00:00:12
[Music]
00:01:07
for
00:01:15
[Music]
00:01:36
I'm afraid I can't tell you the name of
00:01:38
the village in which any of this took
00:01:42
[Music]
00:01:44
place in fact I can't even tell you in
00:01:47
which of Japan's 66 prefectures or even
00:01:50
in what year of the benevolent reign of
00:01:53
which emperor any of this
00:01:56
occurred for all of this happened so
00:01:59
very long ago that there isn't a soul
00:02:01
alive who could possibly remember any of
00:02:05
it
00:02:08
nonetheless once upon a time in Japan
00:02:12
there lived a farmer and his
00:02:16
family they were a large family with
00:02:18
many mouths to
00:02:20
feed but as everyone was willing to do
00:02:23
whatever they could to help out they
00:02:25
lived a happy life together
00:02:30
one season however a terrible famine
00:02:34
came to the
00:02:35
Village all of the rice fields became
00:02:38
dry and
00:02:41
cracked the gardens became choked with
00:02:44
Nettles and
00:02:46
dock the carefully tended fruit trees
00:02:50
fell
00:02:58
Barren it was the Grim work of a hideous
00:03:04
demon that had infested the countryside
00:03:07
where it became his evil pleasure to
00:03:11
wkak havoc and
00:03:15
destroy
00:03:22
life still the farmer would go out every
00:03:26
morning to glean what little rice the
00:03:29
Goblin had scattered and
00:03:31
left or to dig for such roots and gather
00:03:35
what miserable weeds could be
00:03:40
eaten and although it was very hard work
00:03:43
the children would help their parents in
00:03:45
what small ways they
00:03:48
[Music]
00:03:54
could yet for all these efforts there
00:03:56
was never enough food to solve their
00:04:00
[Music]
00:04:04
hunger the youngest of them
00:04:07
all a little frail
00:04:10
boy did not seem fit for any such work
00:04:14
you see he was quite weak and
00:04:17
small and the people of the village said
00:04:20
that he could never grow very
00:04:22
big and though he was bright and
00:04:26
clever at the end of each day when his
00:04:29
brothers and sister sisters would bring
00:04:30
home some precious
00:04:33
food all he would have were empty hands
00:04:36
and an embarrassed
00:04:40
smile his parents knew that he could not
00:04:42
help the family and worried that this
00:04:45
extra burden was unfair to the others
00:04:48
who worked so very
00:04:50
hard in the end they decided to take him
00:04:53
to the Village
00:04:57
Temple there they humbly asked the
00:04:59
venerable priest if he would have their
00:05:02
son for his
00:05:04
acolyte the old man spoke to the boy and
00:05:07
put some hard questions to
00:05:10
him so clever were the child's answers
00:05:13
that the priest agreed to let him stay
00:05:15
there and promised to teach him all that
00:05:18
a priest should
00:05:21
know then as the boy stood with the
00:05:24
priest his parents bowed in thanks and
00:05:26
set off to go back to the farm
00:05:30
but his mother turned
00:05:32
back because she was his mother and
00:05:35
could not leave without hugging him and
00:05:37
stroking his hair once
00:05:41
more
00:05:43
then looking closely at her son she
00:05:47
spoke do not forget she said to him
00:05:51
avoid large places at
00:05:54
night keep too small
00:05:59
with that she
00:06:02
turned and with quick
00:06:04
steps caught up to her husband on the
00:06:07
road that led away from the temple and
00:06:09
back to their
00:06:12
Farm the boy did not understand what his
00:06:15
mother's words to him had
00:06:17
meant and although he thought and
00:06:20
thought about them as he undid his small
00:06:22
bundle he still could not decipher their
00:06:26
meaning
00:06:30
[Music]
00:06:32
the boy quickly learned what the old
00:06:35
priest patiently taught him and he was
00:06:37
very
00:06:39
obedient but he had an odd habit a fault
00:06:45
the priest
00:06:47
said you see he drew
00:06:51
[Music]
00:06:53
cats even where cats ought not to have
00:06:56
been drawn he drew them on the mark of
00:07:00
the priest's book he drew them on the
00:07:02
screens in the temple on the
00:07:05
[Music]
00:07:08
pillars more than once the priest told
00:07:11
him this was not right that the cats did
00:07:15
not belong in the temple and more than
00:07:18
once the boy sincerely apologized for
00:07:21
his efforts but soon again there they
00:07:25
would be more pictures of cats very
