Kenju was ecstatic and, hiding behind a nearby cedar tree, he opened his mouth wide and laughed and laughed. From then on the children came to play every single day. The only days they didn't come was when it rained. On those days Kenju stood alone by the edge of the forest, soaked completely through, as the rain drizzled down from the soft white sky.
"Hey Kenju. You standing watch over the forest again today?" joked the people walking by in their straw rain-capes. The cedar trees had borne red-brown fruit and the cold crystal clear drops of rain dripped slowly down from the tips of the magnificent green branches. Kenju would stand there forever and ever, his mouth wide-open, laughing and laughing in between breaths, steam rising up from his body in the rain.
There came a day when there was a thick fog. Kenju ran into Heiji near the field used for thatching rooves. Heiji looked carefully around, and then made an angry face like a wolf,
"Kenju, cut down those cedars," he barked.
"Why?"
"They're blockin' the sun from my field."
Kenju said nothing and looked down at the ground. If the cedars were blocking the sun from Heiji's field it couldn't have been any more than half a foot. If anything, they were actually protecting his field from the strong southerly winds.
"Cut 'em down, cut 'em down! Are you gonna cut 'em down?"
"No, I'm not," Kenju answered, looking up nervously. His lips twitched as if he were on the verge of tears. These were the only defiant words he'd spoken in his entire life. But Heiji thought that Kenju, the nice person that he was, was making a fool of him, and he flew into a rage, squaring off his shoulders and hitting Kenju in the side of the face. He hit him again and again and again.
As he was being hit, Kenju held his hands in front of his face without saying a word, but eventually bruises began to show all over his face and he started to stagger. Then, appearing somewhat sickened, Heiji hurriedly folded his arms and walked abruptly off into the fog.
Well, that autumn Kenju caught typhoid fever and died. Exactly ten days before that, Heiji also died of the same disease. Not affected by that in the least, the children still came to play in the forest every single day.
Our story races ahead.
The next year the village received a rail line and a station was built only three hundred yards east of Kenju's house. Here and there large factories were built for manufacturing chinaware and spinning silk. One after the other, the fields and rice paddies were all filled in and houses built on top of them. And all of a sudden, it was now a large town. But for some reason, in amongst all of that, only Kenju's forest remained as it was. The cedars were barely six feet tall, and the children came to play every single day. A school was built right next to it so eventually the children came to believe that the forest and the grass field to the south of it were an extension of their own playground.
Kenju's father's hair had completely grayed. Why, that was only natural; it had been nearly twenty years since Kenju died.
One day, a young professor who had left that village many years ago and was now lecturing at a university in America, came back to visit his hometown for the first time in fifteen years.
Where were the reminders of the fields and forests from long ago? And most of these people had moved here from out of town.
But one day, the professor received a request from the elementary school and gave a talk in front of all the students about life in a foreign country. After the talk, the professor headed out onto the playground together with the principal and other teachers, walking in the direction of Kenju's forest. The young professor was unable to believe his eyes, adjusting his glasses again and again, before finally mumbling half to himself,
"Oh, this is exactly as it was. Those trees are exactly as they were. In fact, they look smaller. And the children still play. Ah! Perhaps I can see myself or my old friends in there."
A smile suddenly spread over his face as if he'd just woken from a dream,
"Is this now the school playground?" he asked the principal.
"No, it's not. This land is actually owned by that household over there, but they don't mind the children playing here at all, so although it appears to be the playground of the school, it isn't actually so."
"That's very unusual. What is the reason for that?"
"After the town started to grow, there were a lot of people offering to buy that property, but apparently the old man told them that this was the only reminder he had of Kenju, so he could never bring himself to sell it, no matter how hard things might get."
"Ah that's right, I remember, I remember. We always thought there was something not quite right about Kenju. He was the one that was always laughing out loud. He'd stand right about here and watch us playing. Apparently he was the one who planted all of these cedars. I guess you really can't tell who is smart and who isn't. The Buddha surely works in mysterious ways. This will forever be a beautiful park for the children. What do you think of this? We name this Kenju's Forest Playground and preserve it as it is forever more?"
"That is a great idea. How happy that would make the children!"
And that is exactly what happened.
A blue stone monument with the inscription "Kenju's Forest Playground" was erected in the middle of the grass area in front of the children's forest.
The school received an enormous amount of letters and donations from people who'd gone to that school many years ago, and were now successful attorneys, or military officers, or had small farms across the ocean.
Kenju's family cried tears of joy.
It would be impossible to guess how many thousands of people would be taught what real happiness was by the refreshing smells, the cool summer shade, and the moonlight colored grass beneath those beautiful green and black cedars in this forest playground. And just as when Kenju was alive, whenever it rained, the forest dripped crystal-clear icy-cold drops of water onto the short grass; and whenever the sun shone, the forest sent up a beautiful wave of fresh new air.
