Jinzaemon

Jinzaemon is a riddle told in two parts. The boatwrights at the bottom of the falls swear by their carved cane, claiming Jinzaemon's shadow on the docks precedes the river's generosity. The guards atop the plaza see only a trickster in dragon robes, a specter who leaves smudged prophecies on temple stones in exchange for rice. They say the kitsune mask hides the face of an exile, one who fled the Annonites of Tokumei before their identity was fully erased. But the children, who follow them up the great rock stairs, know the second part of the riddle. They see the chocolate stick, always poking from the mask's edge, and know a piece is always offered without a word.