Enlight Whose treasure is better A certain prince had many strange treasures. What he didn’t have: the horns of a bearded lion, a fish navel, a tengu fan, and even the loincloth of the thunder god Kaminarisam! The prince was very pro... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Tsukina Waguma (Moon Bear) In a forest filled with the scent of pine, there lived a young woman. Her husband fought for many years, and when his term of service was finally over, he returned home in a terrible mood. He refused ... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Samurai and robber One day, Master Kamizumi, traveling around the country, saw an alarmed crowd around a locked hut in a mountain village. The peasants explained that the robber had barricaded himself in the house, taki... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Hand of fate The great Japanese warrior Nobunaga once decided to attack an enemy who outnumbered his soldiers tenfold. He knew that he would win, but his soldiers were not sure. On the way, he stopped at a Shinto ... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Victorious without laying hands The famous sword master Tsunahari Bokuden traveled on a large boat on Lake Biwa. One of his fellow travelers, a cocky young samurai, challenged him to a duel. “What kind of school do you have,” the yo... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Vow of silence One day, four monks locked themselves in a cell in a mountain temple, vowing to remain silent for seven days. Only a servant boy had access to them and brought everything he needed. As night fell, the... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Carelessness One man wanted to play the flute, but he did not have a flute. He went to the shop to buy himself a flute. In the shop, he spent a long time choosing and examining one flute after another, blowing int... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Start of a career One of the most famous swordsmen of his time, Bungoro Hikida (1437-1487), early in his career went to Karatsu Palace to serve there. He arrived there terribly tired and hungry. Immediately upon arrivi... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Instructions for samurai before battle I have no parents - Heaven and Earth became my parents. I have no hearth - the Single Focus (Saika Tanzen) will become my hearth. I have no divine power - honesty will become my power. I have no means... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Wise decision A long time ago there lived a matchmaker in the capital. He spent all day looking for brides and grooms. Once he betrothed a fifteen-year-old girl to a thirty-five-year-old man, hiding his age. But th... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight Master of the tea ceremony and ronin (masterless samurai) At the end of the seventeenth century, Lord Yamanouchi of Tosa Province decided to take his tea master on an official trip to Edo, the capital of the ruling Tokugawa shogun dynasty. The tea master was... Japanese Parables Parables
Enlight When should you use the sword? A real swordsman should not think about how to demonstrate his art of killing; he must be a perfect person, not only in his profession, but everywhere. The sword is a symbol of spirituality, not a mur... Japanese Parables Parables