Schippeitaro
Encyclopedia
Shippeitaro is a Japanese fairy tale
. Andrew Lang
included it in The Violet Fairy Book, listing his source as Japanische Marchen.
, he slept in a chapel; he was woken at midnight by ferocious yowls from cats, who were dancing and yelling, and some were saying, "Do not tell Shippeitaro!" He went on and found a village where he heard a woman lamenting and calling for help. He was told that every year they had to sacrifice a maiden
to the spirit of the mountain, and this year, this was the woman. She was put in a cask, and the cask would put in the chapel where he had slept. He asked after Shippeitaro and heard it was the dog of the prince's overseer, living nearby. The warrior went to this man and persuaded him to lend him the dog. He brought it to the cask, freed the woman, and put the dog in her place. The cask was brought to the chapel, and the cats came. A huge black cat opened the cask, and Shippeitaro killed it, and then, with the warrior, several others before they fled. He brought Shippeitaro back to his owner in the morning, and every year a feast was held in honor of the warrior and Shippeitaro.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included it in The Violet Fairy Book, listing his source as Japanische Marchen.
Synopsis
A young warrior wandered the land in search of adventure. One day, in the forestEnchanted forest
In literature, an enchanted forest is a forest under, or containing, enchantments. Such forests are described in the oldest folklore from regions where forests are common, and occur throughout the centuries to modern works of fantasy...
, he slept in a chapel; he was woken at midnight by ferocious yowls from cats, who were dancing and yelling, and some were saying, "Do not tell Shippeitaro!" He went on and found a village where he heard a woman lamenting and calling for help. He was told that every year they had to sacrifice a maiden
Princess and dragon
Princess and dragon is a generic premise common to many legends and fairy tales. It is not a fairy tale itself, but along with Prince Charming, is a repeated cliché...
to the spirit of the mountain, and this year, this was the woman. She was put in a cask, and the cask would put in the chapel where he had slept. He asked after Shippeitaro and heard it was the dog of the prince's overseer, living nearby. The warrior went to this man and persuaded him to lend him the dog. He brought it to the cask, freed the woman, and put the dog in her place. The cask was brought to the chapel, and the cats came. A huge black cat opened the cask, and Shippeitaro killed it, and then, with the warrior, several others before they fled. He brought Shippeitaro back to his owner in the morning, and every year a feast was held in honor of the warrior and Shippeitaro.