Reading Notes: Part B for Week 7: Japanese Mythology - The Quest of the Jewel
Out of the reading stories for this section, I was most fascinated by The Quest of the Jewel. This story illustrates the disgrace, anger, love, and sacrifice of characters in their quest for this sacred jewel.
The story begins with Takechi, the Prime Minister, retiring from court due to the severe punishment from the Empress. Set on self-destruction, he ventures to the summit of a cliff. He thought to be alone, but he was followed by a fisher-maid by the name of Tamatori.
Tamatori had long had an affinity towards Takechi, loving him in secret. She approaches Takechi, begging him not to follow through on his resolve but to no avail. Only by the discovery of the Jewel of Heart's Desire looming in the depths of the jade-green ocean atop a coral pagoda did Takechi take pause, for the lost of this Jewel had brought him great sorrow.
So, Tamatori set out to swim toward the palace of Benten, the daughter of the Dragon. She swam through the emerald water, passing schools of fish, until she reached the palace where the Jewel rested.
Tamatori seized the Jewel, causing the calm water to become ferocious and the sea-dragon to emerge from his lair. With every passing moment, sea-monsters came to aid upon hearing the sea-dragon's call. Sharks, swordfish, cuttlefish, and devilfish thrusted at her, all while the sea-dragon watched on with his ferocious smile.
Knowing that the hour of her doom had come and that a dragon would not touch a corpse, Tamatori thrust her sword into her bosom and slipped the precious Jewel inside her mortal wound. Bitterly, the sea-dragon retreated back to his lair, and the sea once again was calm and tranquil.
Takechi recovered the body of Tamatori along with the Jewel still encased in her bosom. In the coming days, Tamatori was celebrated and revered for her sacrifice to recover the coveted Jewel.
This story illustrates the anger that the Empress expresses towards Takechi for her loss of the Jewel of Heart's Desire. Takechi suffered from such sorrow and disgrace that he was apt to commit an act of self-destruction. Yet, the fisher-maid, Tamatori, loved him so dearly that she ventured out to retrieve the Jewel so that he might have redemption. Upon the realization of her doom, Tamatori sacrifices her life in order to recover the Jewel from the sea-dragon, and so she was honored and revered by all in the town.
Bibliography: The Quest of the Jewel from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
The story begins with Takechi, the Prime Minister, retiring from court due to the severe punishment from the Empress. Set on self-destruction, he ventures to the summit of a cliff. He thought to be alone, but he was followed by a fisher-maid by the name of Tamatori.
Tamatori had long had an affinity towards Takechi, loving him in secret. She approaches Takechi, begging him not to follow through on his resolve but to no avail. Only by the discovery of the Jewel of Heart's Desire looming in the depths of the jade-green ocean atop a coral pagoda did Takechi take pause, for the lost of this Jewel had brought him great sorrow.
So, Tamatori set out to swim toward the palace of Benten, the daughter of the Dragon. She swam through the emerald water, passing schools of fish, until she reached the palace where the Jewel rested.
Tamatori seized the Jewel, causing the calm water to become ferocious and the sea-dragon to emerge from his lair. With every passing moment, sea-monsters came to aid upon hearing the sea-dragon's call. Sharks, swordfish, cuttlefish, and devilfish thrusted at her, all while the sea-dragon watched on with his ferocious smile.
Knowing that the hour of her doom had come and that a dragon would not touch a corpse, Tamatori thrust her sword into her bosom and slipped the precious Jewel inside her mortal wound. Bitterly, the sea-dragon retreated back to his lair, and the sea once again was calm and tranquil.
Takechi recovered the body of Tamatori along with the Jewel still encased in her bosom. In the coming days, Tamatori was celebrated and revered for her sacrifice to recover the coveted Jewel.
This story illustrates the anger that the Empress expresses towards Takechi for her loss of the Jewel of Heart's Desire. Takechi suffered from such sorrow and disgrace that he was apt to commit an act of self-destruction. Yet, the fisher-maid, Tamatori, loved him so dearly that she ventured out to retrieve the Jewel so that he might have redemption. Upon the realization of her doom, Tamatori sacrifices her life in order to recover the Jewel from the sea-dragon, and so she was honored and revered by all in the town.
Tamatori Being Pursued By The Sea-Dragon - Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Bibliography: The Quest of the Jewel from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
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