Taketori Monogatari
(The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter)
There are many versions of Taketori Monogatari. The most well-known version is as follows.
Version 1.0 (The Well-known Version)
Once upon a time, there lived an old couple. they made their living by
making many goods out of bamboo. As they had no children, they prayed earnestly
for a baby. One day, in the bamboo grove, they found a bright bamboo stem.
A small baby, the size of a thumb, was laid in it. They raised her as their
daughter under the name of Kaguyahime, "The Shining Princess". In three months,
she became a very beautiful girl.
They became rich and urged her to marry one of five noble suitors, each
of whom she set on a fantastic quest. All failed, some resorting in vain
to trickery. She also refused the advances of the Emperor.
Eventually she explained that she was from the Palace of the Moon. One
night with a full moon, messangers from the Moon came to take her back.
She donned a robe of feathers that obliterated her memories of the world
and then, departed. She left behind a letter and an elixir of life for
the Emperor, but loathed to prolong life without her, he had both items
burned on the mountaintop nearest heaven, Mt.Fuji.
Version 2.0 (Fuji city's Version)
Long, long ago, there lived an old couple in Hina village in Fuji city.
They had no children, but earnestly wanted one. The old man was a bamboo
cutter and earned a living by making different kinds of bamboo baskets.
He was called Taketsukuri no okina.
One day, when he was cutting bamboo, he found a thumb sized baby girl in
a stem of bamboo and brought her home. The old man and his wife were pleased
to raise her. They named her Kaguyahime, "The Shining Princess".
Soon, the baby grew up to be a gentle and noble girl. She became the most
beautiful lady in the area. The magistrate of Suruga bestowed her with
many valuable presents and proposed marriage. As she wouldn't accept the
proposal, he imposed on her and living with her in her house for several
years.
One day, Kaguyahime told the magistrate that she would like to go back
to the place she belonged, at the summit of Mt.Fuji. Without the magistrate's
permission, Kaguyahime disappeared leaving a letter box behind her.
In his deep grief, the magistrate followed Kaguyahime. Arriving at the
summit of Mt.Fuji, he found a large pond and a magnificent palace in it.
There, he could see Kaguyahime. However, she was not a human being anymore
but a celestial nymph, and looked quite different. His sorrow was so deep
that the magistrate threw himself into the water holding her little box
in his hands. [The end]
The source is the brochure published by Fuji city.