Summary
Once upon a time, a weary mother and her children in travel attire were walking along a country road. The mother was concerned about the safety of her husband, who had been demoted to Chikushi, and set out on a journey with her 14-year-old daughter, Anju, and her 12-year-old son, Chushi-o. However, no one would accept them when they searched for a place to stay. One night, while resting under a bridge, an old man appeared and said:
“If you sleep in a place like this, your children will catch a cold. Why don’t you come to my house for the night?”
After spending the night at the old man’s house, the family was advised to travel by boat the next day. The following morning, as the mother boarded a boat, the children were guided to another boat.
“Why are we being separated?” the mother asked, flustered. The boatman laughed and replied, “I bought you from that old man.”
The mother screamed, “Anju! Chushi-o!” The two cried out as well, but the mother’s boat drifted far away, and the children were sold to the Manzo Dairo of Tango Province. He overworked them, making them toil all day, every day.
“Chushi-o, be careful not to get hurt,” the sister said, and the brother was worried too. At night, the two siblings spent their harsh days talking about their parents.
One night, the sister said, “I heard mother was sold to Sado Island. Let’s escape and go look for her.” The brother replied eagerly, “Yes, let’s do that!” However, Saburo, having overheard their conversation, resorted to violence.
When the injured siblings regained consciousness, Anju took out a Jizo statue, and they prayed to it. Miraculously, their wounds healed, and eventually, the sister took her brother to the mountains.
“If you go straight down this path, you will reach the capital,” she said, placing the Jizo statue in his care. The brother ran off and arrived at a large temple.
“I escaped from Manzo Dairo. Please help me!” he begged, and the chief priest promised to help him, training Chushi-o to become a monk. As a result, he was able to learn about his father’s whereabouts in the capital, but his father had already passed away.
“From now on, think of me as your father,” the master said. A few years later, Chushi-o changed his name to Seido and captured Manzo Dairo.
“I will go to Sado Island to look for mother!” he resolved, though he was unsure if she was still there. While searching alone, he heard a familiar singing voice.
“Anju, come here, ho-yare-ho!” Seido rushed toward the source of the voice. “Mother!” he called out, and the old woman opened her eyes.
“Chushi-o!” she cried, tears streaming down her face as she recognized her child. The reunited mother and child embraced each other, sharing their joy.
