The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab
Traditional | Japan
A monkey tricks a crab into trading food, eats it all, causing the crab's death, but the crab's son seeks revenge, leading to justice.
Once upon a time in Japan, a monkey and a crab found a rice-dumpling and a persimmon-seed respectively. The cunning monkey convinced the innocent crab to trade his yummy rice-dumpling for the monkey's hard persimmon-seed, promising it would grow into a fruit-filled tree.
After the trade, the monkey quickly ate the rice-dumpling, while the crab planted the seed. Over time, it grew into a tree bearing delicious persimmons. The crab, unable to climb the tree, asked the monkey for help.
The monkey agreed but when he climbed the tree, he selfishly ate all the ripe persimmons. He then threw the hard, unripe ones at the crab, causing injuries that ended the crab's life. Fearful of his wicked deeds, the monkey hid.
Meanwhile, the crab's son discovered his father's tragic end. Determined to avenge his father, he devised a plan with help from his father's friends: a bee, a chestnut, and a mortar.
The young crab invited the monkey to a feast, pretending not to know about his father's murder. After the feast, while the monkey was waiting for tea, the chestnut in the fireplace popped out, hitting the monkey. The bee then stung him. As the monkey tried to escape, the stone mortar fell from the gate onto him.
With the monkey wounded and helpless, the young crab approached. The monkey, stubborn and unapologetic, blamed the old crab. But the young crab avenged his father's death by ending the monkey's life with his sharp claws. In this way, justice was served for the cruel deeds committed by the monkey.
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