batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l3178-l3288
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l3178-l3288
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 3178-3288
start: '3178'
end: '3288'
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 wife spends her husband’s absence working, caring for their daughter,
and teaching her old stories. The husband returns from the capital and gives the
daughter a doll and cakes, then gives his wife a boxed mirror. The wife, unfamiliar
with mirrors, thinks she sees someone in it. Her husband explains reflection,
the mirror’s importance for women, its association with the heart, and its status
among imperial insignia. The wife treasures it as representing her soul. Years
pass happily as their daughter grows to sixteen, but the mother falls gravely
ill and prepares to speak to her daughter from her sickbed.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: During the husband’s absence, the wife spins thread, prepares to weave winter
clothes, directs the girl’s games, and teaches her to read old stories.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The husband returns after about a month of travel and is greeted eagerly by
his wife and child.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The father opens a bamboo basket and gives the girl a doll and a lacquer box
full of cakes as a prize for taking care of her mother and the house.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The husband gives his wife a square wooden box tied with red and white string.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Inside the box is a handled metal disk with one bright reflective side and
another side decorated with raised figures of pine-trees and storks.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The wife, who has never seen such an object, looks into it and says she sees
somebody looking at her.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: The husband explains that the object is a mirror and that the wife is seeing
her own reflected face.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The husband says mirrors are necessary for women in the capital, are linked
by proverb to a woman’s soul, indicate the state of a woman’s heart, and are among
the Emperor’s insignia.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The wife says that if the mirror represents her soul, she will treasure it
and not use it carelessly.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The wife raises the mirror as high as her forehead in grateful acknowledgment,
shuts it in its box, and puts it away.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The reunited family spends a happy evening, and the father tells of his journey
and the capital.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: Years pass, and the daughter grows into a beautiful girl of sixteen who helps
her mother and reminds her father of her mother.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: The mother becomes ill, grows weaker despite the doctor’s efforts, and is
attended constantly by her daughter.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: As the daughter sits near the bed, the mother takes her hand, gazes into her
eyes, and begins speaking with difficulty.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: wife and mother
description: A rural woman from Echigo who works during her husband’s absence, receives
a mirror, later becomes gravely ill, and speaks to her daughter from her bed.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:4
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: husband and father
description: A man who returns from about a month of travel to the capital, brings
gifts to his wife and daughter, and explains the mirror.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: daughter
description: A girl who greets her father, receives a doll and cakes, grows into
a beautiful sixteen-year-old, and stays beside her ill mother.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: doctor
description: A doctor who is puzzled by the mother’s worsening illness and whose
efforts do not save her.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: waiting household worker and caregiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She spins, prepares weaving, guides the child’s games, and teaches old stories
while her husband is away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: returning traveler
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He comes home after about a month of travel and is visibly altered by exposure
to weather.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: dutiful child
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Her father rewards her for taking care of her mother and the house while
he was away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: recipient of meaningful gift
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She receives the mirror and interprets it as representing her soul after
her husband’s explanation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: explainer of unfamiliar object
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: He explains that the metal disk is a mirror and describes its uses and meanings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: dying mother
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: She becomes gravely ill, grows weaker, and begins to speak to her daughter
from bed with difficulty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: bedside attendant
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Day and night the girl never leaves her mother’s side during the illness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:8
label: ineffective healer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The doctor is puzzled, and despite his efforts the woman continues to weaken.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mirror
literal_form: A handled metal disk with a bright reflective side and a decorated
side bearing raised pine-trees and storks.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: reflected face
literal_form: The wife’s own face seen in the mirror, first described by her as
somebody looking at her.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: pine-trees and storks
literal_form: Raised figures carved on the back of the mirror.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: red and white string
literal_form: String carefully tying the square wooden box that contains the mirror.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: bamboo basket of gifts
literal_form: A bamboo basket from which the father takes the daughter’s doll and
cakes and the wife’s boxed mirror.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Work during absence
summary: The wife consoles herself during her husband’s absence by making winter
clothing materials, guiding the child’s games, and teaching the child old stories
until the husband returns.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Family reunion after journey
summary: The husband returns from travel visibly sunburned, and his wife and child
eagerly greet him before they sit together at home.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Child rewarded with gifts
summary: The father gives the girl a doll and a lacquer box of cakes from the capital
as a reward for caring for her mother and the house.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Mirror received and explained
summary: The husband gives his wife a boxed mirror; she is surprised by the reflected
face, and he explains the object’s reflective function and its cultural meanings.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Happiness after reunion
summary: The family enjoys being together again, and the father tells them about
his journey and the capital.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Daughter grows and sorrow arrives
summary: The daughter grows to sixteen and becomes a comfort to her mother and a
source of pride to her father; then the mother falls ill.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Mother’s illness and bedside speech
summary: The mother’s illness worsens despite medical attention, the daughter remains
by her side, and the mother prepares to speak to her with difficulty.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: unfamiliar mirror mistaken for another person
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The wife, having never seen such an object, looks into the reflective disk
and says she sees somebody looking at her before her husband explains reflection.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives only the initial recognition scene; any later narrative
consequences are outside this excerpt.
