What would you do if a murderous demon kept you away from your lover?
Today on Folktales to Make the Apocalypse Enjoyable, I bring you a story that inspired
a Japanese festival called Tanabata (七夕), or Hoshi matsuri (星祭り), the Star Festival.
It’s celebrated every year on July 7, though different regions have it on different days.
It happens at that most wonderful time of the year,
when the Vega star meets the Altair star in the sky.
We all look forward to that.
China had a similar festival, and Japan downloaded it wayy back in the Nara Period.
It started out in Japan as a weaving festival for women in the Japanese court, then it became
a time for courtly men to show off their poetry skills.
In the Edo Period, it grew into a festival for the common folk.
Girls and boys would wish for things like better sewing skills or better handwriting.
Today, people have parades and celebrations.
One custom is to write your wishes on paper strips called tanzaku (短冊) and then hanging
them on bamboo branches.
You could even write your wishes as poems, if you were a pretentious butthead.
So this thing about the stars Vega and Altair crossing paths, like every phenomenomon--
phemomemon--
phenonon--
Like every cool natural event, there’s an old Chinese story behind it.
This one is called the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
However, that’s the Chinese story.
The Japanese had their own story about the meeting of the two stars:
The Tale of Amewakahiko.
There once was a wealthy family of 2 parents and 3 daughters.
One day, they were all busy being rich when a huge snake appeared.
It made an offer to the father.
“I have an offer for you,” it said.
“You will give me your daughters.
In return, I will give your family...
life.
That is, I will not kill you.
It is my offer.
Also, build me a house.”
The terrified father tried to speak, but couldn’t.
Then finally he said,
“Snakes can talk?”
“What?” said the snake, and he ate a servant.
The snake repeated his offer, and slithered off.
The poor father and mother asked their daughters if anyone was willing to go with the snake.
The two older daughters said,
“Hell to the no! We’ll risk death to the family.”
But the youngest daughter, the one the parents didn’t hate, said, “Yes.”
She would make the sacrifice for her family.
Now this daughter doesn’t have a name in the story, so we’ll give her one.
We’ll call her Gourd-chan, for reasons that will become clear.
And so the family built the new house, crying the entire time.
When it was done, still crying, the family of the year left the youngest daughter there
to spend the night with a snake monster.
That night, thunder shook the house and lightning lit up the sky.
The serpent had arrived.
She could not stop shaking.
The giant snake said,
“Don’t be afraid.
Here, cut off my head.”
“What?” she said.
“Yeah, cut it off.”
She didn’t have a sword, but she did have nail clippers.
She took them out and manicured his head right off.
Blood spewed everywhere, things were getting out of hand.
She didn’t think the night would go like this.
But then a weird thing happened, weirder than a big talking snake, weirder than decapitating
a snake with nail clippers.
From the snake’s body, walked out a handsome young man.
VEry handsome, she thought.
He peeled off the snake skin and put it in a Chinese chest, then they lay together,
because attractive people do that with each other, and lived together as husband and wife.
The thing about that chest...it was magical.
It was the opposite of your bank account, they could take out of it whatever they needed.
They became super rich.
Then one day, her snake husband revealed his secret.
He was actually a Dragon King of the ocean.
“I am actually a Dragon King of the ocean,” he said.
“Dear wife, I must go to the heavens for a while.
If I don’t come back after a few weeks, come and find me.
There is a lady in town who has a magical gourd.
Buy it from her and plant it.
Its vine will grow into the sky.
Climb up and you will reach the heavens.
Ask for directions to the home of Amewakahiko, for that is my name.”
“Also, don’t open the magical chest,” he said, oblivious to how stories work.
“Open it, and I will never be able to return.”
And with that, he left.
“Why don’t you just take the chest with you?”
I said he left!
Now while he was away, Gourd-chan’s two sisters visited.
They saw the house that was even more lavish than theirs, and got jealous.
They saw the beautiful Chinese chest and couldn’t resist.
The sisters forced her to give them the key, and opened it.
Inside it was…
nothing.
Some smoke escaped into the sky.
The sisters were disappointed and left a heartbroken Gourd-chan alone in her house.
She remembered what her husband told her before though.
