Spendor of Okinawa Bonus: A story from the Ryukyu Kingdom (Sunday: 3mr24)

 

The Mysterious Old Traveler

 

Once upon a time on New Year’s Eve, an old man, a poor old traveler from the look of him, knocked at the gate of the richest man in a certain village, asking, “I’m a traveler. Would it be okay if I stayed here just for tonight?” The rich man, with a look of scorn, replied, “What? A beggar like you in my house on New Year’s Eve? That’s a bad omen!” and was about to chase him away. “In that case, how about just letting me stay in the shelter of the eaves of the house?” pleaded the old traveler. But the master of the house had his men scatter salt and throw it at the old traveler to ward off evil, and then they went quickly back inside the house.

(An Ukama: an altar of 3 stones with offerings to the Ryukyuan hearth god)          

The old traveler went away plodding down the cold night road. A little way down the road, there was a house full of cracks in the walls. When the old traveler asked for one night’s lodging, an old couple came out of the house. Looking at the old traveler, the couple welcomed him in, saying, “Well, come on in. We have no food to offer you, but you’re welcome to stay the night with us.”

          

The three of them sat around the fire pit sipping tea and chatting. After a while, feeling totally at ease, the old traveler asked, “Excuse me, but, haven’t you prepared anything to celebrate the New Year?” The old traveler’s heart was pained from the first to see the extreme poverty of the old couple.

          

The husband answered, “We’re used to being poor. For the two of us, just being healthy to face the New Year is better than any food, no matter how delicious. Aside from that, we really need nothing.” Then the wife added with a smile, “Now that’s the truth. Even without luxuries like delicious food, the two of us have happiness, really.”        

The old traveler’s heart was struck by this couple. He said to them, “The two of you are like gods. Because of you, both my heart and body have been warmed. In return, I’m going to give you a feast.” The old traveler had the wife fill a big pot with water and put it over the fire pit to boil. As the old traveler watched the fire crackling in the pit, he began chanting. Then something mysterious happened. An incredibly delicious smell rose from the pot. When the wife opened the lid to take a look, slices of white radish, pork, and kombu (edible seaweed) were simmering at a slow boil in the pot.

          

The old traveler said, “It’s ready. After this, please help yourself,” and, to the couple’s wide-eyed surprise, put some of the pork soup into a bowl for each of them. So, the three of them passed from the Old to the New Year eating delicious food and spending an enjoyable night together.

          

The next morning was New Year’s Day. When the first cock crowed, the husband and wife awoke and drew fresh water from the village well. Drawing the first fresh water on New Year’s Day was one of their New Year’s customs. They set this fresh water on the household ukama (altar to the fire god) and then, making tea, set the tea on the Buddhist altar, too. After that, sitting around the fire pit together with the old traveler, they all drank tea made from the fresh water to welcome in the brisk New Year.

 

After receiving the delicious tea from the old couple, the old traveler said to them, “Last evening, because of your kindness, I was able to rest peacefully. So, I’d like to repay you. If you had only one wish to be granted, what would you wish for?

         

The two looked each other in the face and smiled. The husband said, “Well, in that case, if we could be young again, nothing could make us happier,” and the wife added, “Right! To be young and live together with my husband.”

          

The old traveler nodded with delight. He gently stroked the husband’s face and then gently stroked the wife’s face. What happened next? As the couple gazed at each other, they became a young man and young woman. The husband and wife jumped up and down with joy. But where had the old traveler gone? He had simply disappeared in an instant.

          

The husband exclaimed, “He must have been a god,” and his wife agreed, “That’s certain. Ah, we have so much to thank him for!” With their youth restored, the couple clasped their hands in prayer with gratitude in their hearts to the old traveler.

          

The news of what had happened to the couple ran quickly from one end of the village to the other. Regretting what he had done, the rich man said to his men, “Find that old buzzard and drag him back here. It’s an order!” His men searched everywhere, finally found the old traveler, and dragged him back to the rich man’s mansion.

          

At the mansion, the master waited impatiently in expectation of the return of his men. When the old traveler was finally brought to his sitting room, he treated the old man to every delicious food imaginable. Then, rubbing his hands together, the rich man bowed deeply again and again, pleading, “Okay, now please make me young again, too, just like that old couple.”

          

But the old man just gave him a look of total disinterest, saying, “Now, that’s a problem for me isn’t it? Sorry, but I have to hurry along on future  business,” and got up to leave.

          

Shocked, the master hustled off and came back with gold from his safe. “Don’t even say such a thing. I’ll give you all of this. Just please give me back my youth,” he pleaded, bowing his fat body to a full forty-five degrees.

          

Without even bothering to give him a glance, the old traveler just started ambling away from the rich man’s mansion.

          

“Go ahead and get out of here, you old piece of garbage!” the master screamed with curses. Then he and his men yelled, “Then take this, you filthy old man!” and went so far as to pelt the old traveler with salt.

          

Turning in disdain to face them, the old traveler whacked away the salt with his sleeve. The rebounding salt scattered like dust into the faces of the master and his men.

It is said that, at that moment, believe it or not, the master turned into a monkey and his men into mice.     

Note on pronunciation: Okinawan consonants sound much the same as their alphabetical counterparts in English. Vowels follow the sounds of the a,e,i,o,u of Italian or Spanish. Doubling means that the vowel is lengthened, not repeated.

Story: compiled and written in Japanese by Kyoko Ishikawa. English translation by William A. O’Donnell (odomnail@rocketmail.com), edited by Thomas Marsh.