Folklore: The Legend of the Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess

Japan's rich culture has bestowed numerous talents that continue to excite and perplex even now. Japan's traditions are full of intuition and odd delicacies that also provide us with the Monogatari: Japan's epic narratives in prose, from the legend of the scarlet thread of fate to interesting haiku and even folklore ghosts and demons. Taketori Monogatari, the fable of the bamboo cutter and the moon princess, is the oldest and maybe oddest of these stories.

The legend, also known as Kaguya-Hime no Monogatari, is the earliest surviving piece of Japanese literature. It was composed in the late 9th or early 10th centuries, with the earliest documented form being from the 17th century. With beings from other planets, it’s a story of beauty, exile, belonging and love.

Long ago, an old and humble man chopping bamboo noticed that one of the logs he'd gathered was gleaming strangely, as though lighted by the moon. He discovered there was a gorgeous little young girl within the wood as he took it in his hands. The father took her in since he had never had children, and he and his wife treated her as if she were their daughter. Princess Moonlight was her given name. The branch of bamboo where the man discovered the unexpected visitor began to produce gold and diamonds, and the bamboo cutter quickly became wealthy.

The unique girl grew into a lovely woman of regular stature, and over time, others became aware of her existence and attractiveness. Suitors came from all around to ask for her hand in marriage. On one occasion, five honourable gentlemen entered the bamboo cutter's house, pleading with him to allow his adopted daughter to marry. They fought because he was old and didn't want to leave her alone when he died. She, on the other hand, refused to accept any marriage, making unrealistic conditions for her suitors to avoid marrying them.

The existence of the beautiful young woman was brought to the emperor's attention, and he demanded that she appear in his court. When she declined, he visited her and, upon meeting her, fell madly in love with her as well. The emperor attempted to take the girl to his palace to marry her, but she promised him that if she was taken by force, she would turn into a shadow and eventually vanish forever.

She sat in the dark every night, staring at the sky. It was time for her to return to her origins, and it was then that she revealed to her adoptive father, in tears, that she had come from the moon and that her time on Earth was coming to an end. So, when the emperor learned of this, he dispatched guards to the bamboo cutter's home in an attempt to prevent the princess from returning to her homeland.

One night, the moon was covered by a cloud. This quickly began to descend towards the Earth, while the sky grew ever darker. A carriage manned by luminous beings arrived for the princess. She left a letter and a small bottle with the Elixir of Life for the emperor before leaving. Frightened, he ordered that both be taken to the top of the most sacred mountain of that land and there, burned.

To this day, it’s remembered that when there is smoke upon Mount Fuji, this is the letter and elixir that the Princess of the Moon left for the emperor, and these will continue to burn at the mountain’s peak.

“…….and whenever she sang that song, staring down at the earth from the moon, tears rolled down her cheeks.”