The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter – Japan (Original Version)

Long ago, in the land of the rising sun, there lived an elderly bamboo cutter named Taketori no Okina, which means “the Old Man who Harvests Bamboo.” He led a simple and content life with his wife in a humble cottage nestled among the bamboo groves.

One day, as he was cutting bamboo stalks in the forest, he noticed a peculiar glow emanating from one of the stalks. Intrigued, he carefully cut it open and was astonished to find a tiny, radiant girl no larger than his thumb. Delighted by this miraculous discovery, he took the girl home to his wife, and they decided to raise her as their own daughter. They named her Kaguya-hime, meaning “Shining Princess,” because of her luminous beauty.

As Kaguya-hime grew, she transformed into a remarkably beautiful young woman, her radiance captivating all who saw her. Her adoptive parents were overjoyed and cherished her dearly. With each bamboo stalk that Taketori no Okina cut, he found gold coins inside, which soon made the family prosperous.

News of Kaguya-hime’s beauty spread far and wide, attracting suitors from across the land. Despite her parents’ wishes for her to marry, Kaguya-hime set impossible tasks for her suitors, promising to marry the one who could fulfill them. Her suitors, unable to meet the challenges, eventually gave up, leaving Kaguya-hime to live peacefully with her parents.

One summer night, as the full moon hung brightly in the sky, Kaguya-hime gazed at it with sorrowful eyes. When her father noticed her tears, she revealed the truth: she was not of this world but came from the Moon, and the time was approaching for her to return.

Her parents were heartbroken, but Kaguya-hime assured them that she would always cherish her time with them. As the night of the full moon arrived, celestial beings descended from the sky to escort her back to her lunar home. They dressed her in a shimmering robe of feathers, which erased all her memories of her life on Earth, leaving her parents in tears.

Before she departed, Kaguya-hime left a letter and a small vial of the Elixir of Life for the Emperor of Japan, who had fallen in love with her and sought her hand in marriage. In her letter, she expressed her gratitude and deep affection for the Emperor but explained that her destiny lay elsewhere.

The Emperor, moved by her words and unable to bear the thought of living without her, ordered the vial to be taken to the summit of the country’s highest mountain and burned, hoping the smoke would reach her in the Moon and convey his feelings.

And so, Kaguya-hime returned to the Moon, leaving behind a legacy of love and loss. Her story became a cherished tale, reminding generations of the ephemeral nature of beauty and life, and the enduring bonds of love that transcend even the boundaries between worlds.

The End.