THE END
Ame-ni-mo makezu
(I Won't Be Beaten By The Rain)
by Kenji Miyazawa
I won't be beaten by the rain
I won't be beaten by the wind
I won't be beaten by the snow, nor the summer heat
because I'll be strong and healthy
without greed
never angry
always laughing to myself
I'll have four servings of brown rice
with miso-soup and a few veggies each day
I'll listen and observe carefully
and take in everything
never thinking of myself
and I won't forget
I'll live in a small thatched-roof hut
in a field beneath the shadows of a pine forest
if there’s a sick child to the east
I'll go and look after them
if there’s a tired old woman to the west
I'll go and carry her bundles of rice
if someone lies on their deathbed to the south
I'll go and tell them they have nothing to fear
if there’s an argument or dispute to the north
I'll tell them to stop being foolish
I'll shed tears when there is drought
I'll wander restlessly when the summer is cold
people will call me a blockhead
I won’t receive any praise
and I won’t worry
that's the kind of person
I want
to be
Gon the Fox
by Nankichi Niimi
Chapter 1
An old man by the name of Mohei who lived in my village, told me this story when I was little.
A long time ago, not far from our village, there was a place called Nakayama, which had a small castle and a lord, also by the name of Nakayama. And in the hills a short distance from Nakayama, there lived a fox called Gon, who'd made his home in a hole he'd dug in a forest overgrown with lus
h green ferns. Gon the fox was always going into the nearby village to cause mischief, any time of the day or night. He'd make all sorts of trouble, digging up potatoes and tossing them all over the ground, setting fire to bundles of rapeseed flowers hung out to dry, or stealing chili peppers strung up outside the back of the farmer's houses.
One autumn, it had been raining non-stop for two or three days and Gon had been crouched in his hole, unable to go outside. When at last the rain cleared, Gon breathed a sigh of relief and crawled out of his hole. Outside there was a bright blue sky and the cries of the Bull-headed Shrikes rang through the air.
Gon walked up to the edge of the small stream that ran through the village. Drops of rain, still clinging to the tops of the pampas grass, glistened in the sun. Normally there was very little water in this stream, but after three full days of rain the water level had risen all at once. Pampas grass and clumps of bush clover, normally well away from the water's edge, were sloshing about in the murky water. Gon walked further downstream along the muddy path.
Suddenly he noticed a person standing in the middle of the river. He quickly crept into the long grass, where he could watch without being seen.
That's Hyoju, thought Gon.
Hyoju was standing waist deep in the stream with a hand towel tied around his head. He'd rolled up the sleeves of his ragged black kimono and was dragging a fishing net back and forth through the water. A clump of bush clover was stuck to the side of his face like a mole.
After a while, Hyoju hoisted the end of his fishing net - which was in the shape of a bag - out of the water. It was filled with grass roots, weeds, rotten sticks and other rubbish, but there was something else as well; something white and shiny. They were the stomachs of a big fat eel and some large whiting. Hyoju tipped the eel and the whiting together with all the other rubbish, into his wicker fishing basket. He then closed off the opening of the net and placed it back in the water.
With that done, he waded out of the water with his basket, placed it on the ground, and wandered upstream as if in search of something.
As soon as Hyoju was out of sight, Gon sprang out from his hiding spot and raced up to the basket. Gon, you see, was in the mood for a little mischief. He picked out the fish from the wicker basket and, aiming downstream from the fishing net, he flung them, one at a time, back into the stream. Each of the fish landed with a plonk, quickly diving beneath the murky water.
To finish, he tried picking up the big eel, but the eel was all slimy and kept slipping through his paws. Losing patience, he thrust his head into the basket and grabbed the head of the eel between his teeth. The eel gave out a sharp shriek and wrapped itself around Gon's neck. Just then, Hyoju yelled out from a distance,
"Hey! You thieving fox!" Gon jumped into the air with a fright. He tried flinging the eel away so he could make his escape, but the eel was tightly wrapped around his neck. He leapt sideways, eel and all, and raced off as fast as he could run.
He didn't dare look back until he was at the alder tree near his home, but by that time, Hyoju was nowhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then bit down on the head of the eel to make it let go, before placing it on the grass outside his home.
Chapter 2
About ten days later, as Gon was passing behind Yasuke the farmer's house, Yasuke's wife was standing in the shade of a fig tree, dying her teeth black. And when he passed Shinbei the blacksmith's house, Shinbei's wife was busy combing her hair.
Ha ha thought Gon, there must be something going on in the village today. I wonder what? Maybe an autumn festival... nah, if there was a festival I'd be able to hear drums and flutes. And there'd be lots of banners out the front of the shrine.
While he was busy thinking, Gon came up to Hyoju's house, which had a small red well out the front. Hyoju's tiny run-down house was filled with people. Several women, with hand towels tucked in the back of their formal kimonos, were tending to a fire beneath the cooking stove. A giant pot was bubbling away on top.
Ah ha, it's a funeral, thought Gon. One of Hyoju's relatives must have died.
After midday, Gon went to the cemetery and hid in the shadows of the six Jizo statues. It was a perfect clear day and the tiles on the roof of the castle could be seen sparkling in the sun, far off in the distance. Inside the cemetery, the red spider lilies were in full bloom, covering the ground like a giant red cloth. Gong! Gong! - the sound of a bell rang out from the village, the signal for the funeral procession to depart.
