Now Viewing: inaba_no_shiro_usagiTag type: Copyright Inaba no Shiro Usagi or The White Rabbit of Inaba (因幡之白兎) is a prominent Japanese folk tale and children's story. It tells of a rabbit that used trickery to get what it wanted and the pain it suffered because of it. It is also a story of good deeds being rewarded. Being told in the Kojiki, it is one of the oldest tales from Japan. Many centuries ago in Inaba province (a part of modern day Tottori prefecture) the kind and noble demigod Oo-Namuchi was travailing with his older half brother, the unkind and uncaring Yasogami, to a local palace so Yasogami could ask the beautiful princess there (Yagami-hime) for her hand in marriage. The younger Oo-Namuchi was made to carry all of the luggage in a large sack on his back so he walked late behind Yasogami. Yasogami was walking on a sandy beach of Cape Keta when he came across a rabbit with no fur in great pain. He asked the rabbit what happened and she said: "A tsunami washed me out to sea and I came to rest on the Island of Oki. I wanted to go back to my home but I couldn't swim. I came across a shark (the ancient kanji of the Kojiki can also be translated as "crocodile") and I asked him ""Mr.Shark, which family do you think is bigger, your family or my family?" "Of course, ours are bigger." he answered. "So I'll count you. Please gather all of your family together and make them line up on the sea from this island to the opposite cape. I'll run on them and count the number. We'll make out which family is bigger?" A few days later all the sharks lined up in the sea and I, pretending to count the number, hopped on the back of the sharks. When I jumped down onto the cape, I said to them, "How foolish you are to be deceived by me! I only wanted to come here. Thank you very much." On knowing they were deceived, they caught me and pulled all the fur from me." Then Yasogami said "You know what you did was wrong." "Yes, I will never do anything like that again" she answered. Yasogami added "If you bathe in the sea and lie in the sun on that sand berm you will be healed." He walked on and the rabbit did as he said but it only caused her more pain. Later, Oo-Namuchi came across the rabbit and asked her "What happened to you?" The rabbit told him the story about the sharks and about Yasogami. To this he replied "You know what you did was wrong." She answered "Yes, I will never do anything like that again." Oo-Namuchi then said "What my half brother did was also wrong. You should bathe in the clean waters of that creek and cover yourself in the pollen of cattails, then rest in the shade of a tree and you will be healed." He walked on and the rabbit did as he said and was quickly cured. Being fast on her feet, the rabbit ran to the palace and told Yagami-hime what had happened and about the two princes that where soon to arrive. When they arrived the princess refused to marry Yasogami and instead said that she would wed Oo-Namuchi. In Disgaea fanart, the character Pleinair along with her friend Usagi-san is sometimes shown playing out this story. A Vocaloid AMV made by Intro-P features Kaito singing about this rabbit and playing out the story. Inaba White Rabbit is a card in Yu-Gi-Oh!. The anime Usagichan_de_Cue features many aspects of this story but is set in a modern high school. In an OVA of Urusei_Yatsura Inaba the Dreammaker is loosely based on this story. In the games Touhou Eiyashou ~ Imperishable_Night, Phantasmagoria_of_Flower_View, Shoot_the_Bullet as well as the manga Silent_Sinner_in_Blue, Cage_in_Lunatic_Runagate and Inaba_of_the_Moon_and_Inaba_of_the_Earth, The character Inaba_Tewi (an Earth-born trickster rabbit) is likely based on the rabbit from this story if not the same rabbit turned youkai due to long life. Other Wiki Information Last updated: 04/13/11 2:26 PM by jedi1357 This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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