Tuesday Tales: The Boy Who Drew Cats

I don't read much in the way of Japanese fairy tales but I thought The Boy Who Drew Cats would be a nice short one for Tuesday Tales.

A small and weak farm boy was not cut out for life on the farm, so instead of doing chores, he drew cats. Lots of them. His parents, tired of feeding a mouth that would not work, sent him to the temple to become a priest. The priests were pleased with how quickly he learned, but he again drew cats everywhere. Finally, they told him that he could not become a priest and sent him away. Before he left, one of the priests advised him to avoid large places at night and to stick with smaller places for safety.

As he wandered, he encountered a big temple and thought he might inquire about them taking him in. He found the temple abandoned. He didn't know the priests had been driven away by a goblin. He found a light burning within and was pleased to find large screens erected around the room. He drew many cats on the screens until he decided to rest for the night. Remembering the priest's advice, he found a small cupboard to sleep in.

In the middle of the night, he heard an awful battle happening within the temple. He stayed within the safety of the cupboard until morning. When he climbed out of the cupboard, he was amazed to find the goblin-rat dead in the center of the room and all of the cats he had drew the night before had wet, bloody mouths! The priests hailed him as a hero and he went on to become a famous artist. Of course, he still only drew cats.

So what do you think? I thought it was an incredibly cute tale, even if it was a little confusing when the goblin turned into a goblin-rat.


Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS