The Yellow Jar

Atangan, Patrick. The Yellow Jar. NBM Publishing Inc., 2002. ISBN 1-56163-331-3

Plot

This book contains two illustrated tales from Japanese folkloric tradition.

In the first story, a fisherman named Nikotuchi encounters a large, yellow jar floating in the ocean. Inside the jar sleeps a beautiful young woman in a silken yellow dress. He hides the jar in the earth beneath a willow tree. When the woman awakens, she reveals that she is O Haru San, daughter of the great sea king. She is on a quest to find a husband. She asks for her jar. Nikotuchi lies and tells her the jar was lost at sea. He asks her to marry him, and she agrees on the condition that he will always tell her the truth. Eventually she finds her jar buried in the garden. She cries a river of tears and leaves upon it, riding in her yellow jar. Nikotuchi is heartbroken. He sets out on a quest to find her.

In the story of a monk named Issa, his beautiful garden is invaded by two weeds that look like lovely maidens. First he ignores them, then he is attentive to them, but still they will not leave. He is soon surprised to see the weeds bloom into a pair of beautiful chrysanthemums, one white and one yellow. The people who come to see the flowers favor the yellow chrysanthemum, so the monk separates them. He protects and elevates the yellow flower but ignores and neglects the white. It seems as though the forgotten white flower will be lost in the winter snow until a nobleman comes in search of something beautiful to adopt for his family's crest.

Critical Evaluation

The comic book format and "world of floating pictures" illustration style work together to tell these stories well. The illustrations vividly recall stylized woodblock prints from Japan. The characters and their words are full of emotion. When Nikotuchi realizes he is alone, standing in his garden before a puddle of O Haru San's tears, his sadness and heartbreak are clear.

Annotations

Two traditional Japanese folktales, The Yellow Jar and Two Chrysanthemum Maidens are told through illustrations and simple language which evoke past times.

Author

Patrick Atangan comes from a family of accountants but has known since he was a child that he would always be involved in art.

Genre

Fiction – folk tales

Curriculum Ties

Lanuage Arts – folk tales

Social Sciences – Japanese art and history

Booktalk Ideas

Two Chrysanthemum Maidens is short enough to use as a read aloud. This could be introduced with or followed by a display of Edo period art prints from a collection in book form.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 4 and up (age 9 and up).

Challenge Issues and Defense

None.

Why is it here?

I came across Patrick Atangan's interview at the For Art's Sake website and wanted to read his books.