Summary
Once upon a time, in a mountain village, there lived a beautiful girl named Kinu. One day, she was suddenly struck by illness and trembled in fear of death. "If an ogre takes my soul, my parents will be saddened," she cried as she begged her mother. "Please, place a mountain of rice at the entrance!" When the ogre appeared, he saw the feast before him and exclaimed, "Oh, how kind! I'm starving," and devoured everything.
Afterward, the girl pleaded with the ogre, "Please, spare me just this once!" The ogre replied, "Very well, but in exchange, I will take the girl named Kinu from the neighboring village." The girl thought she was telling a lie, but soon the ogre headed to find the neighboring village's Kinu.
"You are Kinu, aren't you? Unfortunately, you must go to the King of Hell," the ogre said. Kinu was struck in shock and fainted, losing her soul. "I brought you to the king, but this is not the one I demanded," the King of Hell scolded the ogre. "Return Kinu's soul immediately."
Thus, Kinu's soul was returned to the mountain village by the ogre. "Our daughter Kinu has come back to life!" her parents rejoiced. However, the girl said, "I am Kinu from the neighboring village. My body is no longer here." Her parents could not believe it. "You are our daughter!"
Kinu explained the situation, and finally, her parents accepted her words. "How wonderful! Though it's a different body, you are alive!" The parents of Kinu from the mountain village were also surprised, saying, "It’s a strange thing. Your heart belongs to another Kinu, but at least part of you is our daughter."
After that, Kinu happily lived between the two households with two sets of parents.
