The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab
Folktale from Japan
Long ago on a sunny autumn day, a yellow crab and a snow monkey were playing with one another along the riverbank. In their unfettered joy, the crab ran across a rice dumpling, while the monkey came upon a persimmon seed.
The crab picked up the dumpling while showing it to the monkey, he said, “Look what I found!”
The monkey held up his persimmon seed and proclaimed, “I also found something!”
The monkey loved persimmons and had no reason to keep the unedible seed. He looked at it as if it were a stone. This also made him jealous of the crab’s discovery. Thinking he was clever, he offered to exchange his seed with the crab’s rice dumpling. The crab declined as he found no reason why he should give away his edible dumpling for a stone-like seed.
The monkey would not be deterred. He began trying to pursuade the crab by saying things like, “You are unwise as you are not thinking of the future! You may be able to eat that dumpling today, and it is indeed quite large, but this seed can grow into a tree if you plant it. That tree will grow and soon provide unlimited persimmons for you to eat every year. I wish I could show you a persimmon tree right now so that you could see for yourself. However, if you don’t believe me, I guess I will plant it myself. I just know that in the future, you will regret not taking my advice.”
The crab, simple-minded as he was, was convinced. He agreed to the exchange without hesitation. The greedy monkey quickly grabbed the rice dumpling and ate it. Yet, he was hesitant to hand over the persimmon seed. He wanted to keep that too, for he knew its value. However, he was concerned about making the crab angry and being pinched by the crab’s scissor-sharp claws, so he handed the persimmon seed over to the crab. After the exchange, they parted ways.
The monkey returned to the forest and the crab to his riverside stones. After returning to his home, the crab immidately planted the persimmon seed as the monkey had told him.
The following spring, much to the crab’s delight, the shoot of a persimmon tree began to sprout through the ground. Every passing year, the sprout grew bigger and taller, until one spring, it began to blossom. Those blossoms turned into persimmons in the fall. The tree, lush with smooth green leaves, was burgeoning with golden balls that soon would ripen into a deep orange. The crab’s pleasure was clear as his eyes would stretch out from his head, the same way that a snail’s does, every day when he sat in the sun to watch his persimmon tree ripen the fruit to perfection.
“How delicious they will be to eat!” he said to himself.
One day, when he felt the persimmons were ready to eat, he tried to climb the tree in order to cut the fruit down. However, each of his attempts failed for his legs were not long enough and were not made to climb trees. His legs were only designed for running along the ground and over stones. This made him remember monkey. He knew that his friend could easily climb the tree. So, he set out to find monkey to help him.
Running as fast as his little crab-legs could carry him, he found the monkey after crossing the stony riverbank, various pathways, and into the shadowy forest. The monkey was sleeping in a pine tree, with his tail curled around a branch to prevent him from falling. He awoke to his name being called. He eagerly listened to what the crab had to say. When he discovered that the seed he had exchanged with the crab was now a tree producing good fruit, he was excited. Of course, this also made him start to plot a way to take all of the persimmons for himself.
He agreed to go with the crab to pick the fruit. Upon arriving at the tree, the monkey was amazed to see what a beautiful tree that seed had turned into. Even more, he drooled as he looked upon the abundant and ripe persimmons the branches carried.
He climbed the tree quickly and began plucking and eating the fruit as quickly as he could. Every new fruit he selected was the best and ripest he could find. He kept eating until he could eat no more. He ate all of the fruit, except the hard and unripe fruit.
The crab was quite upset after patiently waiting for the monkey to send the ripe fruit down to him on the ground. He had waited patiently for the tree to grow, for the fruit to ripen, and then for the monkey to help him pick the fruit. Only, he didn’t get any of the fruit. He was so disappointed and began running around the tree reminding the monkey of his promise.
The monkey ignored the crab’s complaints at first, but then chose the least ripe and hardest persimmon and aimed it at the crab’s head. The persimmon was as hard as a stone, and when it struck the crab’s head, it hurt the crab severely. The monkey then continued to throw the hard unripe persimmons at the crab’s head, one after another, until the crab died from his wounds. His limp body lay at the foot of the tree that he had planted with such earnest intentions.
When the monkey saw what he had done, he ran away from the spot as quickly as he could. He was a coward who hid in fear and trembled as he worried what might happen to him.
The crab had a son who had been playing with a friend that day. On his way home, he came upon his father’s body. He was shocked at the condition his father’s body was in. His shell had been broken and his head smashed. All around his body, he saw the unripe persimmons that had killed his father. The young crab sat by his father’s body and wept.
After crying for a long period of time, he stopped. He told himself that crying would not bring his father back. He decided that he needed to avenge his father’s death. He looked for clues to help him uncover the culprit. When he looked up at the tree, he saw that all of the fruit was gone. He saw bits of peel and seeds strewn across the ground. He also saw the unripe persimmons surrounding his father. He realized that the unripe persimmons must have been thrown at his father. After deep consideration, he concluded that the only creature that could have done this was the monkey.