- id: motif:2
label: mirror as soul and heart-index
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The husband states that a woman’s mirror is treated as her soul and as an
index of her heart; the wife accepts the mirror as representing her soul.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is presented as an explanation within the tale; broader ritual or
religious significance should not be inferred from this passage alone.
- id: motif:3
label: returning traveler brings meaningful gifts
taxonomy_refs:
- return
- sacred_exchange
basis: After returning from the capital, the father gives the child gifts and gives
his wife a mirror that is explicitly described as precious and symbolically significant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy references are approximate motif-family links; the passage
frames the gifts as familial presents rather than an explicitly sacred transaction.
- id: motif:4
label: dying mother addresses daughter
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The mother grows gravely ill, the daughter remains beside her, and the mother
takes her daughter’s hand and begins to speak with difficulty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The actual content of the mother’s speech is not included in the passage,
so the motif’s function is incomplete here.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 3178-3185
quote_or_summary: The wife makes winter clothes, spins thread, prepares weaving,
directs the girl’s games, teaches old stories, and the husband returns.
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: 3187-3197
quote_or_summary: The husband returns after about a month of travel, sunburned by
weather; wife and child recognize and greet him eagerly.
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: 3199-3212
quote_or_summary: The father opens a bamboo basket and gives the little girl a doll
and a lacquer box full of cakes as a prize for caring for mother and house.
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: 3214-3222
quote_or_summary: The husband gives the wife a square wooden box tied with red and
white string; inside is a handled metal disk, bright on one side and decorated
with pine-trees and storks on the other; she sees somebody looking at her in it.
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: 3224-3237
quote_or_summary: The husband explains that the disk is a mirror showing the viewer’s
own form, says mirrors are necessary for women in the capital, quotes a proverb
comparing a woman’s mirror to a samurai’s sword, says it indexes the heart, and
says it is among the Emperor’s insignia.
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: 3239-3244
quote_or_summary: The wife is pleased by the precious gift, says she will treasure
it if it represents her soul, raises it to her forehead, shuts it in its box,
and puts it away.
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: 3246-3252
quote_or_summary: The wife serves the evening meal; the reunited family feels great
happiness, and the father tells of his journey and the capital.
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: 3254-3263
quote_or_summary: Years pass; the daughter grows into a beautiful sixteen-year-old
who helps her mother and reminds her father of her mother, before sorrow breaks
the family’s happiness when the mother falls ill.
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: 3265-3288
quote_or_summary: The mother’s illness worsens despite the doctor; father and daughter
grieve, the daughter stays beside her, and the mother takes her daughter’s hand
and begins to speak with difficulty.
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: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are descriptive and passage-local; comparison claims are omitted because the passage
itself does not establish an external 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: |-
Only the supplied excerpt and metadata were used. No external tale context was added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l3178-l3288
passage_sha256=6548f8609777fcda395975e50206493a75b4ddb3f2803dfc4e8ab7e199d55fdd