Peach

Momotaro

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Bisque doll of Momotarō

Momotarō (桃太郎^?) is a popular hero from Japanese folklore. His name literally means Peach Tarō; as Tarō is a common Japanese boy's name, it is often translated as Peach Boy. Momotarō is also the title of various books, films, and other works that portray the tale of this hero.

Story

According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).

An older form of the story has the old, childless woman discover the giant, floating peach and take it home with her, as she finds it to be of good color and tasty-looking. After eating a piece of the peach, the old woman is suddenly rejuvenated and regains the beauty of her youth. When her old husband comes home from the hills, he is astounded to find a dazzling young lady in his house. At first he does not even recognize his own wife in her rejuvenated form, but she explains to him how she has picked up an unusual peach floating in the river and brought it home to eat it and was magically transformed. She then gives her husband a piece of the peach to eat, and he also regains his youthful vigor. That night, the newly invigorated couple make love, and the woman becomes pregnant as a result. She eventually gives birth to their first child, a son, whom they name Tarō, as that is a common Japanese name for a first son.

Years later, Momotarō left his parents for an island called Onigashima to destroy the marauding oni (demons or ogres) that dwelt there. En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the demons' leader, Ura, as well as his army, into surrendering. Momotarō returned home with his new friends, and his family lived comfortably from then on.

Momotarō is strongly associated with Okayama, and his tale may have its origins there. The demon island of the story is sometimes associated with Megijima Island (an island in the Inland Sea near Takamatsu) due to the vast manmade caves found on that island.

Variants

There are a few variants to the story, depending on geographical region. Some say Momotaro floated by in a box, a white peach, or a red peach. Stories from Shikoku and Chugoku region muddy the distinction with characters from another folk story, the Monkey-Crab Battle (ja:さるかに合戦）that Momotaro took with him allies to Oni Island, namely a bee(蜂), a crab(蟹), a mill stone(臼), a chestnut(栗), and a cowpie(牛の糞). In old days, all these animals and objects were believed to possess spirits and could move by their own will. The cowpie was sometimes given the honorific don (殿). This was to appease the cowpie spirit, so as it won't move to be under you when you stumble or take a step.

Momotarō's song

Statue of Momotaro outside of Okayama Train Station

The popular children's song about Momotarō titled Momotarō-san no Uta (Momotarō's Song) was first published in 1911. One version of it is included below with romanization and translation.

References in popular media

This "In popular culture" section may contain minor or trivial references. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances, and remove trivial references. (July 2009)

• The folklore character has been featured in various animated films, such as Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors (1945) and Momotaro's Sea Eagles (1943).

• In Freelance Samurai (桃太郎侍 Momotaro zamurai) 1957 film.

• A demon fighter for Team Uratogi in the anime YuYu Hakusho named Kuro Momotaro (Black Peach Boy) is loosely based on Momotaro.

• The Imagin Momotaros from the tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Den-O is based on Ryotaro's memories of hearing of Momotaro (though Momotaros looks more like a regular Oni). This is furthered in the Imagin anime shorts when Momotaros tries to retell the story he's based on in vain.

• In the animated television series Urusei Yatsura, Lum's younger cousin, Jariten, arrives on earth in a peach-shaped space capsule. He is initially referred to as Momotarō.

• Momotaro is also featured in Hudson Soft's Momotaro Densetsu series and its spin-off, the Momotaro Dentetsu board game series.

• The game Shin Onigashima is loosely based on Momotaro's story, which is combined along with the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Princess Kaguya). One of the main characters is Donbe, which is based on Momotaro and has Hikari (based on Kaguya) as his half-sister. The dog, monkey and pheasant, called Ringo, Matsunosuke and Ohana, respectively, also appear alongside Donbe and Hikari.

• The story was adapted in the Japanese Mario OVA, Mario's Peach Boy Taro (スーパーマリオ ももたろう). Princess Peach, who was being raised by two elderly Hammer Bros., is kidnapped by King Koopa in an effort to make her his wife. Saddened by Peach's capture, the Hammer Bros. suddenly come across a giant Peach, which gives birth to Mario. After growing up big and strong, Mario sets off to rescue Peach, befriending some familiar Mario series enemies along the way. Working together, they defeat Koopa and rescue Peach.

• A stage in the 2007 Nintendo DS game Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 serves as a sort of comic sequel to the Momotaro legend. Now an elderly man in modern Japan, Momotaro embarks on a journey to fight the demons of Onigashima once again. In the end, he convinces the oni to convert the island into an amusement park.

• Canadian author Joy Kogawa uses the story of Momotaro in her novel Obasan to describe a memory of the narrator and social roles and behaviours of the Japanese-Canadian characters.

References

This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (October 2008)

1. ^ Oni-ga-shima(or Megijima)
2. ^ "Megi-jima/Ogi-jima", Takamatsu City Web Site
3. ^ 桃太郎
4. ^ List of YuYu Hakusho characters
5. ^ Urusei yatsura - Space Mail Delivery! Ten-chan Arrives! at the Internet Movie Database
6. ^ Kogawa,Joy.Obasan.Toronto: Penguin, 1983.

Ishida Eiichirō Momotarō no haha 1966

Ken Akamatsu "Love Hina" 2001

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Momotaro

• Folklore
• Urashima Tarō
• Kintarō

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