Tanuki Den (aka Homepost): Date 20220429 
Tanuki Scroll XXIX: 山びこになった男の子 
Read today’s folktale, from Kagoshima prefecture!
About a boy’s mean step-mum who makes him go out into the mountains to do meaningless tasks every day just to pick on him. One day an old man finds him crying in the mountains and asks what’s wrong, the boy tells him and he’s just like: “Well, you don’t have to go home, let’s make you into a Mountain Spirit instead!” and so -POOF- the boy becomes Yamabiko 「山びこ」.
And now he is happily running around in the mountains playing pranks on people by mimicking their voices and sounds. Until lumberjack-san reminds him of his step-mum and he gets sad and stops his mischief.
Japanese found in the tall grass
New Things
蔓草「つるくさ」ー Vine
Word not recognised because it was in katakana (these always trip me up)
マヌケ「間抜け」ー Idiot; stupid
I feel very マヌケ now after trying to work out what it could possibly even be, then as soon as I see the kanji it just clicks.
Bonus word I found earlier
牝鹿「めじか」ー Doe; female deer