Momotaro- Japanese HeroHero"Peach Boy"

The Peach

An elderly, childless couple lived in the countryside. Each day the old man went to the mountains to gather firewood. Each day the old woman went to the river to wash clothes. One day, as she knelt at the riverbank, an enormous peach came floating downstream, golden-pink and far larger than any natural fruit. She pulled it from the water and carried it home.

When the old man returned and they split the peach open, a baby boy burst from within, crying, full of life. They named him Momotarō: Momo for peach, Tarō for a firstborn son. They raised him with devoted care, and the child grew with a vitality that seemed to exceed the ordinary.

The Road to the Sea

Momotarō grew rapidly into a young man of extraordinary size and strength. When reports reached the village of oni raiding settlements along the coast, plundering treasure and carrying off captives from a distant island fortress called Onigashima, Momotarō told his parents he would sail there and put an end to the raids. His mother prepared kibidango, millet dumplings, for the journey.

On the road to the coast, he met a dog, lean and fierce, who asked where the young man was headed. Momotarō told him, and the dog asked for a kibidango and pledged to fight at his side. Then came a monkey, quick-eyed and clever, who struck the same bargain. Last appeared a pheasant with bright plumage and a sharp beak. A dumpling for loyalty.

Onigashima

Momotarō and his three companions sailed across the open water and reached Onigashima, an island fortress ringed by cliffs where the oni, hulking and horned, hoarded plundered treasure and kept human captives in bondage.

The pheasant flew over the walls, diving at the oni's faces to blind them. The monkey scaled the fortifications and unbarred the gates from within. The dog charged through the opening. Momotarō fought at the center, his peach-born strength more than equal to their iron clubs.

The chieftain of the oni prostrated himself and surrendered. Momotarō spared his life in exchange for every piece of stolen treasure and a sworn oath that the oni would never raid the human world again.

Home

Momotarō loaded the treasure onto a cart and sailed home. The captives were freed and returned to their families. He presented everything to his elderly parents, and the old couple lived in comfort for the rest of their days.