Japan: Issun Boshi

Issun-boshi is a tiny boy, no taller than one sun (3 cm), but he is brave and spirited. With a needle as a sword, he rides down the river in a wooden bowl to find work in the capital. A lord hires him to guard his daughter, the princess. During an outing, the princess is attacked by ogres and Issun-boshi saves her. The ogres leave a mallet, or hammer, behind. The mallet is magical and it will change Issun-boshi's life forever.

© 2020 by Shigeru Hatsuyama. Published in paper format in Singapore by World Scientific Publishing, recorded by Storyside 2020.