(Explanation below, related stories moved to a separate menu)

	Ikkyu San The bright young acolyte matches wits with his crafty feudal lord.
	Issun Boshi A tale of daring, adventure, and personal growth.
	Urashima Taro Under the sea with the dragon princess in a story of kindness rewarded and love unrequited.
	Kaguya Hime Torn between five noble suitors, the emperor, her own heart and irresistable fate—which way will the shining maiden turn?
	Gombei the Duck Hunter Gombei knows a labor saving device when he sees one. But has he set his sights too high?
	Saru-Kani Gassen (The Monkey-Crab Feud) The Monkey and the Crab (A Just-So story) The Monkey-Crab Feud (The Quilt Story) The Monkey-Crab Vendetta (Social commentary by Akutagawa) Miscellaneous (Other commentary by me)
	Chofuku Yama Courage is granny's watchword—courage and patience. It beats depending on the kindness of others, but that's good too. Courage and patience and the kindness of others is her watchword.
	The Crane Wife In gratitude for kindness was his poverty relieved. But some things must remain unseen to really be believed.
	Mouse Paradise A classic of the good neighbor—greedy neighbor genre, set in the kingdom of the mice.
	Hanasaka Jiji Another good neighbor—greedy neighbor story, with some undying loyalty thrown in.
	Bunbuku Chagama Can a mischievious tanuki change his ways? Up to a point, yes.
	Momotaro More daring and adventure, more undying loyalty, and peace is restored to the seacoast of Japan.

The Quilt was made for Kevin Hobbs, who perhaps still knows where it is. He's in high school now (1996), and nearly out, and pretty good at soccer, piano and other scholarly pursuits.* But once upon a time, in a certain place, he was a newborn who needed, as all newborns do, a quilt and some stories. The quilt he got (and there may have been many) was designed as an aid to memory, showing scenes reminiscent of a dozen stories his mother should have known, so she and his father could pass them on to him.

Some years later I wrote down my versions of about half of the stories-- Kevin was probably getting to read well by that time, but in truth I intended the written version for my own daughters, who had experienced the oral versions with great patience when they were babies. Like most people, I will eventually finish everything I have started, including a full quilt's worth of stories. By eventually, of course, I mean mid-September.


*By the beginning of 2004, Kevin had graduated from Johns Hopkins University and had set his sights on various conservatories to hone his piano skills.

Disclaimer: This may be the way you remember the stories, and it may not. I lean toward Tsubota Joji, but am accepting of other sources, and not above changing things when I think it would sound better. For example, my idea of Kaguyahime is somewhat less self-centered than the heroine of Takatori Monogatari. Live with it.