batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l6883-l6997
---
record_id: batch.motif.japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg-l6883-l6997
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
passage_locator:
label: THE WHITE HARE AND THE CROCODILES / THE STORY OF PRINCE YAMATO TAKE / MOMOTARO,
OR THE STORY OF THE SON OF A PEACH / THE OGRE OF RASHOMON; lines 6883-6997
start: '6883'
end: '6997'
translation: Japanese Fairy Tales
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: After Watanabe cuts off an ogre's arm, he locks it in a strong iron-banded
box. A seemingly respectable old woman arrives at night claiming to be his former
nurse and persuades him to show her the arm. When he opens the box, she seizes
the arm, declares it hers, transforms into the ogre, and escapes through the roof
into mist and clouds. Watanabe fails to kill the ogre, but the ogre never troubles
Kyoto again.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Watanabe keeps the ogre's severed arm in a strong wooden box banded with iron
and sealed with a heavy lid.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: An old woman arrives at night, appears respectable, and says she was Watanabe's
nurse when he was a baby.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The old woman asks repeatedly to see the ogre's arm, appealing to her claimed
relationship with Watanabe.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: obs:4
text: Watanabe refuses at first because he fears the ogre may appear and carry off
the arm if the box is opened.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: Watanabe eventually opens the box but does not remove the arm from it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The old woman seizes the arm from the box and says that she has got her arm
back.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The old woman is suddenly transformed into the towering figure of the ogre.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Watanabe draws his sword and tries to cut down the ogre.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The ogre escapes by springing to the ceiling, breaking through the roof, and
disappearing into mist and clouds.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: After escaping with the arm, the ogre never troubles Kyoto again.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Watanabe
description: A knight or warrior who cut off the ogre's arm, guards it, and later
attempts to kill the ogre when it returns.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The ogre of Rashomon
description: A revengeful ogre whose arm was cut off by Watanabe; it returns in
disguise, recovers the arm, transforms back into its frightful form, and escapes.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Old woman claiming to be Watanabe's nurse
description: A respectable-looking old woman who arrives at night and claims to
have been Watanabe's nurse; she is revealed as the ogre in disguise.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Watanabe's servant
description: The servant answers the door and reports the old woman's arrival to
Watanabe.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: People of Kyoto
description: People hear of Watanabe's deed, come to see the arm, and later can
go out at night without fear after the ogre ceases troubling the city.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: guardian of dangerous trophy
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Watanabe keeps the ogre's arm sealed in a strong box and refuses to show
it because of the risk that the ogre may reclaim it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: heroic defender
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: His comrades call him the hero of their band, and he tries to kill the ogre
when it is revealed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: returning antagonist
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The ogre returns to reclaim its severed arm and escapes with it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:9
- id: role:4
label: deceptive shapeshifter
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
basis: The old woman who gains entry by claiming to be the nurse is revealed by
transformation to be the ogre.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: household intermediary
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The servant checks the visitor at the door and tells Watanabe she has arrived.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: threatened community
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Kyoto's people first publicize and view the arm, and later are able to go
out safely at night after the ogre stops troubling the city.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: severed ogre arm
literal_form: The ogre's arm cut off by Watanabe and kept in a sealed box.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: iron-banded wooden box
literal_form: A box made of the strongest wood, banded with iron, sealed with a
heavy lid, and kept in Watanabe's room.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: old nurse disguise
literal_form: The ogre's appearance as a respectable old woman claiming to have
nursed Watanabe as a baby.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- id: sym:4
label: sword
literal_form: Watanabe's sword, drawn from its sheath when he tries to cut down
the ogre.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: mist and clouds
literal_form: The mist and clouds into which the ogre disappears after bursting
through the roof.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Public fame and guarded arm
summary: Watanabe's comrades praise him as a hero, people come to see the ogre's
arm, and he locks it in a strong iron-banded box because he fears the ogre will
return for it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Night visit of the old woman
summary: A respectable-looking old woman arrives at the porch at night, claims to
be Watanabe's former nurse, and is admitted.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Persuasion to open the box
summary: The old woman praises Watanabe, asks to see the ogre's arm, and overcomes
Watanabe's refusal by invoking her identity as his old nurse.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Revelation and recovery of the arm
summary: When Watanabe opens the box, the old woman reaches in, seizes the arm,
declares it her own, and transforms into the ogre.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Failed attack and aerial escape
summary: Watanabe attacks with his sword, but the ogre escapes through the roof
into mist and clouds with the arm.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: Kyoto relieved
summary: The ogre, afraid of Watanabe's strength and daring, never troubles Kyoto
again, and the city's people can go out at night without fear.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: monster returns in disguise to recover severed body part
taxonomy_refs:
- shapeshifter
basis: The ogre appears as an old woman, persuades Watanabe to open the box, seizes
the severed arm, and transforms back into the ogre.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference captures the transformation aspect; it does not
specifically encode recovery of a severed limb.
