Japanese tales : Urashimataro

Urashimataro

Once upon a time, a young man named Urashimataro lived in a little seaside village with his mother. He was a fisherman and everyday he went fishing. One day though he had been at sea the whole day, he had caught only three fish. So he returned home with a heavy heart.

On his way home by the seashore, he came across some children who were playing noisily with something. Wondering what the children were playing with, Urashimataro went and had a look. He saw that they had caught a turtle and were treating it badly by playing with it cruelly.

Urashimataro was a kind-hearted young man and wanted to help the turtle. He explained to the children that it was bad to hurt animals. But they laughed at him and went on with their cruel games, paying no attention to him. Then, Urashimataro understanding that these children would not let the turtle go, decided to give them the fish he had caught that day in exchange for the turtle. They agreed to this deal, and Urashimataro let the turtle go back into the sea. She went away, looking behind her at the young man who had saved her life.

A few days later, Urashimataro was at sea when a big turtle came to his boat. The young man became astonished when the turtle started talking to him, "The other day, you saved a turtle from our family. We are really grateful and you are invited to the Castle under the sea. Please have a seat on my back and I will take you there."

Urashimataro obeyed and sat on the shell of the turtle. Together they went into the sea. As the turtle swam, Urashimataro was amazed at the wonderful fishes and seaweeds which were in the depths of the sea. He had never seen such a sight in his life.

Urashimataro

Finally they arrived at the Castle where everything was gorgeous and beyond expression. He met the Princess, the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen, who greeted him saying, "Thank you very much for helping me. Actually, I am the turtle you saved from those children. I wanted to see the world outside the sea and changed myself into a turtle. You saved my life." She guided him into the palace and introduced him to her father, the King of sea. After that they had a wonderful feast. From this day, Urashimataro lived happily in the Castle under the sea. He forgot about his village and his mother, overwhelmed by the happiness of his new life under the sea.

Three years passed and Urashimataro was still living as if in a dream. Then, one day the Princess took him to a room in the Castle he had never been before. From this room, you could see the world outside the sea. Urashimataro saw his village and suddenly remembered everything about his mother and his life as a fisherman. He felt very homesick and badly wanted to go back home to meet his mother. The Princess was sad because Urashimataro wanted to go away, but she could not prevent it. Before he left she gave him a special box as a souvenir. She told him, "If you are in trouble, open this box. But only if you are in trouble."

Urashimataro took the box and sat one more time on the shell of the turtle who would take him back home.

Urashimataro

Once on the seashore Urashimataro walked across the village to his home, but he felt somewhat uneasy. The village was not the same as he remembered, and when he met people, he did not know who they were. When he arrived at the place his home was he was astonished. The house was not there anymore - only weeds. Confused, he wandered through the streets of the village asking people if they knew where his house was. But nobody knew anything about Urashimataro's house. At last, a very old man told him, "If I remenber well, Urashimataro was a young man who went to the sea and never came back. But that is an ancient story, it was three hundred years ago, my boy!"

Urashimataro suddenly realized that the three years he had spent in the Castle under the sea were actually three hundred years! He went and found his mother's tomb, and also found his own tomb. The yound man was awfully miserable because he knew he would never meet his mother again. He really felt sad and troubled, so he opened the box the Princess gave him. As soon as he had opened it, a thick, white smoke came out and enveloped his body. Suddenly Urashimataro became a very very old man. Then he turned into a crane, a bird which is said to live for a thousand years, and flew away. The crane flew over the sea and met the turtle who had come from the Castle under the sea. A few people who were strolling on the seashore saw them and started singing,

"The crane lives for a thousand years, the turtle for ten thousand...
How long their love will be!"

Translated and adapted from Japanese by Myriam Dartois

Illustrated by Naoko Urushidani