Description
| Product: | 2 Antique Japanese Dolls SHITA-KIRI SUZUME The Tongue-Cut Sparrow & The Old Man from a Japanese Fable |
| Material: | Wood, Clothe, Various Material |
| Details: | ・Doll Height: 16.5cm / Height: 12.5cm ・Stand Height: 3cm / Width: 25.5cm / Depth: 9.5cm ・Box Height: 22.5cm / Width: 28cm / Depth: 12cm |
| Condition: | Excellent |
| Shipping: | $17.50 Via Economy Air 2-4 Weeks from Japan. Sole Checkout Only –-Must be the only product in the cart when checking out & paying. |
| Other: | Please see pictures for details.
This was made SHOWA 10, in 1935 |
Shita-kiri Suzume translated literally into “Tongue-Cut Sparrow“, is a traditional Japanese fable of an old kind old man and his arrogant and greedy wife. One day the old man finds an injured sparrow in the woods. Feeling sorry for the bird, he takes it back to his home and feeds it in the hopes of it recovering. His wife, however, was annoyed that he would waste precious food on such a small and insignificant little thing as a sparrow.
One day, the old man had to go on a trip to the mountains. He left the bird in the care of the old woman, who had no intention of feeding it. The sparrow was so hungry, it had found some starch that was left out and ate all of it. The old woman was so angry upon finding this, that she cut out the bird’s tongue and sent it flying back into the mountains from where it came.
When the old man saw that the bird was missing, he went searching for it. At the sparrow’s inn a multitude of sparrows greeted him and led him to his friend, the little sparrow he saved. They gave him food to thank him for saving their friend.
Upon his departure, they presented him with a choice of a large basket or a small basket as a present. Being an older man, he chose the small basket as he supposed it would be the least heavy. When he arrived home, he opened the basket and discovered a large amount of treasure inside. The wife, hearing of a larger basket, ran to the sparrow’s inn in the hope of getting more treasure for herself. She chose the larger basket but was warned not to open it before getting home.
Such was her greed that the she could not resist opening the basket before she returned to the house. To her surprise, the box was full of deadly snakes and other monsters. They startled her so much that she tumbled all the way down the mountain, presumably to her death.
The morals of the story are, the purity of friendship overcomes the evil of greed and jealousy and greed only leads to one’s own demise.
