Momotaro, the Peach Boy

Long, long ago, in a village in Japan, there lived an old grandfather and an old grandmother. They were very kind-hearted people, but they had no children, and so there was always a little sadness in their hearts. Every morning the grandfather went up the mountain to gather firewood, and the grandmother went down to the stream to wash clothes.

One day, as the grandmother was washing clothes by the stream, she saw a huge peach floating towards her on the water. The peach was so big that it barely fitted in her arms, and it smelled so sweet that the whole streamside was filled with its scent. "What a beautiful peach! The grandfather and I will eat it together," said the grandmother, and she pulled the peach to the bank with a branch, hugged it and carried it home.

In the evening, when the grandfather came home from the mountain, the grandmother showed him the peach. "My, what a huge peach!" said the grandfather. "Let's cut it and eat it." But before the grandmother's knife even touched it, the peach split in two by itself, and out came a healthy, lovely baby boy. The baby was laughing and waving his arms and legs. At first the old couple were frozen with surprise, and then they wept with joy. "Heaven has sent us a child!" they said. Because the baby came out of a peach, they named him Momotaro, which means Peach Boy.

Momotaro grew very quickly. If he ate one bowl of rice, he grew a hand's breadth; if he ate two, he grew two. Soon he was the strongest, bravest and kindest young man in the village. He loved his grandfather and grandmother very much and helped them with every job.

In those days, on a faraway island called Oni Island, there lived wicked ogres. These ogres often came to the villages along the coast, carried off people's rice, gold and belongings, and frightened everyone. One day Momotaro stood before his grandfather and grandmother, bowed and said: "Grandfather, Grandmother, I'm going to Oni Island to defeat the ogres. I'll bring back what they've taken from the people. Please give me your permission."

At first the grandfather and grandmother were very frightened, but when they saw that Momotaro had made up his mind, they gave him permission. The grandmother made him the finest millet dumplings in Japan, sweet dumplings called kibi dango, to eat on the way. The grandfather gave him a sword and a banner that said "The Strongest in Japan". Momotaro tied the dumplings to his belt, took his banner and set off.

He had not gone far when a dog came up to him: "Momotaro, Momotaro, where are you going?" "To Oni Island, to defeat the ogres." "What's that on your belt?" "The finest millet dumplings in Japan." "If you give me one, I'll come with you." Momotaro gave the dog a dumpling, and the dog began walking beside him.

They walked a little further, and a monkey came out from among the trees: "Momotaro, Momotaro, where are you going?" "To Oni Island, to defeat the ogres." "If you give me a dumpling, I'll come too." Momotaro gave the monkey a dumpling as well. At first the dog and the monkey growled at each other, for as you know, dogs and monkeys don't get along very well. But Momotaro told them, "On this journey we must help each other," and they made peace.

Then a pheasant swooped down from the sky: "Momotaro, Momotaro, where are you going?" "To Oni Island, to defeat the ogres." "If you give me a dumpling, I'll come with you." Momotaro gave the pheasant a dumpling too. So the four friends reached the seashore, found a boat and rowed towards Oni Island. The dog rowed, the monkey steered, and the pheasant flew ahead to show the way.

At last they saw Oni Island. On the island stood a great castle of black stone, and its gate was tightly shut. The pheasant flew up and looked inside the castle: "The ogres are having a feast. They're all eating and drinking." The monkey nimbly climbed the wall and opened the bolt of the gate from inside. Momotaro and the dog rushed in.

The ogres were astonished to see this brave young man and his animals appear so suddenly. But they quickly grabbed their clubs and attacked. Momotaro fought with his sword, the dog with his teeth, the monkey with his claws, and the pheasant pecked at the ogres' eyes, and they fought so well that the ogres could not get the better of them. One by one the ogres fell. At last the chief of the ogres knelt before Momotaro and begged, in tears: "We surrender! Spare us! We'll never harm anyone again. We'll give you back all the treasure we took from the people."

Momotaro spared the ogre chief, but made him promise never again to come to the villages. The ogres brought the castle's treasures to Momotaro: gold coins, silver ware, branches of coral, pearls and precious cloth. Momotaro loaded the treasure into the boat and went back to his village with his friends.

When he reached the village, the whole village greeted him joyfully. The grandfather and grandmother were waiting for him at the door; when they saw him safe and sound, they wept with joy. Momotaro returned the stolen goods to their owners and shared the rest with the poor of the village. The dog, the monkey and the pheasant stayed at Momotaro's house; the dog guarded the house, the monkey picked fruit in the garden, and every morning the pheasant woke everyone up by crowing like a rooster.

Momotaro, his grandfather, his grandmother and his three faithful friends lived happily for many years. Even today, children in Japan listen to the story of Momotaro and love millet dumplings.

This tale tells us: courage, sharing and standing together can defeat even the biggest ogre. If Momotaro had gone alone, perhaps he would not have succeeded; but when he made peace even between the dog and the monkey, who were enemies, and took them with him, no one could stop him.