Urashima Tarō in the Deep Sea Palace
Script by Elena Roussanova and Jzin Teng based on Japanese folk tale “Urashima Tarō.” July 18, 2024.
Castle of Costa Mesa Summer 2024 Felting, Crafting and Puppet Show Workshop
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Scenes
Scene 1: Fish /Village – Mother Made Rice Balls for Taro 1
Scene 2: Beach. Sea Turtle encircled by Naughty Kids 2
Scene 3: In Taro’s Boat on the Open Sea 4
Scene 4: Taro on Sea Turtle comes to Sea Palace Gate with Servants 4
Scene 5: Sea Dragon King Welcomes Tarō 5
Scene 6: Rooms of Four Seasons 5
Scene 7: Musicians at Dinner 6
Scene 8: Procession of Manta Rays Flapping Their Wings 6
Scene 9: Tarō Requests to Go Home 7
Scene 10: Tarō Rode on Sea Turtle’s Back to The Beach 8
Opening Music
Miss Jzin introduction
Scene 1: Fish /Village – Mother Made Rice Balls for Taro
Cherry Tree by Fish/ Village
Taro’s mother under Cherry tree
Taro with fishing net over shoulder
Hide: Taro’s lunch
Let me tell you this unbelievable story that happened long ago, in a little fishing village, in the land of the rising sun.
Show both one side of fish
Then show the other side of fish
Open fish and show villages inside the fish
Once upon a time, in a village by the sea, there lived a kind hearted young fisherman named Urashima Tarō. Taro lived with his gentle and loving mother. Though poor, they took care of each other and the days were not so bad.
Taro’s mother appears under cherry tree, speaking to herself
“This is the last of our rice. I will use it to make some rice balls for Taro, so he does not go hungry while fishing at sea.”
Taro appears with fishing net over his shoulder
Mother gives Taro a furoshiki package of lunch, saying…
“My dear son, I made three rice balls for you. Remember to eat them when you are away. Don’t go hungry!”
“Mmmm mmmm!! I can’t wait to eat them! Farewell mother, I am off to catch some fish!”
Taro waves goodbye and walks to the beach
Scene 2: Beach. Sea Turtle encircled by Naughty Kids
Taro with fishing net and lunch
Naughty children, some with sticks
Baby turtle
As Taro was walking along the beach, he came across a group of rowdy children huddled around something he could not see. As he moved closer, he realized that they were bullying a small turtle. The children had trapped it in a hole in the sand and were poking it with sticks.
“Haha, stick your head out, you weird little thing!” (Kid 1)
“Knock, knock, knock – look! It’s a little drum.” (Kid 2)
“Let’s bury it! Let’s see if he can crawl out!” (Kid 3)
When Taro saw what the children were doing, he demanded that they stop being so cruel.
“Please, stop! You are hurting him!” Taro cried out, and the mean kids turned their attention to him.
“Taro robbed a monkey and stole its face!” (Kid 1)
“Taro is so poor, he cannot even afford to pay … attention.” (Kid 2)
“Taro’s house is so small, when you open the front door, you walk into the backyard!” (Kid 3)
But Taro knows who he is and does not back down. He is not bothered by the words of mean, little people.
“Sea turtles are sacred animals. Look, this one is still a baby. Sea turtles can live for three hundred years in the sea. You must let it go,” says Taro.
“We found it first, so it belongs to us and we can do whatever we like with it!” (Kid 1)
Taro knew that if he walked away that day, the little turtle would surely die, so he determined to do everything he could to save it.
“My mother made me three rice balls. They are still warm. I will trade them for the life of this baby turtle.”
“Yum! Give them to us!” (Kid 1)
“There! Take this sea turtle — it’s yours!” (Kid 2)
“I’m so hungry! Let’s eat!” (Kid 3)
And so, Taro bought the sea turtle from the children.
After making sure the turtle was not seriously hurt, he took it to the water, and released it gently into the sea, saying, “Swim away little one, be free and do not get caught again.”
Taro watched until the little sea turtle was once again safe in the deep embrace of the ocean.
“How I wish I could live for three hundred years like that little sea turtle,” he said to himself.
Scene 3: In Taro’s Boat on the Open Sea
The day was quite hot, and Taro was quite hungry as he set out to fish on the open sea. （Narrator pause for Vega’s recorder tune) As he drifted farther from shore, Taro thought he heard someone calling out his name.
