The Bamboo Cutter's Daughter
This is the 100th Happle Tea strip! Amazing!
I wanted to do something different and fun for the 100th strip and, after talking to William about Japanese myths, he helped me cook this little baby up. I felt like it was appropriate material for that. This is the first actual Japanese myth I’ve covered, as well, which is an interesting coincidence. I know I used the Tengu, but that was just a creature. He doesn’t count.
Japanese myth is often very different, I’ve found, from many of its counterparts. There was a time in my life where I frowned upon folktales and myths originating from that lovely island nation, but I’ve recently begun to appreciate it more. It’s a subtle thing, informed by the vastly different and (until recent history) fairly isolationist attitudes of its people. It’s difficult to generalize the entire mythological history of a region so I’ll just say that a lot of the myths do not, generally, appeal to western sensibilities. Many people are often left scratching their heads after hearing one of these tales asking, “What? That’s it?” I’ve been there. I get it. But if you look deeper, you may learn to appreciate something different than what you’re used to and that will deepen your experience as a human being.
Take this myth for example. Ostensibly, it’s a myth that relates (in a sort of convoluted way) the reason behind the smoke seen on Mt. Fuji. But it’s more than that, there are layers to the tale that aren’t apparent on the surface. Those of us in the west growing up in these times often look for our themes in the ending, in how things play out, but what I’ve found in Japanese myth (and other asian myths as well) is that there is equally as much meaning in the events leading up to the end and in the interactions of characters.
There were parts I had to cut (yes, even in a 9 panel strip) in order to relate the bulk of the tale while still getting to a joke. There are also many versions of the story. One has the princess leaving the mountain top to join the moon folk, her body becoming mist as she does so, and that is the smoke atop Fuji. Another has her sending a letter to the Emperor before she leaves and that being the one he sends with his retainers. There is also a large portion of the story dedicated to Kaguya sending various princely suitors on impossible quests. The story is in a ton of books and all over the internets.
Honestly, I’d love to do more strips like this; shorter, maybe, but with this sort of attention paid to the myth. This is my goal.
Discussion (20) ¬
Brilliant! Happle 100th!!!
Perfect strip to have for Happle Tea’s 100th strip 😀 I demand more like this haha
Okami spoiler! 😀
Nice one! Congrats on the 100th comic ^_^
Great comic indeed, but shouldn´t we be reading it from right to left? lol Huge fan, Congrats on the 100th post!!
A lofty and deserved goal, indeed.
There is also the “Oh Edo Rocket” version, which could be summed up as ‘make a Saturn 5 out of wood’.
You should check out “The Boy Who Drew Cats”. The Japanese have some brilliant myths!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Who_Drew_Cats
The more I learn about Asian religions, the more I learn to adore this sort of myth. I think the whole bittersweet or even entirely unhappy ending is very foreign to Western sensibilities, but I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it.
Anyway, stories like this always make me think of Taoism, and those myths in it that relate to a willingness to accept things as they happen, and not try to force good or evil out of every occurrence. It’s not the Western adage of “Everything happens for the best.” It’s just “Everything happens.”
And then there are similarities between Tao and Zen . . .
Those were some loyal retainers, anyway. I wouldn’t;t burn elixir of immortality, if I had it.
@Matthew
You’d be surprised how many Japanese myths are spoilers for Okami. That game is brimming with Japanese folklore. Anyone interested in mythology, or video games for that matter, should play it. It’s a really good game.
@K
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but on the top of your site, your main banner overlaps your menu bar. I’m not sure exactly how you’re making the site, but if you put the address tags around your header div instead of the other way around, it should solve the problem.
Congratulations on the 100th strip, by the way.
I grew up with Japanese myths, so I never really experienced the discomfort a lot of people have with their apparent cruelty and unrighteousness. S*** happens, you know? Western fairy tales always seemed a little saccharine to me. The brave prince always gets the beautiful princess? Really?? There just happens to be a fairy godmother in the right place at the right time? REALLY??
@UMOP Brilliant advice! Thanks so much. I’m not really a web developer, I’ve had to teach myself things for the sake of the site and that is one issue I’ve been trying to figure out for a while. So yes, thanks a ton 🙂
@bad_squishy Personally, I never found them distasteful, just that their methods were different. The emphasis is on the whole rather than the ending, in terms of the storytelling devices used. I can see what you mean though, for other people, I am sure those things are a concern.
Thanks for the kind words, everyone!
hsoaushoahsoahsoaho
Pfffff, totally saw it coming.
This comic got me to read all of your archives. And add you into my weekly rotation. Thanks!!
@bad_squishy, western fairy tales were originally much darker and less “happy” than we see them today. Get an old school copy of Grimm’s, and you’ll see the difference.
I almost misread this as “noone knows the contents of that letter”
YEAH FOR JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY, MY FRIEND! congrats on 100 pages! Hopefully soon we can get this website situation sorted out and I can join your fabulous league of 2!
I don’t know if you’re interested in Vietnamese mythology, but my mother told us the story of the man and the tree in the moon as kids. Here’s a good english translation: http://talk.onevietnam.org/chu-cuoi-the-moon-man-folktale/
Just read the second paragraph. I’m pretty sure you could make a joke out of that…:P
Love your work!!