The Story of Kakka and the Three Protective Paper Talismans - 悠久城風の間　blog語り部のささやき

According to “The Three Protective Paper Talismans,” a Niigata folk tale published in 2000, a little novice monk who went out to pick flowers got lost on the way and asked an old woman living in a house in the mountains for a place to stay for the night. In the middle of the night, the old woman began grinning and sharpening a knife. She looked nice and kind, but she was a terrifying mountain hag who ate people. The old woman caught the little novice monk as he tried to escape and began licking his cheeks and round, shaved head. The novice monk, trembling all the while, managed to escape to the toilet, where the toilet guardian deity gave him three protective paper talismans.

That’s how the story goes, but who really got the three protective paper talismans?

Several hundred years had passed since the hag in “The Story of a Celestial Mother, Kakka, Who Became a Hag,” went into a wooden storage chest and closed her eyes.

Here we go. I got out of the wooden storage chest. What time is it now? I looked around. Everything was quiet.

“Kotaro, Kotaro,” I called out, but Kotaro didn’t respond.

Wait, did I really eat Kotaro after all?

Oh boy, I was really careless, wasn’t I?

When I get excited, I tend to quickly open my mouth wide. I shouldn’t have eaten Kotaro. Well, if Kotaro has returned to my belly, he won’t hate me. That’s a relief… if Kotaro is inside my belly, that is.

It was already autumn outside. I collected chestnuts in the mountains. I’ll just boil some chestnuts and eat them. I’m sure Kotaro, in my belly, would be happy, too.

As night fell, while I was boiling chestnuts in a pot in the dirt floor area, I heard “Knock, knock. Knock, knock.”

Someone was knocking on the door.

Hmmm, who could it be?

When I checked to see who it was, it was a little novice monk with a round shaved head, holding a bouquet.

“Grandma, I went out to pick some flowers, but I got lost and the sun set. Could you let me stay at your house tonight?”

“Huh, huh, huh? Are you Kotaro? Have you come back to me, to your mother, Kakka? You seem to have gotten younger. You shaved your head.”

“What? Kotaro? Huh? Huh?” Kotaro looked puzzled.

“Anyway, come on in, come on in. This is your house.”

Kotaro slowly shuffled into the house.

When did Kotaro get out of my belly?

“Kotaro, where have you been?”

“I was left at a temple, where I now live and serve. Today, at the priest’s request, I went out to pick some flowers.”

“What happened to your job of selling mackerel?”

“Selling mackerel? I’ve been training at the temple forever.”

“What? You’ve been serving at a temple? Anyway, you truly look younger now.”

“Grandma, please let me just go to sleep,” he said, sounding annoyed.

“Oh, okay. Go ahead, go to sleep.”

I pushed him away to the futon.

However, isn’t he a strange child? I remember he had become a mackerel vendor and brought me some salted mackerel. Oh, I know. We had played hide-and-seek, and that was when he got into my belly. I wonder if he got out of my belly while I was sleeping and went to the priest’s temple to train himself. He must have gotten lost and wandered around, but couldn’t find his mother’s house. He couldn’t return home, so it must have been a very difficult time for him. It’s because you played too much hide-and-seek. You’ve finally made it home. I’m glad you came back. Well done, Kotaro.

Sleep peacefully here at your mother’s home.

I’ll peel some chestnuts. When Kotaro wakes up tomorrow, I’ll feed him these chestnuts.

Whoa, whoa, whoa… Removing chestnut husks is tedious work. I’m clumsy.

Uuurngh, uuurngh. These chestnut husks are so hard. This knife can’t cut them. I put more strength into my hand as I held the knife.

Uuurngh, uuurngh.

Then, on the other side of the sliding door, there was a groaning sound.

Uuurngh, uuurngh.

“She is a hag. I’m scared. I’m scared. She is a hag.”

Kotaro peeked out through the sliding door, and he was trembling.

Removing chestnut husks is such a tedious task. I couldn’t help but grit my teeth and shake my hair out into a disheveled mess. Did my face become that of a terrible old hag?

Right at that moment, as I was trying to make a slit in a chestnut husk, it slipped out of my grip and shot out.

Whoosh!

Bang!

“Ow, ow, ow!”

Oh, my goodness. Surprisingly, the chestnut slammed right into Kotaro’s forehead.

“Sorry, sorry! Did it hurt you? The chestnut just shot out. Kotaro, were you scared? Did I scare you? Don’t be afraid. This knife doesn’t cut well. That’s why the chestnut flew out of my hand.”

