The Dream of Akinosuke facts for kids

The Dream of Akinosuke (あきのすけの夢, Akinosuke no Yume) is a famous Japanese folktale. It became well-known outside Japan thanks to Lafcadio Hearn. He included his version of the story in his book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.

This story combines different ideas from Japanese folklore. It even suggests that small insects can influence human feelings or souls. The Dream of Akinosuke also mentions Horai, another Japanese folktale that Hearn wrote about. The story seems to come from a Japanese version of an old Chinese tale. This Chinese story is called The Governor of Nanke and was written during the Tang Dynasty. However, there are some clear differences between the two tales.

What is The Dream of Akinosuke About?

The Dream of Akinosuke tells the story of a man named Akinosuke. He was a gōshi, which means a land-holding farmer, in old Japan. Akinosuke often took naps under a large cedar tree in his garden.

One day, Akinosuke was sitting under this tree. He was eating and talking with his friends. Suddenly, he felt very sleepy and fell asleep.

A Dream World Journey

When Akinosuke woke up, he was still under the tree. But his friends were gone. He then saw a grand royal parade coming towards him. It was full of people dressed in fancy clothes. The parade stopped, and someone told Akinosuke that the King of Tokoyo wanted to see him. Tokoyo is a dream world, like the mythical place called Horai. Akinosuke agreed to go with them.

When he arrived at the palace, the King invited him in. To Akinosuke's surprise, the King offered his daughter to him in marriage. Akinosuke and the princess got married right away.

A few days later, the King told Akinosuke he would become the governor of an island province. Akinosuke went to the island with his beautiful wife. He ruled the island for many years. The island was perfect, with lots of food and no crime. Akinosuke and his wife had seven children together.

The End of the Dream

One day, Akinosuke's wife suddenly became sick and died. Akinosuke was very sad. He made sure she had a proper funeral. He also built a large monument to remember her.

After some time, a message came from the King. It said Akinosuke would be sent back to where he came from. The King also told him not to worry about his children, as they would be cared for. As Akinosuke sailed away from the island, it suddenly disappeared. He was shocked to find himself sitting under the cedar tree again. His friends were still chatting as if nothing had happened.

The Truth Revealed

Akinosuke told his friends about his amazing dream. One friend told him that he had only been asleep for a few moments. But while he was sleeping, something strange happened. A yellow butterfly seemed to fly out of Akinosuke's mouth. An ant grabbed the butterfly and took it under the cedar tree. Just before Akinosuke woke up, the butterfly came back out from under the tree.

His friends wondered if the butterfly was Akinosuke's soul. The group decided to look under the tree. There, they found a huge kingdom of ants. Akinosuke realized this was the kingdom he visited in his dream. He looked for his island home. He found a separate ant nest. When he looked closer, he found a small stone that looked like a burial monument. Digging under it, he found a tiny female ant buried in a clay coffin. This showed that his long dream had happened in the world of ants.

See also

In Spanish: Akinosuke no Yume para niños