Battle of the Monkey & the Crab

by Anonymous

"Battle of the Monkey & the Crab" by Anonymous is a Japanese folktale published in English translation in 1885. When a cunning monkey tricks a crab out of her rice ball and later kills her in a dispute over persimmon fruit, the crab's offspring plot an elaborate revenge. With help from unusual allies—a chestnut, bee, cow dung, and mortar—they devise a deadly trap at the monkey's home. Retributive justice drives this dark tale of betrayal and vengeance.