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Japanese fairy tales    Oni     Tengu     Kitsune     Tanuki     Kami The Enchanted Cup Once long ago there was a long standing wealthy mansion within a village. Many generations passed, along with many changes but the most precious treasure of the house was always a cup. A very nice cup it was, of green porcelain with blue tint. Sometimes in the evening the owner took this cup out from a special drawer to admire it. The wealthy owner went to an inn with his friends to eat a great feast. The man had eaten to bursting, Then drinks were brought along with one beautiful cup. The wealthy man became curious and decided to get a better look at the cup. He took one look and his pleasure ended. He sat their in surprise for this was a cup of green porcelain with blue ting just like his was. His friends began to pass the cup around. “What a wonderful thing,” they said. “Never seen anything like it in my life,” another said. “I bet its more beautiful then any other cup,” another said. The wealthy man listened to his friends and grew angrier and angrier. Finally he called the owner told him that he wanted to buy the cup for any price. The tavern owner bent in a respectful bow and explained that he could not sell the cup for it had been handed down for generations and was the most valuable of things. The wealthy man became angry. “I do not care about your family history, I want to buy the cup!” he screamed. He put 30 gold coins in the innkeepers hand and grabbed the cup, raised it up over his head and threw it onto the floor shattering it into tiny pieces. The host cried and his friends jumped from their seats, but the wealthy man smiled and rubbed his hands together. “No one else will have the cup that is the treasure of my house,” he gloated. He returned home happily that night, and went immediately to his secret drawer to take a good look at his own cup. He opened the drawer and fell unconscious at the sight within. For his own cup lay shattered into small green porcelain shards which had 30 gold coins sitting among them, the ones he’d paid the owner of the inn.