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Theme:
Japanese Folktales |
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The
Story |
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Tasks |
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| Theme:
日本昔話 |
Japanese Folktales |
Level:
Middle Years |
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In
issue 38 we introduced the folktale ぶんぶくちゃがま.
In this issue we introduce a story known to all Japanese children,
さるかにがっせん, the tale
of the battle between the monkey and the crab. |
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About
さる
and かに
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さるusually
refers to ニホンザル (Japanese
monkey),which lives in the forests of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.
It is 50~70cm in length and has a tail of 5~9cm. ニホンザル
can be seen at hot springs in snowy mountain areas in winter.
ニホンザル
have been observed to imitate human behaviour,so they are considered
to be intelligent and cheeky. かに
are found in most
coastal reef areas in Japan. The biggest かに
in the world are found in Japan, in sizes up to 3 metres when the
claws are open. |
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かたきうち
Revenge |
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As
in other cultures, かたきうち is
a popular subject of theatre and folktales in Japan.Usually committed
to avenge the killing of an elder relation or a feudal superior,this
type of vendetta was regularly justified in earlier times by reference
to the Chinese Confucian classics,which contained such pronouncements
as:‘No one should live under the same heaven as his father's enemy.
かたきうち was
finally made illegal in 1873. In the original story of さるかにがっせん,
the crab dies,and the monkey is killed by the crab's children and
their friends in revenge. However many Japanese children's storybooks
have less violent versions such as the one below. |
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THE
STORY
Once
upon a time,a monkey and a crab went for a walk. Along
the way, the monkey found a persimmon seed and the crab
found a rice ball. The sly monkey persuaded the crab
to trade his rice ball for the persimmon seed, and quickly
ate the riceball. The disappointed crab couldn't eat
the persimmon seed, but she took it home and planted
it in her garden, where she tended it until it grew
into a large tree full of beautiful persimmons. When
the monkey saw this, he climbed the tree and began to
eat them. The crab asked him to pick some for her, but
he threw down only a hard green persimmon, which hit
the crab on the head and hurt her badly. The crab's
children were very distressed to see their mother hurt.Their
friends, a bee, a chestnut and a mortar came to see
their mother, they asked them to help take revenge on
the monkey. To do this, they invited the monkey to their
house, and when he sat down by the fireplace, the chestnut
burst out from the ashes and burnt him. As he reached
for the water jug, the bee flew out of it and stung
him. Then as he tried to run out of the house, the mortar
fell on him from above the door and squashed him. The
monkey saw there was no escape. He apologised to the
crab for hurting her, to the delight of the children
and their friends.
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1.
Understanding
the story |
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Think
of 3 words to describe Saru in the story. |
| (2) |
Who took revenge on Saru?Name them in Japanese. |
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What
other stories do you know that have something in common with
‘さるかにがっせん’ |
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Website
for かみしばいversion:
http://www.digital-lib.nttdocomo.co.jp/kikakuten/mukashi/mukashi1/sarukani.html
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2.
Singing a Japanese song |
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Japanese children often sing this song to the tune of
“Frere Jacques
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with actions from じゃんけん.
At the end of the song,they imitate a crab by making the チョキ
sign. |
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Once
the students become familiar with the song,they can create their own!
eg
みぎてが ぱーで ひだりてが ぱーで コアラ コアラ.
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