Ongoro, Nengoro, and Noro
Long ago, there lived an old man and an old woman. They ran a small shop and made their living by preparing and selling tofu (tofu is a type of curd made from soybeans).They had no children; their loneliness was eased by their dog, Ongoro, and their cat, Nengoro. The couple loved them as if they were their own children.
One day, the old man went to the field where beans grew and found a barely alive snake. The snake looked so pitiful that the old man picked it up and took it home. He named it Noro.
"Well, our family has grown," said the old man. "Now, Ongoro and Nengoro, make sure to get along with Noro!"
The couple took good care of their pets, feeding them well. Noro quickly grew into an astonishingly large snake. He was peaceful and never harmed anyone, but the neighbors were frightened by the enormous serpent and stopped coming to the shop. The old couple's business began to suffer badly. After discussing it, they decided, reluctantly, to take Noro back to where they had found him.
The next day, the old man took the snake and went to the bean field.
"Noro, Noro, it’s very sad that things have turned out this way, but there’s nothing we can do. Go wherever you want and don’t hold any grudges against us!"
The old man spoke to Noro as if he were a person. The snake looked at him, slipped into a hole, and emerged with a small box.
"Grandfather, grandfather, in gratitude for the trouble I’ve caused you, please accept this box. It will grant you anything you wish," said Noro, and then he disappeared underground.
The delighted old man returned home.
"Old woman, old woman, look at this wonderful gift Noro has given us. What do you want right now?"
"I want fish and rice."
No sooner had the old woman spoken than a steaming bowl of rice and delicious boiled fish appeared on the table.
From then on, whatever the old couple wished for, they received, and they lived comfortably.
One day, the old woman said to the old man:
"The box Noro gave us has brought prosperity to our home, but we still feel lonely because we have no children. Ask the box to give us a son, and let him be eighteen years old right away."
"What? You want a son?" The old man shook his head. "We shouldn’t ask for too much. We already have plenty of food, always warm and ready. Isn’t that enough?"
But the old woman wouldn’t listen and insisted:
"No matter what you say, I won’t be at peace." She covered the box with a piece of cloth and chanted:
"Grant us a son, an heir!"
And what do you think happened? The cloth stirred, and in that moment, an eighteen-year-old young man appeared before them. The old woman wept with joy:
"Oh, thank you, thank you! Now I can live the rest of my life in peace."
But the son turned out to be nothing like a good son should be: he never once called the old couple father and mother, ate to his heart’s content from the delicious meals the box provided, lazed around, and caused trouble for everyone. Yet the old couple adored him.
"We can’t force him to call us father and mother," they said, "but everything else will work itself out eventually."
One day, the old couple left their son to look after the house while they went to town. When they returned, neither their son nor the precious box was to be found.
Their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the floor, unable even to cry. Ongoro and Nengoro couldn’t bear to see the old couple, who had suddenly grown weak and frail.
"Of course, that rascal must have stolen the magical box! We must find it and repay our owners for their care," they decided and began their search.
During the day, they might be seen, so they could only go out at night. With their glowing eyes shining in the dark, they searched every house in the village but found nothing.
Then Ongoro and Nengoro began scouring the reed thickets and riverbanks, but all their efforts were in vain.
Meanwhile, the rainy season began. Soaked to the bone, Ongoro and Nengoro continued their search until they reached Noshiro (Noshiro is a city at the mouth of the Yoneshiro River in Akita Prefecture, northern Honshu).
There, they noticed a brand-new house on the other side of the river.
"Where did it come from? How strange!" they thought, and that night, they quietly crossed the river.
The new house belonged to the runaway. On the altar stood the magical box, guarded by a white mouse. Nengoro pounced on the mouse, while Ongoro grabbed the box and ran.
When they reached the riverbank, they saw that the dams had burst, and the water was rising rapidly.
"Ongoro, what should we do?"
"If we hesitate, we’ll lose the box. Be brave, let’s go!"
And they plunged into the muddy current, risking their lives. The strong current swept them away, and for a moment, it seemed like the end, but suddenly, a floating shed roof appeared. They climbed onto it, but at that very moment, a wave washed away the box, their treasure.
For several days, the disheartened Ongoro and Nengoro were tossed by the waves. With great difficulty, they eventually found their way home.
The day they reached dry land was market day. The stalls were bustling with trade.
"Ongoro, look at that big carp! Let’s take it to the old couple as a gift!"
With these words, Nengoro grabbed the fish and ran as fast as he could. Stunned by his action, Ongoro followed.
They reached the house, but no one was there: the old couple had gone out. The friends hung the fish on a hook near the hearth and, exhausted from their long journey, fell into a deep sleep.
They never woke up: when the old man and woman returned, Ongoro and Nengoro were dead.
"Finally, you’ve come back—and now this? You’ve returned only to die…"
Weeping, the old couple buried Ongoro and Nengoro. As for the fish they had brought as a gift, the old couple decided to eat it. They took the carp off the hook, slit its belly—and out fell their precious box!
And so, the old couple lived quietly and modestly. The box provided them with as much rice, fish, and seasoning as they wanted each day, and they asked for nothing more.
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