1.
Issun-bōshi; the One-Inch Boy
A character from a famous Japanese folk tale — a tiny boy the size of one sun (about 3 cm) who goes on adventures and eventually grows to full size after defeating an ogre.
子供に一寸法師の話を読んだ。
I read the story of Issun-bōshi to the children.
一寸法師は針を刀にして鬼と戦った。
Issun-bōshi used a needle as his sword and fought the ogre.
一寸法師は日本の代表的な昔話の一つで、小さくても勇気があれば大きなことを成し遂げられるという教訓がある。
Issun-bōshi is one of Japan's classic folk tales, carrying the lesson that even someone small can achieve great things with courage.
2.
a very small person; a tiny person
Used figuratively to refer to someone extremely short or small in stature.
うちの弟は一寸法師みたいに小さい。
My little brother is tiny, like Issun-bōshi.
背が低いので子供の頃から一寸法師と呼ばれていた。
Because I was short, I was called Issun-bōshi since childhood.
一寸法師のような体格でも、柔道では誰にも負けなかった。
Even with a tiny build like Issun-bōshi, he never lost to anyone in judo.
The name literally means "one-sun monk/boy," where 一寸 is an old unit of measurement equal to about 3.03 centimeters, and 法師 means a Buddhist monk or, in folk tales, a boy or small person.
The tale is part of the 御伽草子 collection from the Muromachi period. In the story, an elderly childless couple prays for a child and receives a boy no bigger than a thumb. Despite his size, he travels to the capital, serves a noble family, defeats an 鬼 (ogre), and obtains the 打ち出の小槌 (magic mallet), which grants his wish to become full-sized. The story is often compared to Western tales like Tom Thumb.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 一寸法師の話: the tale of Issun-bōshi
- 一寸法師みたいに小さい: tiny like Issun-bōshi
RELATED TERMS:
- 昔話: folk tale
- 桃太郎: Momotarō (Peach Boy, another famous folk tale hero)
- 打ち出の小槌: magic mallet (the treasure obtained in the story)