“Urashima Taro … Urashima Taro…”
“I must be so hungry, I am hearing things!” he thought to himself. “There is no one here besides me.”
Then, Taro noticed a large shadow gliding by in the water, and a chill spread over his heart. A shadow of that size must belong to a powerful and dangerous creature: a shark or perhaps a Sea Spirit!
Just when Taro could take the suspense no longer, a giant turtle sprang from the water. At its side, was the baby sea turtle Taro had helped free that very morning!
“Do not fear, young man,” the giant turtle said to him. “I mean you no harm.”
Upon hearing those words, Taro knew that this was a special turtle — for he spoke Japanese without even a hint of turtle accent. Indeed, the turtle was an envoy from the Sea Dragon King, and explained, to Taro’s great surprise, that the baby sea turtle Taro had rescued earlier that morning was actually the Sea Dragon King’s daughter, the Princess Otohime, who had disguised herself as a turtle to play on land.
“The Sea Dragon King has invited you to his palace for a feast, to thank you for your kindness,” the giant turtle informed him. And so saying, he gave Tarō special gills to help him breathe underwater, and carried him to the Palace of the Sea Dragon King at the bottom of the sea.
Scene 4: Taro on Sea Turtle comes to Sea Palace Gate with Servants
Secretly, a puppeteer moves cherry tree to a spot next to bridge, hide under silk
Close village to show just fish
When they reached the palace gates, the way was blocked by a pair of fish.
“Who are you, and what is your purpose here? Surely you know that not just anyone can enter the Sea Dragon Palace!”
At this, the small sea turtle spoke, “Do you not recognize your own princess? I am Otohime, and this is Urashima Taro, the kind man who rescued me this morning. Do not fear him, for he has a good heart.”
Upon hearing that the stranger riding the Giant Sea Turtle was a friend and not an enemy, the fish guardians transformed back into their true selves, and now, a pair of lovely sea maidens stood before Taro.
First fish transforms into a maiden – sound effect
Second fish transforms into a maiden – sound effect
The sea maidens flung open the gates and welcomed their honored guest into the palace.
Scene 5: Sea Dragon King Welcomes Tarō
In the safety of the Palace Courtyard, the baby turtle, too, transformed. She was the beautiful Princess Otohime, daughter of the mighty Sea Dragon King.
“Thank you for saving my life, Urishima Taro. Please be our guest at The Sea Dragon Palace.”
When they entered the great hall, the Sea Dragon King greeted Taro heartily.
“Welcome, young man! You have proven yourself to be both incredibly kind and brave of heart. Come, sit at my right hand. The chefs have been busy all day preparing a feast in your honor, and now you shall taste the finest dishes in all of the Sea Kingdom, an honor that is rarely bestowed on land dwellers like yourself.”
Taro ate dish after dish, each more delicious than the last, until he could eat not one more bite. Then, he was led to rest on a most comfortable bed, in a room filled with beautiful treasures of the sea.
Scene 6: Rooms of Four Seasons
The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, Princess Otohime led Taro on a tour of the Sea Dragon Palace. Every room was decorated with rare corals and precious stones whose beauty was so great that no language had words enough to describe it.
At last, Princess Otohime led Taro to a most wondrous room. “This is my favorite room of all: the Room of Four Seasons.” Princess Otohime told him.
“Haha, come and catch me!” (Taro teases Otohime, entering one room and the door shuts)
Taro and Otohime chases each other slowly, entering and exiting the rooms happily.
Aidan plays Eric Satie‘s piano piece
Taro and Otohime played in the Room of Four Seasons all afternoon. Time seemed to swim around them as they laughed and frolicked through the four doorways,
Taro and Otohime holding hands on top of bridge by cherry blossom tree
and it was there, under the cherry blossoms of a bright, spring day, that Taro and Otohime gave each other vows of love, and were married.
Scene 7: Musicians at Dinner
Then, on to dinner, where Taro was entertained with such variety of performances, dances, and stunning exotic fish, that he began to lose track of time, and before he knew it, another day had passed.
Lift silk to show Underwater Band of musicians dangling on strings on one stick
Sea Dragon King dances above
Secretly bring cherry blossom back to village
Scene 8: Procession of Manta Rays Flapping Their Wings
On the third day, the Sea Dragon King impressed Taro with a procession from their own department of NASA.
“Here in the Kingdom of the Sea, our most skilled adventurers form an elite team tasked with exploring the most distant and unknown reaches of our universe: the surface of the water.
