,” Jingoro said.

   “Thank you for your forgiveness,” Ihachiro said.

Ihachoro sighed with relief. He wanted to learn Jingoro’s superhuman wood curving skill. After a moment’s hesitation he looked at Jingoro intently.

“Jingoro, could I ask you a favor?”

“A favor?”

“Yes, this sounds rude, but I’d like to be your apprentice. I have been a foolish carver. Up until now I have been sitting on my ancestors’ laurels as the No. 1 wood carver family in Edo. I’d like to learn carving techniques from the very beginning,” Ihachiro said.

“Don’t say such a thing. You’re a skillful carver. I can’t take you as an apprentice, but how about becoming my sworn brother?” Jingoro said.

“You’re kidding me. I am too honored to be your brother,” Ihachiro said.

“I’m serious. I am your elder brother and you are my younger brother. Is it all right?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.”

“Denji, prepare for the pledging ceremony. We will drink the ceremonial sake,” Jingoro said.

Ihachiro and Jingoro were both born carvers. They were able to use both hands with equal ease like Leonardo da Vinci and Hokisai Katsushika. What the right hand has learned is retained in the left hand. Even if one hand is lost, the carving skill is not lost. Thus, both Ihachiro and Jingoro continued to do their job as excellent carvers.

The end

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

THE FROG WHO WOULD BE KING

　　Once upon a time there was a small pond in a forest. Its name was Blue Pond. A lot of blue frogs lived there. They were enjoying a peaceful life, croaking, swimming, splashing, and jumping.

One day, a huge frog came to the pond. It was twice as large as the blue frogs and the whole body was golden.

The blue frogs had never seen such a big and gold-colored frog. Soon they gathered around the golden frog.

“What a huge frog!”

“How bright!”

“He looks very strong.”

“And handsome, too.”

   The golden frog looked troubled.

   The oldest blue frog named the Elder came to him.

   “Is everything all right with you?” the Elder asked him.

   “Thank you. Actually, I’ve lost my way. I was heading for Big Fall.”

   “Ah, Big Fall. It’s at the foot of, ah, that mountain,” the Elder pointed at the mountain with his webbed forefoot.

   “Oh, no. I was taking the wrong way. What shall I do?”

   “Why? You can reach there in no time. You have long legs.”

   “But, I have injured my forefoot. I can’t walk well. Besides, I have hardly eaten anything; I can’t jump at insects like a streak of lightning.”

   “Oh, I see. Now I understand why you are in trouble. Well, then. Let us provide you with some food.”

   The Elder ordered the blue frogs to bring some food. They brought him flies, mosquitoes, and worms.

   “Please help yourself and stay here until your forefoot recovers,” the Elder said.

   “Thank you very much,” the golden frog said.

   The blue frogs were glad, because the golden frog was big, bright, and looked strong. They did not have to be afraid of the mud-frog named the Evil any longer. The female blue frogs were especially happy, because the golden frog was so handsome.

 “Please stay here for a long long time,” the blue frogs said.

   “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here so long. My wife and children are waiting for me,” the golden frog said.

   Seven days passed. The golden frog’s leg was cured. He could now jump vigorously and croak loudly. His croak resonated all over the pond.

   “Now that you’ve recovered, why not swim in the pond?” the Elder said.

   “All right,” he said.

   The golden frog walked up to a big rock and jumped into the water with a big splash. He splashed all the surrounding blue frogs with water. The sound of his plunge was thundering. The blue frogs had never heard such a big noise.

   The golden frog’s webs were huge. When he propelled himself with the webs through water once starting at one end of the pond, he almost reached the other end. The pond was too small for him to swim. The blue frogs said to one another.

   “How fast he swims!”

   “How strong!”

   “What high waves he raises!”

   Two days later, the golden frog was leaving the blue pond for his home pond of Big Fall.

   “Golden Frog,” the Elder said. “I have a favor to ask you.”

   “What is it?” the golden frog said.

