The Blossom Mountains of Yamato
The blossom mountains of Yamato rise in soft green folds above terraced rice fields and little villages strung with paper lanterns, where cherry trees drop their petals on the wind and red torii gates mark the quiet shrines. Mist drifts among the bamboo, the moon lays a silver path on the river, and the hills are full of gentle spirits: a riddling fox, shy fireflies who light the lanterns, a jolly trickster tanuki, stone guardian dogs, and a great old river dragon who brings the rains. Here a hero is not the strongest or the loudest, but the one who is patient, thinks things through, and is kind to every living thing. The grandest deeds are done with imagination and courage and a gentle heart, and even a fearsome guardian, met with a calm and friendly word, often turns out kinder than it looks.
Stories in this world
The Firefly Lanterns
Adult-ledTonight is the summer Lantern Festival in the Lantern Village. Every year the paper lanterns glow, and the whole village dances under their warm light. But...
The River Dragon's Long Sleep
The Silver River is running low. All summer the rains have not come, and the terraced rice fields are growing thirsty. The grown-ups in the village look up...
The Tanuki's Tidy-Up
It is festival day in the Lantern Village. All morning the market has been getting ready, with stalls of paper fans, baskets of fruit, and rows of glowing...
Example heroes
Hana
6 to 8
Strengths
Carries
Taro
6 to 8
Strengths
Carries
Mei
9 to 12
Strengths
Carries
Ren
9 to 12
Strengths
Carries
Who's who and what's what
Strengths
- Imagination
- Imagining ideas and asking a thoughtful question. In these mountains, a good idea solves a riddle that strength never could.
- Courage
- A steady heart in a quiet, scary moment. Courage is not being unafraid; it is staying kind and trying anyway, even when you are afraid.
- Kindness
- Care for every living thing, from a shy firefly to a great dragon. The greatest heroes of the mountains are the ones who are gentle, share, and help.
- Patience
- Waiting kindly and trying again, without rushing. In the still mountains of Yamato, the gentlest things appear only to those who wait.
- Curiosity
- Asking the right question and noticing what others miss. In the quiet mountains, a curious heart hears the small sound that shows the way.
Characters
- Granny Yuki the Tale-Keeper
- The kind old tale-keeper of the Lantern Village, who knows every story of the mountains and sends the heroes out with a warm word and a small gift.
- Amaterasu the Sun-Kami
- The warm goddess of the sun, who watches over the mountains and smiles on heroes that win by thinking and caring rather than by force.
Creatures
- Kon the Fox
- A friendly fox spirit of the bamboo grove who loves riddles and games of ideas, and hands out helpful hints to travellers he likes.
- The Firefly Spirits
- Gentle, shy spirits of light who nestle inside the paper lanterns and make them glow. When they feel safe and happy, the whole village shines.
- Pon the Tanuki
- A jolly, round raccoon-dog who loves games and surprises. He means well, but his happy bustling sometimes turns everything upside down by mistake.
- The Guardian Lion-Dogs
- A pair of stone lion-dogs who guard the red torii gate. They look fierce but are fair and kind, and they open the way for those who answer a riddle with a cool head.
- The Gentle River Dragon
- A great old dragon of the Silver River whose stirring brings the rains. He looks mighty, but he is gentle and a little lonely, and he wakes not to a loud voice but to a soft bell and a kind song.
Places
- The Lantern Village
- A little village of wooden houses and terraced rice fields, the heroes' home, strung with paper lanterns and bright with festivals through the year.
- The Whispering Bamboo Grove
- A cool green grove of tall bamboo above the village, where the stalks click and whisper in the wind and a riddling fox likes to play.
- The Red Torii Gate
- A tall vermilion shrine gate on the mountain path, watched over by two stone guardian lion-dogs who let pass those who answer kindly and think with a cool head.
- The Moonlit Bridge
- An arched wooden bridge over the river, silver in the moonlight. It carries safely those who cross it gently, with a calm and honest heart.
- The Silver River
- The wide river that waters the rice fields of the valley. When the river dragon sleeps too long, it runs low and the fields grow thirsty.
Items
- The Paper Lantern
- A round paper lantern on a little handle. When a friendly firefly spirit nestles inside, it glows warm and lights the way in the dark.
- The Red Thread
- A length of bright red thread. Tie one end where you start and you can always find your way back, and some say it gently ties friends together too.
- The Rice Cake
- A soft, sweet rice cake. Shared with a shy or lonely spirit, it can turn a worried face into a friend.
- The Little Bell
- A small bronze bell with a clear, gentle ring. Its sound calms worried hearts and can wake a sleeping friend ever so softly.