Once upon a time lived an old man and an old woman.
One day,
when the old woman was walking through the woods, the way back from the laundry,
she found a white puppy under the pine tree.
The puppy was abandoned there.
""Nnn, nnn, nnn...""
The puppy fawned on and stared at her, as if he was saying
""please take me home.""
The old woman could not leave the puppy there alone, and she took him home.
The old man and the old woman named the puppy Shiro, for his body was very white.
Shiro was very loved.
He ate a lot and became big soon.
He had been very small that he could have been on the hand,
but now,
he was as big as a horse's younger brother.
One day, Shiro said to the old man.
""Please get your hoe and ride on my back.""
""No way, you will be flattened, "" said the old man.
""Don't worry. I am now strong. So, please get on me!""
Shiro insisted.
The old man was wondering and rode on him at last.
Shiro walked further and further having the old man on his back.
He is like a horse.
""Aha, that's awesome. I feel good,"" the old man thought.
Shiro went up the mountain behind their house.
As he arrived on the top of the mountain, Shiro ran around and around in the middle of the field.
""Woof, woof!""
""You mean... should I dig here?"" asked the old man.
He took his hoe and started digging.
Surprise! There found he a lot of gold coins!
""Thank you, Shiro. You are amazing!"" thanked the old man and the old woman.
They praised him a lot.
Now, they had no need to worry about their life.
However, the next door neighbor of the old man and the old woman heard this story.
""Well well. That dog is not just a dog. He must have some special talents.
We wish we could live like them.""
""Well, darling. We can borrow that dog for a while."""
The neighbors sneaked in their house and put a rope around Shiro's neck!
Shiro had resisted, but, he was taken to the neighbor's house after all.
""Dear, Shiro. Please make our life better too.""
The mean old man made Shiro lead him to a treasure.
However, wherever he dug, there was no treasure.
""Hey, Shiro. Be a good boy! If we couldn't find coins next time, I will hurt you.""
What a cruel he was.
Shiro unwillingly took him to one place.
""Finally we could get gold coins!"" said the mean old man.
He dug and dug and dug.... but he just found trash, a snake and poisoned insects.
""Enough! That's the last straw! Stupid dog!""
said the mean old man, and beat Shiro badly to death.
The kind old man and the kind old woman kept weeping.
Shiro, now, did not move.
They could not forgive the neighbors, but they swallowed their anger.
They decided to bury him peacefully.
They laid Shiro's body in the ground, put a stick for his gravestone.
There, they planted a young tree of a pine tree.
Next day, as the old man went to visit Shiro's tomb, the young pine tree had already become very big.
""Wow... how could it be?""
""Shiro must be reborn again. This is Shiro."" thought the old man,
and took a good care of the tree.
He dedicated offerings before and after his work every day.
One day, an unearthly shining bird flew and stopped on a branch of the pine tree.
""Cut the tree and make a mortar,"" said the bird.
""This pine tree is Shiro. We cannot cut off..."" hesitated the old man and the old woman.
But, the unearthly beautiful bird visited every day and said, "
"cut it off, and make a mortar.""
Finally, the old man and the old woman decided to cut, for they thought it was a message from the gods.
They thanked and cut.
They made a mortar out of the wood, and then pounded a rice cake.
Then, how could it be?
The rice cake started shining in gold.
As they tore the gold rice cake into pieces, each of them changed into a coin.
""Darling!""
""Gold coins! I knew it. Shiro has kept protecting us even after he died. ""
They thanked to Shiro a lot.
However, the next door neighbor of the old man and the old woman heard this story.
Again, they stole the mortar.
""Hahaha,
this time will definitely work and our life will be better,"" said the mean old man.
""Indeed. We can now say goodbye to our unstable life.""
They started pounding rice cakes in the mortar.
Soon, they smelled bad.
They tried to touch it.
Eww. They felt very uncomfortable.
The rice cake turned into cow and horse's feces.
""EEWWWWW! What on earth did happen? The rice cake became dung!! That's dirty.""
They were furious!
They put fire on the mortar.
The mortar burst into flames and burned to ash.
The old man and the old woman were upset and confused when the neighbors returned the ash.
That was too much. That was too cruel.
""They are not humans. They must be devils.""
The kind old man got angry with the neighbor, but the neighbor man disgraced Shiro.
""The dog was totally useless. He was a genuine stupid dog.""
Cruel.
The kind old man thought he must have killed by him.
Such mean man must not live in this world.
Suddenly, the wind blew the ash.
The ash was spread all around.
""Wow...look!""
The withered trees started blooming cherry blossoms all around.
It was still cold winter, but now all around were cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The kind old man was delighted.
""Ah, it is so bright. As if Shiro came back to us.""
He made his mind that he would make everyone happy as Shiro had done to him.
The kind old man went to the town and named himself ""Man who can make trees bloom"".
He spread ash to the withered trees and made them bloom.
It had been a bit embarrassing, but he gradually got used to it.
Now, he had unique posing, dress and a punch line.
This story came to the magistrate.
The magistrate wanted to see his performance.
One day, the old man went to his office and performed.
He was nervous.
Many people also came to see.
Moreover, there were many audiences from high-ranked class.
This was the moment that would decide his fate.
The old woman was nervous and looking at him at the corner.
""Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my flowering show.
Flutter sleeves brightly Blowing grey hair gracefully
Surcoat is auspicious
Let the withered tree bloom spectacularly. Let the withered tree bloom spectacularly.""
With the chants, he scattered the ash to the wind.
Immediately, all trees around were in full bloom! The magistrate was also delighted.
""Give him a reward!""
The kind old man received a lot of treasures.
But, was the neighbor naughty man running toward here.
""Wait! I can make more beautiful flowers than this man!""
""What? Is there another man? Can he make such magic too?""
All audiences were surprised.
The naughty man continued,
""I am not another one, I am the real one. Have a look!""
said the man, and scattered the ash all around.
However, that ash was normal ash.
Nothing happened, He just made it dirty.
Worse thing was that he spread the ash on the magistrate's face.
""Outrageous! Arrest this man!""
This was how the naughty man had been punished.
He had been in the jail until he died.