[Yamagata Prefecture] What is Monkey Jizo? Introducing the folk tale of how people got lucky by pretending to be Jizo statues.

``Monkey Jizo'', which was transmitted to Yamagata and broadcast in Manga Nihon Mukashi Banashi in January 1976, is a folk tale that is widely passed down in Yamaguchi, Saitama, and Niigata prefectures.

In this article, we will explain in detail the folk tale of "Monkey Jizo" in Yamagata.

What is the story of Monkey Jizo in Yamagata

The story of Monkey Jizo passed down in Yamagata is as follows.

An old man and an old woman who were having trouble with monkeys living in the mountains destroying their rice fields thought that if the old man dressed up as Jizo and stood in the field, the monkeys would stop their violence.

When the monkey sees an old man dressed as a Jizo, he carries him out to be enshrined in a temple on the mountain, but as he crosses the river, he calls out to him, ``You may get the monkey's butt wet, but don't get the Jizo's butt wet.'' Masu.

The old man couldn't help but feel strange when he heard the shouts, but as he persevered, he eventually arrived at a temple in the mountain, where the monkeys said that it would be a waste to leave him there, so they placed two Senryo boxes next to each other. I placed it on top.

After the monkeys worshiped the old man, they went away, and the old man happily returned home carrying two Senryo boxes lined up side by side.

When the old man and the old woman next door heard the story, the old man imitated him, and the old man dressed up as Jizo and stood in the field.

In the same way, the monkeys came and carried Old Man Nogusa away into the mountains, but when Old Man Nogusa heard the monkeys shouting at the river, he accidentally burst into laughter.

When the monkeys realized that Jizo was a human, they got angry and scratched the old man and threw him into the river.

It is an impressive story in which the monkeys have their faith in Jizo betrayed and take out their anger on the old man.

About the story of Monkey Jizo

The unit of folktale classification used as a standard when organizing folk tales is called a ``wagata'', and Monkey Jizo is classified as a ``neighbor's grandfather'' type.

The old man next door is a story about an old man living next door who gets lucky and tries to imitate him, but fails. Among the famous Japanese folk tales, the following story is included.

  • Old man buttori
  • Old Man Hanasaka
  • Old man the wild goose catcher

There are many folk tales of the old man next door that have been passed down in Japan, including Monkey Jizo, but only a few remain in the Korean Peninsula and China overseas.

why is it.

It is said that this is because Japanese people have a national trait of valuing neighborhood relationships and relationships with neighbors.

According to the results of a "public opinion survey on social awareness" conducted by the Cabinet Office in January 2020, 65.4% of people answered that they were "dating" when it came to socializing in the local area, and 65.4% of people answered that they were "dating" when it came to socializing in the local area. 35.9% of the people answered, "We participate in social gatherings and help each other when we are in trouble," which shows that even today, Japanese people value neighborhood relationships.

Also, the lessons we can learn from Monkey Jizo are that we should not imitate others and that we should not be envious of others. It can also be said that this is connected to the feeling of valuing relationships with one's neighbors.

Reference: Cabinet Office “Public opinion survey on social awareness”

summary

Monkey Jizo is a folk tale that has been passed down in Yamagata and is categorized as ``the old man next door'', but it is an impressive story that contains a warning not to envy or imitate those who have achieved good fortune. I understand.

Please enjoy the lively, somewhat human-like story of monkeys, an elderly couple, and the elderly couple next door who are envious of them.

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