Battle of the Monkey & the Crab

A hungry monkey and a crab meet on a mountain road, each carrying a humble food item. With smooth words, the monkey persuades the trusting crab to trade his rice cake for a persimmon seed. The crab plants it, and the seed quickly grows into a tree laden with fruit—but when the monkey is asked to help, he keeps the ripe persimmons for himself and pelts the crab with the unripe ones.

Bruised and furious, the crab’s family and household gather to demand justice. Outmatched by the monkey’s larger following, they retreat to their hole, where a rice mortar, a pounder, a bee, and an egg join them in devising a clever plan. What follows is a lively Japanese folk tale of betrayal, loyalty, and resourceful teamwork, with each unlikely ally assigned a part in the crab family’s carefully arranged revenge.