English

The Story of Princess Hase: A Story of Old Japan Many, many years ago in Nara, the ancient Capital of Japan, there lived Prince Toyonari Fujiwara and his wife Princess Murasaki. The young couple, though very happy together, had one great sorrow—they had been unable to have a child. This made them very unhappy, for they both longed to see a child of their own who would grow up to gladden their old age, carry on the family name, and keep up the ancestral rites after they passed At last, one day, a daughter was born to Princess Murasaki.

Lord Bag of Rice Long ago in Japan there lived a brave warrior known to all as Tawara Toda, or “Lord Bag of Rice” (a lord due to his high ranking). His true name was Fujiwara Hidesato, and there is a very interesting story of how he came to change his name. Hidesato was a warrior and was always in search of adventures. One day he set out with his two swords and large bow which was much taller than himself and came upon the bridge of Seta-no-Karshi spanning one end of the beautiful Lake Biwa. As soon as he set foot on the bridge, he saw a huge serpent dragon lying across his path.