   “I would like you to be the king of this pond. I’ve heard that every pond around here has its king, but we have no king. Everybody asks me to be the king, but a blue frog like me cannot become a king. Besides, I am old. You are golden, the most suitable color for a king. Also you are large and strong. You can easily defeat the bad mud-frog that often attacks us. If you become our king, everybody will obey you.”

   “Thank you for your offer, but I must go back home. My mother is sick and my hungry children are waiting for me,” the golden frog said.

   “That’s too bad. Then, please ask your golden-colored friends if they wanted to be our king. And if you find one, please send him to us,” the Elder said.

   “OK. I will ask them,” the golden frog said.

   Soon the golden frog left Blue Pond saying good-bye to the blue frogs and headed for his home.

   Two blue frogs were listening to the conversation between the golden frog and the Elder behind their back. One was a crafty frog named Gerochy and the other was his follower, Pyonsky.

   “Capital!” Gerochy said. “I will become the king. If I become the king, I’ll make you the first rank officer, Pyonsky.”

   “That’s nice, but how are you going to be the king?” Pyonsky said.

   “That’s easy. If you swim in the pond of Big Fall, you will become golden, because the pond is golden. You see, we are blue because our pond is blue.”

“I see. If you soak yourself in a golden pond, your body will dye golden, right?” Pyonsky said.

“Yes. The Elder said to the golden frog, ‘You are golden, the most suitable color for a king.’ So all you have to do is to be golden,” Gerochy said.

“Yes, yes.”

The next morning, Gerochy and Pyonsky left Blue Pond for the pond of Big Fall. They hopped along the road, sometimes climbing steep hills and sometimes walking down steep valleys. When they became hungry, they caught flies and insects and ate them. They reached Big Fall around noon.

The pond was very large, 100 times larger than Blue Pond. There were a lot of golden frogs at the far end of the pond, but they did not notice the two blue frogs.

The pond looked golden because the bottom rock of the pond was yellow and it reflected the sunbeam, making the pond glitter like gold.

“OK, I’ll soak in the pond for a while, so keep an eye on the golden frogs. I don’t want to have any trouble with them,” Gerochy said to Pyonsky.

Gerochy jumped in the gold-looking pond and soaked his body in it until the sun set. He soaked in the pond the next day from morning to the evening. He repeated the same the next day, but his skin color never changed, but remained as blue as before. The next day, Gerochy gave up at last. “I don’t understand why I do not become golden, but it can’t be helped. Let’s go home, Pyonsky,” Gerochy said.

 

   Meanwhile, the frogs in Blue Pond were talking about Gerochy and Ponsky.

   “Where have they gone?”

   “They have been away for four days.”

   “I don’t care about them. They may have gone to somewhere to idle away their time.”

   “Me, neither. They are sly fellows.”

   “Yes. Gerochy is especially cunning.”

   “That’s right.”

 

   On their way back to Blue Pond, Gerochy and Pyonsky were dragging their feet exhausted. The rain began to fall and the wind started to blow. It was getting dark and cold. They were shivering.

   Soon they saw some white steam in the distance through the rainfall.

   “Look! Isn’t that a hot spring?” Pyonsky said.

   “Yes!” Gerochy said.

   They steeled themselves and headed for the hot spring. Reaching it, they jumped into it.

   “Hot! It’s too hot!” Gerochy screamed and jumped out of the hot water. Pyonsky also tried to get out of it but slipped at the edge of the spring and sank in the hot water. He tried to get out of the bubbling water but slipped again and again. His whole body was scalded and red. His big bloodshot eyes protruded enormously.     

“Help! Help!” Pyonsky said gasping for air.

“Here, grab my foot!” Gerochy said extending his front foot, standing at the slippery edge. Pyonsky tried to grab it again and again but failed.

   “Wait a moment, Pyonsky. I’ll get a branch. Hold on!”

