Traditional Literature Motifs
From Growth-Spurt Hammers to Life-Giving Paintbrushes:
Magical Objects
In
many East Asian traditional tales, characters stumble upon or retrieve magical
objects. Usually everyday tools and items, these plot devices endow the
character with instant solutions or great power. As sudden external aid, the
various magic objects often appear in the form of dues ex machine: the abrupt, often unsubstantiated
and contrived, introduction of a new item or character that immediately
rectifies an injustice, solves a dilemma, or provides a happy ending to a
seemingly hopeless situation. The enchanted items either have magical powers themselves or give their user elevated abilities. Consider the large role of trivial objects in the following folktales from Japan, China, and Korea.
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Japan
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Korea
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China
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Produced by the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in 1955, "Magic Brush" was released. Winning six international awards and hailed as "outstanding," it is a stop-motion animation that brings to life this folklore. The segments - as uploaded to YouTube - are provided above.