Three Paper Charms by Shosuke Kita and Seion Yamaguchi translated by M. Owaki and S. Ballard (Shinseken)

Shosuke Kita was born in Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost prefecture of Honshu, the largest of Japan’s four main islands. He is a professor at a local university and researches folk tales of the Tohoku Region. Seion Yamaguchi is also an Aomori native whose occupation is an illustrator. Yamaguchi provides beautiful pictures to accompany the text.

Three Paper Charms is the English translation of Sanmai no Fuda. The tale is believed to have originated in either Aomori Prefecture or Saitama Prefecture in the Kanto area. Other scholars argue that the original telling of the story can be traced back to Niigata Prefecture. Although there are many variations, the core of the story remains the same. 

In the Tohoku region, the title is Kozokko ga Madadaga and was published in English in 2001. The story is about a mischievous little boy who is also an apprentice monk. As he was always causing trouble, the head monk decides to send the boy on a journey to learn self-discipline. 

The monk gave the boy three paper charms and said to use them only when he finds himself in trouble. As the boy walked and walked and walked, it became dark and he needed to find a place to stay for the night. 

He was fortunate enough to spot a light in the house and went to ask if he could have a bed for the night. A young and beautiful girl greeted him at the door and said he was more than welcome to stay. The woman fed him and he fell asleep shortly thereafter. 

The boy woke up in the middle of the night after hearing a strange sound coming from another room. As he took a peak, what he saw wasn’t the beautiful girl who greeted him at the door. He saw an old hag sharpening a knife and heard say, “How delicious the boy must be! He is young, plump and healthy!” The boy also heard her saying, “Let’s sharpen the knife, make it as sharp as possible, and then I can chop him up!”

The boy then tries to run away but the hag hears him and even though he says that he is just going to the bathroom, the hag ties a rope around him so he won’t be able to escape. This is when he remembers the three paper charms the head monk had given him. 

His first wish is for when the hag asks him if he’s done, to have it answer “Not yet”. He ties the rope to a pillar in the bathroom then runs away from the house. After a while, the hag realizes she’s been fooled and chases after him. As she almost catches up to the boy, he uses the second paper charm and asks it, “Please turn into a big sand mountain”

The sand mountain had slowed down the hag but she eventually made it over and soon caught up with the boy again. The boy then used his last wish and asked it to turn into a big river. Once again the hag slowed down and the boy ran as fast as he could back to the temple. The hag entered the temple as well and told the monk to give her the boy. 

The head monk was a wise man as well and praised the hag for her magic. He said he would hand over the boy if she could prove how great her magic was. First, the monk asked her to become as tall as the ceiling. She once again demanded the priest to hand over the boy. 

The priest was undeterred and asked if the hag could become as small as a pea and stand on the palm of his hand. She proved that she could do this as well and shouted, “Now, admit your defeat, priest! Give me the boy!”

But as she was just a little pea-sized hag, the priest picked her up with his fingers and threw her into a burning candle. Even the hag couldn’t stop the heat of the candle and that put an end to her life. 

Old folktales are timeless. It doesn’t matter if you're a child or an adult, they never go out of style. You can also enjoy them in all their variations. Reading old folktales and picture books can remind you of the child that still lives within you. ~Ernie Hoyt