Latest / Sandman Stories Presents / EP 294: Japan- The Goblin of Adachigahara; The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar (Ozaki)

Transcript

EP 294: Japan- The Goblin of Adachigahara; The Sagacious Monkey and the Boar (Ozaki) · Sandman Stories Presents

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  Welcome back listeners to Sandman Stories Presents, a
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  folklore podcast where I read you to sleep or until the next
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  story. I'm your host, Dustin.
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  If you want more Sandman. I have extra stories that are
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  too spicy for the main feed available on my Patreon, and you
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  can join at the free tier and get everything.
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  Thank you to Dan and Bunny Trails for being the paid
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  member. Today we are back in the book of
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  Japanese folk tales written down by Yeete Dorozaki.
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  In the first story, a man is almost gobbled by a goblin, and
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  in the second, a monkey is at the end of his days and he's
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  able to escape the butcher's block with the help of a wise
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  old boar. OK, let's begin.
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  The goblin of Adachi Kahara. Long, long ago there was a large
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  plane called Adachi Kahara in the province of Mutsu in Japan.
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  This place was said to be haunted by a cannibal goblin who
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  took the form of an old woman from time to time.
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  Many travellers disappeared and were never heard of more, and
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  the old women around the charcoal braziers in the
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  evenings and the girls washing the household rice in the wells
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  in the mornings whispered dreadful stories of how the
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  missing folk had been lured into the goblins cottage and
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  devoured, for the goblin lived only on human flesh.
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  No one dared to venture near the haunted spot after sunset, and
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  all those who could avoided it in the daytime, and the
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  travellers were warned of the dreaded place.
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  One day, as the sun was setting, a priest came to the plain.
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  He was a belated traveller and his robe showed that he was a
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  Buddhist Pilgrim, walking from shrine to shrine to pray for
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  some blessing or to crave for some forgiveness of sins.
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  He had apparently lost his way, and as it was late he met no one
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  who could show him the road or warn him of the haunted spot.
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  He had walked the whole day, and was now tired and hungry, and
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  the evenings were chilly, for it was late autumn, and he began to
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  be very anxious to find some house where he could obtain a
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  night's lodging. He found himself lost in the
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  midst of a large plain, and looked about in vain for some
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  sign of human habitation. At last, after wandering for
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  some hours, he saw a clump of trees in the distance, and
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  through the trees he could catch the glimmer of a single ray of
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  light. He exclaimed with joy.
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  Oh, surely that is a cottage where I can get a night's
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  lodging. Keeping the light before his
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  eyes, he dragged his weary, aching feet as quickly as he
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  could towards the spot, and soon came to a miserable looking
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  little cottage. As he drew near he saw that it
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  was in a tumble down condition. The bamboo fence was broken and
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  weeds and grass pushed their way through the gaps.
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  The paper screens, which served as windows and doors in Japan,
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  were full of holes, and the posts of the house were bent
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  with age and seemed scarcely able to support the old thatched
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  roof. The Hut was open, and by the
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  light of an old Lantern an old woman set industriously
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  spinning. The Pilgrim called to her across
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  the bamboo fence and said, O Basan, old woman, good evening,
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  I'm a traveller. Please excuse me, but I've lost
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  my way and I do not know what to do, for I have nowhere to rest
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  tonight. I beg you to be good enough to
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  let me spend the night under your roof.
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  The old woman, as soon as she heard herself being spoken to,
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  stop spinning, rose from her seat and approached the
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  intruder. I am very sorry for you.
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  You must be indeed distressed to have lost your way on such a
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  lonely spot so late at night. Unfortunately, I cannot put you
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  up, for I have no bed to offer you and no accommodation
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  whatsoever for a guest in this poor place.
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  Oh, that does not matter at all, said the priest.
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  All I want is a shelter under some roof for the night and
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  you'll be good enough to just let me lie on the kitchen floor.
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  I should be grateful. I am too tired to walk further
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  tonight, so I hope you will not refuse me, otherwise I shall
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  have to sleep on it on the cold plane.
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  And in this way he pressed the old woman to let him stay.
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  She seemed very reluctant, but at last she said, Very well, I
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  will let you stay here. I can offer you a very poor
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  welcome only, but come in now, and I will make a fire, for the
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  night is cold. The Pilgrim was only too glad to
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  do as he was told. He took off his sandals and
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  entered the Hut. The old woman then brought some
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  sticks of wood and lit the fire, and bade her guest to draw near
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  and warm himself. You must be hungry after your
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  long tramp, said the old woman. I will go and cook some supper
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  for you. She then went to the kitchen to
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  cook some rice. After the priest had finished
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  his supper, the old woman sat down by the fireplace, and they
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  talked together. For a long time the Pilgrim had
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  thought himself that he had been very lucky to come across a
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  kind, hospitable old woman. At last the wood gave out, and
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  as the fire died slowly he began to shiver with cold, just as he
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  had done when he had arrived. I see you are cold, said the old
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  woman. I will go out and gather some
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  wood, for we have used it all. You must stay and take care of
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  the house while I am gone. No, no, said the Pilgrim, Let me
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  go instead, for you are old, and I cannot think of letting you go
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  out to get wood for me this cold night.
