The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa

There's power in these stones. Some of them.

Hello again, reader. As those of you who follow me on Instagram know, I just got back from my honeymoon in Japan. Which was lovely, by the way. We stayed in Tokyo, and I highly recommend it. What this also means is that this week, I decided we should look at a fairy tale from Japan, which turned out to be The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa. It's a bit of a longer read, and it's almost two stories in one, but it's worth it. Click the link above to read the story, and continue reading below to analyze it with me.

I suppose we should start by talking about Hako and Eiko. I guess I just assumed they were friends, so I was very confused when Eiko was upset and attacked Hako over who got to be the general of the front forces. I should say I was surprised because I thought they were friends, but also because I thought they were adults and not five year olds. Either way, it worked out for them because Empress Jokwa decided to make them both generals of the front army. I would be concerned that they would continue fighting each other, but clearly Empress Jokwa knows them better than I do, because putting them both in charge worked out very well. Maybe they are friends after all.

I am slightly confused by Kokai. He seems to be an incredibly powerful wizard. Maybe I've just seen too much TV, but wouldn't Kokai want to take over the kingdom? It seems to me that he could summon a flood large enough to drown the empress and everyone in the palace. I know they're giants, and the empress is 25 feet tall, but everyone is a giant and Kokai manages to drown other people. But maybe I've underestimated him just like Hako and Eiko. Maybe Kokai has a different plan in mind, but all that the reader sees is that he's stirring up trouble. Even when he dies, he causes more trouble. I guess he's a really good villain.

Since the empress is in the title of the story, I expected her to take a more active part in it earlier, but she steps up after Kokai dies. I suppose it makes sense that you wouldn't want your empress to go battle a wizard. Especially since she's known for her wisdom and not her fighting skills. Her wisdom is truly impressive. I would have had no idea how to fix a pillar of heaven or a corner of the sky. Empress Jokwa seems to have no problem knowing what to do. The only thing she needs help with is understanding why the sun and moon still aren't coming back.

I have to step out of the fairy tale briefly to get excited about how this fits with what we know of the world. Since this volcano had such a gigantic eruption, the ash and smoke in the air probably blocked out the sun and moon for a few days. People would have been able to see them again once everything cleared. I really like how this is handled in the story, though. The sun and moon are just taking understandable precautions about dangerous travel until they know the roads are better. Once they're assured it's safe, they go back to their normal course in the sky.

All in all, this story covers a lot of ground, but it all flows together pretty nicely. After all, you can't really understand why Kokai's death would cause such a ruckus unless you understood how large and powerful he was. And it gives the empress a time to shine, which makes me like this story more. I suppose the moral of this story is, "A wise empress needs capable generals." Alternatively, "If you're going to kill someone strong enough to crack the sky, make sure you have someone who knows how to fix it."

Annoyed I didn't talk about Shikuyu? Wondering why Empress Jokwa couldn't create a trap to take care of Kokai more easily? Have a different moral? Or a different story you'd like me to talk about? Comment below! And if you like this blog, don't forget to subscribe.