Who Is Ayabe no Uchimaro?
The craftsman who exposed the prince's lie
Ayabe no Uchimaro is the leader of the craftsmen who made the fake jeweled branch from Mount Hōrai on the orders of Prince Kuramochi. He was a craftsman of the Takumizukasa, the palace office in charge of fine crafts. The reading of his name differs from edition to edition.
Uchimaro and his fellow craftsmen spent more than a thousand days in a sealed workshop creating a splendid branch of gold, silver, and jewels. But the prince never paid them. So he and his companions came to the garden of Princess Kaguya's house and presented a petition held in a letter stick. This revealed that the prince's story of traveling to Mount Hōrai was a complete fabrication.
Kaguya, delighted, rewarded the craftsmen generously, but on their way home they were beaten on the prince's orders and their reward was taken from them.
