#Hanasaka Jiisan
Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman.
The grandfather went to the mountains to cut grass and the grandmother went to the river to wash her clothes.
When the grandfather returned home, he was deeply surprised.
Grandpa returned home to find that Grandma had brought home a huge peach about three feet long.
When he tried to cut it open, a baby came out from inside.
The old couple had been unable to conceive a child, but suddenly a little life appeared.
The grandfather was delighted and took out a large colander that he had carefully stored in the back of the closet.
Inside the colander was a pile of ashes.
The ashes were very dear to both of them.

A dog they once owned died, and the wood they buried near where the grave was erected became mortar, eventually turned into firewood, and then burned to ashes.
But that is another story.

When Grandpa returned to the mountain, he climbed up a dead tree, grabbed the ashes, and scattered them.
The old man climbed up trees and happily scattered the ashes.
What happened next?
The dead trees began to bloom, one after another, and the whole area became a cherry blossom festival.
The village where they live is called "Hanasaka-mura" (blooming cherry blossom village) because of the beautiful cherry blossoms that cover the whole mountain.
The people of the village enjoyed the early arrival of spring.

あるところに、おじいさんとおばあさんが住んでいました。
おじいさんは山へしば刈りに、おばあさんは川へ洗濯に行きました。
おじいさんが家に帰ると、心の底から驚きました。
三尺ほどある巨大な桃を、おばあさんが持ち帰っていたからです。
桃を切ろうすると、なんと中から赤ん坊が出てきたのです。
子宝に恵まれなかった老夫婦の元に、突如現れた小さな命。
おじいさんは喜んで、押入れの奥に大事にしまっていた大きなざるを取り出しました。
ざるの中には山盛りの灰が入っていました。
二人にとって、とても思い入れのある灰です。

かつて飼っていた犬が死に、墓を立てた場所の近くに埋めた木は臼になり、やがて薪になり、燃えて灰になりました。
けれども、それはまた別の話。

おじいさんは山へ戻ると枯れ木に登り、灰を掴んでまきました。
「枯れ木に花を咲かせましょう」方々の木に登っては、嬉しそうに灰をまくおじいさん。
すると、どうしたことでしょう。
枯れ木に次々と花が咲き出して、辺り一面さくらの花盛りになりました。
二人が住む村が「花咲か村」と呼ばれる所以にもなった山ひとつを美しく覆う満開のさくらです。
それを見た村の人たちは、一足早い春の訪れを楽しんだそうです。