batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2632-l2740
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2632-l2740
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
passage_locator:
label: THE FARMER AND THE BADGER / THE ADVENTURES OF KINTARO, THE GOLDEN BOY / THE
STORY OF THE MAN WHO DID NOT WISH TO DIE / THE BAMBOO-CUTTER AND THE MOON-CHILD;
lines 2632-2740
start: '2632'
end: '2740'
translation: Japanese Fairy Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'Five suitors seek Princess Moonlight, pray to Buddha, and return to the
bamboo-cutter''s house. The bamboo-cutter urges his foster-daughter to meet and
marry one of them, reminding her of her miraculous discovery as a tiny being in
bamboo filled with white light. Princess Moonlight agrees only to test the suitors
by requiring each to obtain a difficult object from a distant or marvelous place:
Buddha''s stone bowl, a jeweled branch from the tree on Mount Horai, a fire-rat
skin, a five-colored stone from a dragon''s head, and a shell from a swallow''s
stomach. The suitors despair at first, then resolve to attempt the quests.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Five Knights seek to win Princess Moonlight and return to the bamboo-cutter's
house after previously receiving a stern answer.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: obs:2
text: The suitors use rosaries, kneel before household shrines, burn incense, and
pray to Buddha for their desire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The bamboo-cutter feels sympathy for the suitors and wants his foster-daughter
to marry one of them.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The bamboo-cutter tells Princess Moonlight that she has seemed to him to be
a heavenly being, but that he raised her as his own child.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Princess Moonlight says she honors and loves the bamboo-cutter as her own
father and cannot remember the time before she came to earth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The bamboo-cutter recalls finding Princess Moonlight as a three-inch-high
creature in bamboo, amid a great white light that streamed from the bamboo.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Princess Moonlight declines immediate marriage and asks that the suitors prove
their love by bringing her desired objects from distant places.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The suitors sing and play flutes outside the bamboo-cutter's house before
receiving the test.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: The five suitors accept the trial because it would prevent jealousy between
them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Each suitor is assigned a different difficult quest-object.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: obs:11
text: The bamboo-cutter considers the tasks very hard, and the suitors initially
see them as impossible and return home in despair.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:12
text: After thinking of Princess Moonlight, the suitors' love revives and they resolve
to try to obtain the objects.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Five Knights / five suitors
description: Five men who seek to win Princess Moonlight and are assigned separate
tasks to prove their love.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Princess Moonlight
description: The bamboo-cutter's foster-daughter, described as lovely and as seeming
heavenly; she sets conditions before agreeing to marry any suitor.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: The bamboo-cutter / old man
description: An old man over seventy who raised Princess Moonlight and urges her
to meet the suitors.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:12
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Buddha
description: A figure to whom the suitors pray and to whom the requested stone bowl
is said to have belonged.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fire-rat
description: A creature in China whose skin is requested from the Third Knight.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Dragon
description: A dragon that carries on its head a stone radiating five colors.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Swallow
description: A swallow that carries a shell in its stomach.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: suitors
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They wait for Princess Moonlight, plead for a hearing, and seek to marry
her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: desired bride
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The five Knights seek to win her, and the bamboo-cutter urges her to choose
one of them.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: setter of trials
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: She requires each warrior to bring a desired object from a distant or marvelous
place before she will grant their request.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: role:4
label: questers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Each suitor is assigned a task to obtain a specific distant or difficult
object.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
- id: role:5
label: foster-father
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He says he found and raised Princess Moonlight and she honors him as her
father.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: mediator
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: He carries messages between Princess Moonlight and the five suitors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- id: role:7
label: sacred owner / prayed-to being
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The suitors pray to Buddha, and one requested object is the stone bowl that
belonged to Buddha.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: marvelous creature associated with quest-object
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The fire-rat, dragon, and swallow are each named as bearers or sources of
requested objects.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: rosaries and household shrines
literal_form: rosaries, household shrines, and incense used in prayer
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: bamboo with great white light
literal_form: bamboo hiding a three-inch-high child, with a great white light streaming
from it
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: stone bowl of Buddha
literal_form: stone bowl said to have belonged to Buddha in India
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: Mountain of Horai
literal_form: mountain in the Eastern Sea with a wonderful tree on its summit
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: wonderful tree branch
literal_form: branch from a tree with silver roots, a gold trunk, and white jewels
as fruit
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: fire-rat skin
literal_form: skin of the fire-rat sought in China
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: five-colored dragon stone
literal_form: stone radiating five colors carried on a dragon's head
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:8
label: swallow shell
literal_form: shell carried in a swallow's stomach
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:9
label: flutes and love songs
literal_form: flutes played and self-composed songs sung by the suitors
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Suitors pray and return
summary: The five Knights pray to Buddha at their household shrines, then return
to the bamboo-cutter's house to ask for help in gaining an audience with Princess
Moonlight.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Bamboo-cutter urges Princess Moonlight to marry
summary: The bamboo-cutter appeals to Princess Moonlight as his foster-daughter
and asks her to meet the suitors, while she expresses filial affection and reluctance
to marry.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: scene:3
label: Miraculous discovery recalled
summary: The bamboo-cutter recalls finding Princess Moonlight as a tiny being within
bamboo lit by a great white light, and says he has thought her more than mortal.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Trial by impossible objects announced
summary: Princess Moonlight requires the five suitors to prove their love by obtaining
specific rare objects from distant or marvelous places before she will consider
marriage.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:5
label: Despair and renewed resolve
summary: The bamboo-cutter hesitates because the tasks are very hard; the suitors
first despair but later resolve to attempt the quests.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: miraculous child found in luminous bamboo
taxonomy_refs:
- miraculous_child
basis: Princess Moonlight is recalled as having been found when she was only three
inches high, hidden in bamboo from which a great white light streamed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage recalls the discovery rather than narrating it directly in
full.
