batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2843-l2950
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l2843-l2950
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 2843-2950
start: '2843'
end: '2950'
translation: Japanese Fairy Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'A sequence from the Bamboo-Cutter tale describes further failed suitors
of Princess Moonlight: the Third Knight obtains a supposed fire-rat skin that
burns when tested; the Fourth Knight sends servants after a dragon jewel, later
goes to sea himself, encounters a storm, and abandons the quest; the Fifth Knight
fails to find a swallow''s shell. The Emperor then seeks Princess Moonlight, sees
her radiance, asks her to come to court, and she begins to fade into a shadow
when threatened with removal, resuming form only after he promises to leave her
free.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Third Knight procures a supposed fire-rat skin through a friend in China
and sends it boxed to Princess Moonlight.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Princess Moonlight tests the skin by throwing it into fire; it burns at once,
proving the Third Knight has not fulfilled his word.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The Fourth Knight orders servants to seek a dragon bearing a five-color-radiating
jewel in Japan and China.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Fourth Knight's servants do not intend to obey the order and instead take
a holiday.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: After a year, the Fourth Knight hires a ship and compels the captain and sailors
to sail in search of the dragon.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: A long storm at sea causes the Fourth Knight to give up the dragon hunt; he
is blown ashore and becomes ill.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The Fourth Knight decides not to go near Princess Moonlight's house again
and praises the returned servants rather than punishing them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Fifth Knight also fails because he cannot find the swallow's shell.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The Emperor hears of Princess Moonlight's beauty and sends a Court lady to
investigate her.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: Princess Moonlight refuses to see the Court lady and says that, if forced
to go to the Palace, she will vanish from the earth.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The Emperor comes to the bamboo-cutter's house during a planned hunting excursion
and enters the room where Princess Moonlight is sitting with attendant maidens.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: The Emperor sees Princess Moonlight as exceptionally beautiful, more lovely
than a human being, and shining with soft radiance.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: When the Emperor proposes taking Princess Moonlight to court, she says she
will turn into a shadow if forced, and her figure begins to fade from sight.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: obs:14
text: Princess Moonlight resumes her former shape after the Emperor promises to
leave her free.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:14
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Third Knight
description: A suitor who obtains and sends Princess Moonlight a supposed fire-rat
skin, which fails the fire test.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Friend in China
description: The Third Knight's friend who acquires the fire-rat skin after being
promised money.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Princess Moonlight
description: The princess who tests the suitors' objects, refuses imperial summons,
is described as radiantly beautiful, and fades when threatened with forced removal.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Bamboo-cutter
description: The old man or father figure who carries the Third Knight's box to
the Princess and is involved in communicating with the Emperor about the plan
to visit.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:11
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Fourth Knight
description: A suitor who commands others to seek the dragon jewel, later sails
to seek it himself, abandons the quest after a storm, and renounces visiting the
Princess again.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Fourth Knight's servants and retainers
description: Servants ordered to find the dragon jewel who instead avoid the task
and take a holiday.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Captain and sailors
description: Seafarers who initially refuse the dragon search as absurd but are
compelled by the Fourth Knight to put out to sea.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Governor of the place
description: A local governor who hears of the Fourth Knight's plight and invites
him to his house.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Fifth Knight
description: A suitor who fails to find the swallow's shell.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Emperor
description: The ruler who hears of Princess Moonlight's beauty, sends a Court lady,
visits her himself, falls in love, and asks her to come to court.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Court lady
description: An imperial messenger sent to see whether Princess Moonlight is as
beautiful as report says.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Attendant maidens
description: Maidens present with Princess Moonlight when the Emperor enters the
house.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: quest-testing princess
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She tests the alleged fire-rat skin and judges the suitor's failure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: failed suitor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:9
basis: Each named knight fails to fulfill the required acquisition quest associated
with Princess Moonlight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: role:3
label: imperial suitor or pursuer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The Emperor seeks to see Princess Moonlight, falls in love, and asks or attempts
to take her to court.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:4
label: disobedient quest agents
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The servants are ordered to search for the dragon jewel but intentionally
avoid the task.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: messenger or assisting intermediary
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:11
basis: These figures assist, convey, host, or are sent in relation to the suitors'
and Emperor's actions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: role:6
label: household intermediary
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The bamboo-cutter carries the suitor's box to the Princess and mediates consent
for the Emperor's plan.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:11
- id: role:7
label: radiant evasive beloved
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: She is described as radiantly beautiful, refuses summons, and fades when
coercion is threatened.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: fire-rat skin
literal_form: A skin said to come from a fire-rat and to be unharmed by fire.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: fire test
literal_form: Princess Moonlight throws the skin into fire to determine whether
it is real.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: five-color-radiating dragon jewel
literal_form: A jewel borne on a dragon's head and described as radiating five colors.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: dragon
literal_form: A dragon associated with the five-color-radiating jewel.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: sea storm
literal_form: A great storm encountered during the sea search for the dragon.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: swallow's shell
literal_form: The object the Fifth Knight cannot find.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: soft radiance
literal_form: Princess Moonlight shines in her own soft radiance.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:8
label: shadow transformation or fading
literal_form: Princess Moonlight says she will turn into a shadow, and her figure
fades from sight.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- ev:14
- id: sym:9
label: bamboo-cutter's cottage
literal_form: The house or cottage where Princess Moonlight is hidden from court
and visited by the Emperor.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Third Knight's fire-rat skin trial
summary: The Third Knight sends a supposed fire-rat skin to Princess Moonlight;
she tests it in fire, where it burns, so he fails.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Fourth Knight's delegated dragon-jewel quest
summary: The Fourth Knight commands servants to search Japan and China for the dragon's
five-color-radiating jewel, but they avoid the task.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: Fourth Knight's sea search and abandonment
summary: After waiting a year, the Fourth Knight forces a sea search for the dragon,
meets a storm, is blown ashore, becomes ill, and abandons the Princess's quest.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:4
label: Fifth Knight's failed shell quest
summary: The Fifth Knight fails because he cannot find the swallow's shell.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:5
label: Imperial summons refused
summary: The Emperor sends a Court lady to verify Princess Moonlight's beauty, but
the Princess refuses to be seen and warns that she will vanish if forced to go
to the Palace.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:6
label: Emperor visits and Princess fades
summary: The Emperor visits the bamboo-cutter's house, sees Princess Moonlight's
radiance, asks to take her to court, and she begins fading into a shadow until
he promises to leave her free.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:10
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- ev:14
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: impossible quests for a desired bride
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: 'Multiple suitors are associated with rare or supernatural objects: fire-rat
skin, dragon jewel, and swallow''s shell; the objects are not successfully obtained
or verified.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage shows the failures but does not include the original setting
of all quest conditions.
