Question 1

Who was Muko in the story 'The Ashes That Made Trees Bloom'?

Accepted Answer

Muko was the pet dog of the kind old couple. They loved him as if he were their own child and fed him with fish and tidbits from their own chopsticks.

Question 2

How did Muko help the old man find the treasure?

Accepted Answer

Muko ran to the old man, putting his paws against his legs and motioning with his head to a spot behind him. When the man dug there, he found a pile of gold.

Question 3

What did the wicked couple do to Muko after he failed to find them gold?

Accepted Answer

In a fit of rage, the greedy old man killed the dog by kicking and beating him to death, and then they buried him in a hole in the ground.

Question 4

What did the dog's spirit ask the old man to do in a dream?

Accepted Answer

The dog's spirit appeared in a dream and told the old man to cut down the pine tree over his grave and make a mortar for rice pastry and a mill for bean sauce.

Question 5

What happened when the kind old couple used the mortar and mill?

Accepted Answer

When they used the mortar, the rice pastry turned into a heap of gold coins. When they used the mill, the bean sauce turned into gold.