Japanese Folk Tale

148 The Yanagita Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale
sang repeatedly, "If you try writing it in word." Perhaps this was a
way to teach one kind of word. However, learning through a nursery
song can be traced to plots in "The carpenter and Oniroku,"
"Hirabayashi," and other such tales. They are like the "Tom Tit
Tom" group.
Nagasaki, Minamitakaku-gun: Shimabara 244, "The nursery song in the
mountains" (Yama no naka no komori uta). The song is a poor
a ttempt by somebody, but the tale can be considered old. There is
a song about the stone pillow in the story of the lonely house in
Owari. The central interest in the song from Asakusa, also, may be
the song. Information is learned from a nursery song in the story
about a bargain with a demon and the tale of the wife from the
Sky World.
146. Zuitonb6
This is a story about a badger calling somebody by name.
Nagano: Chiisagata 269, "Zuitonb6" When the man looked through a
knothole, he saw a badger hit the door with its tail. He pulled the
tail till it broke off. He followed the badger far back into the
mountain and caught it.
Shimoina-gun: Mukashibanashi 30, "The priest named Zuitonb6 at
the mountain temple" (Yamadera no b6sama Zuiton no hanashi).
This is how the badger was outtalked and died. It does not say
how it said the words, but the rhythm of the words lends flavor to
the melody. It is a composition of a bosama.