mOMOTARO

THE TALE OF MOMOTARO

Legend says a peach boy once fought an island of demons.

There was once an old man and woman who lived in the forest. Most days, the man would go out to cut wood while the woman would go to the river and wash clothes. On one of these days, the old woman was at her usual bend in the river when a strange sight beheld her.

A peach in the water! And not just any peach, but a very large one at that!

Excitedly, the old woman rolled the peach out of the water and trudged slowly back home.

When the old man returned from his wood-cutting, the old woman exclaimed,

“Welcome home! Look at this beauty I found at the river. Let’s cut it up and eat well.”

Smiling eagerly, the old man took an axe to the peach. Suddenly he froze. Was that the cry of a baby? Pulling apart the peach, the old man and woman carefully looked inside. What they found astonished them. It was a baby boy! They decided to raise the boy as their own and named him Momotaro [1].

The two raised Momotaro to be a strong and valiant young man. However, restless with his mundane life, Momotaro sought a great adventure. Knowing that he deserved to see the world, but knowing they would miss him dearly, the old man and woman sent off their son with a bag of goods, the family swords, and a batch of fresh dango [2].

On his journey Momotaro first encounters a monkey. He offers the monkey a dango and gains a new companion. Next, he comes across a dog who fights viciously with the monkey. Momotaro offers a dango to the dog who takes it and stays compliant. Lastly, he finds a pheasant overhead who swoops down to attack the dog. Momotaro offers a dango to restrain the pheasant who takes it and remains loyal.

As they move forward, each member of the group becomes acquainted and a bond is built. A few weeks later they find themselves at a nearly deserted village. The terrified survivors tell tales of an assault on the town by a herd of ghastly oni [3] stealing their families away to a faraway island. Remembering the lessons of his parents, Momotaro feels called to help, and for more dango, the monkey, dog, and pheasant do too. 

Fashioning a boat, the four sail to Oni Island, where they come across the herd. Slaying the attackers after a vicious battle and looting their treasure, Momotaro sails the villagers back and leaves a richer and wiser man than he had ever expected. He returns home eager to relive the easy life he had left behind and learns that sometimes it is best to live life slowly.

 [1] Momotaro is a name that translates to “peach boy” in Japanese.

[2]  Dango is a Japanese sweet dumpling made from mochiko, related to mochi. Dango is eaten year-round, but different varieties are traditionally eaten in given seasons. Three to five dango are often served on a skewer.

[3]  Oni are  monsters or demon creatures of Japanese mythology.

Story researched and written by Maxine S.