The Runaway Bull

Introduction to Hikoichi

・Japanese  ・English ・Japanese＆English

English translator　REN HANADA(花田れん)

　Once upon a time, there was a very clever child named Hikoichi.

　This is a story from when Hikoichi was on a trip with the chieftain.

　As they approached the mountain and walked along a single road, a voice came from the other side. "The bull got away! Just get out of here!" A squealing voice was heard.
　They tensed up and looked in the direction they were going, and sure enough, one of the raging bulls came running at them with tremendous force.
"Oh, my God!"
　The two fled as fast as they could but the furious bull is close and it’s behind them, flaunting its horns.
　If they are caught up by this bull, the two of them would be either pushed to death or if they were lucky enough, they'll just be seriously injured.
　Before long, the chieftain, who was running, tripped over a pebble and fell with a thud.
"Waaah, help me!"
　the chieftain shouted.
　Upon hearing this, Hikoichi turned around to face the bull and suddenly stood on his hands on the ground.
　Strangely, the bull that was about to pounce on the chieftain, who had fallen over, startlingly stopped in his tracks.
　The owner of the bull rushed to the place and finally caught the raging bull.
　The chieftain and the owner, who managed to survive, wondered why the bull had stopped by seeing Hikoichi doing the handstand.
　When they rolled their eyes and asked why, Hikoichi got back on his feet and wiped the dirt from his hands, and said,
"This is neither spell nor wit. An old man in the village told me that animals, whether they are bulls or dogs, are very surprised and calm when they see something unusual that they have never seen before. So I tried to stand on my hands. An animal with its head between its legs is a bit unusual, isn't it?"
　Hearing this, the chieftain and the owner said, "You're a frighteningly smart child." And they admired Hikoichi for his cleverness and courage.

　Even now, if you go to the countryside of Kyushu, it is said that if you are chased by a bull, you should do a handstand.

End

One point advice : Grandmas wisdom
“Those who respect the elderly pave their own road toward success.”
– African proverb
“An elderly person at home [is like] a living golden treasure.”
– Chinese saying
If we wouldn't give back to our parents, we would never be successful.

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