A Treasury of Japanese Folktales

MOTHER OKĀSAN had a bright idea. She thought it would be fun for her children to act out a Japanese fairy tale. So she called her three boys and three girls by name.

“Tarō, Jirō, Saburō, Hanako, Yoshiko, Kimiko. Come here, my dears. Let us put on ‘The Monkey and Crab Fight.’”

What excitement! Six pairs of eyes shone with delight. The monkey and the crab never get on together, you know, and this is how it happened.

Scene: A sandy beach. We hear the swish of waves and see some rocks to the extreme right. There is a bamboo fence with a wooden gate in the middle. Some stepping-stones lead through a small garden on the left to a farmer’s house. We see a room with tatami (which are straw mats) and a sunken hearth with a kettle on it. Outside the engawa (a veranda), a big water vessel is placed.

Scene 1. A fine bright day. When the curtain rises, Sir Kani, the crab, is discovered taking a walk by the rocks. He looks up at the blue sky and feels the good warm sun on his back. He is very content. As he walks he hums a tune and waves his nippers in the air.

Sir Kani (singing aloud):
Haru ga kita, haru ga kita,
Doko ni kita?
Yama ni kita, sato ni kita,
No ni mo kita.
(Spring is here, spring is here, where o where is it?

What luck! A fine, delicious-looking rice ball. My favorite, too. I will take it home and eat it with my little girl.

(At this moment a big hairy monkey enters. In his hand he carries a brown persimmon pit. He perches himself on one of the rocks and looks hard at Sir Kani and the delicious-looking rice ball.)

Sir Kani (looking up happily): Good morning, my good friend Saru-san. Look what I have here!

Saru (getting red with envy but trying hard not to show it): I see, my dear friend, but I have picked up something good too. Look, a big brown persimmon stone (pit). It shines in the sun. But I’m a good-natured fellow. I’ll give it to you if you’ll let me have the rice ball.

Sir Kani: Oh no, dear Saru-san. Pardon me, but my rice ball is bigger and tastier than your little stone.

Saru: A rice ball—what of it! If you eat it, nothing will be left. Take my persimmon stone, and you’ll soon have a splendid tree bearing good fruit.

Sir Kani (stroking his smooth red back with one of his legs): Let me think. Well, well, it is hard to part with this good-looking rice ball, but as you say, with patience the stone will grow into a tree.

Saru: Kani, good old boy! You have more sense than I thought. Hurry up—come here and let’s make the exchange.

Sir Kani (with misgivings): I’m not sure—but as you say—as you say. (Saru hops forward and they exchange their possessions.)

Saru: Now Kani! Look at me and you’ll see how fast a rice ball like this can disappear. Musha musha—munch munch. Dear, oh dear, some of the rice grains have stuck to my fingers. Bero bero—lick lick. And around my mouth too—bero lick, bero lick. I’m full (stroking his hairy tummy) and feel fine now. I think I’ll go for a pleasant walk up the hills. Good day, Kani, my friend. (exits)

Sir Kani (in a small sad voice): Oh dear, I am—a foolish creature, with this little persimmon stone. (Walks thoughtfully through the wooden gate to his garden. Little Kani skips out from the house and runs toward her father.)

Sir Kani: Come closer, little girl, for I’m going to plant this persimmon stone. (Scrapes the earth with his nippers and buries it.) Now watch while I water it. (While he waves his watering can he chants softly:)

Little Kani: We’ll water it and care for it every day—our dear little persimmon stone—until we have a stout green blade.

Sir Kani: We’ll change our song, when we have a green little blade. Listen to my next one: Grow up, grow up,

Little Kani (skipping around again): We’ll water it and care for it until we have a beautiful tree.

Scene 2. The same, except that in Sir Kani’s garden there is a full-grown persimmon tree bearing ripe fruit. Sir Kani with his watering can is seen standing at its foot.

Sir Kani: A long time and much patience it has taken us, but what a reward! If only I can reach the ripe ones without breaking my poor bones. (He reaches out his nippers and jumps many times trying to reach the lower fruit but he cannot get them. Enter Saru, jumping from rock to rock.)
Saru: Good day, Kani, my friend. My, my, all this from that little brown persimmon stone! You must be glad you took it from me that day. However, no ill feelings! I’ve been watching from afar and see that you have trouble reaching the fruit. Can I help you? I’m a nimble climber as you know.

