貝の火Kai no Hi — Homoi and the Shell-Fire Jewel

Contents

1. A Rabbit Rescues a Lark ChickOn a fragrant early-summer day, the young rabbit Homoi bounds happily through the meadow to a small stream. A struggling lark chick comes tumbling down the current, and although its wrinkled, lizard-like face frightens him, Homoi jumps in, holds on to it, and drags it to safety by biting a willow branch. When the chick looks up at him he runs away in fright, and the chick's mother swoops down from the sky and hugs her baby tight.
2. A Fever, and a Gift from the LarksHomoi runs home after rescuing the lark chick and collapses with a terrible fever. When he finally recovers, the mother lark and her son visit him one quiet night and present him with the Shell-Fire, a jewel sent by the king of the larks. Homoi tries to refuse it, but the larks insist and fly away, leaving him gazing at the glowing jewel.
3. The Treasure Comes HomeHomoi brings the jewel home, and his father recognises it as the famous Shell-Fire, a treasure that very few have kept perfectly all their lives. His parents tell him about the eagle minister who once owned it, and Homoi falls asleep holding it and has splendid dreams. The next morning he gazes at the volcano-like fire inside the jewel, polishes it as promised, and leaves it with his mother.
4. Homoi Becomes a GeneralAn old horse bows to Homoi and weeps, congratulating him that the Shell-Fire jewel has come to him, and two squirrels are so flustered that they run away from him. At home his mother tells him he has become a fine person and agrees that he is more or less a general, and Homoi happily talks of making the squirrels major generals and the horse a colonel. Feeling bold, he shouts at the fox he used to fear, and the fox's expression changes in alarm.
5. Homoi Begins to Give OrdersThe fox grovels before Homoi, who forgives him and makes him a lieutenant, and Homoi goes home delighted. The next day, sent to gather lily-of-the-valley berries, Homoi tries to order a mole to do the work and loses his temper when the mole politely refuses. Five squirrels then eagerly offer to pick the berries for him, and six young horses come running up.
6. Pride, Threats, and a Still-Bright JewelHomoi makes his animal helpers his 'colonels' but angrily threatens the mole who asks for a task. His father scolds him over the pile of berries and the mole's distress, and the family expects the Shell-Fire to have clouded over, but it burns brighter than ever and everyone is happy again. The next morning the fox flatters Homoi and offers to bring him something good and yellow; Homoi tells him to leave the mole alone but to bring a little of the food.
7. The Fox's Stolen BreadThe fox wins Homoi over with stolen bread, and Homoi agrees not to stop him from taking chickens. Homoi's father recognises the bread as stolen, tramples it, and is sure the jewel has been spoiled. But the jewel still burns beautifully, so the father falls silent and Homoi forgets his tears. The next day the fox brings more bread and proposes to torment the mole himself while Homoi watches.
8. Moles Bullied, a Jewel Shining BrighterThe fox digs up a family of blind moles and terrorises them while Homoi joins in, until Homoi's father arrives, chases the fox away and drags Homoi home. Expecting the Shell-Fire to be ruined, the father opens the box and finds it more beautiful than ever, so Homoi boasts that nothing could ever harm it. That night he dreams of standing on one leg atop a needle-sharp peak, and the next morning he goes out into a gloomy, foggy meadow.
9. The Fox's Zoo and a Clouded JewelThe fox brings Homoi a net and suggests they catch birds and insects to make a zoo. When Homoi tries to free the trapped birds, the fox threatens to kill him, and Homoi runs home in fear. At home a small white cloud has appeared inside the Shell-Fire, and it grows larger even as his father and mother try to polish it away.
10. The Jewel Goes Dark, the Fox FleesThe family polishes the Shell-Fire in vain and leaves it soaking in oil overnight, but by midnight its red flame is gone and it looks like a ball of lead. Homoi confesses about the fox's net, and his father leads the family out at dawn to fight the fox, who runs off and leaves behind a box full of captured birds. The freed birds thank the rabbits, and Homoi's father shamefully admits that the jewel from their king has gone cloudy.
11. The Jewel Shatters and Flies AwayHomoi's father shows the gathered birds the Shell-Fire, now only a plain white stone. It cracks, bursts into smoke that blinds Homoi, then re-forms into its old blazing self and flies out of the window. The owl leaves sneering about the mere six days, and Homoi's father comforts his son, promising his eyes will heal and telling him that understanding what happened makes him truly fortunate.

Easier versions

This story is also retold in simpler Japanese. Reading an easier version first makes the original much more approachable.

• N5 retelling · 986 characters
• N4 retelling · 1,415 characters
• N3 retelling · 1,817 characters

Before you read

• The narrator tells the story in polite です/ます form and often introduces speech with the humble verb 申しました, sometimes also with 言いました. 申す is a humble verb and belongs to the storyteller's courteous voice. In translation, 'said' usually works, but notice the polite, old-fashioned tone it gives the narration.
• The larks and the old horse speak in elaborate, archaic keigo. The horse uses forms like ござります (an older form of ございます) and 存じまする (an older form of 存じます). Read them as their modern equivalents, and enjoy how stiff and ceremonious they sound next to Homoi's boyish speech.
• Track the fox's register. He starts with servile へい-speech and flattery, then switches to rough, menacing plain speech. The shift in his language signals the shift in his intentions.
• Several grammar patterns recur in this text: 〜てしまう (things done completely or with regret), 〜てやる (doing something to or for someone, often from a position of power, which suits Homoi's growing pride), 〜ておくれ (a parent's gentle request), 〜ておく, 〜たまま, 〜そうになる and 〜ものですから.
• Learn a few key words before you start: 貝の火 (the jewel), 雲雀 (ひばり, lark), 狐 (きつね, fox), もぐら (mole), 鈴蘭 (すずらん, lily of the valley), 磨く (みがく, to polish) and 曇る (くもる, to cloud over). Whether the jewel 曇る is the question the whole story keeps returning to.

Words to know

The most useful words from the notes across the story.

Plot summary

About the author

Miyazawa Kenji was a poet and writer of children's stories from Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. He studied agricultural science in Morioka and later taught at an agricultural school. He devoted much of his life to helping local farmers improve their methods and their cultural lives. He was a devout Buddhist, and his faith, love of nature and interest in science run through his writing. His fame came after his death, with works such as 銀河鉄道の夜, 風の又三郎 and the poem 雨ニモマケズ.

More stories by Miyazawa Kenji →