While the ‘Journey to the West’ is very poetic, ‘Takuan from Koto’ ventures into the poetic worlds only briefly.

Most of the verses are following the waka and tanka (see below) traditions whenever it is possible with the translation.

Tanka consist of five units (often treated as separate lines when romanized or translated) usually with the following pattern of on: 5-7-5-7-7. The 5-7-5 is called the kami-no-ku (‘upper phrase’), and the 7-7 is called the shimo-no-ku (‘lower phrase’).

On the white sand
Of the beach of a small island
In the Eastern Sea.
I, my face streaked with tears,
Am playing with a crab.

— Ishikawa Takuboku

Sour Pickled Plums

One to one lay
On the silver plate
Sour pickled plums.
Look! How can unremarkable be
a verse for a dear guest!

Form and Meaning of the Poem

Soliang admires the poetic gift of the abbot and asks him to compose a poem. The abbot, however, uses this poem to indicate excessive admiration for his modest abilities:

• In the first lines, he refers to the most ordinary dish – pickled plums. The abbot and Soliang are sitting at a lavish meal, surrounded by various dishes, but the abbot’s attention is drawn to the most ordinary plums.
• In the conclusion of the tanka, it is stated that the remarkable aspect of a work is not determined by its subject, nor even by the artistry of the composer, but by the recipient and the feeling with which it is composed.

Bravery of Monks

Hungry demons
Await on the road.
Monk’s travel hat helps:
Through a narrow eye slit
Fear is not seen.

Form and meaning of the poem

Soliang fears hungry weredemons and seeks the assistance of two komuso monks, who have also never encountered demons before. Therefore, the abbot offers them a way to combat their fear:

• On the heads of the komuso monks are straw hats that completely cover their faces. The abbot suggests using these hats as protection against the demons.
• But can a mere straw hat shield them from hungry demon-werewolves or even ordinary bandits? Certainly not. The hat serves a dual purpose:
• on one hand, it obscures the monk’s vision, helping them focus on what lies ahead;
• on the other hand, the face hidden beneath the hat, distorted by fear, remains unseen by others.

Don’t Ever Forget

On the mountain slopes next to the Silent Sea,
Where the waters of the Yellow River wash away the sand
Between the Monastery of the Pointed Peaks and Mountain White,
Bog oak gates lead to a forest full of silence.
Follow the hyacinth path
And it will guide you to the majestic rock.
Don’t let the stone stop you,
Put your step in without any fear.
In the heart of the mountain I placed myself
A skin full of sour wine.
Where wisdom follows youth
For regret there is no reason.
Don’t ever forget, Sogi!

Meaning and Form of the Poem

Yanwang Umma-ö can hardly be called a great poet, so his poem turned out to be unrefined: he straightforwardly points out the signs that should help him find the way to his own secret hideout. He himself feels that the poem has turned out too simple and tries to rectify it by adding pompous imagery to the text.

In the final lines, Yanwang decides that he has said enough. Fearing to directly reveal what is in the secret repository, he concludes the poem with a quotation from a poet known to him.

If you want to know a little more about how the ‘Takuan from Koto’ was written, you must visit the Makipedia.

Robert Lynn Asprin was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, known best for his humorous series ‘MythAdventures’ and ‘Phule’s Company’. His books are noted for and popular for their whimsical nature, myriad characters, and liberal use of puns.

The ‘Myth Adventures’ series is fast-moving story full of action, the characters are colourful and vocal. It is a perfect example of light and humorous fantasy, the genre in which ‘Takuan’s Adventures’ also written.

In a small part, Takuan borrows some features from Skeeve, the main character of ‘Myth Adventures’. Though his reason to leave the Mount White monastery is not a tragedy but a simple boredom.

To know a little bit more about Asprin’s connection to Takuan, you must visit the Makipedia.

Hercule Flambeau is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who appears in 48 short stories about the character Father Brown. A master criminal, his surname ‘Flambeau’ is an alias, the French word for a flaming torch.

