Once upon a time, a poor old peasant man and woman lived in the countryside of Japan. They worked hard and were always kind to each other. Their only sadness was that they didn't have children.
One glorious autumn day the old woman walked to the river to wash their clothes. The countryside was ripe with colors, and a fresh wind ruffled the surface of the river. The old woman put her bamboo basket down and set to work washing the clothes. Suddenly an enormous peach came bumping downstream.This was a peculiar sight indeed. It was late in the year for ripe peaches, and the old woman had never seen a peach so large. The peach bobbed near, and the old woman quickly snatched it up. Then she put all of her clothing back into the basket and walked home.
As the sun was setting, the old man returned home, tired and aching from his work in the rice fields. The old woman called out, "Ojiisan," which means old man, "I have a gift for you."
"That is so kind of you, Obaasan," he said as he stepped into the wash basin to clean his feet, and the old woman ran to fetch the peach. "Dear husband," she said, "have you ever seen a peach so large?"
"Let us eat it," he said. But just as he spoke, the peach split open and out stepped a beautiful little boy.
The old man and woman were so amazed they could not speak. "Do not be afraid," said the boy. "You have always wished for a child. Heaven has heard your cries, and I have been sent. I am to be the son of your old age."
The old woman took the child up in her arms. They named him Momotaro, Son of a Peach. And they loved him well.
Years passed, and the child grew tall and strong and courageous. He was wise beyond his years.
When he was 15, Momotaro said to his father, "Father, your goodness to me has been higher than the mountains and deeper than the rivers that flow through our land. I thank you."
"I have done only what a father must do," said the old man. "And when you are older, it will be your turn to care for us."
"But Father, I wish to go away at once to slay the terrible Oni." These were the demons who lived on an island near Japan. The Oni often invaded Japan and killed and robbed the people. "The Oni are hateful beings. I must conquer them and bring back their prisoners. That is why I want to leave. I will return."
The old man had always known his son was no common child, and so he gave his son his blessings. The old woman prepared dumplings of millet and rice for her son, and the couple walked their son to the end of the road. They were sad; their eyes filled with tears and their voices trembled as they said farewell. And Momotaro, saddened too, bravely walked into the countryside.
As the sun rose high in the sky, he began to feel hungry, and so he sat down beneath a maple to eat his dumplings. Just then a huge dog with bared teeth, an inu, sprang from behind the bushes straight for Momotaro. As the dog was about to pounce upon Momotaro, the boy held out a dumpling. The inu hungrily devoured it.
"I am Momotaro," the boy said. As soon as the inu heard the name, he bowed his head to the grass. "Momotaro?" he said, "I have heard of you. Please take me with you to fight the Oni."
Momotaro agreed. Together man and dog walked over the hills. As they were climbing up a mountain, a monkey, or saru, scampered down from a tree ahead of them. "Where are you going?" he demanded to know.
Momotaro explained, and the saru asked to go along. Momotaro agreed, but soon the dog and monkey began to snap and fight with each other. This made Momotaro cross. At last he sent the dog ahead with his flag, and he sent the monkey behind, with his sword. He walked between them, carrying his war fan. On one side of the fan, a red sun shone, and on the other the moon and stars glittered.
When they came to a large rice field, an exquisitely robed bird, a kiji, flew toward them. The dog attacked, and the bird fought back, but Momotaro quickly stopped the fight. At once the bird surrendered to Momotaro.
"Please take me with you," said the pheasant. "I have heard you are going to fight the demons."
Momotaro smiled. "I congratulate you on surrendering. You may come along," he said, "but all of you must listen to me." Momotaro stood before the dog, monkey and bird, holding his war fan high in the air. "If we are not at peace among ourselves, we cannot fight our enemy. You three must be friends, and we must work in harmony. Whoever begins to quarrel will be left behind."
They promised not to fight, and soon all three became fast friends.
At last they came to the shore of the sea. There they saw a boat, and all four climbed aboard and sailed off. The wind was brisk, and the boat sped like an arrow across the smooth sea.
When they reached the island, and they saw, atop a high precipice, an enormous castle. Momotaro called his three followers to him and together they forged a plan.
"Fly at once to the castle," he told the pheasant, "and tell the Oni we want to fight them."
The pheasant flew from the boat and landed on the middle tower of the castle. "Demons," he called. "The great Japanese general Momotaro has come to fight you. Surrender at once. Break off the horns on your forehead."
The horned demons laughed. "A wild pheasant! Ha! We will smash you with our iron." And they shook their horns and their shocks of bright red hair, and brought out great iron bars. They tried to knock the pheasant from his perch, but he flew round and round, beating the air with his wings so fiercely that the devils began to think there must be 100 birds, not one.
Meanwhile Momotaro and the dog and monkey landed on shore. The monkey quickly climbed to the top of the castle, while Momotaro and the dog ran up the path. On their way they passed two of the prisoners, daughters of lords. "We must be the Demon King's servants or he will kill us," they told Momotaro.
"Show me the way into the castle, and I will fight your enemies," he said, and the two ladies led the way and showed Momotaro a little back door.
The pheasant was still fighting hard, and the monkey was scratching at the Onis' legs. When Momotaro and the dog rushed in, they began to fight like an army of thousands. Some of the demons fell from the parapet into the sea and drowned, and others the animals captured.
At last the Demon King kneeled down at Momotaro's feet and broke off the horns on his head. "I fear you," he said, "I will give you all the treasure in this castle if you spare my life."
Momotaro tied up the Demon King in ropes and gave him to the monkey, and he and the dog and the pheasant walked through the castle, freeing every prisoner and gathering all the treasure they could find.
Momotaro and his friends returned to Japan, taking home the two daughters and the other prisoners, who returned to their homes.
The people made a hero of Momotaro and rejoiced that they were free from the Oni who had terrorized their land for so long. And Momotaro and his parents, and the dog, the monkey and the pheasant, lived in peace and harmony for the rest of their days.