Momotaro and the Ogres’ Treasure House

(♪) The story of Momotaro usually says he is born from a peach (momo). This is a slightly different version of the story. Here, Momotaro is born to an old couple who had been rejuvenated by eating a peach. Yes, from long ago, peaches have been thought to have a mysterious power, just as they do in the story of the boy called Momotaro.(♪)

(♪) Here is a big peach and some of “Japan’s best” kibidango millet balls, maybe the ones that were shared by the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant who went with Momotaro. (♪) Long, long ago, there lived an old man and an old woman. Their life had been free of cares, as they had no children. Every day, the old man went to the mountain to cut firewood, while the old woman went to the river to do the washing. One day when the old woman was washing, a big peach came floating down, so she plucked it out and carried it home.”

(♪) Old Woman: “I found this peach in the river. It looked so magnificent that I brought it home. Let’s split it and each eat half.” Strange to say, as they ate the peach, the old man returned to the prime of his manhood at about the age of thirty-five or thirty-six and the old woman became the young wife she was at twenty-eight or twenty-nine. Amazed, they rejoiced and looked at each other eagerly and held hands tightly.

(♪) The old wife who had eaten the peach was young again and she conceived a child, but the child was not born after the usual nine months. It took three years, but a baby boy was finally born. Probably because the baby took three years to be born, as soon as he arrived he started running around, and putting bathwater in the bucket and splashing himself. His mother and father must have been awfully surprised to see what he was doing.

(♪) The boy was named Momotaro, or Peach Boy, because he was born after his parents ate the peach. Momotaro grew fast and soon went to school. He was good at reading and writing. He was also good at wrestling and fighting. When Momotaro turned sixteen he came to his parents and said, Momotaro: “I have decided to go to Ogre Island to conquer the ogres and bring back all the treasures they have. Please let me go.” His parents were stunned, and they tried to talk him out of it, but in vain. Finally they relented and said he should take some kibidango. Momotaro: “Please make them as big as possible. Small kibidango look miserly.” Parents: “All right, all right. This year we had a good harvest. We’ll give you big, fat kibidango to take with you.”

(♪) Momotaro told his parents about his plan to defeat the ogres of Ogre Island, and then he chose a good day to set out. He took a pile of kibidango that his parents had made for him. Along the way, a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant were waiting to go with Momotaro. Dog: “Arf, arf! Let me come with you.” Monkey: “Chatter, chatter! Let me come with you.” Pheasant: “Arf, arf! Let me come with you.” Momotaro: “All right, all right, I’ll give you all kibidango. Come along!” Momotaro was happy with his new companions.

(♪) Over the mountains and across the sea went Momotaro and his companions, and finally they arrived at Ogre Island. But the ogres saw them coming and closed the castle gate tightly. Momotaro roared angrily at them, Momotaro: “Hear this! I am Momotaro come from Japan. Open this gate now, or we will break it down.” The dog, the monkey, and the pheasant were ready to fight.

(♪) Momotaro and his cohorts broke down the castle gate and brought all the ogres to their knees. Ogres: “We can’t win. Run for your lives! Hurry, hurry!” The ogre king knelt down and brought out gold, silver, coral, and other priceless things from his treasury and begged for his life. Momotaro: “Is that all? If you give up everything you have I’ll let you live.” Ogre King: “Yes, this is all that we have.”

(♪) Momotaro and his band decided to hold a victory banquet after conquering Ogre Island. But this was Ogre Island and everyone who came had horns on their heads. After all, they were all ogres. And, if you listened carefully and watched them playing hide-and-seek, what they were saying when they called out was not “Hey, devil, catch me if you can!” like we do but, “Hey, human, catch me if you can!” On that island, of course, it is “human beings” that are the enemy.

(♪) Leaving Ogre Island, Momotaro and his band sailed back home with the wind at their backs and all the treasures piled high in the boat. With the help of the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant he carried the treasures back to his parents in his home village.

(♪) How glad his parents were to see Momotaro coming safely home, and carrying such a lot of priceless treasures! After that, Momotaro continued to grow into a fine young man, and soon enough he found a good wife. People say they lived a long and happy life. And everything ended happily ever after.