With the knife still in my hand, I reached out to stroke Kotaro’s head.

“Yikes! Please don’t!”

He swiftly dodged away before my hand touched his head.

“Kotaro, where are you going?”

“To the bathroom!”

“Wait, wait!”

Kotaro went to the outhouse and didn’t come out for a while.

“Kotaro, are you done?”

“Not yet, not yet.”

“Kotaro, are you done?”

I waited patiently for him in front of the outhouse so that he wouldn’t get lost. I remember that when he was little, he was afraid to go to the outhouse by himself.

“Kotaro, your mother is here. You don’t have to worry about anything. Take your time.”

“I’m ready to come out now.”

Kotaro came out of the outhouse and said in a small voice, “Let me return to the temple.”

“Kotaro, why don’t you eat some chestnut rice before leaving?

“I can’t. The temple priest warned me that I should be careful not to be eaten by a hag.”

“Is that so? Could you sleep with me for just one night?”

“I’m not sleepy at all now.”

Well, I know you aren’t a baby any longer. You’re training at a temple, right?

Well, well. You are training under a priest. I wonder how long you can stay with me, your mother. Do you really have to go back to training?

Even though I told him to wait until dawn, he left while it was still dark.

He is a single-minded and determined child. He is truly my child, whom I, the celestial mother, gave birth to.

As his figure disappeared into the darkness of the night, I came up with an idea.

Yes, some talismans. I must give him protective paper talismans.

The thought struck me like a bolt of lightning. Protective paper talismans, talismans.

“Wait, Kotaro.”

He was no longer visible.

“Hey. Wait.”

I chased after him with the protective paper talismans from the toilet guardian deity clenched tightly in my hand.

He is going to train at a temple now, even though he is still such a young child. Crossing mountains and rivers, he has to undergo life-threatening training.

“Hey, Kotaro! Here are protective paper talismans from the toilet guardian deity,” I said to him.

If you carry these protective paper talismans, you won’t die. Crossing mountains and rivers, you will be able to return to me without falling into a toilet pit.

When you were a baby, I accidentally dropped you into the toilet pit while I was straining to empty my bowels. It was the toilet guardian deity who saved you. Thanks to the toilet guardian deity, you were able to return to me. Since that day, I have been offering my respects to the toilet guardian deity every day.

One day, the deity appeared and said, “I’ll give you these three protective paper talismans. So don’t worry. If you have these three protective paper talismans, your child will surely return home safely.”

Oh, thank you, thank you! Protective paper talismans from the toilet guardian deity!

“See, Kotaro. These are protective paper talismans from the toilet guardian deity. Take one of them with you.”

I finally caught up with him.

However, he did not look back at all.

“Kotaro, wait.”

Just then, he shivered violently and shouted, “Wow, that’s a huge mountain.”

All of a sudden, a huge mountain loomed up in front of him.

I quickly threw a protective paper talisman at him.

“Now, Kotaro, you can climb over that huge mountain.”

He climbed up the mountain with all his might, his stamping feet crunching along his path. He ran up and over the crest, drenched in sweat. He’s so fast. Amazing. Good job. Kotaro, that’s it, keep it up. He’s cool. That’s just what I expected from my son.

Kotaro kept running, and I also ran along after him.

After running for a while, he shouted, “Oh, what a vast river!”

There was the roar of a ton of water from a raging river blocking his way.

I hurriedly threw another protective talisman at him.

“Now, Kotaro. Cross the vast river, keep moving on.”

He crossed the huge river. Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh, sploosh. Then, he ran on even harder and harder.

Oh, oh, keep it up. Kotaro is such a strong kid.

Kotaro, you must cross huge mountains and vast rivers and keep pushing on. You are a strong child who can overcome both huge mountains and vast rivers. That’s it, keep it up! Keep pushing forward just like that! Keep moving on! More and more!

But, don’t get overconfident and fall into a toilet pit.

I threw the third protective paper talisman at his back. It stuck to his back.

“Kotaro, don’t lose the protective paper talismans from the toilet guardian deity. Don’t fall into a toilet pit. Don’t lose your life. The protective paper talismans will protect you. Train hard to your heart’s content and come back to me again.”

“Kotaro, take care.”

“Kotaro, Kotaro.”

I kept watch as he ran on until he was out of sight.

The sky in the east was already brightening.

The End

2022

Late autumn