week 7 Reading notes: Japanese Fairy Tales Part B

story source: The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H.J. ford 1901, The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H.J. ford 1903 Japanese Fairy Tales
Image: Stonecutter

Two Frogs Notes:

• one frog lived near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast
• the other frog lived near Kioto in a clear little stream
• they each wanted to see the world and visit the other place
• on a spring morning, they started the journey on the same road
• halfway between the two towns, there was a mountain 
• at the top of the mountain, the two frogs met each other 
• they each wished to be bigger so they can see the towns and see if it was worth the rest of the trip
• each frog thought that the other town looked like theirs
• the frogs parted their ways
• the two towns were alike as they were different

The Stonecutter Notes

A Stonecutter 

• a stonecutter went every day to the side of the mountain and cut out slabs for gravestones or for houses. 
• a spirit lived in the mountains
• he delivered a gravestone to a house of a rich man and saw the things in his house and started to think his life would be better if he was rich
• he heard a voice answer him saying your wish is heard; a rich man you shall be!
• no one was around him 
• when he got home his hut was now a palace filled with splendid furniture 
• he was excited about his new life and soon forgot his old life
• one day was really hot, he decided to stay home and he saw a prince travel by his new house
• he then wished to be a prince and wanted a carriage and an umbrella to make him happy
• the voice answered him again and he was a prince
• servants ahead and behind him of his carriage and umbrella 
• he looked around for something more that he could want
• he wished to be the sun because it was mightier than him
• the voice turned him to the sun powerful and all 
• he then wanted to be a cloud when they would cover his face
• the voice turned him into a cloud, to lay between the sun and the earth 
• eventually, he wanted to be a mountain strong like stone, then back to being a man because a man could break stone thus he was a stone cutter again and never wished to be anything else again