Why Is The Sea Salty? Here's a story!

Retold by – Praghnya Krishnamoorthy

Long ago, there were two brothers - Akino and Shinkichin - who lived in a small village in Japan. Akino was rich yet greedy, while Shinkichin was poor but humble. On one New Year's eve, Shinkichin went to Akino's house and asked, "Brother, my family has no food to eat. Could you please spare me a bag of rice from your stocks?"

"No! If I share, I won't have much left for my own family. Go away!" So saying, Akino shut the door on his brother's face.

Feeling sad, Shinkichin walked towards a mountain at the border of the village. "How can I face my hungry wife and children? I shall go to the mountain and pluck some berries for them," he thought.

As he walked along the mountain, he met an old man. "Good day Shinkichin," said the old man, "have you come far from home?"

"Yes," replied Shinkichin, surprised at how the man knew so much about him. "I am in trouble, have no work to do, and my family is starving. I need to go and find some food for them."

The old man smiled and said, "Then go to the other side of the hill. There you will find a cave, where some good goblins live. Give this soybean cake to them and ask them for their grinding stone. Once you have the stone, you will never have to go hungry again."

Shinkichin was a bit puzzled, but did as he was told.

When the goblins saw the soybean cake, they jumped for joy. "Soybean cake! We love soybean cake! Can we please have it?"

"Yes, you may," replied Shinkichin, "but you must give me your grinding stone in return."

The goblins hesitated. "Why don't you take some rubies or pearls, or even these gold bricks instead?" they asked, but Shinkichin was firm.

Finally, the goblins agreed to give him the grinding stone. An old goblin came to Shinkichin and told him what to do. "Turn the handle to the right and you will get anything that you want. When you have got as much as you need, turn it to the left and it will stop." After thanking the goblins and giving them the soybean cake, Shinkichin returned home.

Upon reaching home, Shinkichin tried out the grinding stone. He turned the handle to the right and said "Rice", and rice began to pour out! The family had a wonderful meal that night and plenty of food to last them for many months to come.

To share their good fortune, Shinkichin invited all the villagers to a grand feast. His brother Akino also came to the feast and was curious to find out how Shinkichin became so rich suddenly. So, Akino hid himself inside the kitchen and waited.

He soon saw Shinkichin come in and tell the grinding stone, "Rice cakes", and saw rice cakes pouring out. Akino was amazed! "Good heavens! This is just what I need to become the richest man in the world!" He waited till Shinkichin left the kitchen, then picked up the grinding stone and some rice cakes and ran away.

Fearing that he might be caught if he kept the grinding stone in his house, Akino took it to the sea that night. He planned to row to an island in the centre of the sea and hide the grinding stone there.

On the way, Akino felt hungry and started to eat the rice cakes he had stolen earlier. "Oh, these taste so bland! I wish I had some salt to add some flavour to it." So saying, he picked up the grinding stone, turned the handle to the right and said, "Salt". Salt began to pour out of the stone in plenty. Akino wanted to make it stop, but realised he hadn't properly seen how Shinkichin had done that!

The boat soon began to fill up with salt and started to sink! Fearing for his life, Akino jumped into the water and started to swim to the shore. He tried to carry the grinding stone, but had to let it go as it was too heavy.

Akino returned to the village and confessed to his brother about having stolen the stone. The kindhearted Shinkichin forgave him and they began to live together happily.

The grinding stone sank to the bottom of the ocean, and continues to make salt. Hence, the sea is so salty or so the fable says!