The Legend of Momotarô
(The Peach Boy)
|
|
Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman in the country
of Okayama. Every day, the old man went into the mountains to cut
wood, while his wife would go to the river to wash clothes. One day,
while the old woman was down at the river washing clothes, a big peach
came floating down the river! It looked so delicious, she decided to take
it home for her and her husband to eat. When the old man came back, to
their home, the old woman cut the peach open, and to their surprise,
there was a small boy inside! They decided to call him
Momotarô, which means 'peach boy'.
|
|
The old couple raised Momotarô to be big and strong. One day,
he decided to go and defeat the ogres living on Ogre Island that were
pillaging the land. The old woman fixed him some delicious millet
dumplings, known as kibi-dango, for his long journey to the
island. On the way, a monkey, a dog, and a pheasant joined him.
Momotarô gave them a dumpling each in return for their help
in fighting the ogres.
|
|
Upon reaching the Ogre Island, Momotarô and his companions
found that the gate was locked to the ogres' fort. The pheasant flew
inside, and grabbed a key to let the others in. Once inside, they fought
the evil ogres. The pheasant pecked their eyes, the dog bit their legs
and the monkey jumped on their backs, clawing at the beasts. Finally, the
ogres cried for mercy! They gave the strong Momotarô all of
their treasure, and he returned to his village triumphantly.
Momotarô and the old couple lived happily ever after.
|
|
Cited works for this footnote:
|
|
|