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Momotarō (Peach Boy)

An old tale about a boy born from a peach who slew ogres, along with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant.

 This is a folktale handed down throughout Japan, in which a boy was born from a large peach that an old woman took from a river. The old woman and her husband named the boy Momotarō and raised him. Momotarō eventually came to manhood and set out for Oniga-shima (island of ogres) to exterminate ogres, taking with him kibi-dango (millet dumplings) made by the old couple. On the way, Momotarō shared the dumplings with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, who then joined him in exterminating ogres on Oniga-shima, later bringing back great treasures.

Like "Princess Kaguya", "Princess Uriko", "Issun-bōshi" and other folktales, "Momotarō" is a type of fable, in which a child gifted by a god shows special abilities. It is believed to have originated in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), but the exact time is not known. During the Edo period (1603〜1867), Momotaro appeared in "aka-hon" (red books) for children, which were published in the Kyōho era (1716〜36), followed by "ki-byōshi" (yellow-cover books) for adults and "gō-kan" (combined volumes), and many other sequels and adaptations of the story were produced. In the Meiji period (1868-1912), the story was included in the "Elementary School Reading Book Vol. 1" published by the Ministry of Education (1887), government-designated textbooks, and the first volume of the "Nihon Mukashi Banashi" (Japanese Folktales) series (1894-96) edited by a writer of juvenile stories, Iwaya Sazanami, and the stories became standardized and spread widely throughout Japan. 

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Related Works

Momotarō in paintings

Handicrafts with Momotarō motifs

Videos

Institutions and External Links

  • The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.

  • 『桃太郎』をテーマにしたミュージアム。『桃太郎』の古い文献や錦絵、玩具を展示しているほか、昔の桃太郎漫画映画が鑑賞できる「ミニシアター」、 鬼が飛び出す体感型アトラクション「鬼ヶ島洞窟探検」などがある。

  • 岡山の桃太郎伝説の原型となったとされる、吉備津彦命(きびつひこのみこと)を祀った神社。

  • 江戸時代後期(1830~40年頃)に刊行された絵本『桃太郎宝蔵入』(所蔵:国立国会図書館)を音声付で子ども向けに解説。

  • 昔話「ももたろう」を映像化した動画を公開。

References

  1. 「桃太郎」の項
  2. 「桃太郎」の項
  3. 「桃太郎」の項