Princess Hase

When Princess Hase is still a little girl, her mother dies after telling her to be kind to people above and below her in rank. Hase follows that advice. Her father, Prince Toyonari, later marries Princess Terute, who grows jealous of her stepdaughter. Hase excels at music and poetry, and after the girl plays well at court while Terute’s flute accompaniment fails, the stepmother becomes more hostile. Terute prepares poisoned wine for Hase, but accidentally gives the deadly cup to her own son, who dies. Hase survives, and the stepmother’s jealousy deepens.

The Emperor is troubled by the noise of a flood in the River Tatsuta and falls ill. Hearing that Hase is a gifted poet, he asks her to write a prayer. At the river she reads her verse aloud; the story says the waters become quiet and the Emperor soon recovers. He rewards Hase with rank and favour. While her father is away, Terute orders her servant Katoda to take Hase to the Hibari Mountains and kill her. Katoda sees that the girl is innocent, hides her in a cottage and cares for her with his wife instead. Toyonari later discovers Hase studying Buddhist scripture in the cottage. Katoda tells him what happened; the father brings his daughter home, and the stepmother flees. Hase is later married and lives to old age.