Spendor of Okinawa Bonus: A story from the Ryukyu Kingdom
The Legend of the Feather Robe In the Mashiki district of Ginowan City, there’s a spring called Mui-nu-kaa (Forest River). This spring gushes out of the earth in the middle of a peaceful forest. From time to time the call of a mountain bird deepens even more the sense of peacefulness in the forest. A long time ago, a young man from the village finished off his work in the fields early and stopped by Mui-nu-kaa intending to wash his hands and feet as usual. But, there was a beautiful young woman bathing alone there. The young man quickly hid himself and, without even thinking, took in the sight of the woman. Mui-nu-kaa “How can a woman be so beautiful!” he thought. She was so beautiful that she took his breath away. Then, chancing to look around, he saw a faintly gleaming robe hung firmly over the branch of a pine tree. The young man, knowing full well he was doing wrong, took the cloth-like robe off the branch and quietly left the spot. After going back home for a while, ...