Kintaro

Legend tells the story of a young boy dressed in red whose strength
equalled that of a thousand men. Raised by his mother in a secluded
forest on Mount Ashigara, he grew up to become one of the most
successful warriors that Japan has ever seen: Sakata no Kintoki.

Kintaro sat on the edge of the ring, engrossed by the action. When the animals had
suggested a sumo competition, he wasn’t expecting it to be this good. Although
the bout between the deer and the fox had been a close, exciting match, nothing
compared to the current battle.

As the only two remaining animals, this would determine the overall victor. The spectators
cheered and whooped as the mighty beasts pushed and shoved. Then, with an almighty
grunt, the battle was over. Standing on its hind legs, the bear roared its victory.

“Hang on!” shouted Kintaro over the racket. “You can’t be the victor if you haven’t
defeated all of the participants. It’s my turn.”

He stepped into the ring and looked up at the bear,

who towered over him. Immediately, the two began
to compete. Although everyone expected Kintaro to be
wiped out of the competition almost instantaneously,
his strength proved to be too much for the bear.

Within just a few minutes, the boy was the only

one left in the ring. The animals cheered and
congratulated Kintaro; they were amazed that such
a small boy had managed to emerge victorious.

Later that day, the animals were taking a relaxing swim in a nearby pond. No sooner
than Kintaro had jumped into the cooling water, a slow, steady voice echoed from beneath the
surface, “So, you’re the famous Kintaro that I’ve been hearing so much about. I believe that it’s
my turn to test your strength. This time, though, we’ll do it under the water.”

Kintaro dived and found himself face to face with a large carp. “If you can catch me,” the
carp explained, “I may begin to believe the tales after all.” Not one to refuse a challenge,
Kintaro kicked his legs and began to swim after the carp. Despite the fish’s relentless
twists and turns, he was able to keep up with ease.

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Eventually, he pushed out his arms and wrapped himself around the carp’s
back: the challenge was over. Impressed by the boy’s courage and endurance, the
carp graciously accepted defeat and vowed to believe the tales of Kintaro, whose
reputation as the golden boy in the mountains preceded him.
Several weeks later, while Kintaro and his mother
slept, a fierce storm raged through the mountains.
By the next morning, several of the animals had
become trapped on a ledge above a ravine. With
quick thinking, Kintaro chopped down a nearby
tree - creating a makeshift bridge. To celebrate the
bravery of their friend, the animals gathered to
meet with Kintaro that evening beneath a red sky.

Meanwhile, further down the mountain, a warrior

named Minamoto no Yorimitsu was walking with
three of his finest soldiers. Noticing the strange, red sky in the distance, the four
made their way towards the unusual sight. When they arrived, they stopped and
stared in amazement as they saw a young boy wrestling with a large bear.

When the young boy had won the fight, When the third soldier had been defeated,
Yorimitsu stepped forward. Yorimitsu offered Kintaro the opportunity to join
him in the city and to train as a warrior. Thinking
“That’s very impressive for a boy of your of his mother, Kintaro reluctantly refused. Not
age,” he said to Kintaro, looking him up one to give in so easily, Yorimitsu insisted that
and down, “but I bet you’re no match for he accompany Kintaro back to his house. The
my soldiers.” One by one, the soldiers met moment that Kintaro’s mother appeared at
Kintaro in the ring and, each time, Kintaro the door, a smile spread across her face.
emerged victorious.
“Oh, Kintaro!” she exclaimed. “From the
day that you were born, I knew that this
would be your destiny. You will be one of
the finest warriors that Japan has ever
seen. Even your father wants you to go;
that red sky was him talking to you.”

With his mother’s blessing, Kintaro waved

goodbye to his mountain friends and set off
for his next adventure.

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Questions
1. With his mother’s blessing, Kintaro waved goodbye to his mountain friends and set
off for his next adventure.
What does 'with his mother’s blessing' mean? Tick one.

Kintaro’s mother was reluctant to let him go.

Kintaro’s mother was going to join him.
Kintaro’s mother was happy for him to go.
Kintaro’s mother was singing as he left.

2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened in.

Kintaro dived under the water.

The bear was victorious.
Yorimitsu noticed the strange, red sky.
A storm raged through the mountains.

3. Look at the paragraph beginning Kintaro sat on…

Find and copy one word that means the same as 'captivated'.

4. How many of Yorimitsu’s soldiers did Kintaro beat?

5. Why did Kintaro’s mother think that the red sky was significant?

6. Using 30 words or fewer, summarise the story of Kintaro.

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 Kintaro
7. Compare how the carp felt about Kintaro when it first saw the boy to how it felt about
Kintaro at the end of the story.

8. What impression did Yorimitsu get of Kintaro? Fully explain your answer.

9. Argue that Kintaro made the wrong decision by leaving to train in the city.

10. In the story, it mentions Kintaro being strong.

How else has the author shown that Kintaro is stronger than most people?
Fully explain your answer.

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Answers
1. With his mother’s blessing, Kintaro waved goodbye to his mountain friends and set
off for his next adventure.
What does 'with his mother’s blessing' mean? Tick one.

Kintaro’s mother was reluctant to let him go.

Kintaro’s mother was going to join him.
Kintaro’s mother was happy for him to go.
Kintaro’s mother was singing as he left.

2. Number the events from 1-4 to show the order that they happened in.

2 Kintaro dived under the water.

1 The bear was victorious.
4 Yorimitsu noticed the strange, red sky.
3 A storm raged through the mountains.

3. Look at the paragraph beginning Kintaro sat on…

Find and copy one word that means the same as 'captivated'.

engrossed

4. How many of Yorimitsu’s soldiers did Kintaro beat?

Kintaro beat three of Yorimitsu’s soldiers.

5. Why did Kintaro’s mother think that the red sky was significant?

Kintaro’s mother thought that the red sky was significant because she believed that it
was his father telling him to go and train as a warrior.

6. Using 30 words or fewer, summarise the story of Kintaro.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: Kintaro lived in the mountains and proved his strength
against animals. He met a warrior and went to the city to train as the greatest warrior
Japan had ever seen.

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 Kintaro
7. Compare how the carp felt about Kintaro when it first saw the boy to how it felt about
Kintaro at the end of the story.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: When the carp first saw Kintaro, it didn’t believe that
he was really as strong as everyone was saying. By the end of the story, the carp had
promised to believe the stories because Kintaro had proved how strong he was by
catching the carp under the water.

8. What impression did Yorimitsu get of Kintaro? Fully explain your answer.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: Yorimitsu got the impression that Kintaro was brave
because he saw him fighting a large bear. He also got the impression that Kintaro was
strong enough to be a warrior because he asked him to come and train in the city.

9. Argue that Kintaro made the wrong decision by leaving to train in the city.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: At the beginning of the story, Kintaro is already fighting
a large bear and, by the end, he has defeated three warriors. He does all of these things
without having been trained in the city. This means that he could have become Japan’s
greatest warrior without having to leave his mother behind.

10. In the story, it mentions Kintaro being strong.

How else has the author shown that Kintaro is stronger than most people?
Fully explain your answer.

Pupils’ own responses, such as: The author shows Kintaro defeating a number of
animals and soldiers. The author also says that Kintaro was able to ‘keep up with ease’
even with ‘the fish’s relentless twists and turns’. This makes Kintaro seem like he is able
to easily complete tasks that most people would find too challenging.

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