The Stone Cutter
Japanese Folktale
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Retold by The Legendary Connection
TLC#00162
Once upon a time, there lived a stonecutter who worked every day at the side of a big mountain. There, he carefully cut slabs of stone for gravestones, houses, and anything else his customers needed. He was very skilled, and many people came to him for his work. For a long time, he was content with his life and didn’t wish for anything more.
Now, it was said that a spirit lived within the mountain. This spirit sometimes helped people become rich or successful. But the stonecutter had never seen this spirit and didn’t believe in such stories. That was about to change.
One day, while delivering a stone to a rich man’s home, the stonecutter saw all kinds of beautiful things he had never dreamed of. His work suddenly felt harder than before, and he thought to himself, “Oh, if only I were a rich man and could sleep in a grand bed with silk curtains and gold tassels. Then, I would be truly happy.”
A gentle voice spoke in reply, “Your wish is heard. A rich man you shall be.”
The stonecutter looked around but saw no one. Thinking it was his imagination, he went home—only to stop in shock. Where his small house once stood, there was now a grand palace, filled with luxurious furniture and, most amazing of all, a bed with silken curtains and golden tassels, just as he had wished. The stonecutter was overjoyed and soon forgot his simple life as a stonecutter.
But as summer arrived, each day became hotter than the last. One day, the heat was so intense that he could barely breathe. Staying inside, he peeked out his window and saw a prince passing by in a fine carriage, shaded by a golden umbrella held by servants.
“Oh, if only I were a prince,” thought the stonecutter. “Then I could ride in a carriage with a golden umbrella and never worry about the heat.”
And again, the mountain spirit’s voice replied, “Your wish is heard. A prince you shall be.”
Soon, the stonecutter found himself dressed in royal clothes, riding in a grand carriage, shaded by a golden umbrella. His servants obeyed his every command. But even as a prince, he began to feel unsatisfied. Despite his umbrella, the sun still made him uncomfortably hot, and his face grew tanned from its powerful rays.
“The sun is stronger than I am,” he thought angrily. “Oh, if only I were the sun!”
Once more, the spirit replied, “Your wish is heard. The sun you shall be.”
The stonecutter became the sun, shining down on the earth, burning the grass, and warming everyone below, from princes to peasants. But after a while, he grew bored. Then, a cloud passed in front of him and blocked his light from reaching the earth.
“Is this cloud stronger than I am?” he thought. “I wish I were a cloud, so powerful that I could cover even the sun!”
The spirit answered, “Your wish is heard. A cloud you shall be.”
The stonecutter became a cloud, drifting between the sun and the earth, bringing shade and rain. He poured down water in torrents, flooding fields and rivers until towns were washed away. But the great rock on the mountainside remained unmoved, no matter how much rain he sent.
“Is that rock stronger than I am?” he wondered. “If only I were that rock!”
“Your wish is heard,” said the spirit. “The rock you shall be.”
Now, the stonecutter was a huge, strong rock on the mountain, proud that neither sun, nor rain, nor cloud could move him. “At last, I am the most powerful of all,” he thought.
One day, he heard a small tapping at his base. Looking down, he saw a man—a stonecutter—chiseling away at his surface. As the stonecutter worked, pieces of rock fell away, and the mountain trembled.
“Is this man stronger than I am?” the rock cried in surprise. “Oh, if only I were a man again!”
And the spirit answered, “Your wish is heard. A man once more you shall be.”
The stonecutter found himself back where he had started, working with his tools at the foot of the mountain. His home was simple, his bed was hard, and his meals were plain. But he was satisfied and no longer wished to be anything other than himself. And for the first time, he was truly happy.
---. “The Crimson Fairy Book.” https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2435/pg2435-images.html#link2H_4_0018 Accessed 26 July 2024.