00:07:28
clever pictures to be be sure but
00:07:31
alas
00:07:32
quite
00:07:34
[Music]
00:07:40
inappropriate now ever since the demon
00:07:43
had
00:07:44
come life had been very
00:07:47
hard everyone in the region had suffered
00:07:50
as the farmer and his family had
00:07:51
suffered and neither the bravest among
00:07:54
them nor the strongest had been able to
00:07:56
deliver them from the famine
00:08:00
at last the priest made a pronouncement
00:08:02
to all the village he declared that in
00:08:05
order to rid them of the plague he
00:08:08
himself would take on the demon he would
00:08:11
copy out the mystical Sutra
00:08:16
1,000
00:08:17
times the ultimate spiritual
00:08:21
magic he carefully ground some ink in
00:08:24
his Stone and dipped his brush and began
00:08:27
to copy out the most sacred
00:08:30
text once 10 times 25 times he bent over
00:08:36
his work hour after hour when he had
00:08:40
written it nearly 200 times he sat down
00:08:43
his brush and sat back
00:08:47
exhausted rubbing his eyes he noticed
00:08:51
the boy his new accolite watching
00:08:55
him here now he said indicating the
00:08:58
scroll you are clever aren't you your
00:09:01
soul is nearly as Earnest as mine
00:09:04
perhaps you can copy for a
00:09:13
while the boy copied
00:09:16
well neatly and with a steady
00:09:20
hand he thought that perhaps by doing
00:09:23
this he could help his family and he
00:09:26
happily applied himself to the task
00:09:30
but it was a tedious task to be
00:09:36
sure that evening the priest returned
00:09:39
and seeing the completed work he
00:09:46
smiled on examining the manuscript more
00:09:50
closely
00:09:51
though the priest's smile turned to a
00:09:56
frown he held the paper out for for the
00:09:59
boy to
00:10:01
see there and there and there
00:10:07
cats in the margins between the
00:10:11
characters there were no cats in the
00:10:15
Lotus
00:10:16
Sutra the priest closed his eyes tightly
00:10:20
with anger and then tore up the
00:10:25
manuscript it simply won't
00:10:29
do he said you can stay here no longer
00:10:33
you must leave in the
00:10:35
morning with that the priest left
00:10:39
shaking his head and ringing his
00:10:42
[Music]
00:10:46
hands the young boy was left alone
00:10:49
Dishonored and
00:10:53
ashamed he collected his ink and brush
00:10:56
and few things and ordered them so as
00:10:58
not to Disturbed the priest in the
00:11:00
morning it was only then in this moment
00:11:05
of shame that his mother's words came
00:11:09
back to
00:11:10
him avoid large places at
00:11:15
night keep too
00:11:21
small so he looked in all the corners of
00:11:24
the temple under the steps and behind
00:11:27
the screens until at last he found a
00:11:31
small box with curious hinges and carved
00:11:36
handles he squeezed inside it and no
00:11:39
sooner than he had closed the top over
00:11:42
himself he fell fast
00:11:45
[Music]
00:11:49
asleep when he awoke he wished that he
00:11:52
could stay
00:11:53
there curled up in the Box
00:11:58
forever even even so he knew that he
00:12:00
must
00:12:01
leave he lifted open the top of his
00:12:04
cabinet crawled out Drew up his small
00:12:09
bundle and turned to face the gray
00:12:18
Dawn but as he looked around
00:12:23
him he
00:12:25
gasped the
00:12:27
temple it had been near near L
00:12:30
destroyed the screens were torn the
00:12:34
floors were splintered the idols had
00:12:37
been
00:12:38
shattered and there in the middle of the
00:12:41
floor sat the venerable priest his robes
00:12:44
were in shreds and his body was
00:12:46
disfigured with bruises and
00:12:49
cuts he scarcely
00:12:52
moved he lifted his head painfully and
00:12:55
looked at the boy with burning eyes
00:13:00
the
00:13:01
demon he whispered through cracked and
00:13:04
swollen
00:13:06
lips you must go away at once your
00:13:12
foolishness has brought evil to this
00:13:18
Temple then closing his eyes the priest
00:13:23
let his head drop back down consumed by
00:13:26
his own misfortune
00:13:34
the boy left the temple and burdened
00:13:38
with guilt for the great destruction his
00:13:40
behavior had caused he set off on the
00:13:42
road away from the
00:13:45
village he walked all morning until he
00:13:48
came into a small
00:13:53
Hamlet he saw only a few simple houses
00:13:56
but they were all quiet and closed and
