The Happy Hunter and The Skillful Fisher
Japanese Fairy Tale
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Retold by The Legendary Connection
TLC#00044
Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived two brothers. The younger brother, Hohodemi, loved to climb the mountains to hunt. Because of his incredible skill, everyone called him the "Happy Hunter of the Mountains." His older brother, Umi, was an amazing fisherman and spent his days by the sea, so he was known as the "Skillful Fisherman of the Sea." They each enjoyed their lives, one in the mountains and the other by the sea.
One day, Happy Hunter had an idea. “Brother,” he said, “we’ve been doing the same things for a long time. Why don’t we try switching places? You can go hunting in the mountains, and I’ll try fishing in the sea!”
Skillful Fisherman agreed, but neither of them realized how tricky it would be. Happy Hunter wasn’t good at fishing, and Skillful Fisherman wasn’t good at hunting. But off they went.
Happy Hunter took his brother’s fishing rod and sat by the seashore. He waited and waited for a fish, but no fish came. By the end of the day, he hadn’t caught a single fish! Worse yet, when he reeled in his line for the last time, he realized he had lost his brother’s special fishing hook. Oh no!
Skillful Fisherman, already upset from his unlucky hunting trip, was furious when he learned about the lost hook. “I won’t forgive you until you bring back my hook!” he shouted.
Happy Hunter searched everywhere but couldn’t find it. He even made hundreds of new hooks out of his sword to give to his brother, but Skillful Fisherman only wanted his special one. Sad and lost, Happy Hunter didn’t know what to do.
Just then, an old man appeared. “What troubles you?” asked the old man.
Happy Hunter explained everything. The old man thought for a moment, then said, “I believe the hook has fallen into the sea. You must go visit the Sea King, Ryn Jin, and ask for his help.”
“But how can I reach the Sea King’s palace at the bottom of the sea?” asked Happy Hunter.
The old man smiled and made a special basket for him to ride on. “This will take you safely to the Sea King,” he said.
Happy Hunter thanked the old man and climbed into the basket. The basket carried him over the waves and deep into the sea until he arrived at the beautiful palace of the Sea King. There, he was greeted by two lovely princesses, Princess Tayotama and Princess Tamayori.
When they heard about his lost hook, the princesses led him to their father, the Sea King. The Sea King listened carefully and promised to help. He called all the sea creatures together and asked if anyone had seen the hook. Finally, a red fish named Tai spoke up. “I’m so sorry! I accidentally swallowed the hook, and it’s stuck in my throat!”
The Sea King’s helper, a clever cuttlefish, carefully pulled the hook from Tai’s throat and gave it to Happy Hunter. The young man was overjoyed and thanked the Sea King and his daughters.
The Sea King was sad to see Happy Hunter go and gave him two magical jewels as a gift. One was the Jewel of the Flood Tide, which could make the sea rise, and the other was the Jewel of the Ebb Tide, which could make the sea shrink away. Happy Hunter thanked the Sea King, and a giant sea creature carried him back to land.
Back home, Happy Hunter returned the hook to his brother and asked for his forgiveness. But Skillful Fisherman had grown jealous and secretly wanted to harm his brother. One day, he followed Happy Hunter into the fields, planning to attack him. Sensing danger, Happy Hunter took out the Jewel of the Flood Tide. Waves began to rush in, threatening to drown his brother.
Skillful Fisherman panicked. “Help me, brother!” he cried.
Happy Hunter, always kind, used the Jewel of the Ebb Tide to make the sea retreat. The water disappeared, and Skillful Fisherman was saved. Realizing how foolish he had been, Skillful Fisherman begged his brother for forgiveness. Happy Hunter agreed, but only if his brother promised to be kind from then on.
From that day forward, the two brothers lived in peace. Happy Hunter ruled the land wisely, and Skillful Fisherman never tried to harm him again. And through it all, Happy Hunter treasured the magical jewels given to him by the Sea King, remembering the kindness and adventures he had deep beneath the waves.
And so, they lived happily ever after. The end.
Source: Ozaki, Yei Theodora. “Japanese Fairy Tales.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/4018/4018-h/4018-H.htm, 4 Nov. 2021, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4018/pg4018-images.html#chap13. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.
