In a remote, wintry village of Musashi, two woodcutters lived—Matsuzō, an aged man whose weathered face bore the marks of countless harsh winters, and Haruo, a spirited young apprentice full of hope and passion for his daily labor.
One winter’s dusk, a violent blizzard struck the village, leaving both Matsuzō and Haruo unable to find their usual way home. With no alternative, they sought refuge in a small mountain hut they discovered, sheltering from the bitter cold. Inside, illuminated only by a faint moonlight streaming through the window, the two men huddled near a small fire as they spent a long, eerie night together.
As the wind battered the glass with relentless force, Haruo suddenly sensed something amiss beside him as he observed the slumbering Matsuzō. Amid the howling wind, Haruo caught a faint, inexplicable scent and fragments of an ancient tale, as if recited by a long-forgotten storyteller. Soon, upon awakening fully, he beheld a breathtakingly beautiful woman clad in white with long, flowing black hair. Her eyes were as cold as frozen ice yet shimmered with a trace of sorrow.
The woman approached the sleeping Matsuzō and, with a single breath of icy air, caused his body to freeze instantly—snuffing out his life. Paralyzed with fear and disbelief, Haruo could only watch in horror as she drew near him. After a long, silent gaze, she offered a faint smile and whispered,
“You, too, harbored thoughts of taking life as he did. But you are still young and beautiful. Tonight, I will spare you—provided you make one solemn promise: never speak of this night to anyone. Should you break your vow, your life shall be forfeit.”
Her words vanished into the howling wind as the hut’s door burst open, and she disappeared into the swirling blizzard. Haruo, trembling with cold and dread, clutched her promise deep within his heart, remaining motionless until dawn.
Years passed, and Haruo matured into a skilled woodcutter. One day, by a twist of fate, he encountered a woman named “Oyuki” whose appearance—a flawless, snow-white complexion and slender beauty—deeply moved him. Gradually, an undeniable attraction blossomed between them; love flourished, leading to marriage and the birth of ten children.
Strangely, no matter how many years went by, Oyuki never aged. One quiet night, after tucking the children into bed, Haruo began to recall that fateful winter night. “Seeing you now brings back memories of when I was eighteen—when I first encountered a beautiful woman in the midst of a blizzard. Was it but a dream, or were you truly the Snow Woman?” he murmured.
At that moment, Oyuki’s eyes flashed with intense light. She abruptly rose, her voice trembling as she cried out,
“The Snow Woman you once saw was me. That night, I warned you never to speak of it. Should you ever betray that promise, I vowed to take your life. Yet, for the sake of our family and our children, I could not strike you down. But if you ever bring sorrow upon them, then I will show no mercy.”
With her final words echoing like a knife through the silence, her body dissolved into a mist of pure white, vanishing into the chimney’s smoke. Though no one has ever seen Oyuki since, her mysterious presence endures as a legend in the mountain village.
Moral:
The tale teaches that one must bear responsibility for one’s actions. In this story, the Snow Woman’s harsh command to keep silent underscores the dire consequences of breaking a promise. It also reminds us that past actions can shape the future—regardless of youth or beauty, integrity and responsibility are paramount.
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