00:13:59
empty
00:14:01
seeming
00:14:03
except the very
00:14:06
last the boy approached the threshold
00:14:09
and
00:14:11
looked a man a very
00:14:14
blacksmith crouched beside his Forge at
00:14:18
work on some
00:14:22
Foundry suddenly he sat upright and
00:14:24
turned around the demon has chased them
00:14:27
all away every one of them now I am left
00:14:31
here
00:14:33
alone but I will not be afraid as you
00:14:36
can see he held up an iron bar I am
00:14:41
forging a deadly
00:14:43
sword to kill the
00:14:46
goblin he swung it with a trenchant
00:14:50
stroke you have come here to help
00:14:53
me of
00:14:56
course though you do not see seem over
00:15:00
Burly he pinched the boy's thin
00:15:03
arm still you should be fit to work the
00:15:07
Bellows the boy with his curiosity and
00:15:10
eagerness to
00:15:11
serve was soon Adept at this labor which
00:15:15
did not take strength as much as
00:15:16
regularity and
00:15:19
persistence satisfied with his Young
00:15:22
Apprentice the Smith took off his apron
00:15:25
I must fetch water to quench the iron
00:15:27
and temper the blade
00:15:29
the well is some distance I will try not
00:15:32
to be long but you must keep the fire
00:15:34
going just be diligent and I shall
00:15:37
return
00:15:43
shortly the Bellows wheezed regularly
00:15:47
firing the
00:15:49
coals and as the boy stared at the
00:15:52
glowing Embers all manner of odd shapes
00:15:56
came to life before him
00:16:00
Birds
00:16:02
houses faces
00:16:06
and
00:16:09
cats
00:16:11
yes
00:16:14
[Music]
00:16:16
cats scattered untidily about him on the
00:16:20
ground were scraps of black charcoal
00:16:23
from the
00:16:25
forge he picked one up and tried it on
00:16:28
the the
00:16:30
wall
00:16:32
indeed it made a clear black
00:16:37
line which became a
00:16:40
long
00:16:43
tail which
00:16:45
became a
00:16:48
large
00:16:51
crouching cat
00:16:53
[Music]
00:16:59
by the time the Smith returned there
00:17:02
were dozens of
00:17:07
cats the boy heard his cough at the door
00:17:10
and was suddenly recalled to
00:17:12
himself they both turned to the
00:17:18
forge the Bellows lay
00:17:21
still the coals had
00:17:26
cooled and the metal was cold and
00:17:30
black putting down the bucket the Smith
00:17:33
looked
00:17:35
about and
00:17:39
laughed you will never be a Smith my boy
00:17:44
that is
00:17:48
certain the boy hung his head in
00:17:51
remorse the cats are fine cats mind you
00:17:55
but I'm afraid they won't do here
00:17:59
the Smith picked up a straw
00:18:01
brush as long as I have brought all this
00:18:05
water he handed the brush to the
00:18:08
boy I would be grateful if you scrubbed
00:18:11
them
00:18:18
away when the cats were
00:18:20
gone the Smith shared his
00:18:23
rice and told the boy he could spend the
00:18:26
night there in the shop if he liked
00:18:30
the Smith then retired to his own room
00:18:33
in the back and went to
00:18:38
sleep the boy again found himself
00:18:42
alone and as before he recalled his
00:18:45
mother's
00:18:47
words avoid large places keep too
00:18:52
[Music]
00:18:54
small discovering a large kettle he
00:18:57
squeezed in to it drew on the lid and
00:19:01
tired from the Day's Journey he quickly
00:19:04
fell to
00:19:06
[Music]
00:19:08
sleep late in the
00:19:11
night he woke with a
00:19:17
start his eyes were stinging and it was
00:19:22
hard to
00:19:24
breathe peering out from his hiding
00:19:26
place he saw that the blacksmith shot
00:19:29
was on
00:19:30
fire he quickly climbed out of his pot
00:19:32
and ran into the
00:19:34
street there he found the Smith his
00:19:37
clothes were charred and torn and
00:19:38
smoking his face was blackened his hair
00:19:41
was
00:19:47
singed at length the Smith
00:19:50
stuttered that demon
00:19:54
that devil that
00:20:01
Beast he then turned and walked off into
00:20:04
the Morning
00:20:08
Mist again the boy felt downcast
00:20:12
thinking that somehow this would not
00:20:14
have
00:20:16
happened had he only been more
00:20:20
diligent oh but now he could do nothing
00:20:24
[Music]
00:20:30
he started out again on the road away
00:20:34
from his
00:20:36
[Music]
00:20:54
home it was Dusk and he had seen neither
00:20:58
of a soul nor a human dwelling all
00:21:03
day then suddenly a village appeared in
00:21:07
front of
00:21:08
