Kachi-Kachi Mountain
Recently I said the big mouse's actions look like Tanuki. Tanuki means a raccoon dog. In my country, as the same as fox, they are known as animals who bewitch or trick people, from some folktales.
There is a story about a raccoon dog, 'Kachi-Kachi Mountain'. It's a revenge story against the greedy and troublesome tanuki. 'Kachi-Kachi' is a clicking sound.
Once upon a time, there was an old couple who lived at the foot of a mountain. The old man was a farmer making some vegetables.
One morning, the old man found that the raccoon dog was eating his vegetables and drove it away. But the raccoon dog came back every day and ate the vegetables from his patch. The old man got so angry. One day he set a trap and caught the raccoon dog. While the old man was absent, the raccoon dog cried and apologised to the old woman. The kind old woman set him free, but he killed her and cooked her in soup. The raccoon dog transformed into the old woman, and waited the old man's return. When he came back, the raccoon dog served him that soup as a dinner.
One day, the old couple's friend rabbit went to the mountain to get revenge on raccoon dog for them. When the raccoon dog passed, the rabbit asked 'could you help me to carry this hay, then I'll give you the rice ball.' The raccoon dog accepted it and carried the hay on his back and started to walk. While they were walking, the rabbit began to strike flints behind him. 'Hey, rabbit, what's that cackling sounds?' The rabbit relied 'It's the sound of the cackling birds from the cackling mountain.' The rabbit ignited the flame and lit the fire the hay. The flame burned through the wood and raccoon dog's back was burned. 'Ahhh, help me!'.
There is a story about a raccoon dog, 'Kachi-Kachi Mountain'. It's a revenge story against the greedy and troublesome tanuki. 'Kachi-Kachi' is a clicking sound.
Once upon a time, there was an old couple who lived at the foot of a mountain. The old man was a farmer making some vegetables.
One morning, the old man found that the raccoon dog was eating his vegetables and drove it away. But the raccoon dog came back every day and ate the vegetables from his patch. The old man got so angry. One day he set a trap and caught the raccoon dog. While the old man was absent, the raccoon dog cried and apologised to the old woman. The kind old woman set him free, but he killed her and cooked her in soup. The raccoon dog transformed into the old woman, and waited the old man's return. When he came back, the raccoon dog served him that soup as a dinner.
 |
| Source; Wikipedia |
After the raccoon dog's burns healed, the rabbit suggested the raccoon dog build a couple of boats and to go fishing. The rabbit built a wooden boat and a bigger mud-boat. The greedy raccoon dog chose the bigger one so that he can carry a lot of fishes. They set them in the water. The rabbit boat floated and raccoon's boat started to sink. 'Ah, help me!'. The rabbit said 'This is in revenge for the old couple.' The rabbit pushed the raccoon dog into the water using an oar. The raccoon dog was drowned and dead.
I had this book, when I was young. But the story I read was more soft, in which an old woman's leg was just bitten and raccoon dog didn't die, and went to apologised to the couple. Like that, there are some other versions, and I noticed this was originally awful story like Grimm's Fairy Tales. In all ages and in all countries, such stories with lessons and messages are existed. In modern times, it sounds a little bit too much, but it's interesting to know this kind of stories were a warning example to others.
