Chin-Chin Kobakama
by Unknown · from Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book
Adapted Version
Once there was a young woman. She was very pretty. But she did not like to work. She did not clean. She did not help.
She married a brave man. They lived in a new house. The house was small. There were not many helpers. But she was still lazy. She did not like to do things.
One night, her husband was away. The young woman was in bed. She heard a funny noise. She looked around the room. She saw tiny men! They were very small. They danced around her bed. They sang a silly song. "We are the tiny men!" they sang. They laughed at her.
The tiny men came back every night. They danced. They sang their silly song. The young woman could not sleep. She felt tired. She felt worried. She did not know what to do.
Then her brave husband came home. He saw she was not well. "What is wrong?" he asked. She told him about the tiny men. "They come every night," she said.
"Do not worry," he said. "I will help you." That night, he hid in the room. He waited in the dark.
Then the tiny men came. They danced. They sang their silly song. Her brave husband saw them. He saw his wife was scared. He took out his big sword. He ran at the tiny men.
The tiny men fell down. But they were not tiny men now. They were toothpicks! Just old toothpicks on the floor.
The young woman had been lazy. She used toothpicks every day. But she did not put them away. She left them on the floor. So the tiny men came to bother her.
Her brave husband talked to her. "You must be tidy," he said. The young woman felt sorry. She knew he was right. A helper took the toothpicks away.
The tiny men never came back. The young woman learned to be tidy. She put things away. She helped her husband. They were happy. It is good to be tidy. It is good to help.
Original Story
Chin-Chin Kobakama
Once there was a little girl who was very pretty, but also very lazy. Her parents were rich, and had a great many servants; and these servants were very fond of the little girl, and did everything for her which she ought to have been able to do for herself. Perhaps this was what made her so lazy. When she grew up into a beautiful woman she still remained lazy; but as the servants always dressed and undressed her, and arranged her hair, she looked very charming, and nobody thought about her faults.
At last she was married to a brave warrior, and went away with him to live in another house where there were but few servants. She was sorry not to have as many servants as she had had at home, because she was obliged to do several things for herself which other folks had always done for her, and it was a great deal of trouble to her to dress herself, and take care of her own clothes, and keep herself looking neat and pretty to please her husband. But as he was a warrior, and often had to be far away from home with the army, she could sometimes be just as lazy as she wished, and her husband’s parents were very old and good-natured, and never scolded her.
Well, one night while her husband was away with the army, she was awakened by queer little noises in her room. By the light of a big paper lantern she could see very well, and she saw strange things.
Hundreds of little men, dressed just like Japanese warriors, but only about one inch high, were dancing all around her pillow. They wore the same kind of dress her husband wore on holidays (Kamishimo, a long robe with square shoulders), and their hair was tied up in knots, and each wore two tiny 436swords. They all looked at her as they danced, and laughed, and they all sang the same song over and over again:
Chin-chin Kobakama,
Yomo fuké sōro—
Oshizumare, Hime-gimi!—
Ya ton ton!—
Which meant: “We are the Chin-chin Kobakama; the hour is late; sleep, honorable, noble darling!”
The words seemed very polite, but she soon saw that the little men were only making cruel fun of her. They also made ugly faces at her.
She tried to catch some of them, but they jumped about so quickly that she could not. Then she tried to drive them away, but they would not go, and they never stopped singing:
Chin-chin Kobakama ...
and laughing at her. Then she knew they were little fairies, and became so frightened that she could not even cry out. They danced around her until morning; then they all vanished suddenly.
She was ashamed to tell anybody what had happened, because, as she was the wife of a warrior, she did not wish anybody to know how frightened she had been.
Next night, again, the little men came and danced; and they came also the night after that, and every night, always at the same hour, which the old Japanese used to call the “hour of the ox”; that is, about two o’clock in the morning by our time. At last she became very sick, through want of sleep and through fright. But the little men would not leave her alone.
When her husband came back home he was very sorry to find her sick in bed. At first she was afraid to tell him what had made her ill, for fear that he would laugh at her. But he was so kind, and coaxed her so gently, that after a while she told him what happened every night.
437He did not laugh at her at all, but looked very serious for a time. Then he asked:
“At what time do they come?”
She answered, “Always at the same hour—the ‘hour of the ox.’”
“Very well,” said her husband; “to-night I shall hide, and watch for them. Do not be frightened.”
So that night the warrior hid himself in a closet in the sleeping-room, and kept watch through a chink between the sliding doors.
He waited and watched until the “hour of the ox.” Then, all at once, the little men came up through the mats, and began their dance and their song:
Chin-chin Kobakama,
Yomo fuké Sōro....
They looked so queer, and danced in such a funny way, that the warrior could scarcely keep from laughing. But he saw his young wife’s frightened face; and then, remembering that nearly all Japanese ghosts and goblins are afraid of a sword, he drew his blade and rushed out of the closet, and struck at the little dancers. Immediately they all turned into—what do you think?
Toothpicks!
There were no more little warriors—only a lot of old toothpicks scattered over the mats.
