batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l5081-l5179
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l5081-l5179
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SAGACIOUS MONKEY AND THE BOAR / THE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILLFUL FISHER
/ THE STORY OF THE OLD MAN WHO MADE WITHERED TREES TO FLOWER / THE JELLY FISH
AND THE MONKEY; lines 5081-5179
start: '5081'
end: '5179'
translation: Japanese Fairy Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: "“I have left all my livers hanging on the pine-tree.”"
summary: A monkey learns that a jelly fish is taking him to the Sea King’s Palace
for his liver. The monkey lies that he left his livers hanging on a pine tree,
persuades the jelly fish to return him to the island, escapes into the tree, and
mocks the jelly fish. The jelly fish returns to the Dragon King and confesses
his failure. The Dragon King orders him punished by having his bones removed and
being beaten, explaining why jellyfish are now soft and boneless.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The monkey tells the jelly fish that he has several livers and has left them
hanging on a pine tree.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The jelly fish believes the monkey and turns back toward Monkey Island so
the monkey can supposedly retrieve a liver.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: When they reach shore, the monkey climbs into the pine tree and expresses
joy at being safe.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The monkey admits that his promise was false and says he deceived the jelly
fish to avoid losing his life.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The jelly fish returns to the Dragon King and reports that he revealed his
commission and was deceived by the monkey.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The Dragon King orders the jelly fish to be punished by having his bones drawn
out and being beaten with sticks.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The story states that jellyfish descendants are soft and boneless because
of the sentence carried out on their ancestor.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: monkey
description: A cunning monkey from Monkey Island who lies about leaving his liver
on a pine tree and escapes the journey to the Sea King’s Palace.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: jelly fish
description: A messenger who is taking the monkey across the sea, believes the monkey’s
false story, returns him to the island, and is punished after reporting failure.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Dragon King of the Sea
description: A sea ruler who waits for the jelly fish’s return and orders the jelly
fish’s punishment after the failed mission.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Dragon Queen of the Sea
description: A sea queen for whom the monkey says a liver is wanted.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: doctor
description: A doctor waiting at the Sea King’s Palace for the monkey.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Palace servants
description: Servants who carry out the Dragon King’s order by bringing sticks,
surrounding the jelly fish, pulling out his bones, and beating him.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: cunning deceiver
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The monkey invents the claim that his livers are hanging on a tree and later
says he deceived the jelly fish.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: intended victim who escapes
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The monkey says he would have lost his life if he had continued to the Sea
King’s Palace, but he returns safely to the island.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:3
label: duped messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The jelly fish believes the monkey’s claim and turns back to the island.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: punished failed agent
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The jelly fish confesses the failed mission and is punished by order of the
Dragon King.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: wrathful sea ruler and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Dragon King reacts with wrath and orders the jelly fish’s severe punishment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: recipient or cause of liver quest
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: The monkey states that the liver is wanted for the Dragon Queen, and later
says a doctor was waiting at the Sea King’s Palace.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: executors of punishment
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The servants bring sticks, surround the jelly fish, remove his bones, and
beat him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: pine tree refuge
literal_form: pine tree
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: sea crossing
literal_form: sea between Monkey Island and the Sea King’s Palace
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: liver
literal_form: monkey’s liver
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: boneless jelly fish body
literal_form: soft and boneless body after bones are removed
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Monkey invents the pine-tree liver story
summary: The monkey responds to the jelly fish by claiming that monkeys can spare
livers and that he left his livers hanging on a pine tree.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Jelly fish returns monkey to the island
summary: The jelly fish believes the monkey and turns back to Monkey Island so the
monkey can supposedly retrieve a liver.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Monkey escapes and mocks the jelly fish
summary: At the shore the monkey climbs into the pine tree, says his promise was
false, and mocks the jelly fish from safety.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Jelly fish confesses failure at the palace
summary: The jelly fish returns to the Dragon King and explains that he revealed
the mission and was tricked by the monkey’s liver story.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Dragon King punishes the jelly fish
summary: The Dragon King orders the jelly fish’s bones removed and the palace servants
beat him, producing his new boneless condition.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Trickster escapes death by verbal deception
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The monkey avoids being taken to the Sea King’s Palace and losing his life
by persuading the jelly fish to return him to the island with a false story about
his liver.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy label is broad; the passage supports trickery and escape
but does not explicitly name a mythic trickster category.
- id: motif:2
label: Animal body explained by ancestral punishment
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage explicitly explains the present soft, boneless state of jellyfish
as the result of punishment imposed on the ancestor of jellyfishes.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: No specific provided taxonomy reference matches etiological animal-origin
tales.
- id: motif:3
label: Failed messenger punished by ruler
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The jelly fish fails to bring back the monkey, confesses to the Dragon King,
and receives a severe punishment ordered by the ruler.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative pattern in the passage, not tied to an available taxonomy
reference.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage functions as an etiological animal tale because it explains why
jellyfish are now soft and boneless.
claim_level: same_function
target: etiological animal-origin tale pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage supports the functional comparison internally, but no external
tradition or specific taxonomy ID is provided in the request for this pattern.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 5081-5101
quote_or_summary: The monkey says monkeys can spare livers, claims to have several,
and says he left them hanging on a pine tree.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 5102-5115
quote_or_summary: The jelly fish believes the monkey, is disappointed that the monkey
has no liver with him, and turns back toward Monkey Island after the monkey promises
to retrieve one.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 5116-5124
quote_or_summary: At the shore, the monkey lands, climbs into the pine tree, rejoices
at being safe, and sends compliments to the Dragon King.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 5125-5143
quote_or_summary: The monkey says he cannot afford to lose his liver, admits the
promise was false, explains that he deceived the jelly fish to avoid death at
the Sea King’s Palace, and mocks him from the tree.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 5144-5160
quote_or_summary: The jelly fish returns sadly; the Dragon King, doctor, chief steward,
and servants ask where the monkey is, and the jelly fish reports that he revealed
his commission and was deceived by the monkey’s claim about leaving his liver
behind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 5161-5172
quote_or_summary: 'The Dragon King orders a severe punishment: the jelly fish’s
bones are drawn out, he is beaten with sticks by palace servants, thrown into
the water, and left to adjust to bonelessness.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 5173-5179
quote_or_summary: The narrator says this explains why jellyfish, whose ancestor
once had a shell and bones, have ever since been soft and boneless on Japanese
shores.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; passage summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The narrative actions and etiological conclusion are explicit. Taxonomy mapping
is limited because the available motif families do not include a dedicated etiological-animal-origin
category.
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; no external comparisons added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l5081-l5179
passage_sha256=a53d748bba8d51f24bde0bc7653ede80e54dd17d6148ad570a39b90bd70de1ec