Shortly afterwards, some members of the procession, dressed in white kimonos, trickled into view. The sound of people talking moved closer and closer. The procession entered the cemetery. The red spider lilies were trampled beneath their feet as they passed.
Gon stood on tippy-toe so that he could see. Hyoju was wearing a formal kimono and holding a memorial tablet. Normally so cheerful with a face like a red sweet potato, today he looked miserable.
Ahh, it must have been Hyoju's mum, realized Gon, and pulled his head back in.
That night Gon was thinking to himself inside his hole.
I bet Hyoju's mum had been sick in bed, saying she wanted to eat some eel and that was why Hyoju was out fishing. But then I went and played a prank on him and took off with his eel so he never got a chance to give his mum any before she died. I bet all she could think about when she was dying was how much she'd like to eat some eel. Darn! I wish I hadn't played such a stupid prank!
Chapter 3
Hyoju was washing some wheat by the red well. Up until now Hyoju had lived together with his mother with very little money, but now his mother had died he was all by himself.
He's all alone, just like me, thought Gon, as he watched Hyoju from behind a nearby storeroom.
As he walked away from the storeroom, Gon heard the cry of the sardine man going door to door.
"Cheap sardines for sale! Get your fresh sardines!"
Gon ran toward the sound of the man's booming voice. Just then, Yasuke's wife appeared at the back entrance and called out,
"I'll have some sardines please."
The sardine man stopped his cart by the side of the road, grabbed two handfuls of shiny sardines and carried them into Yasuke's house. Seizing his chance, Gon raced up and grabbed five or six sardines out of the basket and then raced back the way he came. When he got to Hyoju's house he tossed them through the back door, and then quickly ran back in the direction of his home. He turned around when he reached the top of the nearest hill and was just able to make out Hyoju, still washing his wheat beside the well.
Well at least I've done one good thing to make up for the eel, he thought.
The next day Gon collected an armful of chestnuts from the forest, and carried them to Hyoju's house. When Gon peaked in through the back door, he saw Hyoju staring blankly into space, his bowl in his hands with his lunch half-eaten. Strangely, he had a gash across his cheek. Gon was wondering what could have happened when Hyoju mumbled out loud,
"Who on earth threw those sardines into my house? Thanks to them people think I'm a thief and the sardine man tries to knock my head in."
Uh oh, thought Gon. Poor Hyoju got beaten up and left with that big gash on his face.
As he was thinking this, Gon crept quietly round to the storeroom and left the chestnuts by the doorway.
Gon collected chestnuts and took them to Hyoju's house the next day too, and then the next day after that. The day after that, not only did he take chestnuts, but two or three matsutake mushrooms as well.
Chapter 4
One evening when the moon was shining bright, Gon was walking aimlessly in the forest. After passing beneath Nakayama Castle, he suddenly noticed some people walking the other way down the narrow path. He heard the sound of people talking. Chin-chira-ling, chin-chira-ling sang the pine crickets.
Gon hid perfectly still by the side of the road. Their voices moved closer and closer. It was Hyoju and Kasuke
the farmer.
"Oh yeah, Kasuke," said Hyoju.
"Yeah?"
"Something really strange has been going on recently."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know who, but ever since mother died, someone's been bringing me chestnuts and mushrooms every day."
"Yeah!? Who?"
"That's what I told you, I don't know. They always bring them when I'm not around."
After they'd passed, Gon started following behind them.
"Truly?"
"Yeah, truly! If you think I'm lying, come 'round tomorrow and see for yourself. I'll show you the chestnuts."
"Huh, that's weird."
They continued walking in silence.
Suddenly, Kasuke turned around behind him. Gon froze to the spot, trying to make himself as small as possible. Not noticing anything, Kasuke hurried on ahead. After reaching the house of Kichibei, another farmer, the two headed inside. Pon-pon-pon-pon came the sound of a wooden gong. A light shone through the paper sliding window, the outline of a priest's shaven head moving across it.
They must be praying, thought Gon, as he crouched down beside a well. Not long after, another group of three arrived and went inside. Afterwards there came the sound of someone reading a Buddhist sutra.
Chapter 5
Gon stayed crouched down by the well until they'd finished praying. Hyoju and Kasuke headed off home again. Gon followed close behind in Hyoju's shadow so he could listen to their conversation.
When they came to the castle, Kasuke said,
"What you were talking about before, I think it must be God."
"Huh?" muttered Hyoju in surprise, looking over at Kasuke.
"I was thinking about it the whole time, and well, I don't think it's a person... it's God. God's taken pity on you because you are all alone, so he brings you these things."
"I don't know about that."
"I'm sure it is. You should say a prayer to God every day, to thank Him."
"Right."
Huh, that's not fair, thought Gon. I'm the one taking him chestnuts and mushrooms everyday, but instead of thanking me he goes and thanks God. What's the point!?