Totoya-michi and the Mountain Dog's Repayment

Japanese

A long time ago, there was a fish dealer living near the sea in Kobe who would carry the morning's catch of fish over Mt. Rokko to Arima Onsen. He would always travel over a mountain path called Totoya-michi, which means "Fish Dealer's Path" in Japanese.

Whenever the young fish dealer traveled along Totoya-michi, he would think about the mountain dog he occasionally saw in passing, and, being an animal lover, he would sometimes throw out an extra fish, shouting out, "Here's you a fish! Look, a delicious fish!"

One day in the shadows of the approaching dusk, the fish dealer was trudging along on his return trip from Arima when suddenly a large mountain dog appeared along Totoya-michi. "Oh, it's a wolf!" exclaimed the alarmed fish dealer as the large mountain dog lunged at the fish dealer. The mountain dog bit at the sleeve of the fish dealer's kimono and pulled with all its might. "Somebody help me!" the fish dealer screamed as he was being pulled behind a rock.

It was then when Totoya-michi heard a rustling sound and a loud noise before seeing a pack of wolves passing over the mountain path. "I understand now. You were saving me as a repayment for the fish!" From that time on, we continued giving his extra fish to the mountain dog knowing he had made a good friend.

Today many people have become familiar with the mountain path as an excellent place for hiking.

Folklores in Arima Index
No. 1 Tale : Two Gods and Three Crows of Arima
No. 2 Tale : Saint Gyoki and Hot Springs of Arima
No. 3 Tale : Saint Ninsai and the Spider Guide
No. 4 Tale : Totoya-michi and the Mountain Dog's Repayment
No. 5 Tale : Spider Waterfall
No. 6 Tale : Valley of Hell (Bird Hell and Insect Hell)
No. 7 Tale : Mt. Kumuchi and Cedar Valley
No. 8 Tale : Uwanari-yu (Jealousy Bath)
No. 9 Tale : Tamoto-ishi (Tamato Stone)
No. 10 Tale : Negai-zaka (Slope of Wish)
No. 11 Tale : The Teakettle of Zenpukuji Temple
No. 12 Tale : Kobu-zaka (Lump Slope)
No. 13 Tale : Otoku-san
No. 14 Tale : Funasaka and Saint Gyoki
No. 15 Tale : Fire Protecting Jizo of Konomoto
No. 16 Tale : Origin of Motoyu "Ryuusenkaku"

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