The Crab and the Monkey
A Japanese folktale of revenge by a crab's offspring.
The Crab and the Monkey, also called Monkey-Crab Battle or The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab, is a Japanese folktale centered on retributive justice. A cunning monkey kills a crab, and the crab's children later avenge their parent by killing the monkey.
A crab finds a rice ball while walking, but a sly monkey tricks her into swapping it for a persimmon seed. Disappointed at first, the crab plants and tends the seed, which grows into a tree full of fruit. The monkey agrees to climb and pick the fruit, but instead eats it all himself. When the crab protests, he throws hard, unripe fruit at her. The shock causes the crab to give birth just before dying.
The crab's offspring seek revenge. With allies—a chestnut, cow dung, a bee, and a large mortar (usu)—they go to the monkey's home. The chestnut hides on the hearth, the bee in the water pail, the dung on the floor, and the mortar on the roof. When the monkey returns, the chestnut strikes him as he warms himself, burning him. He tries to cool off at the water bucket, but the bee stings him. As he flees, he slips on the cow dung, and the mortar falls, crushing his heart and killing him.
Variants exist across Japan. In Kansai, oil is an ally. An 1887 textbook version replaces the chestnut with an egg (which explodes) and the dung with kelp (which makes him slip). Andrew Lang's version has the crab survive, though the monkey leaves her for dead. Modern retellings often reduce violence, changing deaths to injuries, and use milder titles like "The Crab and the Monkey." Ryunosuke Akutagawa wrote a story where the crab children are arrested and executed after their revenge. In a completely different version, the monkey hangs his basket on a thin branch, it breaks, and the crab steals the fruit. When the monkey defecates into the crab's hole, the crab shaves his bottom, explaining why monkeys have hairless rears and crabs have hair on their claws. Similar tales appear in China, Korea, Mongolia, and among the Ainu.
- origin
- Japan
- type
- Folktale
- also_known_as
- Monkey-Crab Battle, The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab
- first_english_translation
- 1885, by Rev. David Thomson
- notable_adaptations
- Andrew Lang (1903), Yei Theodora Ozaki (1908), Ryunosuke Akutagawa (20th century)
Lore & Background
In the story, a crab finds a rice ball while walking. A sly monkey persuades the crab to trade the rice ball for a persimmon seed. The crab plants the seed, and a tree grows that supplies abundant fruit. The monkey agrees to climb the tree to pick the fruit for the crab, but gorges himself instead. When the crab protests, the monkey hurls hard, unripe fruit at her, causing her to give birth just before she dies. The crab's offspring seek revenge with the help of allies: a chestnut, a cow dung, a bee, and an usu (large heavy mortar). They hide in the monkey's house; the chestnut strikes the monkey on the hearth, the bee stings him at the water bucket, the cow dung makes him slip, and the usu falls from the roof, crushing his heart and killing him.
Reader's Guide
The tale is significant as a classic example of retributive justice in Japanese folklore. It has been translated and adapted internationally, with Rev. David Thomson's 1885 translation being the first in English. Andrew Lang included a bowdlerized version in The Crimson Fairy Book (1903), and Yei Theodora Ozaki included it in Japanese Fairy Tales (1908). Variants exist across Japan, with different allies (e.g., oil in Kansai, an egg and kelp in an 1887 textbook) and details. Modern versions often tone down the violence, changing deaths to injuries. Ryunosuke Akutagawa wrote a short story where the crab children are arrested and face the death penalty. A completely different version explains why monkeys have hairless bottoms and crabs have hair on their claws. Similar stories are found in China, Korea, Mongolia, and among the Ainu.
Did You Know?
- The story is also known as Monkey-Crab Battle or The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab.
- In a variant from an 1887 Japanese textbook, an egg replaces the chestnut and a piece of kelp replaces the cow dung.
- Ryunosuke Akutagawa wrote a short story based on the folktale where the crab children are arrested and face the death penalty.
- A completely different version explains why monkeys have hairless bottoms and crabs have hair on their claws.
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