- id: motif:2
label: heavenly or more-than-mortal beloved
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The bamboo-cutter says Princess Moonlight seemed like a heavenly being and
more than mortal, while suitors seek to marry her.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports the bamboo-cutter's perception and does not explicitly
identify her nature beyond that perception.
- id: motif:3
label: marriage trial by difficult quests
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
- sacred_exchange
basis: Princess Moonlight conditions marriage or audience on the suitors bringing
rare objects from distant lands and marvelous beings or places.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The exchange is framed as a test of love, not explicitly as a ritual or
sacred transaction.
- id: motif:4
label: quest for treasures from distant or marvelous places
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: The requested objects include Buddha's bowl from India, a branch from Mount
Horai in the Eastern Sea, a fire-rat skin from China, a dragon's five-colored
stone, and a swallow's shell.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage begins the quest setup but does not yet narrate the outcomes.
- id: motif:5
label: sacred or marvelous tree on a mountain
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
- cosmic_mountain
basis: One task requires obtaining a branch from a wonderful tree on the summit
of the Mountain of Horai; the tree has silver roots, a gold trunk, and jewel fruit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes the tree and mountain as marvelous, but does not
explicitly state an axis or world-center function.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 2632-2638
quote_or_summary: The five Knights return home, take rosaries, kneel before household
shrines, burn incense, and pray to Buddha for their heart's desire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 2640-2653
quote_or_summary: The suitors return to the bamboo-cutter's house, ask him to speak
for them, and describe their long vigil through winter, summer, hunger, sleeplessness,
and exposure.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 2654-2665
quote_or_summary: The bamboo-cutter tells Princess Moonlight she has seemed heavenly
but was raised by him; she replies that she honors and loves him as her father
and cannot remember before she came to earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 2674-2683
quote_or_summary: The bamboo-cutter recalls finding her years earlier as a three-inch-high
creature hidden in bamboo, with a great white light streaming from it, and says
he thought her more than mortal.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 2666-2673, 2684-2697, 2700-2704
quote_or_summary: The bamboo-cutter urges Princess Moonlight to meet the suitors
and marry one; she resists, questions their reliability, and says she must test
their love before granting an interview.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 2705-2714
quote_or_summary: The suitors arrive, play flutes, sing love songs, and receive
the message that whoever brings Princess Moonlight what she wants may marry her;
all accept the trial.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 2715-2717
quote_or_summary: The First Knight is asked to bring the stone bowl that belonged
to Buddha in India.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 2718-2721
quote_or_summary: The Second Knight is asked to go to the Mountain of Horai in the
Eastern Sea and bring a branch from a summit tree with silver roots, a gold trunk,
and white jewel fruit.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 2723-2724
quote_or_summary: The Third Knight is told to go to China to find the fire-rat and
bring its skin.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: 2725-2727
quote_or_summary: The Fourth Knight is told to find the dragon carrying a stone
radiating five colors on its head and bring the stone to Princess Moonlight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: 2728-2729
quote_or_summary: The Fifth Knight is told to find the swallow with a shell in its
stomach and bring the shell to Princess Moonlight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: 2731-2736
quote_or_summary: The old man thinks the tasks very hard and hesitates, but the
Princess insists; when the suitors hear the tasks they are disheartened and return
home in despair.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: 2738-2740
quote_or_summary: After some time, thoughts of Princess Moonlight revive the suitors'
love, and they resolve to attempt to obtain what she desires.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif candidates use only
available taxonomy references and are limited where the passage merely sets up
quests rather than narrating their outcomes. No comparison claims were added because
the passage itself does not support a specific cross-text comparison.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
All observations, figures, roles, symbols, scenes, and motifs cite passage evidence. Taxonomy references are included only where the supplied taxonomy supports them.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l2632-l2740
passage_sha256=9d2cf0f7c40ccfbad5db560b827adf226ee12f8bbe22f876d123e4988dbb564a