He remembered his father telling him about how he got the persimmon seed. How the monkey had traded the seed for a rice dumpling. The young crab also knew that monkeys loved persimmons. So, it would be easy for the monkey to climb the tree and steal all of the ripe fruit. What didn’t make sense was why he killed his father. It had to be greed.
He initially thought he should go and attack the monkey himself. He was burning with rage. However, he soon realized that the monkey would be hard to overcome as the monkey is old and cunning. He needed to meet the monkey’s cunning with his own cunning. So, he asked some friends to help him. He knew he couldn’t do this alone.
The young crab called on the mortar, his father’s oldest friend. He told him what had happened. He cried in front of the mortar as he begged him to help avenge his father’s death. The mortar was very sorry when he heard the horrible news and promised to help punish the monkey to death. He warned the crab that he must be very careful in what he does for the monkey is a strong and cunning enemy. The mortar fetched the bee and the chestnut, who were also long-time friends of the crab. After consulting them, the bee and the chestnut agreed to help the young crab in his revenge.
After a long discussion between the group members, their plans were made and each went their separate ways to go home. Mr. Mortar went home with the young crab to help him bury his poor father.
While all this was taking place, the monkey had been congratulating himself on his narrow escape and success in eating all of the persimmons. He felt he had made a clean getaway and no one would ever know he had been there. It never crossed his mind that he robbed and killed his friend. He continued to smile, but still felt nervous that consequences would come to him should his evil deeds be discovered. If anyone found out (he was still convinced this was impossible as he had made a clean escape), he worried that the crab’s family would hate him and seek revenge. So, he stayed home. He kept to himself and didn’t go out for several days.
He couldn’t keep this up as he became quite bored. He was used to his life of freedom in the woods and then he said, “No one knows that I was the one who killed the crab! I am also sure he was still breathing when I left. Dead crabs can’t speak! Who would be there to even say that I was the one who killed him? Since no one knows, why am I shutting myself in and brooding over this situation? What is done cannot be undone!”
With this, he began to wander out into the crab settlement and crept around as slyly as possible near the crab’s house to see if he could hear any gossip about the crab’s death. The crab had been the chief of the tribe, which made him very important to the whole settlement. However, the monkey heard nothing about the crab.
“They are obviously fools if they don’t know and don’t care who killed their chief!” said the monkey.
Little did he know that the seeming “unconcern” was actually part of the young crab’s plan. He purposely pretended not to know who killed his father, and made it seem that he believed his father responsible for his own death. This strategy ensured that he could keep his revenge plot a secret from the monkey.
Then one day, when the monkey was sitting quietly at home, he received a messenger from the young crab. While wondering about the meaning of the messenger’s appearance, the messenger bowed before him and said, “I have been sent by my master to inform you that his father died from a fall off a persimmon tree a few days ago. He had been attempting to get the ripe fruit. Since this is the seventh day after his father’s death, my master has prepared a small festival in his father’s honor and invites you to participate since you were one of his best friends. My master hopes you will honor his father with your kind visit.”
When the monkey heard the message, he rejoiced in his heart. He was relieved as his fears of being suspected were put to rest. He was not aware that a plot had been put into motion to avenge his misdeeds. He pretended to be surprised by the news of the crab’s death and said, “I am very sorry to hear of your chief’s death. We were great friends, as you know. I remember that we once exchanged a rice dumpling for a persimmon seed. It grieves me very much to think that the seed was what led to his demise. I will accept your invitation and thank you for coming this way to inform me. I will gladly attend the festival and show my respects to your chief.” He then managed to force a few tears to convince the messenger of his anguish.
The messenger laughed to himself and thought, “The wicked monkey is dropping false tears, but those will soon be replaced by real ones.” He then politely thanked the monkey and returned home.
When the messenger left, the monkey laughed aloud at what he thought was the young crab’s innocence. He then greedily imagined the feast that would be served in dead crab’s honor. He changed his clothes and set out in a solemn fashion to visit the young crab.
Upon arrival to the festival, he saw the crab’s family and relative waiting to receive and welcome him. As soon as the bows of meeting were over, they led him to a hall. Here the young crab, the chief mourner, came to receive the monkey. Condolences were expressed and thanks were exchanged between them. Then they all sat down to a luxurious feast. Entertainment was provided and the monkey treated as an honored guest.
When the feast was over, the monkey was invited to the tea ceremony room to have a cup of tea. The young crab ushered the monkey into the tea room, left him there, and retired. Much time passed, and the crab did not return. The monkey grew impatient.
He said to himself, “This tea ceremony is always a very slow affair. I am tired of waiting so long. I am very thirsty after drinking so much saké at the dinner!”
He then approached the charcoal fireplace and started to pour out the hot water that was boiling in the kettle. Then something burst out of the ashes with a great pop and hit the monkey in the neck. It was the chestnut, one of crab’s friends. The chestnut had patiently waited by hiding himself in the fireplace. Taken by surprise, the monkey fell backwards, and started to run from the room.
The bee, who was hiding just outside of the screens immediately stung him on the cheek as he burst out of the room. This caused the monkey great pain. Not only was his neck burning, but now his face was stinging. He began to scream and chatter wtih rage as he ran away.
