The monkey who stole the crab's riceball suffered vengeance, in the end, from the crab. The crab killed his bitter enemy, the monkey, in concert with the mortar, the wasp and the egg.(1) -- There is no need to retell that story here. It is necessary, though, to tell what fate was encountered by the crab and his cohort after the monkey was killed. That is because the children's story says nothing of this matter. Indeed, not only is the story untold, but the impression is given that the crab in his hole, the mortar in a corner of the kitchen, the wasp in her nest under the eaves and the egg in his box of rice husks, all lived out lives of peace and tranquility.

That, however, is false. After exacting their vengeance, they were arrested by the police and thrown in prison, every one. Moreover, the outcome of the trial was that the crab, as ringleader, was sentenced to death, and the co-conspirators-- the mortar, wasp and egg-- received life sentences. Readers who are familiar only with the children's story may have doubts about this fate, but it is a fact. This is true beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The crab, according to his own testimony, traded a riceball for a persimmon. However, he testified, the monkey not only gave a green persimmons instead of ripe persimmon, but cruelly threw the persimmons so as to cause bodily harm to the crab. However, the crab had not concluded a contract with the monkey. But even leaving that aside, they agreed to exchange a riceball for a persimmon; a ripe persimmon was not really specified. Finally, there is insufficient evidence as to whether the throwing of the green persimmons indicates malice on the part of the monkey. Accordingly, the lawyer defending the crab, a lawyer renowned for his eloquence, seemed to know no better strategy than to fall on the mercy of the court. This lawyer apparently said "please resign yourself to this," while wiping the froth from the crab's brow with a look of concern. However, no one has been able to determine whether this "resign yourself" meant the crab should resign himself to receiving the death penalty, or resign himself to the large fee taken by the lawyer.

Moreover, hardly any of the newspaper or magazine editorials showed any sympathy for the crab. There was frequent criticism along these lines: "That the crab killed the monkey could be nothing other than the result of a personal grudge. And was this personal grudge not a matter of vexation that the crab's own ignorance and rashness redounded to the monkey's interest? Only a fool or madman would let personal grudges loose in this world where the superior win and the inferior lose." A baron or something of the sort who headed the Chamber of Congress held roughly that opinion, and also argued that the crab's having killed the monkey was to some degree influenced by dangerous thinking that was currently popular. Perhaps as a consequence, they say that since the crab's vendetta, the baron has kept 10 bulldogs in addition to his other underlings.

There was not a single favorable evaluation of the crab's vendetta among what are called the intellectuals, either. A certain college professor Ph.D. said that from the perspective of ethical studies, the crab killed the monkey out of a desire to retaliate, and retaliation can hardly be called good. And then, a certain leader of the socialist camp, said that the crab placed too high a value on private property, whether persimmons or riceballs, and that the mortar, wasp and egg engaged in reactionary thought as well; it was even possible that the affair had been instigated by ultranationalists. The chief abbot of a certain sect said that the crab did not appear to understand Buddhist compassion-- even if green persimmons were thrown at him, if he had understood Buddhist compassion he would have pitied the monkey instead of hating him. "Oh, I wish he had heard me lecture, even if only once," the abbot said. There were criticisms from men in all quarters, and all disapproved of the crab's vendetta. The one man of all these who spoke his mind in behalf of the crab was a certain Diet member who was also a heavy drinker and a poet. The Diet member said the crab's vendetta was in keeping with the spirit of bushido. However, no one should pay attention to such old-fashioned thinking. Moreover, according to gossip in the newspapers, a monkey had urinated on this Diet member when he visited a zoo years earlier.

Readers of the nursery tale may let fall a tear of sympathy for the sad fate of the crab. The crab's death, however, was a matter of course. To view it as unfortunate is no more than the sentimentalism of women and children. All the world approved of the crab's death. The night after the execution, the judge, the prosecutor, the defense lawyer, the warden, the executioner, and the prison chaplain all slept soundly, it is said, for 48 hours. Not only that, they all had the same dream, in which they saw the gate of heaven. As they told it, heaven was like a department store that resembled a feudal castle.

Next, I would like to write a little about what happened to the crab's family after the crab died. The crab's wife turned to selling pleasure. It is not yet clear whether motivation was poverty, or her own lust. The crab's eldest son, after the loss of his father, "turned over a new leaf," to use the jargon of journalism, and now works as a clerk or something for a stock broker. This crab would sometimes drag a wounded friend into his own hole for a dinner of crab meat. (2) The second son became a novelist. Being a writer, he of course did nothing other than fall in love with women. But with the life of father crab as an example, he laid out moderately cynical remarks like "Good is another name for evil." The third son was a simpleton, and was never able to become anything other than a crab. Once when he was walking along sideways, he found a riceball someone had dropped. Riceballs were his favorite food. He picked up his find with his large pincer. As he did, a monkey who was picking lice in the top of a high persimmon tree-- there is probably no need to go any further with the story.

In any case, the fact is that after fighting with the monkey, the crab had to be killed for the public good. I give this story to the readers of that public. You are mostly crabs.