Who Is Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi?
The rich minister who paid a fortune for a robe that burned
Abe no Miushi is one of the five noble suitors of Princess Kaguya, a wealthy Minister of the Right. She asked him to bring a robe made from the fur of the fire-rat, said to be found in China, which would not burn even when thrown into fire.
Abe sent a retainer to Tang China and paid a large sum to the merchant Wang Kei to find the robe. Wang Kei then asked for still more money, saying he had finally obtained it but the price had not been enough, and Abe paid that too and received the robe. Sure that he could marry her at last, he joyfully brought it to Kaguya, but when she tested it in fire to see whether it was genuine, the robe went up in flames.
The tale says that from this episode, feeling let down and disappointed came to be called "ahenashi," a pun on Abe's name.
Episodes featuring this character4
NEWEpisode 1
He Cut the Bambooand Found a Tiny Girl — Princess Kaguya
In a bamboo grove at dawn, the Bamboo Cutter finds a glowing stalk with a palm-sized girl inside, and he and his wife take her home. In just three months she grows into a beautiful young woman, and she is named Princess Kaguya. Five noble suitors refuse to give up on her. When the Bamboo Cutter begs her to marry, she replies, "I will marry whoever shows me the thing I wish to see."
19 pages
NEWEpisode 2
To Marry Her, Find What Doesn't ExistPrincess Kaguya's Five Impossible Tasks
Five noble suitors just won't stop showing up, so Princess Kaguya sets them a challenge: if they truly love her, each must bring her a treasure that doesn't exist in this world. Prince Ishitsukuri goes first, and he cheats to get his bowl. The real one is said to glow blue. Will this one glow in the princess's light?
19 pages
NEWEpisode 3
The Perfect Lie Came With an Unpaid BillThe Jeweled Branch of Mount Hōrai
Prince Kuramochi pretends to set sail, then hides in a secret workshop and has craftsmen forge the jewel branch. With a made-up tale of high adventure, he backs Princess Kaguya into a corner. But the princess has already noticed something odd about the branch's cut end. Then six soot-covered craftsmen walk in, asking to be paid for a thousand days of work.
19 pages
NEWEpisode 4
He Paid a Fortune for a Fireproof FurThe Fire-Rat Robe and the Dragon's Jewel
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Episode 4. Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi spends a fortune on a "fireproof" fur robe, and Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Miyuki tries to take a dragon's jewel by brute force. Princess Kaguya sees both of these vain quests through with her own eyes, and quietly hopes both men come home safe. Only one suitor is left...
19 pages