Issun-boshi, the One-Inch Boy
Long ago, in Japan, an old man and an old woman lived in a small village. They had no children, and they were sad. Every day they prayed to the gods. "Please give us a child," they said. "Even a very small one." One day, the old woman had a baby boy. But he was only one sun tall, about three centimeters. They called him Issun-boshi, the One-Inch Boy. He did not grow, but he was kind and clever, and his parents loved him very much.
When he was fifteen, Issun-boshi said, "I want to go to the capital and do something great." His mother gave him a needle for a sword. His father gave him a small bowl for a boat and a chopstick to paddle with. The boy said goodbye and went down the river. The trip was long and hard. The water was fast, and the wind was strong. At last he arrived in the capital. The city was big, and the people were tall, but he was not afraid.
Issun-boshi went to the house of a rich lord. He stood at the door and shouted, "Please let me work here!" The lord laughed, but he liked the brave boy and let him stay. The lord's daughter was young and kind. She often put Issun-boshi on her hand and talked with him. Soon they were good friends. One day, the girl went to a temple to pray, and Issun-boshi walked with her. Suddenly a huge oni came out of the trees. An oni is a big, angry monster with horns. "I want the girl!" it shouted. Issun-boshi jumped in front of her. "Go away!" he said. The oni laughed, picked him up, and swallowed him.
Inside the oni, Issun-boshi took out his needle and pricked the oni's belly again and again. "Ow! Stop!" cried the oni. It coughed and spat the boy out. Then Issun-boshi ran at the oni's eye with his needle. The oni was so afraid that it ran away to the mountains. It left a magic mallet on the ground. The girl picked it up. "This is a lucky mallet," she said. "It gives you a wish." She waved it and said, "Please make Issun-boshi tall!" With each wave, he grew and grew until he was a fine young man. The lord was happy and let them marry. They lived happily for many years.
Vocabulary
- prayed
- to speak to a god and ask for help or thank him — My grandmother prayed for her family every night.
- sun
- an old Japanese measure of length, about three centimeters — In the old story, the small door was only one sun wide.
- capital
- the most important city in a country, where the government is — Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
- needle
- a very thin, sharp metal tool used for sewing — She used a needle and thread to fix my shirt.
- chopstick
- one of two thin sticks used for eating in some countries — He dropped a chopstick on the floor.
- paddle
- to move a small boat through water with a short pole — We paddle across the lake on summer mornings.
- lord
- a rich and important man who has a lot of land and power — The lord lived in a big house on the hill.
- temple
- a building where people go to pray — We visited an old temple on our trip to Kyoto.
- oni
- a big, angry monster in Japanese stories — The children wore oni masks at the spring festival.
- monster
- a large, frightening animal or creature from stories — The little girl was afraid of the monster in the book.
- horns
- the hard, pointed parts that grow on the head of some animals — The cow had two long horns.
- swallowed
- to move food or a drink down your throat into your stomach — He swallowed the medicine and drank some water.
- pricked
- to make a very small hole in something with a sharp point — She pricked her finger on a sharp thorn.
- belly
- the soft front part of the body, below the chest — The cat lay on its back and showed its belly.
- spat
- to push something out of your mouth — The baby spat out the bad-tasting food.
- mallet
- a tool like a hammer, often with a large head — He hit the stick into the ground with a wooden mallet.