Issun Boshi

[Story Teller]

Eventually a boy was born to them. But small indeed was the child - no larger than a grown man's fingertip.



The couple raised the child tenderly, and though he became a bright and well-respected young man, he grew not at all. As a result, he was called Issun-boshi (issun is a unit of measuring about 3 centimeters).



One day, Issun-boshi told his parents that he wanted to seek fortune in the city.




His parents were worried about their son but, trusting him, they sent him of with a sword made of sewing needle, a sheath made of straw, and a boat made from a rice bowl with a chopstick for an oar.