The Coffin with Jewels

Once upon a time, a great disaster struck Okinawa: a terrible typhoon swept through, followed by a severe drought. Nothing grew in the fields. Death began to claim people every day.

In those days, there lived an old man on the island. He was very old. It pained him to see others suffer, so he walked through the village, helping people however he could: sharing a handful of rice with some, giving away his clothes to others.

But the famine grew worse and worse. People began stealing each other's last livestock, and then—killing cats, frogs, and snakes for food.

One evening, the old man was walking through the forest. "What should I do next? How can I save people from death?" he thought. Suddenly, he heard an owl hooting deep in the woods.

"It's a bad omen for an owl to cry out like that," muttered the old man. He raised his head and listened. "It must be a message from the realm of the dead. Death is everywhere! Begone! Begone!"

The old man walked on. It grew completely dark. Suddenly, he saw a stranger coming toward him on a mountain path. The stranger was carrying a coffin on his shoulder and a hoe in his hand. The old man greeted him and said:

"I deeply sympathize with your sorrow, respected one! Tell me, who has died in your home?"

The stranger stopped, sighed heavily, and then said:

"Thank you, grandfather, for your kind words. My father has passed away, but I have no money to arrange a proper funeral. So, I decided to go into the forest and bury him there. I'm ashamed before others, which is why I set out at night."

Having said this, the stranger hid his face even deeper in his black robes.

"You can't manage this alone," the old man replied. "Let me help you!"

They continued on together.

"Let's bury your father in this grove," suggested the old man.

"Very well," agreed the stranger. "This is a good, quiet spot, and the view from here is beautiful."

They began taking turns digging the grave.

"Grandfather," the stranger suddenly said, "I dropped some incense sticks in the dark. They're just a few steps away. Please pray for my father while I quickly fetch them."

"Alright," agreed the old man. "I'll pray while you go."

The stranger left and disappeared. The old man waited and waited. Morning came, but the stranger still hadn't returned.

"How could I trust such a task to a stranger?" the old man wondered. "It seems this son won't return. I should at least see for whom I've been praying to Buddha all night."

The old man approached the coffin, opened the lid, and inside... were piles of gold coins! Then the old man realized that the stranger had not been an ordinary man but a deity in disguise. This was how the deity rewarded the old man for his kindness.

The old man returned to the village and divided the gold equally among everyone. The people became wealthy—they no longer needed to steal livestock from their neighbors or kill animals.

This story was often told in the village afterward, and the coffin was always respectfully called the "savior from death."

More fairy tales

• The Crow and the Clouds
• About How a Man Turned into a Turtle
• The Red Lacquer Cup
• What the Birds Told About
• The Brave Issimbosi