Gerochy rushed into the bush. Pyonsky was desperate. He tried to get out of it repeatedly, but in vain. He was almost dying, when Gerochy returned with a long branch and extended it to him.

   “Grab this!” Gerochy said.

   After several trials, Pyonsky held it fast and Gerochy pulled it with all his might. And at last Pyonsky got out of the hot water. He sprawled on his back on the ground breathing hard, almost dead.

   Gerochy hopped to a brook with a palm leaf between his teeth, dipped it in the water, returned to Pyonsky and sprinkled water over his body. He repeated watering him for a long time. Gradually, Pyonsky began to breathe normally. His protruded and bloodshot eyes became normal again. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting.

   “Thank you, Gerochy,” he said.

   “Can you move now?” Gerochy said.

   “I think so.”

   The two frogs began to walk again for Blue Pond. Pyonsky walked in front of Gerochy so that Gerochy could watch him. Pyonsky walked carefully and steadily step by step.

   After a while, Pyonsky’s body began to turn golden and swelled.

   “Pyonsky, what’s the matter with you? You have swelled and are shining golden,” Gerochy said.

   “Really?”

Pyonsky looked at his body. It was golden bright reflecting the sunset. “I wonder why,” Pyonsky said.

   “Because you dipped yourself in the hot water!” Gerochy said.

   He turned around and hopped to the hot spring leaving Pyonsky. Arriving at the spring, Gerochy jumped into the hot water. It was hot, very hot, but Gerochy kept staying in the burning water shouting, “Hot! Hot! Hot!” Yet he put up with the heat. He mumbled, “I am going to be king, king, king, king….”

  After a while Gerochy got out of the spring and sprawled on his back on the ground. The golden-colored Pyonsky dipped a palm leave in the water and sprinkled it over Gerochy’s body.

   Soon Gerochy’s body swelled and turned golden. The two golden frogs began to walk back home feebly but steadily.

Walking along the road, they came to the point where it forked. The sign read, “Left: slope but shortcut to Blue Pond. Right: flat road to Blue Pond.” 

“Let’s take the left road,” Gerochy said.

Pyonsky agreed and the two golden frogs climbed the slope. When they reached the top of the hill, they took a rest on a rock. The hill commanded a fine sunset view of the thick tall trees down below.

Gerochy stood up and walked around and found a cliff. Standing at the edge of the cliff, he said, “Pyonsky, l can see Blue Pond over here. Come here.”

“Unbelievable. Can you really see the pond?” Pyonsky said and approached Gerochy.

   “Over there,” Gerochy said pointing his front foot.

   “Where?” Pyonsky said.

   “Come closer. Look. You can see our pond over there,” Gerochy said.

   When Pyonsky stood at the edge of the cliff looking for Blue Pond, Gerochy pushed him from behind.

   “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh….”

   Pyonsky fell over the cliff screaming. Gerochy looked down over the cliff and heard a dim crushing noise. He made a curly smile.

   “Good. I am the only golden frog in Blue Pond,” he said to himself.

   After dark, Gerochy arrived at Blue Pond. He had become larger and golden. Soon blue frogs saw him and surrounded him keeping a safe distance from him.

   “Look, that’s a golden frog,” one of the blue frogs said.

   “Yes. I guess he’s a friend of the golden frog that visited us the other day.”

   “Yes. I remember what the Elder said. He’s come to be our king.”

   When the blue frogs were talking noisily, the Elder appeared and saw the golden frog.

   “Well, well, well. Thank you for coming to us. We’ve been waiting for you,” the Elder said.

   “I’m glad to see you. My name is Richard and I have come here to be the king of Blue Pond,” Gerochy said trying to sound dignified.

   “Thank you, King Richard. You must be tired after such a long travel,” the Elder said.

   Gerochy almost burst into laughter, but suppressed it.

   “Listen everyone,” the Elder said to all the blue frogs. “This is our new king, King Richard. You all must obey him. He has come to our pond all the way from Big Fall. He must be tired. So make a comfortable bed for him as soon as possible.”

