Immerse yourself in the whimsical world of Japanese folklore with the tale of Tengu’s Feather Fan—a story where magical wagers and mischief transform lives in the most unexpected ways. Discover how a simple bet leads to a cascade of supernatural events.
Tengu’s Feather Fan
Once upon a time, in a quaint village, there lived a resourceful man named Taro, known for his love of gambling and quirky ideas. An avid gambler with a passion for dice, he was always ready to try something new and exciting.
One day, Taro set off for Tengu Mountain, a place rumored to be home to mystical tengu. Carrying a large die, he rolled it on the mountain peak while playfully shouting, “Five! Four! Two!”
Hearing his exclamations, a Tengu descended from the sky and said, “Hey, Taro, lend me your die!”
With a sly grin, Taro refused, declaring, “I wouldn’t give up such an interesting object so easily.”
Offended, the Tengu retorted, “I am a Tengu, and I possess something far more marvelous than your die.”
Taro laughed and proposed a wager: “Then let’s bet—a game of dice. If you win, the die is yours.”
The foolish Tengu agreed, and soon they were engrossed in a dice game. However, Taro’s skill proved unbeatable.
Defeated and obsessed with Taro’s die, the Tengu proposed a trade. “Taro, how about exchanging your die for my magical feather fan? This fan can make your nose grow or shrink at will.”
Surprised by the claim, Taro initially denied it—until the Tengu demonstrated by fanning his own nose, which began to stretch higher with each gust. “Let your nose grow high, let it grow high!” the Tengu chanted.
Before long, Taro’s nose stretched so far that it seemed it might reach the other side of the mountain. Alarmed, he cried, “Stop it! Make it return to normal!”
At last, Taro agreed to the exchange. He took the magical fan and hurried away, while the Tengu joyfully claimed Taro’s die and soared into the western sky.
The next day, a man arrived before the house of a wealthy merchant, for he had long adored the merchant’s daughter.
Taking out the magical fan, Taro declared, “Grow, dear merchant’s daughter’s nose, grow!” Immediately, her nose began to elongate uncontrollably.
Panicked, the daughter cried, “Help! Someone, please!”
Quickly, Taro reversed the fan, causing her nose to shrink until it disappeared completely. Yet when he flipped the fan again, her nose began growing once more—leaving her in tears.
Doctors flocked to the merchant’s house, unable to remedy the bizarre affliction. Desperate, the merchant announced, “Whoever cures my daughter’s nose shall be my son-in-law!”
Seizing the opportunity, Taro entered and proclaimed, “I will cure her nose!” Holding the magical fan, he fanned her once more, chanting, “Shrink, shrink, shrink…” until her nose returned to normal.
Overjoyed, the merchant’s daughter exclaimed, “I feel like my beauty has been restored!” and Taro soon became her husband.
At the celebratory wedding feast, a tipsy Taro lay down and asked his wife to fan him. Unbeknownst to him, she picked up the Tengu’s magical fan. In an instant, Taro’s nose began to grow rapidly—bursting through the ceiling, tearing off the roof, and stretching upward into the night sky.
Meanwhile, noblemen building a bridge across the Milky Way mistook his ever-growing nose for a stake and struck it, exclaiming in shock.
Startled, Taro panicked, unaware of what was happening until his wife cried out, “Flip the fan over!”
Soon, his nose began to shrink, and as it was anchored against the bridge, his body started to float upward. With a final cry of “Help! Someone, please help!” Taro was swept away into the vast expanse of the Milky Way.
Conclusion
The whimsical tale of Tengu’s Feather Fan reminds us that even a small wager with magical stakes can lead to extraordinary adventures and unforeseen consequences. In the realm of Japanese folklore, fate’s twists and magical mishaps keep us both amused and amazed.
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