The adventures of Joji, the scarecrow, and his crow friends, have been very popular with generations of children.
The adventures of Joji, the scarecrow, and his crow friends, have been very popular with generations of children.
The character of Joji is based on the scarecrow I saw in a small rice paddy near my house in Tokyo. He fascinated me because he wore a kimono, unlike our Western scarecrows. He had such a gentle, whimsical face that I felt he wouldn't want to scare anyone, let alone crows. In my story, I have Joji befriend the crows, and they promise to eat worms instead of rice. Their friendship comes in handy when the farmer decides to hire a dragon to take Joji's place. The crows manage to outwit the dragon, who retreats to the hills, and Joji gets his old job back.
Joji is probably the first scarecrow to espouse non-violence as a working philosophy.
That night
a tremendous dragon knocked on the door
of the little farmhouse.
“I am Toho the Terrible,”
he said, bowing low.
“I would like the job
of scaring your crows.”
“Come in,”
said the farmer,
“and have a cup of tea.”
Toho the Terrible
squeezed his huge body
through the tiny doorway.
Surely he was a ferocious dragon!
Savage smoke climbed cruelly over his head!
His green slimy body slithered!
His sharp red tongue spat fire!