Momotaro, the Peach Boy

No peach could grow that big. And yet that morning, when the old woman went down to the river to wash clothes as usual, she saw an astonishingly large peach floating along on the current. She was 60 years old that year, and never in her life had she seen a peach so big.

This is a fairy tale from Japan, an old story that grandparents there have told their grandchildren from one generation to the next. And the story begins with that very peach.

Every morning, her husband went up into the hills to cut grass. Every day, the old woman went down to the river to do the washing. They were old and had lived together for many years, with only one regret: they had never had a child.

The old woman fished the peach out and carried it home, saving it to share with her husband that evening. When night came, the old man took up a knife to cut the peach open. But before the blade could touch the skin, the peach split in two all by itself, and a clear little voice rang out from inside.

"Wait, Grandfather!"

The startled old man dropped his knife. Inside the peach, a bright-faced little boy sat up and smiled at the old couple. "Do not be afraid," the boy said. "I am not a demon, and I am not a fairy either. Every night the two of you sighed for a child. Heaven took pity and sent me down to be your son in your old age."

The old couple wept for joy and held the boy close. Because he had been born from a peach, they named him Momotaro, which means the son of the peach.

Momotaro grew up fast. He was taller and stronger than other children his age, and wise beyond his years. By the age of 15, he was as solid as a grown man, and everyone who met him turned to look twice.

But in that region, the villagers still whispered to one another about a fear far out at sea. In the sea to the northeast lay an island called Onigashima, the island of the demons. From time to time, the demons would row their boats to the mainland to raid and steal. Every raid cost the villagers dearly. All they could do was bolt their doors and gaze anxiously out to sea.

Momotaro heard these stories, and his heart was troubled. One day he stood before his foster father and told him he had to set out. "Let me go and put an end to the demons," he said, "and bring back what they have taken from everyone." The old couple were very worried. But seeing that their son had grown up and his mind was made up, they nodded and gave their consent.

That night, the old couple pounded rice in a mortar and made fragrant cakes for Momotaro to take on his long road. The next morning, he slung the bag of cakes over his shoulder, said goodbye to his parents, and walked out of the village, heading straight for the sea.

He had not gone far when a big dog sprang out of the tall grass and blocked his way, growling. Momotaro did not flinch. "I am Momotaro," he said. "I am on my way to the demon island to put an end to the demons." When the dog heard this, it bowed its head and asked to come along. Momotaro smiled and gave it half of one of his fragrant cakes. From then on, the dog was his first traveling companion.

A little farther on, a monkey climbed down from a tree and asked to join them too. The dog growled, for it did not like the monkey at all, and the two of them nearly came to blows. Momotaro stepped in to make peace, then gave the monkey a piece of delicious cake. The monkey happily became his second companion.

But the third companion was a different matter. A pheasant flew past, its body dressed in feathers of five brilliant colors, its head crowned with a bright red crest. It clashed with the dog at once. The two animals flew at each other, and feathers scattered all over the road. Momotaro rushed over to part them and calmed them both down. The pheasant grew quiet, listened to Momotaro tell about the demon island, and nodded, asking to come along. He gave the pheasant half a cake. That made four. Momotaro led the dog, the monkey and the pheasant straight on to the sea.

The four friends climbed into a small boat, raised the sail and set out to sea. The waves were calm and the wind was fair. Before long an island rose up ahead of them, with sheer cliffs, and high on top stood a great, strong castle. That was Onigashima.

The boat came ashore, and the group crept close to the foot of the castle. Through a gap in the wall, two people held captive inside called out softly. They showed Momotaro a small door hidden at the back, so low it almost touched the ground, which hardly anyone noticed.

The pheasant shot up to the roof of the castle first. It beat its wings loudly and pecked again and again, throwing the guards into a panic. In that moment, Momotaro, the dog and the monkey slipped through the little door and charged straight inside. The four friends fought so fast and so hard that the demons felt as if they were up against a hundred men. Iron clubs clattered to the ground. Some demons tripped, some fell, and some clutched their heads and looked for a place to hide.

The demons ran in every direction across the castle courtyard.

At last the demon chief, the biggest of them all and the leader of the whole band, stood face to face with Momotaro. Seeing the boy's strength and courage, the demon chief sank to his knees and laid his iron club aside. "I am afraid of you," he said. "I can never stand against you. Spare my life, and every treasure hidden in this castle is yours."

Momotaro had the demon chief tied up and left the monkey to guard him. Then he went through every room and set free all the people held captive there. After that, he and his friends gathered up the gold, silver and jewels and filled the hold of the boat. The demon island was peaceful once again. The four friends raised the sail and turned the boat toward home.

Momotaro arrived back in the village to the cheers of all the neighbors. The old man and the old woman ran out to hug their son, so happy that tears filled their eyes. Thanks to the treasure Momotaro brought home, the old couple lived out the rest of their years in comfort and plenty.

That evening, in the little house, the meal set out on the tray felt warmer than on any other day. The dog lay at Momotaro's feet. The monkey perched on a roof beam with its legs dangling. The pheasant tucked its head under its wing and slept soundly after the long journey. The old man and the old woman sat beside their son, and they could not stop looking at him.

And outside, the river still flowed past the village, calm and gentle as on any other day. That same river, one morning long ago, had carried a peach so big that no one could believe it. And inside that peach was a whole story.