The Tale of the Gambler’s Marriage Gamble

Once upon a time, there was a young gambler who wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. His face was so peculiar that his eyes and nose seemed to be squished into the middle of his face. His parents were worried sick about how he’d ever make it in the world. But then, they heard from a girl working at a wealthy household that the lady of the house was looking for a handsome son-in-law.

Now, the gambler’s parents weren’t ones to miss an opportunity. They spread a rumor that “the most handsome man in the world is looking to marry!” The wealthy family fell for it and eagerly agreed to the match. A date was set, and the wedding was on.

On the big day, the gambler borrowed some fancy clothes to look presentable. The moonlight was bright, but luckily, his face stayed hidden. Gambling friends rushed to the wedding, and seeing the crowd, the wealthy man mistakenly believed that his son-in-law was from a good family.

After the wedding, the gambler only visited his wife at night, keeping his face hidden. But as time went on, he realized he couldn’t avoid daytime meetings forever. He was panicking about what to do when one of his gambler friends came up with a wild plan.

This friend climbed onto the roof of the wealthy family’s house and stomped loudly above the couple’s bedroom, shouting in a terrifying voice, “The most handsome man under heaven!” The wealthy father rushed to find out what was going on. The gambler, terrified, shouted back, “I am the one the world calls the most handsome man! What do you want?”

The “ogre” replied, “This house’s daughter has been mine for three years. Why are you here?” The gambler begged for mercy, but the ogre wasn’t done yet. It demanded, “What’s more important to you—your face or your life?”

The gambler hesitated, unsure how to answer. His in-laws stepped in and said, “Forget your face! Life is all that matters.” Taking their advice, the gambler chose his life. The ogre declared, “Then I’ll take your face!” and with that, the gambler collapsed, clutching his face and crying out in pain.

When the lights were turned on, everyone gasped. His face had become even more disfigured, with his eyes and nose seemingly fused together. The gambler broke down, sobbing, “I should’ve chosen my life! How can I survive in the world looking like this?”

Feeling pity for him, the wealthy father decided to help. He gave the gambler treasures and eventually built him a new house to live in, far away from the haunting memories. In the end, the gambler managed to turn his life around and lived in comfort.

Explanation

I think this story is saying that we should judge people by their character rather than by their appearance.

Afterword

This is the English translation of the ninth volume of the Uji Shūi Monogatari (Tales of Uji Pickup). The English isn't the best, but I hope it'll give folks a chance to learn about some classic Japanese literature.