After going to town and buying that gourd, she planted it.
It was true!
After one night, the gourd grew vines that snaked all the way into the sky.
Gourd-chan climbed.
Be-doop-be-doop-be-doop.
She wanted to find her husband, but was sad that she may never see her family again,
even those 2 bishes--
But man, heaven was bomb.com.
It had clouds, it had Chinese-style buildings.
And if you’re asking why this story has so many China references,
then you probably don’t exist.
But I’ll explain anyways.
This old story was probably told around the time when China was powerful and a source
of high culture for the Japanese.
Chinese styles and items were exotic and valuable.
So the Chinese chest and Chinese-style buildings are tied to heaven in the story because if
heaven had anything, it would be cool Chinese stuff.
Even the Dragon King of the ocean came from Chinese folklore.
Gourd-chan walked around the strange land of heaven and met a lot of people who turned
out to be actual stars.
She met Jennifer Lawrence, Ryan Reynolds, very nice people
Gourd-chan walked around the strange land of heaven and met a lot of people who turned
out to be the stars that she saw at night when she was still on Earth.
After a lot of asking, she finally found her husband, Amewakahiko, at his home.
He was delighted.
He couldn’t return and thought he had lost her.
It was a happy occasion that made you wanna throw up, but he told her there was a problem.
His father was an oni and hated humans.
An oni is like an ogre or a demon.
“I will have to hide you whenever he visits,” her husband said.
And so whenever oni-daddy came over, Amewakahiko would transform Gourd-chan into things like
a pillow or a fan.
However, oni-daddy became suspicious, like the time he was leaning on an armrest that
was actually Gourd-chan.
“It smells human in here.
Blech!” he said.
One day, oni-daddy snuck into their home and found her.
Her husband had to explain the whole thing.
The oni father-in-law got mad and gave her 4 trials,
heavily implying that he’d kill her if she couldn’t do them.
“I’ll kill you if you can’t do them,” he said.
First, she had to look after his 1000 cattle, send them out to graze in the day, then put
them back in the barn at night.
Gourd-chan didn’t know how to care for cattle!
Luckily her husband said he’d help, and her gave her the sleeves from his clothing.
“Thanks…” she said.
“No, just wave it and say ‘Amewakahiko’s sleeves!’”
Gourd-chan waved it and said, “Amewakahiko’s sleeves!”
The cattle suddenly came under her control and did whatever she wanted.
Oni-daddy was surprised and impressed.
Secondly, he told her to move a bunch of rice from one storehouse to another, and she better
not drop one grain of rice.
Gourd-chan waved the sleeves and said, “Amewakahiko’s sleeves!”
and ants appeared out of nowhere
to carry the grains of rice for her.
A brief crisis occurred when oni-daddy counted and said, “I’m missing one grain.”
Gourd-chan checked and sure enough, she saw a wil’ ant huffin and puffin, having trouble
with its grain of rice.
She picked it up and put it in the storehouse.
Next, oni-daddy locked her in a room with giant centipedes.
Gourd-chan waved the sleeves and said, “Amewakahiko’s sleeves!”
and the centipedes didn’t touch her.
Finally, oni-daddy locked her in a room with snakes.
Same deal.
The oni realized that it must be fate, and said,
“Fine, you can see my son once a month.”
“Once a year?” she asked, not hearing clearly.
“Okay, once a year then.”
From then on, the two lovers meet every year on the seventh day of the seventh month.
You can see them in the night sky as the stars
Vega (that’s Gourd-chan) and Altair (that’s Amewakahiko).
Here’s something interesting.
The god Amewakahiko, or Ame-no-wakahiko, actually appears in a Japanese myth that has similar
themes and events.
I did a video about it.
First person to find that video, tell me in the comments
and I will give you one of these charms.
If you want it.
There are two new patrons this week, Andy Chen and lavenderdazed.
Thanks a lot guys!
And if you’re under corona-exile, so am I. Hey, we’re in this together.
This disease affects everyone, it can put you in the ER even if you’re young and healthy.
Please take it seriously and stay safe everyone.
For more Japanese folktales, click here.
Alright, much love you guys, and spread the knowledge!