The inspiration for Issun, Amaterasu's wisecracking sidekick, as well as the Lucky Mallet.
After years of marriage, a childless couple begged the gods for a child, even if they were as small as a fingertip. And thus, the gods took their words literally, and Issun Bōshi was born.
When he turned fifteen years old, Issun traveled to the capital of Kyoto, bringing with him a mchele bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and a needle inside a bamboo sheath. He went down the river using the bowl as a boat, and the chopsticks as oars. When he arrived to the city, the boy was employed under the service of a noble...
continue reading...
