Urashima
Dragon Helped: Dragon King's Daughter
Origin: Japanese Mythology
History: A young fisherman named Urashima lived in a small village named Midzunoe in the province of Tango. [4] One day, he saved the life of a tortoise (some say it was a turtle). [1] Some versions claim that a few ill-spirited people turned the poor animal onto its shell and left it on the beach to die, [1] while others claim that Urashima simply caught the tortoise while out fishing. [4] The tortoise is a simple of old age and wisdom, so he treated the creature with due respect. [1]
Versions diverge again on how Urashima met the creature he saved for the second time. Some accounts say the tortoise comes to his home [1] while others say that Urashima fell asleep while fishing and the tortoise woke him by calling his name. [5] Thanking him for his kindness, the tortoise invited him to come to ryukuu (ryūkyū), the Palace of the Dragon King [5] in the Kingdom Under the Sea. [2]
The tortoise escorted Urashima to the Palace and other vassals of the Dragon King brought him in to meet their leader. [5] The Dragon King held a great feast, and he brought Urashima into another chamber where Princess Otohime and her maidens sat waiting. [5] Thought she appeared as a beautiful woman, he knew that the tortoise and this Princess were one and the same. [5]
In some accounts, the Princess explains that taking the form of a tortoise to test of a man's kindness [5] and in others she offers to be his bride because of the respect he showed to a defenseless animal. [2] Urashima married the Princess and lived in a land of eternal youth and never-ending summer in the Kingdom Under the Sea. [5]
While Urashima lived in the Dragon King's Palace, he saw many things that no mortal man has yet to lay eyes upon. Princess Otohime showed him a country where all the seasons lingered together: Winter roamed the North, Spring in the East, Summer in the South, and Autumn in the West. [6]
Some say Urashima lived in the Kingdom Under the Sea for just three days; others say it was years. [7] But no matter how much time elapsed, Urashima suddenly remembered his parents. [7] He longed to tell them about his life and his wedding. [2] His wife wept over his request to return home, [2] but Urashima insisted he would be gone for only a day to tell his parents what had become of him. [7]
Otohime presented her husband with a remembrance of her love, a box [2] called Tamate-Bako, meaning, 'Box of the Jewel Hand.' [7] She asked him to promise not to open the box, lest she never seen him again. [2] He agreed to this and took the gift happily. [2]
In some stories, Otohime takes Urashima to the surface herself in her tortoise form, [2] but some accounts have another tortoise as his escort. [7]
He found himself on a beach he knew well, so Urashima searched for all the members of his family. [2] Sometimes, he is the only child of his parents, [2] but there are other records that say he sought his brothers and sisters, too. [7] None could be found.
Urashima could only find one person who recognized his name or those of his parents. [2] A very old man told him that a younger fisherman named Urashima had indeed drowned off the coast one day, but that day had been four hundred years ago. [2] (Some accounts say three hundred years.) [7] In either case, all of Urashima's relatives had been dead for a very long time. [2]
In despair, he returned to the shore [2] to rejoin his wife, but there was no clear path for him to follow and his escort had left. [8] Uncertainty made him think that the mysterious gift from his wife was the way back to her, [8] so he opened it. [2]
A wisp of smoke, [3] or maybe a cloud, [8] appeared from the box. These were all Urashima's mortal years that had passed while he lived in the Kingdom Under the Sea. [3] They rolled away across the sea and disappeared. [8] In an instant, Urashima's youth vanished and he turned into a very, very old man. [3,8] Almost immediately, he died there upon that same short. [8]
Urashima's disappearance is dated as 477 CE with his death dated as 825 CE. His tomb, fishing-line, and casket (another gift from Otohime) are still shown at one of the temples in Kanagawa. [8]
Quick Facts
- Urashima was a fisherman [1] who disappeared in the fifth century CE. [8]
- Urashima saved the life of a tortoise and for this kindness received a reception at ryukuu (ryūkyū), The Palace of the Dragon King [5] in the Kingdom Under the Sea. [2]
- He married Princess Otohime, a daughter of the Dragon King. [2]
- He left to visit his earthly family [2] to tell them of his marriage. [7] His new bride begged him to stay, but he persisted. [2]
- His wife gave him a gift, a box named Tamate-Bako, meaning, 'Box of the Jewel Hand.' [7] She made him promise not to open it, lest she never see him again. [2]
- After agreeing, Urashima returned to the shore. [2]
- He could find none of his relatives, and only one person even recognized his name. [2]
- The old man who knew the name said Urashima had drowned at sea over four hundred years ago. [2]
- Some accounts claim he died three hundred years ago. [7]
- Wanting to return to his wife, he went back to the shore. [8]
- Urashima had no clear instructions on how to return, [2] so he thought that the mysterious gift from his wife might show him the way. [8]
- The box actually contained all his mortal years; this is why he had not aged in the Kingdom Under the Sea. [8]
- When he opened the box, he broke a sacred promise to his wife. [8] Urashima allowed the years to escape, and he died immediately on the shore as a very, very old man. [3]
Footnotes
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
