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The Ghost of Nagate

10 人や国の不平等をなくそう
ページID:0002438 更新日:2022年12月6日更新 印刷ページ表示

Quite a while back, there was rumor going around about a ghost that lived in a local pond near the village of Nagate. A group of area youngsters decided to go to the pond to discover the real nature of this ‘ghost’. They armed themselves with bamboo swords and spears and set off for the pond.

“A spirit is an awful thing to have about !” declared one of the gang of toughs. ”But we can handle it!”

It is just the trick of some fox or badger, I’ll bet!” proclaimed another. And so they carried on, waiting for night to come, all of them full of bluff and bluster.

Eventually, night came, and with it came a strange rustling sound from the pond. Ripples began to form on the surface of the dark water. As the ripples slowly grew to become waves there appeared, out of nowhere, the form of a young woman, on the surface of the water.

The woman’s face was a transparent bluish white and her entire body was soaking wet. Slowly she moved across the surface of the water toward the brave young men of the village, and before you could say ‘ghost’, the youngsters were on their way home.

This scene was repeated many times. Every night, those who felt that they had the courage would venture out to the pond, only to be frightened off without unraveling the secret of this watery ghost.

On the outskirts of Nagate, there was a young man of excellent character who shared a home with his mother. He always took good care of his mother, and although he was often teased by the children of the village, he never became angry at them.

When he heard about the ghost he said to himself, “I think that I’ll go out and catch that ghost and bring it back to show my mom.” So one night he made his way out to the pond, all alone. Some time after midnight, just as he had heard from the men of the village, ripples began to form on the surface of the pond. The ripples formed waves and the young woman appeared once again.

“Hey, come here. Come over here.” The young man beckoned. The ghost floated slowly across the surface of the water toward the young man. “Hurry, ghost hurry. I want to take you home to show you to my mom.”

As the apparition came near to the young man she spoke for the first time saying, “I am not a ghost. I am gold!”

“Is that right?” asked the young man, “Gold, you say. Well that just fine! If you are gold, that will really make mom real happy. Hurry, let’s go!” he said as took hold of the woman.

“Wait!” she cried. “I am gold, that is true, but I can not go with you now. Listen to my story.”

“Many years ago, the Nitta family was pursued into this area. One of the men who served Yoshisada Nitta buried three treasure chests here. Each chest contains one thousand pieces of gold.”

“Do you see those three thick trees growing there?” the phantom said pointing to the middle of the pond. “Nitta’s man buried the gold among the roots of those trees. He was killed in battle shortly after, taking the secret of the location of the gold with him to his grave.”

“I wanted to return to the world, so I took this form so that I could tell my tale, but all who came here were too frightened to listen. Until you.” she said. “ You have listened very well. The gold is yours to do with as you please.” Then the apparition disappeared, never to return.

The young man went home and told his mother the whole story. The next morning she enlisted the help of the village and together they drained the pond, dug among the roots of the trees there and, just as the spectral woman had foretold, they found three thousand pieces of gold buried in three treasure chests. The young man and his mother shared the gold the people of the village, and that is how the village of Nagate became rich a long time ago.