The Worlds Most Foolish Traveler

Long ago it is said that there was a holy man that lived at a temple in Japan. He taught holy practices. The old man took great pleasure in the ancient tea ceremonies. He liked taking kettles and fixing them up. One day, the old man bought a rusty old kettle from a shop in an alley. He took it to the temple and polished it and fixed the cracks. It was ready for tea the next day. The old man showed the kettle to his pupils. They thought the kettle was beautiful. The old man put some water in the kettle and placed it on the stove. The kettle started spinning around and around on the stove. Then it started screaming,"Oh help! Ouch,ouch,ouch it's hot! Get me out!" The holy man and his pupils jumped away from the spinning teakettle. Then the kettle grew a face, a tail, arms and legs. It was a tanuki! The holy man decided the tanuki teakettle was cursed and must not stay in the temple. So the next day when a tinker passed by the temple, the holy man said,"Tinker, you may have this teakettle for next to nothing." "You are very generous. Thank you very much." And the tinker went off with the bewitched teakettle. The tinker went home and made himself some tea with his new teakettle.Again the teakettle acted up. But before the tinker got scared the tanuki teakettle spoke. "Tinker, I have an agreement we can make. How about if you never put me on the stove, I will make you rich." Since the tinker was quite poor, he agreed. Besides he had other kettles. So the tinker took the tanuki off the stove and the next day they went to the village square. The teakettle was placed on a platform and then it transformed into a tanuki. The crowd cried out in surprise. The tanuki danced and sang and did tricks. The tanuki did this for many weeks. People paid lots of money to see the famous tanuki teakettle.Soon the tinker was very rich. The tanuki ate his favourite rice cakes every night because of the money they made from the performances. One night the tinker said,"Tanuki, I have more than enough money. You have made me very rich. Would you like to go back to the temple?" The tanuki considered this. Then he answered,"Only if you make sure that they won't put me on the stove." "I promise that I won't leave you there unless they take good care of you,don't put you on the stove and most importantly, they give you your favourite rice cakes. The tanuki was satisfied. The next day the tinker and the tanuki went back to the temple and were greeted warmly by the holy man. The tinker explained the situation and told the holy man the requirements. The holy man said,"Tanuki, I am very sorry for putting you on the stove in the first place. If I had known what a special teakettle you are, I never would have done it. Please forgive me and become part of the temple." And the tanuki teakettle was placed on a table to rest with his favourite rice cakes beside him. He is still there now.