Singing bones - Singing bones

...There are many old tales in Japan about children who are bullied by their stepmothers. However, they are not found in the mythological stage. They probably appeared in response to the change in marriage patterns from the era when children were raised by communities or matrilineal families to the era when wives moved to live with their husbands and raised their children. There are two series of stories: stories of happy endings for stepchildren and stories of tragic deaths. (1) The Benizara Kakezara type, in which the stepdaughter goes to a play wearing a costume given to her by a mountain witch and is noticed by a lord; (2) The Sarasarayama type, in which the stepdaughter compares her singing skills to the lord and wins against her own stepchild; (3) The Ogin Kogin type, in which a girl who is bullied by her stepmother and becomes blind is able to regain her sight after hearing the tears of her father who has come looking for her; (4) The Handless Girl type, in which the stepmother cuts off her hand, but the hand regenerates as she unconsciously tries to save the child on her back when it falls into the river; (5) The Yamauba who is driven out and rents lodgings gives the stepchild an old woman's help; (5) a variation of Jizo Jodo, in which a girl is sent out to gather chestnuts with a bottomless bag, but when it is full she has to sleep outdoors, but is saved by Jizo and becomes rich; these are a series of stories with happy endings. (6) a story in which a girl is sent out to gather chestnuts with a bottomless bag, but when it is full she has to sleep outdoors, but is saved by Jizo and becomes rich; (7) a story in which a girl is killed by her stepmother and turns into a bird; (8) a story in which a flute made from bamboo that grows on a grave sings the tale of the stepmother's murder; (9) a story in which the bones of a murdered girl sing; and (10) a story in which a girl is boiled in a pot by her stepmother, but her father takes revenge; these are a series of stories with tragic endings.

*Some of the terminology that refers to the "singing bone" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…継母にいじめられる子どもの昔話は，日本には数が多い。しかし，神話段階には見当たらない。子どもが共同体や母系家族に養育されていた時代から，妻が夫のもとへ移って暮らし，子どもを育てるようになる婚姻形態の変遷に応じて，登場してきたものであろう。継子の幸運な結末の話と悲惨な死の話の2系列がある。(1)継娘が山姥（やまうば）のくれた衣装で芝居に行き，殿様に見初められる，シンデレラそっくりの紅皿欠皿（べにざらかけざら）型，(2)殿様の前で歌をよみ比べて実子に勝つ皿皿山（さらさらやま）型，(3)継母にいじめられて盲目になった娘が，捜してきた父親の涙で開眼するお銀小銀型，(4)継母に手を切られるが，背中の児が川へ落ちそうになり助けようとした無意識の行為で，手が再生する手なし娘型，(5)追い出されて宿を借りた山姥に老婆の皮をかぶせられ，大家の下働きになるが美女とわかって，そこの嫁になる姥皮型，(6)底なし袋を持って栗拾いに出され，いっぱいにならず野宿するが，地蔵様に助けられて富を得る地蔵浄土の変形型，などは幸運な結末にいたる話の系列であり，(7)継母に殺されて鳥になる話，(8)墓に生えた竹で造った笛が継母の殺人を歌う話，(9)殺された娘の骨が歌を歌う話，(10)継母に釜ゆでにされるが父が復讐してくれる話，などは悲惨な結末の系列である。…

※「うたう骨」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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