Flambeau himself lives to his alias by committing his crimes in daring manner, acting right under the nose of police. Takuan inherits this trait: his tricks are not the ones that are done at night, but the ones that are done in plain sight.

It has been suggested that Agatha Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot was inspired by the character.

If you want to know a little more about Flambeau and his connection with Takuan, you must visit his page on Makipedia.

Brer (Brother) Rabbit is a central figure in an oral tradition passed down by African-Americans of the Southern United States and African descendants in the Caribbean, notably Afro-Bahamians and Turks and Caicos Islanders.

He is a trickster who succeeds by his wits rather than by brawn, provoking authority figures and bending social mores as he sees fit.

He’s one of the secondary references for Takuan, who also relies on his wits and provokes all sort of authorities from city guard to governors to princes.

If you want to know a little more about the origins of the Brer Rabbit himself, you must read his page on Makipedia.

Nasreddin Hodja is a character in the folklore of the Muslim world from the Balkans to China, and a hero of humorous short stories and satirical anecdotes.

He is portrayed as a wise fool, clever simpleton, or instructive prankster.

The oldest manuscript of Nasreddin dates to 1571, which is coincidental with both ‘Journey to the West’ and the first chapbook about Till Eulenspiegel. Moreover, Nasreddin frequently is compared with this northern European trickster.

If you want to learn a bit more about how Nasreddin Hodja and Takuan related, you must visit Nasreddin’s page on Makipedia.

Sung-Guan makes an appearance in the pages of ‘Takuan from Koto’ only towards the end of the second book, ‘Hunters of Weredemons.’ Let’s not discuss how it happened, but Sung-Guan became the victim of an unlucky sorcerer named Bricabrac, who, perhaps for the only time, found himself blessed with good fortune.

As a result, Sung-Guan acquired a long and clingy tail, as well as golden fur, resembling a mountain monkey. Along with the tail, Sung-Guan also gained the boundless energy of the celestial marten Ta-Guan, which, of course, inhabited the one who later received the name Sung-Guan.

If you want to learn a little more about Sung-Guan, you must read Makipedia.

The Four Heavenly Kings, Tamon-ten, Jocho-ten, Jikoku-ten, and Komoku-ten, were assigned by the Jade Emperor to guard the heavens from all four directions. Tamon-ten was assigned the north, Jocho-ten the south, Jikoku-ten was directed to guard the eastern gates, and Komoku-ten the western gates.

Each King wields one of the four sacred weapons: Jocho-ten skillfully wields Jian the Thunder Sword. Tamon-ten wields Sanjiegun the Thunder Flail, Jikoku-ten wields Saitsu the Lightning Trident, and Komoku-ten wields Gun the Heavenly Pole, the weapon of the Western Dawn.

If you want to know a little more about the Heavenly Kings, you must visit the Makipedia.

The Jade Emperor sits on the throne, located in the heart of the Jade Palace. In his hand, he holds a jade scepter, through which he governs the three realms: the Heavens, the Earthen Realm, and the Under Realm.

In ancient times, he, along with his brother, managed to ascend to the Heavens and earned the respect of the gods. As a sign of recognition, the gods bestowed upon the Emperor the jade scepter, while his brother, the long-haired Yanwang Umma-ö, gained a rare power from the gods—the ability to travel to and from the Underworld at will.

The Emperor appointed his brother as the ruler of the nine thousand worlds hidden in the Under Realm, while he himself indulged in the courtly life. Order and tranquility reigned in all three realms, pleasing the gods whom the Jade Emperor would host lavish celebrations for in his palace.

If you want to know a little more about the Jade Emperor and his domain, you must visit the Makipedia.

Once upon a time, one of the Gods of Fortune named Ebisu received a magical fishing rod as a gift. With its help, he awakened a demon who had peacefully slumbered in the depths of the sea sand.