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  The old woman shook her head and said, You must stay quietly
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  here, for you are my guest. Then she left him and went out.
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  In a minute she came back and said, You must sit where you are
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  and not move, and whatever happens, do not go near or look
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  into the inner room. Now mind what I tell you.
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  If you tell me not to go near the backroom, of course I won't,
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  said the priest, rather bewildered.
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  The woman went out again, and the priest was left alone.
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  The fire had died out, and the only light from the Hut was out
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  of the dim Lantern. For the first time that night he
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  began to feel like he was in a weird place, and the old woman's
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  words, whatever you do, don't peep into that backroom, aroused
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  his curiosity and his fear. What hidden thing could be in
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  that room that she did not wish him to see?
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  For some time the remembrance of this promise to the old woman
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  kept him still, but at last he could no longer resist his
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  curiosity to peep into the forbidden place.
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  He got up and began to move slowly towards the backroom.
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  Then the thought that the old woman would be very angry with
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  him if he disobeyed her made him come back to his place by the
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  fireside. As the minutes went slowly by
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  and the old woman did not return, he began to feel more
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  and more frightened, and to wonder what dreadful secret in
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  that room was behind him. He must find out.
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  She will not know that I have looked unless I tell her.
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  I will just have a peep before she comes back, he said to
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  himself. With these words he got up on
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  his feet, for he had been sitting all this time in the
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  Japanese fashion with his feet under him, and stealthily crept
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  towards the forbidden spot. With trembling hands he pushed
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  back the sliding door and looked in.
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  What he saw froze the blood in his veins.
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  The room was full of dead men's bones, and the walls were
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  splashed and the floor was covered with human blood.
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  In one corner, skull upon skull rose to the ceiling, in another
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  was a heap of arm bones, in another a heap of leg bones.
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  The sickening smell made him faint.
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  He fell backwards with horror, and for some time laying a heap
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  with fright on the floor, a pitiful sight.
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  He trembled all over, and his teeth chattered, and he could
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  hardly crawl away from the dreadful spot.
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  How horrible he cried out. What awful den If I come into in
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  my travels, may Buddha help me, or I am lost.
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  Is it possible that that old woman is really the cannibal
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  goblin? When she comes back she will
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  show herself and her true character and eat me up all in
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  one mouthful. With these words his strength
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  came back to a man snatching up his hat and staff.
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  He rushed out of the house as fast as his legs could carry him
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  out until the night he ran. His one thought was to get as
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  far as he could from the goblins Hut He had not gone far when he
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  heard steps behind him and a voice crying.
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  Stop, stop. He ran on, redoubling his speed,
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  pretending not to hear as he ran.
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  Here the steps behind him come nearer and nearer, and at last
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  he recognized the old woman's voice, which grew louder and
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  louder as she came nearer. Stop, stop, you wicked man, why
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  did you look into my forbidden room?
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  The priest quite forgot how tired he was, and his feet flew
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  over the ground faster than ever.
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  Fear gave him strength, for he knew that if the goblin caught
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  him, he would soon be one of her victims.
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  With all his heart he repeated the prayer to Buddha Namu Amida
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  Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu, and after him rushed the dreadful
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  little hag, her hair flying in the wind and her face changing
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  with rage into the demon that she was.
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  In her hand she carried a large blood stained knife, and she
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  still shrieked after him. Stop, stop.
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  At last, when the priest felt he could run no more, the dawn
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  broke, and with the darkness of night the goblin vanished and he
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  was safe. The priest now knew that he had
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  met the goblin of Aditya Gahara, the story of whom he had often
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  heard but never believed to be true.
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  He felt that he owed his wonderful escape to the
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  protection of Buddha, to whom he prayed for help.
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  So he took out his rosary and bowed his head as the sun rose,
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  and he said his prayers and made his Thanksgiving earnestly.
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  He then set forward for another part of the country, only too
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  glad to leave the haunted plain behind him.
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  The End. And story #2 The sagacious
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  Monkey and the boar Long long ago there lived in the province
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  of Shin Shin in Japan a travelling monkey man who earned
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  his living by taking a monkey around and showing off the
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  animals tricks. One evening the man came home in
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  a very bad temper and told his wife to send for the butcher.
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  The next morning. The wife was very bewildered,
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  and asked her husband. Why do you want me to send for
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  the butcher? It's no use taking that monkey
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  around any longer. He's too old and forgets his
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  tricks. I beat him with my stick all I
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  know how, but he won't dance properly.
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  I must now sell him to the butcher, and make what money out
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  of him I can. There's nothing else to be done.
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  The woman felt very sorry for the poor little animal, and
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  pleaded for her husband to spare the monkey, but her pleading was
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  all in vain. The man was determined to sell
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  him to the butcher. Now the monkey was in the next
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  room and overheard every word of the conversation.
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  He soon understood that he was to be killed, and he said to
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  himself, Barbarous indeed is my master here.
