Do you sometimes look around and notice people who seem to have more power or wealth than you?
Do you wonder how life might be better if only you had those advantages?
Here is a timeless folktale from Japan — about a stonecutter who once had a similar question, and what he discovered along the way.
A Life Of Labor
There once lived a stonecutter who lived near a mountain. Every morning he cut out slabs from a rock. His work was hard, and his hands become hard with years of chiseling. His back was often sore. However, he was good at his job and took pride in his work. People came to him for stones to build homes, carve sculptures, or for gravestones for their loved ones.
The Gravestone Delivery
One day, he was asked to deliver a gravestone to the mansion of a wealthy merchant. As he stepped inside the gates, he was awestruck — the gardens were lush, the sculptures exquisite, the furnishings ornate, the curtains made of silk. “How fortunate this man is,” thought the stonecutter. “If only I were a rich merchant — how happy I would be.”
It was believed that the mountain spirit had the power to grant one’s deepest wishes. No sooner had the stonecutter made his wish than he heard a voice:
“Your wish is heard. A rich merchant you shall be.”
A New Life
When the stonecutter returned home, he found his humble hut transformed into a luxurious mansion — filled with imposing furniture, a soft bed, and curtains of silk, just as he had wished. He now had people to cook, clean, and take care of all his work. His bones no longer ached. He developed a taste for the finer things in life, forgot about his days of labor, and soon became the object of others’ envy.
One day, while looking out of his mansion window, he saw a grand procession passing by. A high-ranking official rode at the center, with a cavalcade of people ahead to clear the way and others behind to serve his every need. Both the rich and the poor bowed before the official.
The stonecutter thought – Even with all this wealth, it is such a struggle to get work done from others. “Where do I have the power that this official commands? If only I were a powerful official. How happy would I be?”
The mountain spirit heard again.
“Your wish is heard, an official you shall be”
A Life Of Power
The stonecutter was now a high-ranking official. He had a band of officers who followed him everywhere and carried out his commands. People obeyed him — some out of duty, others out of fear. Some even cursed him quietly in their hearts.
As his reign expanded, he began to worry about the loyalty of his officers. He knew he couldn’t manage such a large province if his key men defected.
That summer, the heat grew unbearable. Despite fans and servants, the sun blazed down on him relentlessly. His authority could do nothing to stop it. He looked up. “The sun is the true power,” he thought. “It doesn’t need others to carry out its orders. It stands alone, with no challenge to its authority. If only I were the sun…”
And the mountain spirit answered –
“Your wish is heard. The sun you shall be.”
A High Station
The stonecutter was now stationed high up in the sky. No one could even look at him directly. If he wished, he could keep the days warm and bright; if he wished, he could make people sweat and groan. He now held power over the entire earth.
One day, as he basked in his newfound glory, a mighty cloud drifted across the sky and covered the sun completely. People below heaved a sigh of relief — but the stonecutter was enraged.
“Here I am, fixed in one place, while the cloud is free to float wherever it pleases — and it covers me completely. If only I could be the cloud!”
The mountain spirit obliged again –
“Your wish is answered. A cloud you shall be.”
Everyone In The Sway
So he became a cloud — shifting shapes and drifting wherever he pleased. When he came down as rain, some welcomed it with joy, while others grumbled. People ran for cover. But then he noticed that no matter how much he poured, one thing never moved: a great rock.
The cloud wondered, “I can fill rivers and flood entire plains, yet the stone remains unmoved. It is not affected by my power. If only I were as powerful as the stone…”
The Realization
And so, he became the rock — solid, unmoving, majestic. “Now,” he thought, “nothing can touch me.”
But one morning, he felt a sharp sting — a chisel against his side. A stonecutter had come, hammer in hand, and was slowly breaking him apart. The stone was alarmed “A mere two-legged creature has power over me? If only I were a stonecutter!”
The mountain spirit answered –
“Your wish has been heard, you will be a stonecutter once again.”
And so he returned to his simple life — his tools, his mountain, his daily labor. His body was tired, his home modest. But something had changed.
He was content in his heart.
He no longer wished to be someone or something else.
Reflection question
Is there a part of your life you have come to appreciate better over time?
Sources
Andrew Lang The Crimson Fairy Book (1903)
Jon J. Muth & John Kuramoto, Stonecutter, Feiwel & Friends (2007)
Image credit: Georges Seurat, “The Stone Breaker”
The Sabad Project - Wisdom stories 
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