   The blue frogs made a bed with a lot of soft leaves. A huge leaf supported by four branch pillars on the bed shaded it against the sun. Then they brought the king a lot of insects and worms.

   That night Gerochy was happy and proud of himself. He was wide awake. He thought everything had gone well. His dream had at last come true.

   The next day King Richard acted big.

   “I want to eat more delicious food. Don’t you have young locusts or crickets?”

   “This bed is hard. Make a softer bed so that I can sleep well.”

   “I have a backache. Massage my back immediately.”

   “I’m thirsty. Bring some water immediately.”

   King Richard ordered whatever he wanted. The blue frogs obeyed his orders in appearance but deep in their hearts they all wanted the king to go away. However, they had to obey the king for the Elder told them to do so, and besides the king was a friend of the golden frog. If they offended him, he would tell the golden frog and it would come to help him accompanied by other golden frogs. That would ruin life in Blue Pond. Originally it was they, the ordinary blue frogs, and not the Elder, that first wanted a king for the pond. Therefore, they had to obey King Richard.

   A few days later, King Richard ordered them to build a palace for him. So they built one at a sunny warm spot. It had a gate, an entrance door, seven bed rooms, for Richard used a different bed depending on the day of the week, a dining room, and a garden.

   A few days later, King Richard ordered.

   “Select ten frogs that will attend me, and another twenty frogs that will guard me.”

   The next day, he ordered.

   “Richard wants a special swimming pool for my exclusive use. Divide the pond into half. I will use the south side. So you all use the north side. The blue frogs reluctantly stretched a rope made of vine and ivy in the middle of the pond and divided it. The north side pond was overcrowded. Hundreds of blue frogs including child frogs had to swim in it, while Richard swam leisurely in the other half alone attended by his favorite young female frogs.

   Ten days later, the blue frogs went to the Elder and let out all their complaints. 

“I understand you all,” the Elder said. “But listen. The king is enjoying his new status. You all know that Richard was once an ordinary frog. His position has drastically changed. He just wants to appreciate his new position, but soon he will be tired of being a selfish king. He will soon become a good king. After all, he is the one who was selected by the golden frog that visited us. You all know that he was polite, kind, and honest. He wouldn’t have recommended a bad frog to be our king. So, everyone, just wait for some time.” 

   Two months passed, but Gerochy remained as tyrannical as before. He enjoyed his life fully. He had never dreamed of such a wonderful life.

   One day, he was surprised to see his reflection in the surface of the pond. He looked smaller. Moreover, the golden color of his body was fading and his true color was partly showing here and there.

The next day he looked at his reflection again and, to his dismay, realized that his golden body had deteriorated considerably.

   “I can’t leave this as it is. I will soon become a blue frog. I must dip in the spring again,” he said to himself.

   The next morning, King Richard gave an order to the attendant frogs from behind the curtain:

   “Listen, this is an important order. According to some of the guard frogs, our enemy, Mud Frog, has recently been loitering around our pond. It is dangerous to go out of our premises, especially after dark. Therefore, I command you to stay at home after the sun sets. If you disobey my order, you shall be beaten with a stick a hundred times.”

   That Mud Frog had been loitering was a lie, but since the blue frogs believed there was really Mud Frog, they stayed at home after dark.

   The moon was full that night. Gerochy stuck out his head secretly from the half opened door of the palace. He covered his body with large leaves and looked left and then right. There were no frogs. He secretly came out of the palace and began to hop a few steps, when Koroty, a child frog, happened to see him from behind a tree. Koroty had been to the mountain to get some medical plants for his sick mother. He had lost his way and was returning home late.

   Koroty was surprised to see King Richard’s face illuminated by the moon. It resembled Gerochy’s, for it was almost blue.

   “That’s not King Richard. It’s Gerochy. What’s he doing at this late hour?” Koroty said to himself and decided to follow him.