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  I have served him faithfully for years, and instead of allowing
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  me to end my days comfortably and in peace, he is going to let
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  me be cut up by the butcher, and my poor body is to be roasted
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  and stewed and eaten. Woe is me, what am I to do?
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  Ah, a bright thought has struck me.
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  There is, I know, a wild boar living in the forest nearby.
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  I have often heard tell of his wisdom.
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  Perhaps if I go to him and tell him my trouble I'm in, he will
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  give me his counsel. I'll go and try.
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  There was no time to lose. The monkey slipped out of the
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  house and ran as quickly as he could to the forest to find the
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  boar. The boar was at home, and the
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  monkey began to tell his tale of woe at once.
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  Good Mr. Boar, I've heard of your excellent wisdom.
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  I am in great trouble. You alone can help me.
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  I've grown old in the service of my master, and because I cannot
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  dance properly now, he intends to sell me to the butcher.
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  What do you advise me to do? I know how clever you are.
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  The boar was pleased at the flattery and determined to help
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  the monkey. He thought for a while and said,
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  hasn't your master a baby? Oh yes, said the monkey.
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  He has A1 infant son. Doesn't it lie by the door in
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  the morning when your mistress begins the work of the day?
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  Well, I will come around early, and when I see my opportunity, I
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  will seize the child and run off with it.
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  What then? Said the monkey.
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  Why, the mother will be in such a tremendous scare, and before
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  your master and mistress know what to do, you must run after
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  me and rescue the child and take it home safely to its parents.
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  And you will see that when the butcher comes, they won't have
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  it in their heart to sell you. The monkey thanked the boar many
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  times and then went home. He did not sleep much that
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  night, as you may imagine, for thinking of the Morrow.
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  His life depended on whether the boar's plan succeeded or not.
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  He was the first up, waiting anxiously for what was to
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  happen. It seemed to him a very long
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  time before his mattress wife began to move about and open the
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  shutters to let in the light of the day.
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  Then all happened as the boar had planned.
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  The mother placed her child near the porch as usual, while she
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  tidied up the house and got the breakfast ready.
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  The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing
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  on the mats at the play of light and shadow.
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  Suddenly there was a noise on the porch and a loud cry from
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  the child. The mother ran out from the
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  kitchen to the spot only just in time to see the board
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  disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch.
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  She flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed
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  into the inner room where her husband was still sleeping
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  soundly. He sat up slowly and rubbed his
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  eyes and crossly demanded what his wife was making all this
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  noise about. By the time that the man was
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  aware of what had happened and they both got outside of the
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  gate, the boar had gotten well away, but they saw the monkey
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  running after the thief as hard as his legs would carry him.
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  Both the man and his wife removed to admiration the plucky
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  conduct of their sagacious monkey, and their gratitude knew
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  no bounds when the faithful monkey brought back the child
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  safely to their arms. There, said the wife, this is
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  the animal you wanted to kill. If the monkey hadn't been here,
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  we shall have lost our child forever.
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  You are right, wife, for once, said the man as he carried the
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  child into the house. You may send the butcher back
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  when he comes. And now give us all the good
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  breakfast, and the monkey too. When the butcher arrived, he was
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  sent away with an order for some boar's meat for the evening
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  dinner, and the monkey was petted and lived on the rest of
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  his days in peace. Nor did his master ever strike
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  him again. The end.
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  Wow, I really like that first one.
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  It reminds me of a song that I was first introduced to by my Co
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  worker Tia. A man in the woods is
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  encountering another human being or turns out to be a Tiger's
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  victim. Hoping to learn more of victims
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  to the tiger. And there's a chorus in the
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  middle that goes namu amitabu, namu amitabu and it's asking
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  Buddha's help for being safe. Go check it out, it's Onion and
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  I'll link it in the show notes. And the second story really had
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  a happy ending for me. I didn't want to see the monkey
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  get chopped up for a retirement present.
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  And I still have quite a few stories left in this book and I
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  love reading them. So there will be many more.
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  And the podcast shout out is to the scene snobs.
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  Miserable Mick is a veteran of the film industry.
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  He brings that knowledge and passion along with producer Paul
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  and talks all things film and pop culture with a goofy, laid
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  back style. They discuss film, TV, games and
• 17:17
  anything else that comes across their plate.
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  They have a live show every Tuesday for their Patreon
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  members and then those are posted to their YouTube.
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  And if you like their show as much as I do, go and give them a
• 17:28
  like a rating and a review. And the listener shout out is to
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  Udantani, Thailand. It is the largest city in Isan.
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  It was a smaller town until the 1970s when the Air Force Base
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  opened. It was first mentioned in 1826
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  when the King of Vintian in Lao attacked the city and tried to
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  overthrow the Thai rulers. The other thing that it's known
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  for was being used as a black site for the CIA.
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  The site was closed down in 2002 thankfully, and I'm in the
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  planning stages of visiting Thailand again.
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  So I will propose to my wife that we visit the city.
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  And so to my 1 listener in Udantani, I say Kaptai and Mua
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  Ganda. Thank you and I'll go home now.