Momotaro

Japanese folk tales are an important cultural aspect of the nation. Systematic collection of specimens was pioneered by folklorist Kunio Yanagita. Yanagita disliked the word minwa, a coined term directly translated from “folk tale” and proposed the use of the term mukashibanashi (or tales of long ago) to apply to all creative types of folk tales.

A representative sampling of Japanese folklore would definitely include the quintessential Momotaro, or Peach Boy.

Once upon a time, in a small village, lived an old man and his wife. One day, the old woman saw a very big peach coming down the river. She picked it up and took it home. Later, when they cut the peach, a small boy came out of it. They named him Momotaro and, since they had no children, they raised him with love and care.

Momotaro grew up healthy and he became the strongest man in the village. When he heard that some oni living on the Onigashima island were terrorising the nearby villages, he decided to go to drive them away. His old parents were worried, because the oni had a humanoid shape, thick red skin, powerful claws, horns and long, sharp teeth, and carried an iron club called kanabo. But Momotaro begged them to let him go, so the old woman prepared for him some kibidango ( Japanese dumplings made from millet flour).

On his way, Momotaro met a dog who asked him where he was going and what he was carrying. So Momotaro told him that he was going to Onigashima, and that he was carrying the most delicious kibidango in all Japan. Then, the dog agreed to go with Momotaro and help him in exchange for the delicious kibidango. Later, the same thing happened with a pheasant and then a monkey.

They all went to the island and because they ate those kibidango, the best in Japan, Momotaro’s party grew so strong that they easily vanquished the oni and made them promise that they will never attack the villagers again. Plus, Momotaro took all the treasures stolen by the oni and gave them back to the villagers.

Momotaro’s story has become a pinnacle of Japanese morals, where bravery and fidelity are important values, and honesty is regarded as the core of human nature.