Japanese Fairy Tale Series 01 #17- Schippeitaro

8/14/2019 Japanese Fairy Tale Series 01 #17- Schippeitaro

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PREFACE.The following story has been current

in all parts of Japan from ancient times.Slightly different versions exist in differentprovinces but the most widely known isthe one here given.

Thepicture

of the dog on another pageis a copy of one now issued from Mitsumineor Mitakesan to the faithful who reverenceit as Okuchishinjin, the large mouthed god,to serve as a charm to keep away devilsand thieves. The original was no doubtsomething like the dog Shippeitaro.

Should the children who read this bookever visit Japan they might see it pastedup above the door, on the outside, of somehouse even yet.


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SCHIPPEITARO.

ONG long ago, in thedays of fairies and

j giants, ogres and dragons,valiant knights and dis-tressed damsels; in thosegood old days, a braveyouug warrior went out

into the wide world in search ofadventures.For some time he went on

without meeting with anything outof the common, but at length, after


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journeying through a thick forest,he found himself, one evening, ona wild and lonely mountain side.No village was in sight, no cottage,not even the hut of a charcoalburner, so often to be found on theoutskirts of the forest. He hadbeen following a faint and muchovergrown path, but at length eventhat was lost sight of. Twilightwas coming on, and in vain hestrove to recover the lost track.Each effort seemed only to entanglehim more hopelessly in the briars

which


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on all sides. Faint and wearyhe

stumbled on in the fast gatheringdarkness, until suddenly he cameupon a little temple, deserted andhalf ruined, but which still con-tained a shrine. Here at least wasshelter from the chilly dews, andhere he resolved to pass the night.Food he had none, but wrappedin his mantle, and with his goodsword by his side, he lay down,and was soon fast asleep.Towards midnight he was awa-

kened by a dreadful noise. At firsthe thought it must be a dream, but


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IT ~ ? 5: " t-^the noise continued, the whole placeresounding with the most terribleshrieks and yells. The young war-rior raised himself cautiously, andseizing his sword, looked througha hole in the ruined wall. He be-held a strange and awful sight. Atroop of hideous cats were engagedin a wild and horrible dance theiryells meanwhile echoing throughthe night. Mingled with their un-earthly cries the young warriorcould clearly distinguish the words."Tell it not to Schippeitaro ! Keepit close and dark! Tell it not to


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u

Schippeiraro !A beautiMclear full moonshed its light upon this

grewsome scene,which the


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young warrior watched with amaze-ment and horror- Suddenly, the

midnight hour beingpassed, thephantom


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rcats disappeared, and all was silenceonce more. The rest of the nightpassed undisturbed, and the youngwarrior slept soundly until morning.When he awoke the sun was al-ready up, and he hastened to leavethe scene of last night's adventure.By the bright morning light hepresently discovered traces of apath which the evening before hadbeen invisible. This he followed,and found to his great joy, that itled, not as he had feared to theforest through which he had come


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direction, towards an open plain.There he saw one or two scattered

cottages, and, a little further on,a

Tillage, Pressed by hunger, he wasmaking the best of his way towardsthe village, when he heard thetones of a woman's voice loud inlamentation and entreaty. No soon-er did these sounds of distress reachthe warrior's ears, than his hungerwas forgotten, and he hurried onto the nearest cottage to find outw^hat was the matter, and if hecould give any help. The people


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\\ their headssorrow-

fully,told

him thatall help was

Tain. "Everyyear," said they, "the mountainspirit claims a victim. The time hascome, and this very nightwill he devour ourloveliest maiden.


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This is the cause of the wailingand lamentation." And when theyoung warrior, filled with wonder,enquired further, they told himthat at sunset the victim would beput into a sort of cage, carried tothat very ruined temple


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where lie had passed the night, andthere left alone. In the morningshe would have vanished. So itwas each year, and so it would benow: there was nohelp for it. Ashe listened, the young warrior wasfilled with an earnest desire to de-liver the maiden. And, the mentionof the ruined shrine having broughtback to his mind the adventure ofthe night before, he asked thepeople whether they had ever heardthe name of Scliippeitaro, and whoand what he was. "Schippeitaro is astrong and beautiful dog" was the


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reply, "he belongs to the head manof our Prince who lives only alittle way from here/' "We oftensee him following his master, he isa fine brave fellow." The young


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knight did not stop to ask morequestions, but hurried off to Schip-peitaro's master and begged him tolend his dog for one night. At firstthe man was unwilling, but atlength agreed to lend Schippeitaroon conditon tha the should be brou-ght back the next day. Overjoyedthe young warrior led the dog away.Next he went to see the parents

of the unhappy maiden, and toldthem to keep her in the house andwatch her carefully until his return.He then placed the dog Schippei-taro, in the cage which had been


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prepared for the maiden; and, withthe help of some of the young men

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of the village, carried it to the ruin-ed temple, and there set it down.


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The youngmen re-fused tostay onemomenton thathaunted

spot.


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but hurried down the mountain as ifthe whole troop of hobgoblins hadbeen at their heels. The young war-rior with no companion butthe dog, remained tosee what wouldhappen.

At midnight when the full rnoonwas high in the heaven, and shed


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her light over the mountain, camethe phantom cats once more. Thistime they had in their midst ahuge black torn cat, fiercer andmore terrible than allthe rest, andwhich the


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young warrior had no difficulty, inknowing as the frightful mountainfiend himself. No sooner did thismonster catch sight of the cage thanhe danced and sprang round it withyells of triumph

and hideous joy,followed by his companions.


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When he had long enough jeered atand taunted his victim, he threwopen the door of the cage.But this time he met his match.The brave Schippeitaro sprang uponhim, and seizing him with his teeth,held him fast, while the youngwarrior with one stroke of his goodsword laid the monster dead athis feet. As for the other cats, toomuch astonished to fly, they stoodgazing at the dead body of theirleader, and were made short workof by the knight and Schippeitaro.The young warrior brought back


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the brave dog to to his master,with a thousand thanks, told thefather and mother of the maidenthat their daughter was free, andthe people of the village that thefiend had claimed his last victim,and would trouble them no more,"You owe all this to the braveSchippeitaro," he said as he badethem farewell, and went his wayn search of fresh adventures.


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Japanese Fairy Tale Series 01 #17- Schippeitaro

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