2008-03-19 - 3:03 p.m.
The Foxes of Yagita (AKA Probably the Cutest Folk Tale that I've Come Across Yet)
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Yagita is a small village outside of Hachinohe. This story takes place about two hundred years ago, when the woods surrounding Yagita were infested with foxes who loved to play tricks on the villagers. At that time in particular, there was one especially clever fox named Gongitsune who delighted in this sort of thing. Gongitsune's specialty was cheating people out of delicious things to eat.
One year, around the time that the villagers held a festival in honour of the fox god, the headman of Yagita village was expecting a visit from a relative from out of town. In preparation, the village headman sent his son, Jisuke, to Hachinohe to buy fish and other things for a feast to celebrate their guest's arrival.
Jisuke set out on horseback early in the morning. On the outskirts of Yagita village, Jisuke came across a girl, seventeen or eighteen years old, who seemed to be in a lot of pain.
"Little sister, what's wrong?" Jisuke asked with genuine concern.
"My stomach, the girl replied. "It hurts so much. I can't move."
Jisuke just happened to have some stomach medicine with him at the time. He gave the medicine to the girl and then continued on his way.
Jisuke bought everything he needed and with his horse, now laden with all kinds of wonderful things to eat, was on his back to Yagita. Around the area where he had met the sick girl that morning, he now saw about fourty young women standing.
"Thank you for helping my daughter, Gongitsune, this morning," the oldest-looking of them said. "She surely would have suffered all day long if it hadn't been for your help, and we're all very grateful. Don't be alarmed but, to tell you the truth, we're all actually foxes. Now, please, come with us to our home as our guest of honour."
The foxes home was every bit as grand as Jisuke's home in Yagita was, and Jisuke was impressed. The fox mother and her daughters lined up dish after dish and bowl after bowl of fish, sake, and other treats for Jisuke. Jisuke stayed with the foxes for two days and very much enjoyed himself with them.
But when he, finally, returned to his own home, Jisuke found himself in a lot of trouble.
"Where on earth have you been? We've been searching for you day and night! Everyone's been worried sick!" Jisuke's family scolded.
Jisuke told his family about his stay with the foxes.
"You idiot! How could you fall for such an obvious ruse? The foxes have surely stolen everything that we sent you to Hachinohe to get."
But, when they opened the packages that Jisuke had brought with him, they found that not one single item was missing.
And so, the story of the Gongitsune's stomachache and her grateful mother spread from town to town as an example of the one time that foxes had been telling the truth.
