The Great Carp

Once, in a time long forgotten, there was a great warrior named Otaru. He was a leaderless samurai who lived outside of a coastal fishing town. This small town lied in between two Daimyo’s lands, and lay close to a forest filled with spirits and dangerous animals. Time and time again he was called upon by the villagers to protect them from a malevolent spirit, or a warring band of samurai, or great demon-beasts from the forest. This is a tale from when Otaru was new to the village, before they knew too much about him.

On a pleasant summer day, Otaru set out for the harbor. He had woken with a taste for fish lingering in his mouth. So he walked to the harbor and set out in his small coracle. He stopped about a mile from the shore and got out his net. Laden as it was with bait it would attract a great many fish, he thought. So he cast it out and trawled for a while. He soon built up a mass of fish in his boat, and it began to ride quite low in the water. He threw the last great net full of fish into his boat and thought to himself, “This will keep me for a long time. So he set out for home. When he was halfway home, and was passing a grouping of craggy rocks sticking out of the shore, the water began to heave. Great waves threw themselves at the little boat and it tipped frightfully back and forth. Otaru was quite frightened, but remained composed. But then he suddenly blanched, for he had spotted a massive streamlined black shape heading with great speed toward him. He began to paddle furiously towards the shore, but the massive black shape leapt out of the water, revealing itself to be a great carp, twice the size of a man, with a long snout full of bladelike teeth. It crashed onto Otaru’s boat, smashing it to bits. He immediately began paddling to the rocks, which were only ten feet from him. He climbed onto a rocky outcropping, and just in time, too, as the massive carp leapt up out of the heaving water and landed next to Otaru. It thrashed around for a bit, its tail slamming into the rocks time and time again, knocking great chunks into the ocean. It twisted on its side and pounced, to take a bite out of Otaru. But Otaru was too quick for it and grabbed its jaws, slicing his fingers on its teeth. He shoved a sizeable chunk of rock in its mouth, keeping its great jaws open. Then he drew his small sword, which he always kept at his side. In one quick movement, he cut off the carp’s head. As soon as the carp was dead, the seas calmed. A bit later, one of the fishermen saw Otaru sitting on the rocks and retrieved. That night Otaru feasted on the flesh of the great carp. He went to bed content, his sizeable girth filled with fish, his hunger sated.