October 2010 – The Dragon Lords Blog

Dr Do DIDDILY AND THE DEE DOT’S

JAPAN

A long string of over 3,000 islands make up the country of Japan. The Islands lie off the eastern coast of Asia, between the Sea of Japanese and the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. The four largest islands are called Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido.

THE ENCHANTED KETTLE

Japanese people think that there is supernatural about foxes, cats, and badgers. But whilst foxes and cats are often evil spirits in disguise, badgers are only possessed by Puck-like spirits who love practical jokes.

Often a traveller has been startled at hearing a noise of drums in the wood, and had come upon a badger, standing on his hind legs and playing a tattoo on his chest. The poor man would run away, and hears the bear laughing.

Once upon a time there was a priest who had an old kettle which had made him many fragrant cups of tea. A day came however, when the head, legs and tail of a badger sprang from its sides and it leaped off the fire. Round and round it ran, and then began to fly about the room. At last it settled on the floor, and the badger parts disappeared. The priest shaking with fright, shut it up in a box.

Next day a poor tinker came to the village where the priest lived.

“Now I can get rid of my useless, horrifying kettle,” thought the priest.

The tinker was very glad to buy it cheaply, and the priest chuckled at the trick he had played on the man.

That night the tinker was awakened from sleep by a noise in the sack where he carried his poor belongings. No sooner was it opened than out rushed the badger-kettle, and immediately started to gambol joyfully all round him.

The tinker was not frightened, but laughed at the badger’s antics Then he thought, “If I laugh, why shouldn’t others ?” So he set himself to teach the queer creature some tricks.

Soon he became famous as the travelling showman who had a kettle with badger’s head and limbs, which walked the tight rope and danced Japanese measures with a fan in one paw. Noblemen and princes bade him perform at their palaces, and soon the tinker had made a modest fortune. Then he said to himself “I must not be so greedy. The priest who sold me the kettle so cheaply did not know what a wonderful thing it was. I must give it back to him.”

This made the tinker very sad, because he had become fast friends with the badger, it was his pet. But being an honest tinker he returned to the priest. Of course the priest had heard all about it’s adventures long ago, and learned that he really had no need to fear the badger kettle. So he was happy to have it back again.

The tinker and the badger-kettle parted company, and with a sad heart the tinker walked away from the priest and his kettle.

But there is a strange twist to this tale, children. For from the day the tinker returned the kettle to the priest it never once became a badger -kettle again. It made lovely fragrant tea but never, ever a badger.