Kasa-jizo かさ地蔵

I illustrated the booklet for the magazine, kid's English Journal February issue. The story is Japanese folk tale, Kasa-jizo. It is a lovely story about an old couple at the end of the year. アルクの子ども英語ジャーナル２月号の付録の、「かさ地蔵」の絵本の挿絵をさせてもらいました。

Kasa-jizo

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and his wife. One year-end, the old wife said to her husband, "We don't have any rice cakes." The old man answered, "OK, let's make some bamboo hats and sell them to buy some rice cakes."　おじいさんとおばあさんは、お正月用の餅すらありません。

The old man and his wife worked hard to make the bamboo hats, "One, two, three, four, five. We have made five bamboo hats, "smiled his old wife. The old man left home to sell the hats in town.　竹をあんで、かさを作って、市場で売る事にしました。

"Nice bamboo hats! Nice bamboo hats! Who needs a bamboo hats?" The old man sang out in the crowd, but nobody stopped. "Oh, boy. These aren't selling at all."　しかし、かさは売れませんでした。

The sun began to set, and he still had five bamboo hats left. The old man thought of his wife and said, "I am sorry. I won't be able to get any rice cakes today." He started to walk back home with the five hats.　帰り道、雪が降ってきます。

On the way home, the old man saw six ojizosama with their heads all covered by snow. "Oh, there is no roof above you. You look almost frozen in this snow," the old man said to the ojizosama.　ふと見ると、道ばたに、雪をかぶったお地蔵さんが並んでいます。

"I will give you these hats. One, two, three, four, five..." The old man put a bamboo hat on each ojizosama's head. "No, I need one more hat. Hmm...Oh, I have an idea!" The old man took his towel and placed it gently on the sixth ojizosama's head. Then he returned home with nothing in his hands.　おじいさんは、売れ残ったかさを、お地蔵さんに順番にかぶせてあげました。最後のお地蔵さんにはかさがなかったので、自分の手ぬぐいをかけてあげました。

When the old man arrived home, he told his wife what he had done during the day. "Forgive me. I couldn't sell even one hat. I couldn't buy any dice cakes." "Don't apologize. You did a good thing. The hats will help keep off the snow." His old wife smiled kindly.　手ぶらで帰ったおじいさんが、事情を話すと、おばあさんも、いい事をしたと喜んでくれました。

In the middle of the night, the old man and his wife heard a mysterious sound. The sound got closer and closer. And they heard someone knocking on the door. Knock, knock, knock."Who's that?" said the old man. "Oh, it's so late," said his wife.　その日の真夜中、扉をたたくものがあります。

"Shall we open the door?" asked the wife. "OK," answereed the old man. They opened the door. Lo and behold, there wre lots of rice caked, rice, fish, miso, vegetables, New Year's Day decorations, and many other delicacies. "Wow, this is amazing!" the old man and his wife shouted.　扉を開けると、そこには、お正月のお餅やごちそうがいっぱい！

"Look! Those are ojizosama!" said the old man. They saw six ojizosama walking away in the distance. "These are from the ojizosama." the old man said. "Thank you very much, ojizosama," said the old couple who were deeply grateful.　遠くに夕方のお地蔵さまが歩いてるのが見えました。お地蔵さまからのプレゼントだったのです。

Thanks to the ojizosama, the old man and his wife were able to enjoy a lovely New Year's Day. And they both lived happily ever after.　お地蔵さまのおかげで、よいお正月が迎えられました。そして、おじいさんとおばあさんは、それからも幸せに暮らしました。