Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Ozaki), Part A

Reading through Part A of Ozaki's Japanese fairy tales, I found the story most suitable for retelling was that of "My Lord Bag of Rice." In this tale a samurai, Fujiwara Hidesato, sets out in search of adventure. Not long into his travels he comes upon a bridge he must pass but sitting at the center, blocking it, is a huge, sleeping dragon. Hidesato is fearful but, being a brave man, deftly maneuvers around it and continues on his way. As he reaches the end of the bridge, however, a voice calls out to him from behind and he turns to see the dragon has taken the form of a man. The man reveals himself to be the "Dragon King" and informs Hidesato of his dilemma: every night a giant centipede comes down from the mountains and steals one of his children. He had been waiting on the bridge in the form of a dragon to find a man brave enough to cross whom he could ask to help him defeat the centipede and save his family. Hidesato agrees to help and returns to the Dragon King's palace under the bridge where he eats dinner with the King and his family. Near the end of dinner the thunderous sound of the centipede is heard and Hidesato and the Dragon King rush to the balcony to see it approaching. Hidesato readies his bow and fires an arrow at it. The arrow hits its mark but bounces off. He tries again to the same effect. Down to his last arrow, Hidesato remembers that human saliva is poisonous to centipedes and decides to give it a try. Licking his arrow, he fires again, this time piercing the centipede's skull and killing it. The Dragon King holds a feast in his honor and thanks him with a set of magical gifts, one of which is a seemingly never-ending bag of rice (hence the title).

I feel this story is suitable to a semi-modern, American retelling. Perhaps the adventuring samurai is a frontiersman out hunting, and the dragon is an immense wolf or maybe a rattlesnake. The centipede would still be a centipede because I hate centipedes, especially the giant desert centipede (pictured below) which I have had far too many close calls with.

Story Source: Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki

Scolopendra heros. Source: WikiMedia Commons