him perhaps he had fallen asleep as he
00:21:13
[Music]
00:21:14
walked there was no sign of any
00:21:17
inhabitant the houses and shops were
00:21:20
closed and
00:21:23
dark but then at the far end of the
00:21:25
street on a hill he saw a large building
00:21:28
perhaps a temple and faintly flickering
00:21:31
inside he saw a
00:21:35
light at once the boy went up to the
00:21:38
building and
00:21:40
knocked and knocked
00:21:44
again and yet once more but still nobody
00:21:49
came at last he pushed gently at the
00:21:52
door and was pleased to find that it had
00:21:55
not been fastened so he went in
00:21:59
and saw a lamp
00:22:01
burning but there was no one
00:22:05
there as he looked around he noticed
00:22:08
that everything was gray with dust and
00:22:10
thickly spun over with
00:22:14
cobwebs he wiped at the dust with his
00:22:19
fingers and then in the streaks his
00:22:23
fingers Left
00:22:26
Behind he saw them
00:22:31
the
00:22:32
whiskers of another
00:22:35
cat the boy squinted at this
00:22:41
drawing
00:22:45
smiled and Drew his painting box out
00:22:48
from his
00:22:54
bundle it was very late at night and the
00:22:57
boy was very very
00:23:00
tired but there were cats on all the
00:23:05
walls cats on the screens cats on the
00:23:09
pillars crouching and sleeping and
00:23:12
pouncing and cats just sitting and
00:23:16
watching every kind of cat and cats
00:23:20
doing everything a cat would do the boy
00:23:24
had drawn
00:23:29
he began to nod
00:23:33
asleep when
00:23:36
suddenly he remembered his mother's
00:23:39
words just as though she were whispering
00:23:42
in his
00:23:44
ear avoid large places at
00:23:48
night keep too
00:23:50
[Music]
00:23:52
small and although he could not quite
00:23:56
understand them
00:23:59
as he thought of these words now he felt
00:24:02
a little
00:24:03
[Music]
00:24:05
afraid the building was very
00:24:09
large and the boy was all
00:24:15
alone in one corner almost hidden with
00:24:18
dust there stood a rickety little
00:24:21
cabinet with a sliding
00:24:24
door he crept into it slid the door to
00:24:28
to shut his eyes and fell instantly
00:24:36
asleep
00:24:38
very very
00:24:40
late he was
00:24:43
awakened by a most terrible noise
00:24:48
fighting screaming crying and howling
00:24:53
here then there then
00:24:55
there then it was all around found him
00:24:59
very close by and then it was suddenly
00:25:00
very far
00:25:03
away scraping and scratching and
00:25:09
screaming and awful and then more awful
00:25:12
and then more awful yet so that the
00:25:13
building itself self
00:25:16
rocked the boy hoped that the end would
00:25:18
come quickly or he should die a very
00:25:21
fright he lay there in the cabinet
00:25:24
perfectly
00:25:25
still and
00:25:28
after a long
00:25:31
time silence
00:25:36
came but he was yet afraid to leave his
00:25:39
secret
00:25:41
shelter he did not move until the light
00:25:45
of the morning sun Shone through the
00:25:47
cracks in the cabinet and he could
00:25:50
faintly hear the sounds of the birds
00:25:52
heralding the
00:25:57
day no only then did he very
00:26:02
cautiously slide open the door of his
00:26:06
hiding place and
00:26:12
look the first thing that he
00:26:15
saw was the
00:26:18
floor red with
00:26:22
blood and
00:26:25
then lying
00:26:29
quite
00:26:31
dead in the middle of it he beheld
00:26:36
an
00:26:39
enormous
00:26:40
monstrous
00:26:42
rat
00:26:44
a demon rat a rat bigger even than a
00:26:53
cow
00:26:55
but who or what could have killed
00:27:01
it there was no man or other creature to
00:27:04
be
00:27:08
seen
00:27:10
then the boys saw the mouths and
00:27:14
Paws of all the cats that he had drawn
00:27:19
the night
00:27:20
[Music]
00:27:23
before they were
00:27:26
red they were
00:27:29
wet with
00:27:34
[Music]
00:27:38
blood he stood staring at his cats all
00:27:41
around
00:27:43
him for a very long
00:27:51
[Music]
00:27:53
time
00:27:55
then when the sun was high in the sky
00:28:00
he left the
00:28:04
temple and started down the
00:28:07
road toward his
00:28:13
village the boy continued to draw
00:28:18
cats and after a time he became a very
00:28:21
great
00:28:22
artist it is said that some of the cats
00:28:26
he drew
00:28:28
are still shown to Travelers in
00:28:32
Japan
00:28:33
[Music]
00:28:57
today
00:29:08
[Music]
00:29:27
for for
00:29:31
[Music]
