Hase-Hime: The Diligent Daughter

Hello everyone!

This will be my last post dealing with Japanese mythology for now; I’ll be switching to a different mythology (Mesopotamian!) next week. I wanted to wrap things up with a beautiful Japanese legend.  I found it to be highly similar to the European fairy tales of Snow White and Cinderella. The story revolves around a young girl named Hase-Hime.

In ancient Japan there lived a Prince and his wife. They loved each other very much, and were quite happy, save for their lack of a child. After many years had passed without the couple conceiving, they traveled to the temple of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of Mercy) in Hase. There they prayed for a child.

Their prayer was quickly answered, and a daughter was born to the couple. In gratitude they named her Hase-Hime, meaning “Princess of Hase”. The family was very happy together.

Unfortunately, the their joy was not to last. Hase-Hime’s mother became deathly ill. Eventually she called her daughter to her deathbed. Hase-Hime listened as her mother told her that she was dying. Her mother implored her to be dutiful and kind. She also warned Hase-Hime that her father might one day remarry. Hase-Hime was told to regard this woman as her true mother, and to obey and respect her.

Hase-Hime’s mother soon passed away, leaving the poor girl - only five years old - without a mother.

This was not to last. True to her mother’s words, Hase-Hime’s father soon remarried. His chosen bride was a spiteful and cruel woman, but Hase-Hime served her with diligence and kindness. The stepmother hated Hase-Hime, for the girl was not her child, but could find nothing in her manners to complain about.

Hase-Hime was a diligent student, particularly of both the harp and poetry. Her skill was so great that she was called upon to play for the Emperor himself when she was only twelve. Her stepmother was asked to accompany Hase-Hime on the flute, but played poorly and had to have one of the court women take her place. This was a huge disgrace on her part, but Hase-Hime played her piece beautifully and was showered with gifts by the Emperor.

Of course, this only made the stepmother hate Hase-Hime even more. Her hatred was made even stronger due to the fact that she had given birth to a son. Hase-Hime’s stepmother believed that her husband loved Hase-Hime more than his son, and thus sought a way to get rid of Hase-Hime.

One day, when Hase-Hime was playing with her little brother, the stepmother came in and gave them both some wine. She had poisoned one of the glasses, but accidentally gave it to her own son instead of Hase-Hime. The boy was rushed to the doctors, but he could not be saved. In her grief, the stepmother blamed his death on Hase-Hime and hated her all the more.

When Hase-Hime was thirteen, the rainy season came and filled the river outside the Emperor’s palace to the top of its banks. The constant roar of rushing water disrupted the Emperor’s sleep, and he soon fell ill. Doctors from all across Japan were called to help, but none could heal the Emperor.

Rumors began to spread in the court as the people remembered an old legend. Years ago, it said, a woman had beseeched the gods through poetry and made the weather change. Could the same thing be done here? Hase-Hime was a skilled poetress - perhaps the gods would listen to her.

These rumors eventually reached the ears of the Emperor, and he called for Hase-Hime’s father. The Emperor told him what he wished Hase-Hime to do, and her father passed the Imperial command on to his daughter.

Though she was terrified at the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders, Hase-Hime composed a poem and read it at the swollen river. The waters calmed almost immediately, and the Emperor soon regained his health. He heaped praises upon Hase-Hime and bestowed upon her a court rank.

This was all too much for Hase-Hime’s stepmother. The evil woman waited until Hase-Hime’s father was out of town on business - then, she ordered one of her servants to take Hase-Hime into the wilds and kill her.

The servant obediently took Hase-Hime to a rural area, but he could not find the will to kill the sweet, kind girl. Instead, he called for his wife and built a small house, vowing to look after Hase-Hime.

Meanwhile, Hase-Hime’s father was frantic at her disappearance. He kept the matter quiet to avoid scandal, but devoted all of his resources to finding his daughter. One day, while out on a hunting trip, Hase-Hime’s father came across a quaint home in the wilds. A woman’s voice read out loud within it, and he wondered who would be studying so diligently in the middle of nowhere. He was surprised and overjoyed to find that it was his Hase-Hime!

Hase-Hime refused to say what had happened (she was still trying to be a dutiful stepdaughter), but the loyal servant who had looked out for her told Hase-Hime’s father everything. He returned home in a rage, determined to punish his wife. Unfortunately, she had heard of his coming in advance and fled in disgrace to her father’s home. She was never heard from again.

Hase-Hime’s father soon adopted a boy of noble birth as his son. The boy and Hase-Hime later went on to marry. They produced a son, who Hase-Hime’s father declared the heir of the family...and they lived happily ever after!

I love this story! I hope my retelling of it did it justice. I absolutely adore the parallels between Cinderella (the wicked stepmother) and Snow White (the stepmother’s servant being sent to kill the child). The Japanese regarded Hase-Hime as a model of the ideal young woman, and I find it interesting to view their culture through their ideals.

As I said at the beginning of my post, this is the last I’ll be doing with Japanese tales for a while. I’ll be starting to look at Mesopotamian myths next week, so stay tuned for that! I’ll see you then!