Long ago Japan was ruled by Hohodemi, who was the descendant of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess.
He was strong, brave, handsome and he was the greatest hunter of the land because of this he was called ‘The Happy Hunter of the Mountains’. His elder brother was a very skillful fisher and for this the elder brother was called the ‘Skillful Fisher of the Sea’.
Once, Happy Hunter went to his brother Skillful Fisher. “Every day you go to the sea with your fishing rod and come back with plenty of fish. I take my bow and arrow and hunt the wild animals up the mountains and down the Valley. All the time, each one of us has done what we wanted now. We must both be tired. So shall we make a change? Will you try hunting in the mountains, and I will go and fish in the sea?”
Skillful Fisher was silent for a few seconds and then he nodded. “Yes, we will do that. Give me a bow and arrow. And I will go to the mountains and hunt for game.”
This was the start of the trouble because Happy Hunter did not know anything about fishing and Skillful Fisher, who was a very bad-tempered man, knew nothing much about hunting.
Happy Hunter took his brother's priced fishing hook and rod and went to the seashore and sat down on the rocks.
Happy Hunter threw the hook into the sea clumsily and he longed to catch a good fish.
However, Happy Hunter did not catch any fish. If he had known how to fish properly, he would be able to do it, but he knew nothing about it. The whole day passed this way.
As he sat on the rocks holding the fishing rod, till evening he still had not got a single fish.
It was dark and he drew up his line for the last time and he found that he had lost his hook and he did not even know where he had dropped it.
Happy Hunter was suddenly anxious because he knew that his elder brother would be very angry if he learned that Happy Hunter had lost his hook.
Happy Hunter looked round the rocks for the lost hook.
That was when Skillful Fisher came to the place.
Adapted from Japanese Folk Tales
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