Japanese Folk Tale

78 The Yanagita Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale
70. Success through a Bee
There are many varieties of tales about being helped to success by
a bee.
One tells of becoming the son-in-law of a ch6ja by selecting the
girl that the bee signaled by a buzz.
Another is the son-in-law task type. From this type has developed
the story about the drum that sounds by itself and the story called
"Covering the drum with a sleeve."
Akita, Senhoku-gun: Ugo 142. No title. This becomes a humorous tale
ending in a word play. A lazy fellow wrapped a beehive in gold
paper to make it look like a gold ball and left it at a pawn shop.
The owner was suspicious and opened it. He was stung and scolded
his clerk, saying, "Even if we take pledges (shichi), we don't take
bees {hachi)." [Shichi also means "seven" and hachi means "eight,"
a double word play.J
Tokushima, Mirna-gun: Awa Iyayama 10, "The drifter" (Gokud6 mono no
hanashi). After a man saved a monkey and a bee, they helped him
cure the ch6ja's daughter, and he became the ch6ja's son-in-law.
Kagoshima: Koshiki 27, "Help from animals" (D6butsu no enjo). A beggar
rescued a mosquito, a tortoise, and a monkey. He performed
tasks set by a ch6ja with their help, then married the ch6ja's
daughter.
71. Dragonfly Ch6ja
Aomori: Tsugaru k 30. No title. A girl went out to cut grass and found
spring of wine. When her parents went, they found only water. It
is a fragment.
Iwate, Iwate-gun, Nagahara-mura: TD III 11 33, "Dragonfly Ch6ja"
(Tonbo Ch6ja). It is handed down as a legend.
Something that was shining at a ferry proved to be gold. There
is no part about learning something from a dragonfly.
Another story is about Mano Ch6ja. It is the same as the
legend in Nagahama at the main family of Iwai Hana. Refer to
Mukashibanashi kenkyu II 5 8, "About a soul turning into an
animal" {Reikon ga d6butsu to naru hanashD by Asada Isamu.
Akita, Kazuno-gun: Nihon shu, j6 93, "Dragonfly Ch6ja (Danburi
Ch6ja).
Ishikawa: Ishikawa 979. No title. A legend of Moromi Hill in Notobemura.
Okinawa: Iro 78, No. 99. No title. A fisherman washed his feet in
Sakugawa at Nakagusuku Anri. He received a bottle of wine from a
beautiful woman. His wife saw only regular water. Even now at
the Ina Festival water from this river is offered by a priestess.