Week 7 Story: The Legend of Princess Tamatori

"The Legend of Princess Tamatori," illustrated by Natalie Homsher

“You lost the jewel?” The Empress spoke, dangerously low. The head council did his best not to flinch, but failed. His skin crawled in fear.

He began to speak. “Your majesty, I-“

“Go.” She didn’t have time for his apologies. They were in the middle of a war, and without the power of the jewel to destroy their enemy, their chances of winning would be slim to none. “And don’t come back without the jewel.” She turned her back on him, and the councilman knew that he was dismissed indefinitely.

—

Takeuchi looked over the steep cliff side and into the ocean, staring into the emerald depths below. He peered through the waters in search in the gem, to no avail. The Jewel of Heart’s Desire, the one thing that could save the country of turmoil, was lost. Worse, he had disappointed his love, Empress Jingū. He stared at the jagged rocks below in despair.

Nearby, the pearl divers had returned from work and swum up to shore. While the women were unloading their haul for the day, one of them turned to see the head councilman walking toward the cliff’s edge. Too close to the cliff’s edge, to her horror. She told her fellow divers that she had something to take care of and took off, running towards Takeuchi.

“Stop!” The exclamation pulled Takeuchi from his thoughts, and he looked over to see one of the divers, Tamatori, run up to him. “Please. Tell me what troubles you,” she asked. The councilman explained the situation, and the diver listened patiently. Little did he know that she secretly admired him and was willing to help in any way possible.

“As a diver, I am a strong swimmer—I can get the jewel back for you! Please, wait here.” Before he could protest, Tamatori was already running down the hill and back towards the sea. He watched as she disappeared into the ocean waves below, and waited.

—

Tamatori had heard the stories of the tide jewels and the immense power they held. She learned early on in her training what areas were safe to dive in, and which ones were to be avoided. She assumed she would have to swim in dangerous waters to find what she was looking for. She guessed correctly, as an underwater palace suddenly came into view, and Tamatori found the glimmering orb resting on the sea bed.

Grabbing the jewel with one arm, the diver began to swim up towards the surface when a flash of green scales appeared out of the corner of her eye. Glancing behind her, Tamatori saw Ryūjin, the dragon of the ocean, cutting through the water. In a panic, she began to kick faster while trying not to lose air. She could see the light from above coming into view.

Just then, the dragon pursuing her came into view, sharp teeth unhinged. “Return the jewel, mortal,” he sneered, “for you do not know what it is capable of.” But the diver couldn’t be convinced. Pulling out the short sword attached at her hip—one that she carried in dire circumstances—Tamatori slashed at the face of the dragon. As he roared out in pain, she made her quick escape.

—

The head council was there to greet the young diver on the shore, pleased to see that she had returned safely with the jewel. “Fantastic!” Takeuchi exclaimed. “Come, we must celebrate your efforts! Her majesty will be most pleased.”

And that they did, as Empress Jingū declared the diver as the Princess of Heart’s Desire. A grand celebration was held at the palace in honor of Tamatori, and everyone throughout the country was invited. During the party, Tamatori stole away and searched for Takeuchi. She was shocked to find him and the Empress sharing a tender moment in seclusion. Surprise had turned into sadness. Heartbroken, she turned and left unnoticed from the palace.

—

Tamatori found herself standing on the ocean’s shore, staring out at the dark waves. It was only natural, as this was the place she was so familiar with, one that brought her peace. She let her tears fall freely as she stood alone on the sand. She cried so much that she did not see the figure rising from the sea. The dragon made a noise, pulling her from her thoughts.

There was no doubting it—the cut on his face ensured this was Ryūjin. From the water he could not attack Tamatori, but he could glare at her.

“Why did you come here?” From her silence, he continued, “I take it that the jewel was not all you hoped for.”

“The tide jewel was not for me, but for another,” she stated. Then hesitantly, admitted, “I suppose it wasn’t, no.”

The dragon scoffed, “Humans. They never predict the consequences of their actions.” To the diver’s confusion, the dragon nodded toward the battle ships in the distance. The two watched as the boats slowly departed from the docks and sailed off in silence.

—

Author’s Note

In the original story, Tamatori sacrifices herself in order to retrieve the jewel for Takeuchi. Her original intention was to win the affection of Takeuchi, who is already infatuated with Empress Jingū. This is a common trope in Japanese folklore and short stories. However, I wanted to see what would happen if Tamatori lived. I was also interested in writing a myth with a cliffhanger. This is the result of those two ideas. Additionally, I had fun coming up with an illustration for this story and hope to make more in the future.

Bibliography: “The Quest of the Jewel” from The Romance of Old Japan, by E. W. Champney and F. Champney. Web source.