Manta rays enter
(Sea Dragon King says) I present to you – our army of the National Air and Sea Exploration, NASA for short.”
(Otohime says)“Oh, Taro, let us ride on their backs, they will carry us to the surface to see the sunshine. You cannot imagine how lovely and strange a feeling it is!” Princess Otohime said to Taro.
Procession of Manta Rays flapping their wings exit the classroom, turns around then enter the classroom
Otohime and Taro on needle-felted sting rays following behind
They encircle the stage and return to behind stage
While Manta rays are flapping their wings behind the tables
Taro and Otohime in front of Taro’s village with cherry blossom tree
(Taro on stingray saying to himself) “how strange,” he thought to himself. “It seems I have only been in the Sea Dragon Palace for three days, and yet, I’ve almost forgotten the feeling of the breeze in my hair and the sun on my skin.”
When Taro reached the surface of the ocean, it was as if he had reawakened from a dream. In the far distance, he saw the cherry tree that grew by his own home, and suddenly, he remembered his mother, who must be worried sick over his sudden disappearance.
Scene 9: Tarō Requests to Go Home
When they returned to the Sea Dragon Palace, Urashima Taro was in poor spirits, and nothing Princess Otohime did could raise them.
“Please, my love. Let me return to the land just for a brief while. I miss my home so dearly, and I must go see to my mother to tell her all that has happened to me!”
Heartbroken, Princess Otohime understood, and brought him a small ornate box.
“This rightfully belongs to you. Carry it beside you. But please, Taro,” she told him, “whatever you do, never open this box.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because it holds your days,” said Princess Otohime sadly.
Taro was eager to return home to see his family, so he did not question her further.
Scene 10: Tarō Rode on Sea Turtle’s Back to The Beach
The giant sea turtle carried Urashima Taro back to his village. How lovely it was to be back on land!
Scene 11: Modern Day City
Hide
Black box
White silk
old man
Surprisingly, Urashima Taro could not find his mother, nor anyone else he recognized. Even the streets felt strange and unfamiliar.
“Yo, cool costume, dude!” called out a boy in strange garb, sailing across the ground.
“Out of my way! I have a train to catch!” Urashima Taro stared, baffled, at these nonsensical words, as a man pushed him out of his way, clearly in a great hurry.
Another girl seemed to be talking animatedly to herself, holding a glowing box to her ear, and a small distance away, three girls seemed to be dancing in brightly colored clothing.
TikTok dance of 3 Harajuku girls
“Excuse me, misses,” Taro said politely, finally working up the courage to approach the three sgirls. “I seem to have lost my way. Do you know where the house of Urashima Taro can be found?”
“Urashima Taro? I have never heard of anyone with that name.” (Harajuku 1)
“Give me a sec. I’ll Google it.” (Harajuku 2)
“Hey, look at that. There was a guy called Urashima Taro. He apparently got lost at sea, like, 300 years ago, and no one ever found him. Some said he was seen riding on the back of a giant sea turtle into the sunset.” (Harajuku 3)
“That obviously is FAKE NEWS!” (Harajuku 1)
“… oh, it say, He lived literally right on that corner.” ((Harajuku 2)
And as Urashima Taro looked where the girl pointed, he recognized the pink blossoms of his own cherry tree, but beside it was no small hut, and no mother waiting for him.
Remove closed fish, bring up tower
Instead, there stood a tall, tall building, glinting in the sunlight made of what looked like silver and glass.
“Three hundred years!” thought Taro in dismay, staring up at the skyscraper that now towered where his hut had once stood. Could it really be that he had spent so long in the Sea Dragon Palace that everyone he knew was now gone?
Urashima Taro was overcome with sadness. In his grief, he decided to open the box that Princess Otohime had given him.
“Maybe, whatever is inside can help me make sense of all this,” he thought to himself.
But alas! The moment the lid was opened, white smoke poured out of the box and covered Urashima Taro,
and before he could close the lid again, he began to change rapidly, aging into an old man.
White silk covers Taro
Under white silk, switch out Taro with Old man
The box had magically stored all the years Urashima Taro spent under the sea, but now that he had released them, those years, far more in number than was usual for a mortal, flew free and returned to Taro in a gush of wind.
Taro collapses to the ground…
They say he turned into a crane and flew somewhere. But that is another story.
Origami crane on stick – his soul took flight in an arc across the sky.
Closing Music
The End.
Puppeteers, narrator, teachers bow to audience.