The stone mortar had hidden himself among several other stones on top of the crab’s gate. As the monkey ran underneath the gate, the mortar and all of the stones with him fell down on top of the monkey’s head. The monkey was incapable of withstanding the blows and lay crushed on the ground in great pain. He was unable to move and helplessly laid there when the young crab came up to him holding his great claw scissors over the monkey.
The young crab said, “Do you now remember that you murdered my father?”
The monkey gasped, “It—was—your—father’s—fault—not—mine!”
“Can you still lie? I will take your last breath from you!” and with that, the young crab cut off the monkey’s head with his pincher claws. Thus, the wicked monkey met his well-earned punishent, and the young crab avenged his father’s death.
This is the end of the story of the monkey, the crab, and the persimmon seed.
Vocabulary
All definitions from Oxford Languages
unfettered
[ʌnˈfɛtəd]
adjective
unrestrained or uninhibited:
"unfettered artistic genius"
ed·ible
[ˈɛdɪb(ə)l]
adjective
fit or suitable to be eaten:
"the shrub has small edible berries" · "nasturtium seeds are edible" · "the dinner was barely edible"
deter
[dɪˈtəː]
verb
deterred (past tense) · deterred (past participle)
discourage (someone) from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences:
"only a health problem would deter him from seeking re-election"
prevent the occurrence of:
"strategists think not only about how to deter war, but about how war might occur"
per·suade
[pəˈsweɪd]
verb
persuade (verb) · persuades (third person present) · persuaded (past tense) · persuaded (past participle) · persuading (present participle)
induce (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument:
"it wasn't easy, but I persuaded him to do the right thing"
cause (someone) to believe something, especially after a sustained effort; convince:
"health boards were finally persuaded of the desirability of psychiatric units" · "he did everything he could to persuade the police that he was the robber"
(of a situation or event) provide a sound reason for (someone) to do something:
"the cost of the manor's restoration persuaded them to take in guests"
re·gret
[rɪˈɡrɛt]
verb
feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over (something that one has done or failed to do):
"she immediately regretted her words" · "I always regretted that I never trained"
simple-minded
[simple-minded]
adjective
simple-minded (adjective) · simpleminded (adjective)
having or showing very little intelligence or judgement
hesi·ta·tion
[hɛzɪˈteɪʃn]
noun
the action of pausing before saying or doing something:
"she answered without hesitation"
doubt or reluctance:
"I have no hesitation in recommending him"
burgeoning
[ˈbəːdʒ(ə)nɪŋ]
adjective
burgeoning (adjective)
beginning to grow or increase rapidly; flourishing:
"manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand"
abun·dant
[əˈbʌnd(ə)nt]
adjective
abundant (adjective)
existing or available in large quantities; plentiful:
"there was abundant evidence to support the theory"
(abundant in)
having plenty of:
"the riverbanks were abundant in beautiful wild plants"
earn·est
[ˈəːnɪst]
adjective
resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction:
"an earnest student" · "two girls were in earnest conversation"
trem·ble
[ˈtrɛmb(ə)l]
verb
trembled (past tense) · trembled (past participle)
(of a person or part of the body) shake involuntarily, typically as a result of anxiety, excitement, or frailty:
"Isobel was trembling with excitement"
(of a person's voice) sound unsteady or hesitant:
"her voice trembled as she described how much she missed him"
(of a structure or area of land) shake or quiver slightly:
"the earth trembled beneath their feet" · "buildings were trembling and people rushed into the streets"
be in a state of extreme apprehension:
"I tremble to think that we could ever return to conditions like these"
avenge
[əˈvɛn(d)ʒ]
verb
avenge (verb) · avenges (third person present) · avenged (past tense) · avenged (past participle) · avenging (present participle)
inflict harm in return for (an injury or wrong done to oneself or another):
"he vowed in silent fervour to avenge their murders"
inflict harm in return for an injury or wrong on behalf of (oneself or another):
"we must avenge our dead" · "they avenged themselves on the interlopers"
cul·prit
[ˈkʌlprɪt]
noun
a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed:
"the car's front nearside door had been smashed in but the culprits had fled"
cun·ning
[ˈkʌnɪŋ]
adjective
cunning (adjective) · cunninger (comparative adjective) · cunningest (superlative adjective)
having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion:
"a cunning look came into his eyes"
ingenious:
"plants have evolved cunning defences"
brood·ing
[ˈbruːdɪŋ]
adjective
brooding (adjective)
engaged in or showing deep thought about something that makes one sad, angry, or worried:
"he stared with brooding eyes"
appearing darkly menacing:
"the brooding moorland"
mis·deed
[mɪsˈdiːd]
noun
misdeeds (plural noun)
a wicked or illegal act:
"his past misdeeds were forgiven"
an·guish
[ˈaŋɡwɪʃ]
noun
severe mental or physical pain or suffering:
"she shut her eyes in anguish" · "Philip gave a cry of anguish"
verb
be extremely distressed about something:
"I spent the next two weeks anguishing about whether I'd made the right decision"
References
The Japanese Fairy Book by Yei Theodora Ozaki (1903), E.P. Dutton.