Japanese Folk Tale

Humorous Stories: Tales of Foolish Villages 253
267. The Mirror at Matsuyama
This tale has been handed down as a humorous one from the start.
It has been restored. The interest is in how people did not know what
a mirror was.
Iwate, Hienuki-gun: MK I 11 31, "The mirror and the father" (Kagami
to oyaji). No part about a nun arbitrating. It has been clearly
constructed by a priest, but the principal characters are a man
and his dutiful son. There is a part in which they went to town
and said foolish things. Perhaps it is an earlier version of the
story of the mirror.
Fukushima, Iwaki-gun: Iwaki 76, 161, "The priest judge" (B6zu saiban).
Niigata, Minamikanbara-gun: Kamuhara 166, "The nun mediator" (Ama
san chlisai). A son who loved his dead father bought a mirror
because he thought it was an image of his father. This caused a
quarrel with his wife. A nun mediated.
Is there another story added to the Matsuyama mirror story?
Gifu, Yoshiki-gun: Hidabito V 6 7, "The nun judge" (Ama saiban). The
story of a filial son goes as far as where the feudal lord gave the
man a mirror as a reward.
Tokushima: Awa Iyayama 110, "The mirror at Matsuyama" (Matsuyama
kagami).
Nagasaki: Shimabara 139, "The mirror and the quarrel between the
husband and wife" (Kagami to fufu genka). It is in the Gokasho
story.
Further reference:
Kyodo kenkyu II 474; III 282.
Rekishi to kokubungaku No. 27. "Kagami wari okina ekotoba."
Zoku Kyuo dowa, ge (Izumi 84). A man from a land that did not
know mirrors.
Nakata Senpo, Nihon dowa no shin kenkyu 350. The tale is in India,
China, and Korea. It has been carried to many countries.
Chosen mintan shu 364. An added tale.
Hokumu sagen. (In Taikei koki 262).
Mukashibanashi kenkyii I 9 17. China.