Three Questions

Japanese: 三つの質問 - みっつのしつもん

This is a folk tale found all over the world, also known as "The Journey in Search of Happiness." A man travels to the residence of a god (the god of fate, Buddha in China) to find out why he has not had good luck. Along the way, he is entrusted with questions to ask the god by trees, animals, and humans (in Japan, all three are humans). In stories found on the Aegean and Black Sea coasts, and in Italy, the traveling man meets the Grim Reaper and his life ends. In Japan, this version is also known as "The Three Questions," but, as in India and China, the protagonist ends up finding happiness in this life.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

世界各地にみられる説話で，またの名を〈幸福を求めての旅〉ともいう。男が自分に運の向いてこないわけを聞こうと，神(運命の神，中国では仏陀)の居所へ旅をする。途中，木，動物，人間(日本では三つとも人間)からそれぞれ神への質問を委託される。エーゲ海沿岸，黒海沿岸，イタリアでの話では，旅に出た男は死神に出会ってその生を終える。日本でも〈三つの質問〉などと呼ばれて分布しているが，インドや中国の場合と同様，主人公は現世での幸福を得て終わる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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