- id: motif:2
label: testing the supernatural object by ordeal of fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Princess tests the alleged fire-rat skin by placing it in fire, where
it burns and reveals the suitor's failure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: No broader taxonomy reference is assigned beyond the literal fire symbol.
- id: motif:3
label: radiant nonhuman or superhuman beloved sought by ruler
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_beloved
basis: The Emperor falls in love with Princess Moonlight after seeing that she is
more lovely than a human being and shines with soft radiance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage implies superhuman qualities through radiance and beauty,
but does not explicitly identify her origin in this excerpt.
- id: motif:4
label: vanishing or shadow transformation to resist coercion
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: Princess Moonlight warns that forced removal to the Palace will make her
vanish or become a shadow, and she begins to fade until the Emperor promises freedom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- ev:14
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage describes fading and resuming form; whether this is shapeshifting,
disappearance, or another supernatural condition is not fully explained here.
- id: motif:5
label: failed delegated quest
taxonomy_refs:
- mystical_quest
basis: The Fourth Knight delegates the dragon-jewel search to servants who intentionally
avoid it, and his later personal attempt also fails after a storm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is a subpattern within the larger quest sequence rather than an independent
mythic type.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The suitors' searches for fire-rat skin, dragon jewel, and swallow's shell
share the function of an impossible or near-impossible acquisition quest attached
to winning access to Princess Moonlight.
claim_level: same_function
target: mystical_quest motif family
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The excerpt gives only part of the full tale and does not include the
initial assignment of every object in the sequence.
- id: claim:2
claim: Princess Moonlight's fading into a shadow when threatened with compulsory
removal has the same narrative function as supernatural evasion or transformation
motifs, preventing forced possession by a powerful suitor.
claim_level: same_function
target: shapeshifter or supernatural-vanishing pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:13
- ev:14
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not explain the mechanism or origin of the fading,
so the comparison should remain functional rather than typological or historical.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2843-2852
quote_or_summary: The Third Knight writes to a friend in China for the fire-rat's
skin, pays him, receives it, boxes it, and sends it to the Princess.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 2853-2862
quote_or_summary: Princess Moonlight says she must test the skin in fire; "The skin
crackled and burnt up at once," so the Third Knight fails.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2863-2868
quote_or_summary: The Fourth Knight orders servants to seek, in Japan and China,
the dragon bearing a five-color-radiating jewel on its head.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2869-2873
quote_or_summary: The Fourth Knight's retainers and servants leave in different
directions but intend not to obey and instead take a holiday.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2878-2885
quote_or_summary: After a year of waiting, the Fourth Knight takes two men, hires
a ship, and compels the captain and sailors to sail in search of the dragon.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2886-2893
quote_or_summary: A great storm lasts so long that the Fourth Knight decides to
give up the dragon hunt; the ship is blown ashore and he falls ill with a swollen
face.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2894-2907
quote_or_summary: A governor invites the Fourth Knight in; the Knight blames the
Princess for his hardships, praises his returned servants, and says he will never
go near her house again.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:8
type: quote
locator: lines 2908-2909
quote_or_summary: '"Like all the rest, the Fifth Knight failed in his quest—he could
not find the swallow’s shell."'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 2910-2913
quote_or_summary: The Emperor hears of Princess Moonlight's beauty and sends a Court
lady to see whether the reports are true.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2914-2920
quote_or_summary: Princess Moonlight refuses to see the Court lady and says that
if forced to obey the Emperor's order to go to the Palace, she will vanish from
the earth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 2921-2931
quote_or_summary: The Emperor arranges a hunting excursion near the bamboo-cutter's
house, then enters and goes to the room where the Princess sits with attendant
maidens.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:12
type: quote
locator: lines 2932-2936
quote_or_summary: She is "more lovely than any human being" and "shone in her own
soft radiance."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 2937-2948
quote_or_summary: The Emperor falls in love and wants to bring her to court; she
says she will turn into a shadow if forced, and her figure fades from sight.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 2949-2950
quote_or_summary: The Emperor promises to leave her free if she resumes her former
shape, and she does so.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary prepared for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong for events and figures in the passage. Motif
labeling is cautious because the excerpt contains only part of the full Bamboo-Cutter
narrative and does not include all prior quest assignments or Princess Moonlight's
full origin.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to provided motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l2843-l2950
passage_sha256=81d4b378da46395fcf03456d04a43280bcc7eb7184d42b1323355d324cf97648