The Fox Barber from the Mountain Pass

This happened a long, long time ago. In the midst of the mountains stood a small village. The people there lived quietly and peacefully. But then, suddenly, rumors began to spread that a fox spirit had settled on the mountain pass and was deceiving people. The villagers thought and thought about what to do and decided to go to the pass to see if the fox really lived there. They took lanterns and headed into the mountains, but first they agreed: whoever spotted the fox would signal with their lantern.

There was a young man living in that village. His name was Gonsuké. As Gonsuké walked, he thought to himself, "Ah, how great it would be if I could see that fox! I’d surely outsmart her!"

Meanwhile, everyone had scattered through the forest. Gonsuké was left alone, hiding behind a tree, waiting. Suddenly, he saw the bushes rustle, and the fox emerged from the thicket. Gonsuké panicked, flailing like a kite in the sky—he didn’t want to catch the fox’s attention!

But the fox wasn’t looking in his direction. She sat down under a large tree by the side of the road to rest. She sat for a while, then began plucking leaves from the tree and sprinkling them over her head. Before Gonsuké could even gasp, the fox had transformed into a beautiful girl with hair down to her feet. The girl bent down, gathered some juicy fruits from the ground, raised her hand above her head—and a marvelous comb sparkled in her hair.

Gonsuké watched the fox in amazement.
"What luck," he thought. "You don’t get to see a fox preparing for her tricks every day."

Then the fox-girl plucked a bunch of dry grass and struck herself on the back with it. Lo and behold—it wasn’t grass anymore, but a baby! The fox looked around and headed straight for the fuki tree. She shook the leaves from it, and they turned into a green blanket. She wrapped the baby in it and placed it on her back. Gonsuké watched the fox’s transformations, unable to believe his eyes. The fox stepped onto the mountain path. She saw horse dung lying on the road. She ran her hand over it, and sweet rice cakes appeared in its place. She took bract leaves—they became a gift bundle; she wrapped the cakes in them and began descending the path toward the village. The girl walked through the forest, and Gonsuké quietly crept after her. They walked and walked until they finally reached a large house.

The fox knocked on the door once, then again, and said:
"It’s me, your daughter! Open the door!"
"Oh, our dear daughter! We’ve been waiting for you so long," Gonsuké heard voices from behind the door. He saw an old man and an old woman standing on the threshold.

Gonsuké was terrified:
"What a cunning creature!" he thought. "She’s turned into the old couple’s daughter and is about to deceive them! And the old folks have no idea it’s a fox!"

He burst into the house and shouted:
"Chase her away, chase her away! I’m Gonsuké from the village at the foot of the mountain! Hey, old man, this isn’t your daughter—it’s a fox spirit! I saw it myself! Be careful—she’ll trick you!"

Gonsuké lunged at the girl and grabbed her hair tightly.
"Hey, boy, don’t touch our daughter!" the old man snapped at him. "This isn’t a fox!"

"No, it is!" Gonsuké insisted. "It’s a fox! I saw her transform into a girl in the mountains. And that’s not a baby on her back—it’s a bunch of dry grass! And the sweet cakes in the bundle are made from horse dung!"

"You wretch, barging into someone else’s house and spouting nonsense!" the old man was furious.

"I’m not lying, I’m not lying!" Gonsuké nearly cried in frustration. "If you don’t believe me, test her! Set her skirt on fire—if I’m right, she’ll turn back into a fox immediately!"

"Well, maybe we should test her with fire," the old man said to his wife.

He took a burning stick from the hearth and held it to the girl’s skirt. The girl cried and wailed:

"How could I be a fox?" But sparks were already running up her dress. The girl burst into flames and died in an instant.

"What have you done!" the old man cried. "You’ve killed our daughter in a horrible way! What are we, old folks, supposed to do now? How will we live?"

The old woman burst into bitter tears. Gonsuké turned pale and then began to cry as well:

"I really thought it was a fox. I wanted to save you!"
The three of them sat there, weeping. Suddenly, they heard a monk walking through the village, chanting sutras. The old man rushed to the monk:

"Honorable monk," he pleaded, "please come to my house. A terrible thing has happened."

The monk agreed and entered the house. The old couple told him everything. The monk listened, then said to Gonsuké:

"You’ve committed a terrible deed—you’ve killed the old couple’s daughter. Now you must become a monk—that is the law. I will take you as my disciple, and you will pray for the spirit of the deceased, begging for forgiveness."

He turned to the old couple:
"Do not grieve, old ones," he said. "Your daughter was kind and gentle, so she will find peace in heaven. I will teach Gonsuké wisdom. He will perform a memorial service for the girl, and her soul will be filled with happiness."

The monk sat Gonsuké in the middle of the room, recited a prayer, and then began to shave his head. He shaved the front and the back until Gonsuké’s head resembled a large ball.

"Do as you must, honorable monk," Gonsuké said humbly. "I must atone for my sin."

He closed his eyes, sitting with his head bowed. Suddenly, he heard a voice:
"Hey, Gonsuké, what happened to you? Who shaved your head? Was it the fox?"

"Not at all!" Gonsuké replied. "I committed a terrible deed, so I had to become a monk’s disciple."

Loud laughter erupted in response. Gonsuké woke up and raised his head. He saw the village boys standing around him, rolling with laughter. He looked around: there was no old man, no old woman, and no monk either. In front of him lay only a pile of horse dung, and a lantern lay at his feet.

"She tricked me!" Gonsuké could only shout. He grabbed his head—it was shaved! The fox spirit hadn’t left a single hair!

And that’s the story they tell!

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The Fox Barber from the Mountain Pass

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