Umi no Mizu wa Naze Karai
- Format
- MOVIE
- Episodes
- 1
- Status
- Finished
When a poor, yet honest, man rescues an old man who has fallen off a log bridge, the little people of the forest give him a "Mortar of Treasures" that will grant any item that a person desires. The man uses the mortar to become the richest person in the village. But the man's greedy brother steals the mortar and, determined to enjoy all the luxuries by himself, climbs into a rowing boat and heads for an isolated island. On the way, however, he asks for salt from the mortar, but then cannot figure out how to stop it. Finally, the boat sinks under the weight of all the salt, and the mortar sinks to the bottom of the sea where it is pouring out salt to this day.
Synopsis from AniList
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Where it came from
Umi no Mizu wa Naze Karai is a 1976 Japanese animated short film produced by Gakken as part of the Sekai Meisaku Douwa series. It serves as a visual retelling of a classic folktale, common in various cultures, that explains the legendary origins of the ocean's salinity through a magical millstone that never stops grinding. The production was part of an era in Japanese animation dedicated to adapting global folklore for educational and family entertainment, emphasizing gentle storytelling and accessible morals.
The film is notable for its understated artistic style, which drew on the traditional aesthetics of 1970s children's television programming in Japan. It was designed to be contemplative and visually soft, prioritizing the narrative flow of the myth over high-octane action. While it remains a niche entry in the wider catalog of classic animation, it is frequently cited by enthusiasts of vintage educational shorts for its simple, honest approach to storytelling and its contribution to the preservation of folklore in animation.
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