The Hunter’s Trick
Human sacrifices were made to the gods until a brave hunter came to town to stop the practice. He volunteered to be the next person sacrificed. The hunter prepared his sword and his dogs for a fight. The hunter hid in the sacrificial chest and was brought to the shrine. At the shrine, the hunter came out of the chest a saw a great monkey. The monkey was seven feet tall and had a troop of 50 other monkeys around him. The hunter jumped out of the chest with his dogs and fought the head monkey to the place where he cut up his victims. The monkey pleaded for mercy, but the hunter would not have it. The spirit possessed a priest and pleaded to the people that he would no longer demand a sacrifice. The people ran into the shrine to stop the hunter, but he still wanted to kill the monkey. Finally the monkey told the man that he had spoken through a priest and that he would not eat people again. The hunter finally let the monkey go and it ran into the woods with the rest of its troop.
Animals Incorporated
Dog
Monkey
Origin
Naito, Hiroshi, and Masahiko Nishino. Legends of Japan. Rutland, Vt: C. E. Tuttle Co, 1972.