The young wife had been too lazy to put her toothpicks away properly; and every day, after having used a new toothpick, she would stick it down between the mats on the floor, to get rid of it. So the little fairies who take care of the floor-mats became angry with her, and tormented her.
Her husband scolded her, and she was so ashamed that she did not know what to do. A servant was called, and the toothpicks were taken away and burned, and after that the little men never came back again.
Story DNA
Moral
Laziness can lead to unexpected and frightening consequences, and it's important to take responsibility for one's actions.
Plot Summary
A beautiful but exceptionally lazy woman, accustomed to a life of ease, marries a warrior and finds herself with fewer servants. When her husband is away, she is tormented nightly by tiny warrior-like men who dance and sing a mocking song, causing her to fall ill from fright. Upon his return, she confesses, and her husband hides to witness the phenomenon. He confronts the little men with his sword, causing them to transform into toothpicks, revealing they were animated by her habit of carelessly discarding used toothpicks into the floor mats. The wife, shamed, learns her lesson, and the torment ceases.
Themes
Emotional Arc
complacency to fear to relief and shame
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects traditional Japanese household customs, social expectations for women (even if subverted by the protagonist's laziness), and common folklore beliefs about spirits and everyday objects.
Plot Beats (11)
- A beautiful girl grows up extremely lazy due to her wealthy parents and many servants.
- She marries a warrior and moves to a house with fewer servants, finding it troublesome to do things for herself.
- While her husband is away, she is awakened by tiny warrior-like men dancing around her pillow, singing a mocking song.
- The little men, identified as fairies, torment her nightly, causing her to become ill from fright and sleep deprivation.
- Her husband returns, and after much coaxing, she tells him about the nightly visitors.
- The husband decides to hide and watch for the little men at the 'hour of the ox'.
- He witnesses the tiny warriors dancing and singing, and seeing his wife's fear, he draws his sword.
- Upon his attack, the little men transform into ordinary toothpicks.
- The husband realizes the toothpicks are from his wife's habit of carelessly sticking them into the floor mats.
- He scolds her, and she is deeply ashamed; the toothpicks are collected and burned.
- The little men never return, and the wife presumably learns her lesson about laziness.
Characters
The Warrior's Wife
A very pretty young woman of slender build, with delicate features typical of a noble Japanese lady. Her skin is fair and smooth, often appearing somewhat pale due to her illness and fright.
Attire: Initially, she wears luxurious silk kimonos, likely in soft, elegant colors with subtle patterns, indicative of her wealthy upbringing. After marriage, her wardrobe is still fine but less elaborate, consisting of traditional kimonos made of silk or fine cotton, perhaps with simpler patterns, suitable for a warrior's wife. During her illness, she would be in a simpler, lighter sleeping kimono (yukata) or a plain silk under-kimono.
Wants: To maintain her beauty and comfort without effort; later, to escape the torment of the little men and regain her peace.
Flaw: Extreme laziness and dependence on others, which leads to her predicament. Her fear also paralyzes her.
She begins as a spoiled, lazy woman tormented by her own negligence. Through her suffering and her husband's intervention, she learns a lesson about responsibility and the consequences of her actions, leading to shame and likely a change in her habits.
Lazy, beautiful, easily frightened, ashamed, initially dependent, eventually remorseful.
The Warrior
A brave and strong Japanese warrior, likely of a muscular and athletic build, with a commanding presence. His height would be average for the period.
Attire: When at home, he wears a formal kimono. On holidays or for important occasions, he wears a 'Kamishimo,' a traditional Japanese formal attire consisting of a kataginu (sleeveless jacket with exaggerated shoulders) and a hakama (pleated trousers), likely made of fine silk or linen in dark, dignified colors. When on duty, he would wear samurai armor.
Wants: To protect his wife and maintain the honor and peace of his household. To understand and solve the mystery tormenting his wife.
Flaw: None explicitly shown, but perhaps a slight initial amusement at the little men before realizing the gravity of the situation.
He remains steadfast and strong, acting as the solver of the problem. His arc is one of maintaining his character and applying his strengths to a domestic problem.
Brave, kind, serious, observant, protective, decisive, firm.
Chin-Chin Kobakama (Little Men)
Tiny figures, about one inch high, resembling miniature Japanese warriors. They are agile and quick-moving.
Attire: Each wears a miniature version of a Kamishimo, a long robe with square shoulders, in various colors, giving them a formal yet comical appearance. They also wear tiny hakama trousers.
Wants: To torment the lazy wife for her disrespect in discarding toothpicks improperly, acting as guardians of the floor mats.
Flaw: Vulnerable to a warrior's sword, which reveals their true nature as inanimate objects.
They are introduced as tormentors, persist in their actions, and are ultimately vanquished and revealed as toothpicks.
Mischievous, cruel, taunting, persistent, easily angered by disrespect (implied by their origin).
Locations
Warrior's House
A traditional Japanese house, less grand than her childhood home, with sliding shoji doors and tatami mats on the floor. It has a closet suitable for hiding.
Mood: Initially quiet and domestic, becoming eerie and frightening due to the nightly visitations, then serious and resolved.
The wife experiences nightly torment from the tiny warriors; her husband hides and eventually banishes them, revealing their true nature as toothpicks.