Despite this, after they left, they felt life was meaningless without seeing Princess Kaguya. Among them, Prince Ishitsukuri was the most astute. He carefully considered that since the stone bowl was in India, it must be obtainable. However, he then thought: in such a remote place as India, even if he traveled millions of miles, how could he bring it back? So one day, he reported to Princess Kaguya that he was departing for India to fetch the stone bowl. After three years, he arrived at a temple in the Yamato province, where he took a soot-blackened bowl from in front of Binzuru (one of the sixteen arhats), placed it in a brocaded pouch decorated with artificial flowers, and presented it to Princess Kaguya. Princess Kaguya found it odd and reached into the bowl, pulling out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, she read a poem written on it:
“Exhausted from crossing seas and mountains, tears flowed long for the stone bowl.”
Princess Kaguya examined the bowl for any light, but it did not even glow like a firefly. Thus, she replied with a poem:
“Not a single spark to see, probably from Mount Kura.”
She then returned the bowl to him. The prince threw the bowl in front of the door and wrote another poem:
“The bowl loses its glow before a beauty, I throw the bowl, not you.”
He sent this poem to Princess Kaguya, but she did not respond. Seeing her disregard, the prince muttered and went home. Although he discarded the bowl, his hope did not die, wishing for another chance to pursue her love; henceforth, such shameless behavior came to be known as “throwing the bowl.”
