Characters

CHARACTERS:
The aged mother- the main character of the

story, who has the wisdom that brings to save
and benefited their land
The young farmer- the son of the aged mother
The daimio-the despotic ruler of Shinano but
later on he learned to give importance the old
folks.
THEME:
“A mother’s love is something that no one can
explain. It is made of deep devotion and of
sacrifice and pain, it is endless and unselfish”.
The story of the aged mother is a folktale from

Japan. It tells about how great the love of a
mother for her child. It was shown on their
situation when the daimio proclaimed a law
ordering that all the aged people should be
put to death. The order filled the heart of the
poor farmer a great sorrow for he loves his
mother that much. Instead of putting her
mother to death in the hand of the cruel law
he decided to give his mother a kind mode of
death. He took his mother to the bare summit
of Obatsuyama- the mountain of the
“Abandoning of the Aged” and planned to
abandon there. On their way to the said
mountain the heart of the loving mother grew
anxious for she knew that her son will on
danger on his way back because he was not
familiar to the many mountain paths. What
the mother did she snapped the twigs of the
bushes they passed and drop it silently on the
path to serves as a guide on the way back of
her poor child.
“Let not thine eyes be blind, my son.” “The
mountain road is full of danger. Look carefully
and follow the path which holds the piles of
twigs. They will guide thee to the familiar way
farther down”.- These lines shows the
unconditional love that the mother has for her
son, an unselfish love that smote the heart of
the poor child and made him cried and
decided to take his mother with him backed to
their humble hut in the valley.
He hid his mother on a walled closet for food
beneath the kitchen. Time passed and they
both feel secure and safe until one day the
daimio sent a messenger and again demanded
on the people of the valley present him a with
a rope of ashes. To the despair of the poor
farmer he told the mews to his hidden
mother. And her mother luckily come up with
the idea and told him to make a rope of
twisted straw and the other thing to do. The
despotic ruler was pleased of what he had
witnessed and asks the poor farmer if where
he obtained that kind of wisdom. The poor
farmer stated everything and daimio listened
and meditated in silence. Upon hearing the
story he now decided to abolish cruel law, and
sees the importance of the elder to shape the
society and said “with the crown of snow,
there cometh wisdom”.
The story shows us two important virtue- love
and wisdom. Mother’s love is nothing can
compare nor measured; it is pure and
unselfish and made of reverence.
In the saying “with the crown of snow, there

cometh wisdom”- the crown of snow is
pertaining to the elders, emphasizes the
importance of them in shaping our society.
The word “there cometh wisdom” explained
that as we get old our everyday experiences
makes us wit, and as we commit mistakes
learning comes. The old folks who undergone
on the different challenges in life and had
survive serves as our guiding path because
their varied experiences teach us to become
wise; wise enough to know right from wrong.
Also known as The Story of the Aged Mother,

this Japanese folktale tells the story of an
unkind ruler who issues cruel orders, including
one demand that all old folks are to be
abandoned and left to die. Basho tells a
poignant story about a mother and her son
and their love for one another
SETTING OF THE JAPANESE FOLKTAKE "AGED

MOTHER": The Japanese folktale “Aged
Mother” by Matsuo Basho is set at the foot of
a mountain somewhere in Shinano, an old
province of Japan that is now called Nagano
Prefecture
The moral of the story the Aged Mother is that

everything has its use on earth. No matter how
small, how old. or how simple something may seem
to be, it has its own purpose and can contribute for
the benefit of the greater good. It shows that no one
should be ignored.
n a family, the mother's role has traditionally been

to raise the children and take care of household
chores. However, the role of mothers in
the family home is constantly changing. ... Mother –
The epitome of inspiration, nurtures a kid into an
individual & teaches the world about unconditional
love.

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Characters

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CHARACTERS:

The aged mother- the main character of the

The story of the aged mother is a folktale from

In the saying “with the crown of snow, there

Also known as The Story of the Aged Mother,

SETTING OF THE JAPANESE FOLKTAKE "AGED

The moral of the story the Aged Mother is that

n a family, the mother's role has traditionally been

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