Hanasaka Jiisan

Cherry blossom

Hanasaka-jiisan(花咲か爺）is a famous folk story of Japan. The name means "old man who made flowers blossom(Japanese flower)". The story became famous in Japan in the Edo Period (1603-1868).

Story

There was a kind-hearted old man, Hanasaka-jiisan, who grew cherry blossoms. The old man and his wife had a white puppy. One day, their dog barked, “Koko-hore-wan-wan,” (meaning "Dig here! Bark bark!") while digging in a field. The old man dug up gold and made the old man very rich. The old man was very happy. The old man's neighbor saw the dog barking and watched as the old man dig up the treasure. The old couple’s neighbors were jealous of this. So they stole the white puppy away, and ordered him to search for treasure. They beat him, then he went to search for treasure. But they only found rubbish. So, then they killed the dog. The old man was crushed with grief. The neighbor's gave the old man and his wife the dog's ashes. Then, the dog appeared in the old man's dream. The dog said, "Please scatter my ashes on the dead cherry blossom tree!" The old man followed the dog's directions. Then, the dead cherry blossom tree came into full bloom. The old man and his wife received great praise from a feudal lord passing by.