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Background Information

In the days of Tang Dynasty (618-907) of China, a Chinese Buddhist priest Hsuan-chuang departed from China in 629. He crossed the Taklamakan desert, entered North India and returned to China in 645. He brought to China the highly treasured Buddhist sutras.

This story was written based in his trip. In Japan, he is well known as Sanzo Hoshi with his pupils. And this story well known as "Monkey Magic" to Westerners.

Priest Sanzo accompanied to the trip his pupils who were Songoku (a monkey), Chohakkai (a pig), and Sagojo (a water imp). They made this story one of the great fantastic adventure novels, and became very popular in the world.

Story

Act-1・・Scene:At Chichuden Palace in the Sairyo Province

Priest Sanzo's party is passing through the Sairyo Province where only women live. He was ordered to bring Buddhist sutras from India to China by the emperor of Tang Dynasty.

Sanzo accompanies Chohakkai and Sagojo there, and Songoku hasn't arrived yet. Chohakkai finds a fountain, and he drinks water from it.

Then Queen of the Sairyo Province appears. She says to Sanzo to stay several days there. Sanzo at first refuses her request, because he doesn't want even to sit with a woman in the same room until his trip ends.

The Queen asks Sanzo to help her sister Fuyo who can hardly eat. Sanzo makes his mind to stay in the palace in order to pray for helping Fuyo until Songoku arrives there. The Qeen takes Sanzo to Fuyo's room. There are Chohakkai, Sagojo and two lady-in-waitings on the stage.

Chohakkai asks to lady-in-waitings how women become pregnant in the Sairyo Province no male lives in. They say that if they drank the water of the Shibo Fountain, they would become pregnant. Chohakkai remembers the fountain from which he drank water.

Chohakkai feels pain suddenly. His stomach looks swollen, but he has been really fat already. Chohakkai feels he is going to give birth. Sagojo and lady-in-waitings have no idea what to do for Chohakkai. They wish Songoku was there, because he has supernatural power.

Then Songoku appears. He was late because he had to feed Sanzo's white horse. Songoku takes a knife, a needle and a thread out of his ear. He cuts open Chohakkai's stomach, and takes out a lump of blood, and stitches the wound. Songoku performs this scene funny very much.

Chohakkai has been helped. The lady-in-waitings applaud Songoku's marvelous skill. They might be killed by members of the association to prevent an abortion.

The Qeen's youger sister Fuyo looks depressed. She doesn't forget a young man who she met three years ago. She loves him, but she has no method to meet him again.

Sanzo comes to her room to comfort her. When Fuyo see Sanzo, she says Sanzo is her lover. Sanzo is confused so much.

Songoku appears, and says there is strange smell. It meens a weird atmosphere. Songoku hits Fuyo with his stick, and she reveals her true character as a spider woman. The Qeen appears on the stage as the Qeen of spider. Spider sisters catch Sanzo, and take him to their shelter.

Sagojo and Chohakkai are estricted by spiders. Songoku is cornered.

Act-2・・Scene:In the Clouds

Songoku is flying on a piece of cloud in search of Sanzo. He takes some his hair and he transforms them into a lot of small Songoku. A lot of small Songoku are performed by children. Songoku says to his other selves to find Sagojo and Chohakkai. He flies away to search Sanzo.

Act-3・・Scene:On Top of Mt.Banshirei

Songoku reaches to the shelter of spiders. He fights against spiders. Songoku strikes a rock that is spider's spirit in. When the rock has broken, the spider's dynasty is destroyed completely.

He finds Sanzo, and manages to help him. Sagojo and Chohakkai are helped, and they are with Songoku and Sanzo. They continue their adventure again.

The End.