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I would like to introduce some background information on Japanese culture for non-Japanese readers to deepen their understanding of the story when reading "Kamisama Kiss".
Today's topic is Uchide no kozuchi and Issun-bōshi.
Uchide no kozuchi in Kamisama Kiss
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| Vol.2 #12 |
In "Kamisama Kiss", "uchide no kozuchi" ("Tap-Appear Mallet") appears in Narukami-story and Izumo-story.
This item belongs to Okuninushi in the story.
In the Narugami story, it is used to make Tomoe smaller and to restore the smaller Tomoe (Vol.2 #12), and in the Izumo story, it is used to return Tomoe to a youkai (Vol.8 #45).
What is Uchide no Kozushi?
Uchide no kozuchi (打ち出の小槌, lit. "Tap-Appear Mallet") is a legendary Japanese "magic hammer" which can "tap out" anything wished for.
In popular belief, the magic wooden hammer is a standard item held in the hand of the iconic deity Daikoku-ten, who is often represented as figurines, statues, netsukes, and in architecture.
It is also a stock item in popular tales. In Issun-bōshi ("One-Inch Boy"), the hero gains the mallet defeating an ogre (oni) and amass wealth, while in modern embellishments, he even transforms himself into full adult-size.
The notion that ogres possessed this prized mallet dates much earlier than the tales, which are part of the otogi-zōshi collection from the Muromachi period.
Issun-bōshi - General Story
The general story is:
A childless old couple prayed to the Sumiyoshi sanjin to be blessed with a child, and so they were able to have one. However, the child born was only one sun (around 3 cm or 1.2 in) in height and never grew taller. Thus, the child was named the "one-sun boy" or "Issun-bōshi".
One day, Issun-bōshi said he wanted to go the capital to become a warrior, so he embarked on his voyage with a bowl as a boat, a chopstick as a paddle, a needle as a sword, and a piece of straw as a scabbard. In the capital, he found a splendid big house and found employment there. When a girl of that family went on a journey to visit a palace, an oni kidnapped the girl. As Issun-bōshi attempted to save the girl, the oni swallowed him up. Issun-bōshi used the needle to stab at the oni in the stomach, making the oni surrender, saying "it hurts, stop." The oni spat Issun-bōshi back out before fleeing to the mountains.
Issun-bōshi picked up the magic hammer (Uchide no kozuchi) dropped by the oni and swung it to enlarge his body to a height of six shaku (about 182 cm or 6 ft) and married the girl. It is said that he was able to use that mallet to conjure food, treasures, and other things, and the family was able to prosper for generations.
Issun-bōshi - Otogi-zōshi version
However, the version of the story written in the Otogi-zōshi has a few differences:
The old couple was disturbed by how Issun-bōshi never grew larger and thought he was some kind of monster. As a result, Issun-bōshi left their house.
The place where Issun-bōshi lived in the capital was a chancellor's home.
Issun-bōshi fell in love with the chancellor's daughter at first sight and wanted to make her his wife. However, he felt that with such a small body, she would not marry him, so he thought out a plan. He brought some of the rice grains offered to the family altar and put them in the girl's mouth, and then took an empty teabag and pretended to cry. When the chancellor saw this, Issun-bōshi lied and said that the girl stole some rice that he had been storing, and the chancellor believed this and attempted to kill his daughter. Issun-bōshi mediated between them and left the house together with the daughter.
The boat that they rode on went with the wind and landed on an eerie island. There, they encountered an oni, and the oni swallowed Issun-bōshi whole. However, Issun-bōshi took advantage of his small body and went out of the oni's body through its eye. This repeated several times until the oni was frustrated and withdrew, leaving the magic hammer behind.
The rumors of Issun-bōshi spread throughout society and he was summoned to the palace. The emperor took a liking to Issun-bōshi, and raised him to the rank of Chūnagon.