   Gorochy hippety-hopped along the moon-lit path without knowing Koroty was also hippety-hopping behind him stealthily. An owl was hooting, and the dark bamboo leaves were making soft noise blown by the soft wind.

   Soon Gerochy stopped. Koroty stopped, too, and hid himself behind a big rock and watched Gorochy. Steam was rising from a hot spring at a little distance. Gerochy looked around him cautiously, approached the spring, and jumped into the boiling water. Now he was soaking in the spring, saying in a suppressed voice, “Hot, hot, hot!” Koroty wondered why he was soaking in such a hot spring. Soon, Gerochy got out of the water and lay on his back breathing hard on the ground

   While Koroty was watching him, Gerochy’s blue body began to turn to golden gradually. Surprised, Koroty said inadvertently, “My!”

   “Who’s there!” Gerochy said sharply goggling his big eyes. He stood up with difficulty because he was still exhausted after soaking. He walked slowly in the direction of what he had heard. Koroty hid himself behind the rock. Gerochy walked toward him staggeringly with his body shining gold reflecting the moon light. When Gerochy approached near the rock, Keroty dashed for his life. He hippety-hopped as fast as possible. Gerochy hippety-hopped with his all might, but he was still hot and could not hop as well as he wished, but he must catch up to Koroty and kill him before he reached Blue Pond so that his secret would not leak out. Gerochy hopped and hopped desperately. Koroty was, after all, a mere child, and so his hopping stride was short while Gorochy’s was long. Gradually, the distance between the two became shorter and shorter. Now the distance was four meters. Koroty was desperate.

The distance was three meters.

Two meters.

One meter….

   Suddenly an eagle nosedived, trapped Gorochy in its feet, and soared skyward. The eagle had recognized something bright moving on the ground. Koroty looked up at the eagle becoming smaller and smaller as it flew away.

When Koroty returned home, his mother was worried about him.

   “Where have you been all this while? I was afraid you had been attacked by Mud Frog,” she said.

   Koroty told her everything he had seen.

   “So, King Richard was a fake. It was Gerochy,” Koroty said.

   “Is that so? That’s a big surprise. I thought something was strange about the king. I noticed his golden color was fading. We’ve been deceived,” she said.

   The next day she told other blue frogs about the truth of the king.

   “Oh, that was Gerochy. What a surprise!”

   “We’ve been fooled by him.”

   “Gilded coat will come off sooner or later.”

   “Yah, what a nasty fellow!”

   “Pyonsky must have been framed by him.”

   “I feel pity for Pyonsky.”

   Hearing the frogs’ talking, the Elder came to them and said:

   “Everyone, I am sorry to have caused all the troubles. I shouldn’t have asked the golden frog to be our king. However brilliant a frog may look, it is not wise to ask a foreign frog to be our king. I am sorry. We don’t need any king. Let’s live a peaceful life just as before.”

   “That’s right. We don’t need a king,” the blue frogs said and started demolishing the king’s palace and get rid of the vine rope set in the middle of the pond.

   A week later the real golden frog visited Blue Pond and met with the Elder.   “Thank you for your hospitality the other day, my dear Elder. This is a

thank-you gift for you and your frogs,” he said and offered a box.

   When the Elder opened it, there were a lot of live insects and worms.

   “Thank you for the present,” the Elder said.

   “By the way, I am sorry to inform you so late, but no frog wanted to be the king of this pond,” the golden frog said.

   “Oh, that’s all right. We’ve decided that we would not need any king,” the Elder said.

   “But, you said you were afraid of the mud-frog named Evil,” the golden frog said.

“True, but we will unite ourselves and fight against it together,” the Elder said.

   “Good. That’s the spirit. I’ll visit here often, and when I see it, I’ll knock it out. So please don’t worry,” the golden frog said.

   “Oh, we are relieved to hear that,” the Elder and the blue frogs said.

   It so happened that Evil, who had come to attack Blue Pond just at that moment, heard the golden frog’s words, and ran away. It never came back to the pond.

THE END