THE BALLAD OF OGURI-HANGWAN
To tell every word of the tale,—this is the story of Oguri-Hangwan.
I. THE BIRTH
The famed Takakura Dainagon, whose other name was Kane-ie, was so rich that he had treasure-houses in every direction.
He owned one precious stone that had power over fire, and another that had power over water.
He also had the claws of a tiger, extracted from the paws of the living animal; he had the horns of a colt; and he likewise owned even a musk-cat (jako-neko)(1).
Of all that a man might have in this world, he wanted nothing except an heir, and he had no other cause for sorrow.
A trusted servant in his house named Ikenoshoji said at last to him these words:—
"Seeing that the Buddhist deity Tamon-Ten, enshrined upon the holy mountain of Kurama, is famed for his divine favor far and near, I respectfully entreat you to go to that temple and make prayer to him; for then your wish will surely be fulfilled."
To this the master agreed, and at once began to make preparation for a journey to the temple.