Why the Monkey's Buttocks are Red
Long, long ago, on a New Year's Eve, a shabbily dressed traveler came to a village The traveler went to the richest man in the village and asked if he could spend the night in his house. The rich man looked at the traveler and yelled, "This is New Year's Eve and we are preparing a big feast for tomorrow. A dirty hobo like you will spoil the feast. Go away."
The traveler went to the house next door, which looked rundown. He knocked on the door and repeated his request for a place to stay . The old couple who lived in this house was so poor they were having just a cup of hot water for dinner. Even though they had nothing to offer the traveler, they gladly opened the door and invited him in. The traveler sat in front of the fireplace, called a jiiru, and looked at the pot that hung there.
"Put more water in the pot and let it boil," he instructed.
The old couple thought it was a strange thing to do, but did as he said. The traveler began to chant a spell and suddenly the pot was filled with food. The old couple were astounded at what had happened in front of their very eyes.
"Well, let's eat. This looks delicious," the traveler said.
The old couple began to eat and thanked the traveler many times. The traveler didn't eat a thing and just kept smiling as he watched the old couple eat. Soon the old couple had filled their bellies and sat back to rest.
"Tell me what you would wish for. I could make it come true," the traveler said.
The old couple sat thinking for a long while and finally agreed on a single wish.
"We want to be young again," they said at the same time.
"All right then, put more water in the pot and heat it up so it's not too hot."
The old couple did as they were told and when the water was warm, the traveler chanted a spell, then took the pot and showered the water over the old couples' heads. As the water trickled down their bodies, they began to grow younger and younger until they became a young man and young woman. Morning came and it was New Year's Day. The traveler left the house and the now young couple went out to give New Year's greetings to their neighbors. They first visited the rich man and as they were greeted on his front steps, the rich man didn't know who the young couple was. Soon he realized they were the old couple from next door and he asked what had happened to them. They couple told him about the mysterious traveler and the miracles he gave them.
The rich man waited until the young couple left, then went off to find the traveler. He soon found him on the street and invited the traveler to his house. The rich man brought the traveler a big New Year's feast.
"Please, help yourself to all this food. I apologize for being so rude last night. My neighbors told me about you and now I understand you area man of great power. If you would kindly do the same for me as you did for them, I would be ever do happy. And I would reward you with a great treasure."
The traveler smiled warmly and instructed the rich man to heat up a pot of water so that it was not too hot. The rich man did. But this time, as the water started to bubble and before the traveler began to chant his spell, the rich man and his whole family grabbed the pot of water and poured it over themselves. Soon they changed, but not the way they wanted to. The rich man turned into a monkey, his wife a dog, his son became a goat, and his daughter became a crow.
"Maaa-maaa!" Said the goat.
"Bow wow!" Howled the dog.
"Eek, eek!" Squealed the monkey.
"Caw, caw!" The crow flapped its wings and all the animals went out of the house and quickly disappeared into the mountains.
Now there stood a rich man's house, empty. The traveler suggested the young couple should move in and they did. The rich man, now a monkey, came back to the house one day and sat on a black stone in the front yard of his former house.
"Get out of my house, this is my house!" The monkey shouted. "You have no right to live here, get out, get out!"
The young couple ignored the monkey because they knew it could do no harm to them other than shouting louder. From that day on, the monkey came to the house every day, sat on the same black stone and harassed the couple with his shouts until he couldn't shout any more. And every day his shouts became filled with more and more obscene language until the young couple got so worried they called on the traveler to help them.
"Boil the black stone until it is hot," the traveler told them, "then put it back in the yard just before the monkey comes."
The couple took the stone and boiled it until it was too hot to touch and carefully put it back in the yard in the morning. The monkey arrived and looking at the couple inside of the house with its mean little eyes, sat on the black stone. He instantly flew up into the air, screaming in pain.
"Ouch! Ouch!" The monkey screamed. "Help me! My buttocks are burning!"
The monkey ran back to the mountains and never returned. Now you know why a monkey's buttocks are red.
This story made me smile! It's interesting to me that the western mind would give a scientific explanation of such an inquiry but the eastern mind creates these intricate stories that are entertaining and have a moral outcome. It is indeed easier for a poor man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than a monkey with red buttocks! :)
*published by Bank of the Ryukyus International Foundation in 1996; English translation by Terunobu Tamamori and Jayne A. Hitchcock.
