Japanese fairy tales
The Hunter and the Monkey
A man from a village in the province of Jrunoya Schinann went out
hunting one could winters day hoping to capture some game, he was
however, vain and irritable so he failed. On his way back he noticed a
big old monkey who was sitting in a tree near the road. While many
humans don’t like to shoot monkeys as they are nearly as
intelligent as humans and there are many stories about them and how
they protect humans from bears and wolves, with the humans throwing
them valuable things such as gold or coins to show their gratitude. The
hunter thought of all this as he approached the monkey but the thought
of his empty game bag was too powerful so he shot the monkey and took
it with him.
Night came and it was impossible for the hunter to reach his village in
the darkness so he was glad to find a solitary and empty home where he
could safely spend the nice. He took the monkey from his game bag and
was happy to have the plump animal but it was too dark and he too tired
to skin and clean it properly so he thought he’d be better taking
care of this in the morning. But as he lay he suddenly was concerned
that the monkey would be too frozen in the morning to clean if he let
him hang all night. So he took the monkey into the room and fixed it on
a hook near the fire pot so the small fire could keep the monkey warm
and thawed through the night.
After he had done this he fell asleep for a moment but woke again after
some time. That was when he saw something strange. The fires glow began
to grow dark and then bright again. Dusky figures flitted to and fro in
front of the flames. Anxious and curios he looked out carefully and saw
two baby monkeys which had been hidden under the arms of the old
monkey. They climbed down the monkey to the fire and back up to the old
monkey’s face, chest and the bullet wound which had killed it
which they heated with the hands they warmed by the fire.
When the hunter saw this he was seized with heartfelt compassion for he
now clearly saw the grave injustice he’d done to the monkey
who’s children had survived death. A penitent grief possessed him
as he thought of that scene he’d witnessed. So he decided
henceforth to live as a devout penitent. He shunned the world, left his
wife and child in the lurch and became a poor praying pilgrim, his head
shaven. He traveled the roads of the empire as a beggar to the places
consecrated to the sublime Buddha, asking for forgiveness and peace of
mind.
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