Sir Kani: You do make me feel stupid, but please climb up then and throw me down the ripe ones. I will reward you with some for yourself. (At once Saru jumps up to the lowest branch and is soon high up among the branches. He picks a big ripe one and starts eating it.)

Saru: Watch me again, Kani, you fool! You watched me once before. Musha musha—yum yum. Sweet and cool and good. Wouldn’t you like to taste one yourself—but, no, a simple-ton like you only deserves the hard green ones. You make a good target there, I must say. (He picks the hard ones and throws them at poor honest Sir Kani, who is looking up at him. They hit him all over and with cries of pain he falls over and lies still with his head in his arms. Saru peers down, smacks his lips, fills his kimono with as much ripe fruit as possible, climbs down, and makes his exit hurriedly. Little Kani comes running in and stops in dismay when she sees her father lying on the ground.)

Little Kani (shaking him gently): Otōsan, father, father! What terrible thing has happened! (looking around at the green fruit rolling about, then up at the tree.) Oh, oh, what awful, unkind work this is! It must be that horrible Saru again! (sobbing loudly) Oh, oh, I cannot stand it! (At this moment a little brown chestnut with a cheerful, smiling face springs down near little Kani.)

Little Kani: That bad, bad Saru has hurt my father so dreadfully, and see how he has taken the good persimmons! (sobs again)

Kuri: Don’t cry so hopelessly little one. We will pay Saru back. I’ll get some of my good friends and see to that. Don’t cry any more.

(Little Kani kneels near her father, tenderly lifts his head on her lap, and strokes his hurt back. Kuri the chestnut springs out and brings in her friends—Hachi, the bee with the sharp spear, and Usu, the big rice mortar.)

Kuri (to her friends): See here, my friends—this is how it is, and I’ve promised little Kani we’ll help her.

Kuri: Yes, yes! The greedy old monkey will be coming back for more soon, so I, for one, will hide in the ashes of the sunken hearth. (Hides herself)

Usu: And I, for three, will hide on top of the roof. (Follows the others. Presently Saru is again seen hopping from rock to rock toward the persimmon tree. He looks around stealthily and only sees the little crab crouching sorrowfully over her wounded father. He yawns and stretches himself.)

Saru: A-a-a-a-a-! I’m thirsty after that good feast. Let’s see—before climbing for some more I’ll help myself to a good drink. (He hops into Kani’s home and stretches out his arm for the kettle on the sunken hearth. At this moment, Kuri, the cheerful chestnut, springs out at him and gives him a good whack on the nose with a hot cinder.)

(He rushes to the water urn and tries to stick his face inside, but Hachi the bee bursts forth with her sharp spear and gives him a good thrust above his eyes.)

(He rushes outside, but at that moment Usu, the big rice mortar, jumps from the roof on top of him and Saru is crushed beneath.)

Saru: Help! Help! (His face gets redder and redder. He waves his arms and legs and groans.) Help! Help! I’ve been squashed!
(Little Kani, Hachi and Kuri gather round him.)

Kuri: You have brought all this on yourself—you bad creature! Now little Kani, chop off his head with your sharp pair of nippers.

Saru: No! No! Oh, please have mercy on me! I’m wicked. I’ve cheated Kani-san, but please forgive me—forgive me!

Little Kani: So you’re sorry, are you? It’s hard for me to forgive you, but come, let’s see what father has to say. (Saru stands up painfully and is led to Sir Kani. He kneels down slowly and bows many times.)

Saru: Forgive me, Sir Kani. I’ve been a mean creature, but grant me pardon. I will try to mend my ways, for I realize that it does not pay to be bad.

Sir Kani (slowly): Yes Saru-san, the wicked will always be punished. You have admitted your faults. Try to overcome them. Get rid of your cunning ways, and let’s hope we’ll get along better.

Saru (dashing away the tears with a paw and stuttering with emotion): Th-thank you, Sir Kani: You are s-so k-kind. (breaks down and sobs.)

Sir Kani: Let bygones be bygones—but I thank you, dear Kuri, Hachi and Usu for bringing Saru to his senses.
(The rest join hands and chant.)

CURTAIN

“Well done, my children,” said Mother Okāsan. “Now you will remember why it is that though Sir Kani forgave Saru, all his descendants never really trust monkeys.”

Cast of Characters
SIR KANI, the father crab	Tarō
SARU, the hairy monkey	Jirō
LITTLE KANI, the child crab	Yoshiko
KURI, the cheerful chestnut	Kimiko
HACHI, the bee	Hanako
USU, the rice mortar	Saburō