Legends of Japan Read Free Page A

a poor samurai who had no relatives in the city. Though he served his master well, fortune did not smile upon him. So he often changed his masters, expecting a good position, but he was not rewarded at all for his efforts. In the end he found no person to serve remaining in the city. Thus he was masterless and had to live in dire poverty.
    This man had a very beautiful and gentle-hearted wife, who, though poverty stricken, was devoted to her husband. One day he said, "Although I want to live with you forever, our grinding poverty no longer permits our union. So I think it best for us to divorce each other."
    The woman was surprised at her husband's sudden proposal and said, "I would like to live with you until death separates us, but this seems impossible now because our union is apparently preventing your advancement. If you really want to divorce me, I shall have to obey you."
    Thus they sadly broke up, expecting a happy reunion as soon as possible.
    Since the woman had retained her youthfulness and beauty, she was soon employed by a high government official. She was so gentlehearted that she was loved by the family, and after the death of the mistress she was asked by her master to become his wife. Thus the woman married her master and lived a happy life with him in a large mansion. Her new husband was later appointed governor of Settsu Province.
    Her former husband became more miserable. Though he had divorced his wife for advancement, he could not improve his life. Finally he saw that he could no longer obtain any job in the capital and went down to Settsu Province to work as a day laborer. But, as he was well bred, he was not familiar with rough work, so he was sent to mow reeds on the beach.
    One day, on the shore of Settsu Sea, a whim of fate brought this man and his divorced wife together. That day the governor of Settsu, accompanied by his family, was on his way to the provincial capital to assume his post. As they came out on the seashore, they were impressed with the scenic beauty and had an outdoor dinner party there.
    As the woman was enjoying the party with her family, she by chance saw a decent-looking laborer among many reed-mowers. Though he was poorly dressed, his appearance showed that he must have come of good stock. When she took a good look at him, she found him to be her former husband.
    The man was mowing reeds in the water. Finding her former husband working like this, the woman was suddenly touched by his misery and secretly shed tears of sympathy for him. She immediately told a maid to bring the man to her, and when he came she found his kimono quite worn and his arms and legs very dirty with mud. On his legs there were even leeches sucking his blood. She was shocked to see his terrible appearance and told the maid to give him some food, which the man ate greedily before her. Of course, he did not know the kind lady was his divorced wife.
    As the man was about to retire from her presence, the woman gave him a kimono with a piece of paper on which she wrote a poem:
    Hoping our happy reunion,
I parted from you
in the capital,
But, why do you mow reeds out here
on the beach?
    The poor man was surprised to read the poem and discover that the kind lady was his divorced wife. He was ashamed of himself and asked for a brush and ink to compose a poem in reply:
    Since our separation,
I have been more badly off.
And, recalling our old days,
I find my present position more
intolerable.
    Reading his reply, the lady became more sympathetic, but she knew her present position did not permit her to help him in any way. The man, deeply ashamed of his misery, went away, no longer returning to his work.
    This story was told by the lady in her later years.

5. The iron hat

    T HIS IS AN old story of the priests of Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto. Once, when an altar boy became a priest the whole membership of the temple had a feast to celebrate his taking orders. They all drank and made merry. While they were thus holding