- id: motif:2
label: dangerous trophy kept in a sealed container
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Watanabe stores the ogre's arm in a strong, iron-banded box and refuses to
open it because he fears the ogre may appear and reclaim the arm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly matches the sealed trophy or guarded
container pattern.
- id: motif:3
label: deceptive visitor gains entry by claiming intimate kinship or household ties
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The visitor arrives at the porch at night, claims to be Watanabe's old nurse,
and uses that claim to obtain access and persuade him to show the arm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage shows deception at a household threshold, but does not explicitly
frame the figure as a trickster; the taxonomy match is therefore cautious.
- id: motif:4
label: hero's incomplete victory leaves antagonist alive
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Watanabe says he wished to capture the monster rather than only cut off its
arm, and the ogre later escapes with the arm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a narrative pattern in the passage but has no direct supplied
taxonomy reference.
- id: motif:5
label: heroic protection of a city from a night-roaming monster
taxonomy_refs:
- culture_hero
basis: Watanabe's deed is celebrated, and after the ogre escapes it fears Watanabe
and no longer troubles Kyoto, allowing people to go out at night safely.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents Watanabe as a remembered hero, but the broader 'culture
hero' taxonomy may be broader than the local city-protection episode.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 6883-6900
quote_or_summary: Watanabe is praised as a hero after showing the ogre's arm; he
has a strong wooden, iron-banded box made, seals the arm inside, and keeps it
in his room under his own charge.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 6901-6917
quote_or_summary: At night someone knocks at the porch; the servant finds a respectable-looking
old woman who says she was Watanabe's nurse when he was a baby, and Watanabe has
her shown in.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 6918-6940
quote_or_summary: The old woman praises Watanabe's fight and asks to see the ogre's
arm; Watanabe refuses, explaining that ogres are revengeful and that opening the
box may let the ogre appear and carry off the arm.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 6941-6955
quote_or_summary: The old woman insists that, as his old nurse, she should be allowed
to see the arm, and asks whether Watanabe suspects her of being a spy sent by
the ogre.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 6956-6967
quote_or_summary: Watanabe gives in, leads her to his room, shuts the door, opens
the heavy lid of the box, and calls her near to look in without removing the arm.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: 6968-6977
quote_or_summary: "“Oh, joy! I have got my arm back again!” The old woman is then
suddenly transformed into the towering figure of the frightful ogre."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quote from public domain text.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 6978-6984
quote_or_summary: Watanabe recognizes the ogre from the Gate of Rashomon, seizes
his sword, draws it quickly, and tries to cut the ogre down.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 6985-6988
quote_or_summary: The ogre narrowly escapes, springs to the ceiling, bursts through
the roof, and disappears in mist and clouds.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: 6989-6997
quote_or_summary: The ogre escapes with the arm; Watanabe waits for another chance,
but the ogre fears him, never troubles Kyoto again, and the people can go out
at night without fear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/japanese/project-gutenberg/japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage provides clear literal action and figure evidence. Motif labels
are local and cautious; only supplied taxonomy references that are directly or
plausibly supported are used. No comparison claims are made because the passage
does not itself compare this episode to another text or tradition.
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 line-range passage and metadata were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:japanese-fairy-tales-ozaki-gutenberg__l6883-l6997
passage_sha256=8e4410cdf164389eb9634831e791f90fcf2c895184d4a299c3f81b224b37e79a