Week 7 Story: The Fate of Tamatori
I lived in a time where divine beings and mystical creatures still roamed the earth. I've seen mortal men partake in quests against sacred creatures and end in either conquest or vanquish. Yet, upon the vanquish of my own ruling Empress with the lost of the Jewel of Heart's Desire, she took out her anguish upon my love.
I am but a simple fisher-maid. Yet, my heart yearns for that of the Prime Minister, Takeuchi. It pained me greatly to see him to such turmoil. I felt his sadness and disgrace from afar, as I dared not approach him. Yet, I desired to be wed to him, but I knew this could not be.
It just so happened that one night while I was dwelling there by the shore, I saw a figure off in the distance. I realized who this silhouette belonged to the moment I cast my eyes upon it, for I have watched Takeuchi from afar for what seemed like an eternity.
Quickly, I scurried towards the cliff upon which my love traversed, hiding in the shadows as I went. I watched as Takeuchi neared the summit of the cliff, pausing to take a deep breath and removing his swords. Fearing his imminent doom, I screamed as I ran towards him, begging him not take his life.
Still, my love resisted, ashamed of his disgrace and the lost of the precious Jewel from the Empress' possession. He yearned for the end of this seemingly unending torment. Yet, I pointed out toward the open sea, drawing attention to the coral pagoda lying under the deep emerald water, where the Jewel of Heart's Desire glittered atop its highest tower.
So, it was decided that I shall dive into the water to retrieve the precious, sparing my love of his endless torment from the Empress. I took on his swords and dove into the water, swimming past enormous schools of fish and towards the coral pagoda. Upon reaching the Jewel, I carefully plucked it from its perch atop its mighty tower.
Realizing the absence of the precious Jewel, the sea turned angry, and an evil sea-dragon emerged from the depths. Hearing its call, hordes of sea monsters arrived to do its bidding. Sharks swam towards me, jaws and teeth ready to chomp. Swordfish circled me, their distinct sword-like protrusion from their body ready to impale me. I was truly in terror as the sea-dragon watched on with pure delight, as he knew the time of my doom had arrived.
Yet, my loyalty towards my love was unparalleled. For I have traversed the sea to retrieve this Jewel so I could save him from torment. So, I shalt not have perished in vain. Knowing that a dragon will not touch a dead corpse, I heaved the sword of my love from my waist and sliced open my bosom. Slipping the jewel inside my mortal wound and securing it with my arms across my chest, I slowly passed out of consciousness. The last I remember is the sea calming as the sea-dragon retreated to his lair and the soft caress of the hand of my love across my dying face. I hope they remember me, for I am Tamatori.
Author's Note: For this week's story, I chose to write about The Quest of the Jewel from the perspective of Tamatori, the fisher-maid who dearly loved Takeuchi. The original story tells of Takeuchi, whom was punished by the Empress upon her loss of the Jewel of Heart's Desire. He was set on taking his own life when he is stopped by Tamatori, who spots the sacred Jewel in the depths of the sea. She chooses to retrieve the Jewel for Takeuchi, yet angers the sea-dragon in doing so. So, she sacrifices her life to obtain the Jewel, saving Takeuchi from torment and pleasing the Empress. Tamatori is then honored and celebrated. For my story, I captured her inner emotions and actions as if she were retelling her experiences from the grave. The reader is able to envision her great and undying love for Takeuchi. The scope of her sacrifice can also be truly noted in this rendition of the story, for now readers realize that Takeuchi had no prior contact with Tamatori. Tamatori possessed a love so great that she was willing to sacrifice her life for the exchange of the life of her love. This story better illustrates the last memories of Tamatori's life, leaving out the details about the celebration and honor that was performed in her memory as told in the original story. This omission brings to light the accurate representation of the last moment's of Tamatori's life, for she knew her end had come and was willing to sacrifice herself for the Jewel and Takeuchi.
Bibliography: The Quest of the Jewel from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
I am but a simple fisher-maid. Yet, my heart yearns for that of the Prime Minister, Takeuchi. It pained me greatly to see him to such turmoil. I felt his sadness and disgrace from afar, as I dared not approach him. Yet, I desired to be wed to him, but I knew this could not be.
It just so happened that one night while I was dwelling there by the shore, I saw a figure off in the distance. I realized who this silhouette belonged to the moment I cast my eyes upon it, for I have watched Takeuchi from afar for what seemed like an eternity.