This demon was called Shu Wuzing, and upon awakening, he set off to the Middle Realm to satisfy both his hunger and boredom. The troubles caused by the demon alarmed the Jasper Emperor, who ruled the land of Chinayindu, and he sought help from the celestials.

If you want to know a little more about Shu Wuzing’s fate, you must visit his page on the Makipedia.

The true identity of Qingbao, the one who captured the heart of the wandering komuso monk named Sogi Zaemon, remains a mystery. Fate led Qingbao and Zaemon on separate paths, and it took a considerable amount of time before fortune smiled upon the lovers.

Another fortunate coincidence was Qingbao’s striking resemblance to the late mother of Duke Bao-Zhu. Thanks to this, Qingbao found herself as a guest in the duke’s residence. It was in this garden that something happened, making the duke, perhaps for the first time in his dukey life, regret the size of his belly.

If you want to learn a little more about Qingbao, you must read her page on Makipedia.

Sogi Zaemon — that’s the name of a wandering komuso monk who traveled through Chinayindu in search of weredemons. He was accompanied on his journeys by two large wolves: one white as the first snow, and the other gray like roadside dust.

The early life of Zaemon remains mostly unknown to the readers of ‘Takuan from Koto.’ We will only say that he encountered many hardships, and among them was parting with his beloved.

However, if you want to know a little more about Zaemon, you must read his page on Makipedia.

Bricabrac was the name of the unlucky sorcerer who traveled through the land of Chinayindu in search of magic. He arrived from the distant land of Yurasiu, following the powerful sorcerer Alastar Lupin.

While Alastar adopted a new name upon arriving in Chinayindu and resorted to considerable cunning, Bricabrac didn’t even bother changing his name. Needless to say, luck was not on Bricabrac’s side.

His robe quickly fell into disrepair, and his short stature and disproportionate width gave the sorcerer an even more unworthy appearance. His face, resembling a rat’s snout, did nothing to improve his looks.

If you want to know a little more about Bricabrac, you must visit his page on Makipedia.

Bing Lieu, or Alastar Lupin, as his real name was, brought a lot of trouble to Takuan and his companions.

The sorcerer dedicated his entire life to the pursuit of power. His diligence and talent attracted the attention of the Dark Lord himself, who appeared before the sorcerer and entrusted him with a mission to travel to Chinayindu and acquire magical items. In return, the Dark Lord promised Alastar Lupin power that could only be matched by the celestial beings.

If you want to know a little more about Bing Lieu, you must visit his page on Makipedia.

Soliang, that was the name of one of the temple monks living in the monastery of Brocade Mountain. He didn’t possess extraordinary bravery, but he was diligent and, in addition to that, quite handsome.

For this, or perhaps for something else, the Goddess of the West took notice of the monk. Late at night, she appeared before him and entrusted him with a task of such importance that the next morning the monk set off on a journey.

This journey is recounted in the second book of ‘Takuan from Koto’ titled ‘Hunters of Weredemons.’

If you want to know a little more about Soliang’s and those who accompanied him on his journey, you must read Soliang’s page in the Makipedia.

From the magical perspective, demons (and other being beyond mortals) are kept — most often, imprisoned — in magical crystal bulbs.

The bulbs are about a size of a tennis or ping-pong balls — somewhere in between those two sizes. They are comfortably held by one held, though holding several bulbs in one hand is cumbersome.

When a bulb is held in a hand, the owner of the hand feels tingling, like if something trying to get into the skin.

The bulbs are fragile. If they are thrown against a wall, or dropped to a hard floor, they are smashed, and the content of it is released.

Certain magical powers are required to capture a demon into such a bulb. Common mortals or even celestials can't do that; some gods, however, can (not that they would do it). Yanwang is given powers to hunt demons and capture them in bulbs.

If you want to know the meaning of different colours of the bulbs, you must visit the Makipedia’s page about them.