(Kintarō Referees a Match between a Rooster and a Tengu by Totoya Hokkei (Early 19th Century), taken from Wikimedia Commons)
The threat of the giant centipede in My Lord Bag of Rice attracts me greatly as a device for setting up a supernatural conflict. The question is who is fighting it? Will it go down in the same manner as in the source story? Is it one part of a larger threat?
Let's not leave out the Dragon King. He could still be playing a role in the world we can create, maybe as the one who commissions a warrior to go and destroy the centipede?
Kintaro is a character with a fascinating background, having been raised in the wilderness by a single parent, with animals for friends, and strength far beyond the standards of ordinary men. What if there were some supernatural force responsible for parts of his story, like his parentage and living circumstances?
Lord Raiko's Four Braves, taken from the strongest among his soldiers, sound like perfect inspiration for a team of special operations individuals dealing with supernatural threats in the world. One of Kintaro's orders as part of them is to slay a cannibalistic monster, even.
Hidesato, the protagonist of My Lord Bag of Rice could also be part of this faction, with the Dragon King taking the place of Lord Raiko. Perhaps reading further into this unit will even find evidence in Princess Hase's tale to incorporate it.
The Man Who Did Not Wish to Die follows a protagonist who confronts the realities of death as part of the human condition and the weariness of eternal life. I feel it is a message not terribly explored often and very interesting. I would love to link this back to some ideas I jotted down in my previous reading notes about death, such as the battleground of dead soldiers and the ability of foxes to grant the supernatural power of interacting and seeing dead spirits.
Bibliography
Mythology & Folklore Japanese Fairy Tales Unit, original stories by Yei Theodora Ozaki
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