Quickly, I scurried towards the cliff upon which my love traversed, hiding in the shadows as I went. I watched as Takeuchi neared the summit of the cliff, pausing to take a deep breath and removing his swords. Fearing his imminent doom, I screamed as I ran towards him, begging him not take his life.
Still, my love resisted, ashamed of his disgrace and the lost of the precious Jewel from the Empress' possession. He yearned for the end of this seemingly unending torment. Yet, I pointed out toward the open sea, drawing attention to the coral pagoda lying under the deep emerald water, where the Jewel of Heart's Desire glittered atop its highest tower.
So, it was decided that I shall dive into the water to retrieve the precious, sparing my love of his endless torment from the Empress. I took on his swords and dove into the water, swimming past enormous schools of fish and towards the coral pagoda. Upon reaching the Jewel, I carefully plucked it from its perch atop its mighty tower.
Realizing the absence of the precious Jewel, the sea turned angry, and an evil sea-dragon emerged from the depths. Hearing its call, hordes of sea monsters arrived to do its bidding. Sharks swam towards me, jaws and teeth ready to chomp. Swordfish circled me, their distinct sword-like protrusion from their body ready to impale me. I was truly in terror as the sea-dragon watched on with pure delight, as he knew the time of my doom had arrived.
Yet, my loyalty towards my love was unparalleled. For I have traversed the sea to retrieve this Jewel so I could save him from torment. So, I shalt not have perished in vain. Knowing that a dragon will not touch a dead corpse, I heaved the sword of my love from my waist and sliced open my bosom. Slipping the jewel inside my mortal wound and securing it with my arms across my chest, I slowly passed out of consciousness. The last I remember is the sea calming as the sea-dragon retreated to his lair and the soft caress of the hand of my love across my dying face. I hope they remember me, for I am Tamatori.
Tamatori Being Chased By The Sea-Dragon - Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Author's Note: For this week's story, I chose to write about The Quest of the Jewel from the perspective of Tamatori, the fisher-maid who dearly loved Takeuchi. The original story tells of Takeuchi, whom was punished by the Empress upon her loss of the Jewel of Heart's Desire. He was set on taking his own life when he is stopped by Tamatori, who spots the sacred Jewel in the depths of the sea. She chooses to retrieve the Jewel for Takeuchi, yet angers the sea-dragon in doing so. So, she sacrifices her life to obtain the Jewel, saving Takeuchi from torment and pleasing the Empress. Tamatori is then honored and celebrated. For my story, I captured her inner emotions and actions as if she were retelling her experiences from the grave. The reader is able to envision her great and undying love for Takeuchi. The scope of her sacrifice can also be truly noted in this rendition of the story, for now readers realize that Takeuchi had no prior contact with Tamatori. Tamatori possessed a love so great that she was willing to sacrifice her life for the exchange of the life of her love. This story better illustrates the last memories of Tamatori's life, leaving out the details about the celebration and honor that was performed in her memory as told in the original story. This omission brings to light the accurate representation of the last moment's of Tamatori's life, for she knew her end had come and was willing to sacrifice herself for the Jewel and Takeuchi.
Bibliography: The Quest of the Jewel from Romance of Old Japan, Part I: Mythology and Legend by E.W. Champney and F. Champney (1917)
Hi Jackie!
ReplyDeleteWow, this retelling is full of emotion. I am impressed at how much Tamatori was willing to sacrifice, but I cannot fathom anyone giving up their life for the love of someone they do not know (and also for a material object like a jewel). I hope Takeuchi remembers her forever, but he will never really know her because they had never met. That is probably the saddest aspect of this story for me. However, I think you did a great job capturing the tension of the moment and helping the reader understand the sadness of the situation.
Hey Jackie,
ReplyDeleteGreat retelling! I think that choosing to do a Japanese myth and one with a female protagonist was a good idea and I think that you retelling does the story justice. You can really get a sense of some of the greatest aspects of ancient Japanese culture, especially the importance of honor and self-sacrifice. I also like that, underneath all the fantastical aspects, this is essentially a love story! It makes me wonder if Takeuchi ever realizes Tamatori's love for him and/or ever reciprocates it or wishes that they had more time together. They certainly will remember her! The only criticism I have is that there are a couple of what might be grammatical errors or just awkward wordings that kind of shake up the flow of the story a bit. But, really, these are minor. Great work!
Hi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI really like your take on the story of the Japanese myth of Tamatori. I myself have not read it, but am now more interested in reading it and learning more about it. I love reading stories that have a character that is trying to either save another or has to deal with many challenges in their journey to complete a goal. I am looking forward to reading more of your stories and seeing how this story impacts the rest of your writing!