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young and resolute
fighting forces of evil
Japanese fairytale
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Okayama Prefecture Japan is located in the south western part of the country and is where some of my ancestors lived. It is on the island of Honshu and located between the Seto Inland Sea to the south and the Chugoku Mountains to the north. It’s nickname is “The Land of Sunshine” because the number of days with rainfall less than 1 millimeter is the highest in Japan. The capital is Okayama city.
Rather than tell you much more about Okayama Prefecture, I thought I would do something different and introduce you to a popular and delightful Japanese fairytale strongly associated with Okayama, named “Momotaro” or “Peach Boy.” Peaches, and other fruits, are famous products of Okayama, and a Momotaro Festival is held there annually. The capital, Okayama City (population of over 700,000), named its main street Momotarō-Odōri in the Peach Boy’s honor, and you’ll find statues from the tale along the way. I don’t have a photo to post, so I created the above doodle instead to represent the story.
“In the old days, the peach was a symbol of long life and was also believed to be effective in warding off devils.” (japanese.about.com)
I remember hearing the story of Momotaro when I was a little girl, and I have a version of the story that is in both English and Japanese. Here is a summary of the fairytale taken from Wikitravel:
“According to the Japanese fairytale, an old, childless couple found a peach floating down the river, and inside they found a baby boy. They duly adopted him and named him Momotarō (桃太郎), or (quite literally) “Peach Boy”. As he grew, he began to feel greatly indebted to the couple that raised him, and when he was finally grown, he announced that he would be going on a journey to Onigashima (Demon Island) to fight the demons that had been causing trouble in the nearby villages. The old woman prepared kibi-dango (millet dumplings) for him to take on his journey and bid him farewell.
On his way to the island, he befriended a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant by giving them each a piece of the kibi-dango. With their help, he defeated the demons; Momotarō took the demons’ treasures back home and gave them to the old couple to thank them for all the things they’d done for him throughout the years. The couple rejoiced that he was back safely, and they all lived happily ever after.”
“Residents claim that Okayama was the original setting of the fairytale, and that it was based on the legend of Prince Kibitsuhiko’s battle against the ogre Ura, who is said to have lived in Kino-jo (Demon’s Castle) in the area around Soja.” (See the links below for a couple of versions of the Momotaro fairytale.)
During my travels to Japan, I was not able to visit Okayama, but someday I hope to.
Is there a popular story or fairytale associated with where you live, or where your ancestors lived?
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This is for the letter “O” Story Challenge by Frizztext, to share a short story or reflection, even an aphorism using a word tagged with each letter of the alphabet.
Other versions of Momotaro:
I enjoyed the story! I am a former Waldorf teacher and storytelling was a daily part of the classroom.
-http://bridgitsbell.blogspot.com
Thank you so much, Karen! So glad you stopped by and shared your experience. Cool blog you have!
Oh, really !
—– I didn’t know that Momotaro was born in Okayama 😀
Thank you. You educated me.
Now I realized, that the Oni (evil monster) was the Pirates / Bandits
dwelled in an island on Seto inland-sea. Hence, having hoard of treasure ! (Robbed from trade ships run between Miyako to China).
Yes, interesting, isn’t it. I didn’t know that until recently either but I heard the story when I was a little girl. Thank you very much for stopping by!
I love this – have never heard it before!
Thank you very much, Julie! It’s a cute story.
What a lovely story! And your drawing is delightful.
Thank you very much, ladyfi! This is one of my first attempts at creating a decent doodle.
a great tale, so very interesting as it reminds me of my experiences with Japanese people and their extraordinary culture…. thanks fergie 🙂
Thank you very much, Christine! I love many things Japanese including the culture.
Your doodle and story-telling is really enjoyable.
Thank you very much, Paula! I resort to doodling. My drawing skills are not so good.
How cute. Almost all of us know Momotarou and love him. 🙂
Thank you so much, Cocomino! I knew you would recognize Momotaro!
I love hearing tales like this. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you very much, TBM! It is a really cute child’s tale which I enjoy.
Beautiful story on kindness and gratitude!
I love your sketch! 🙂
Thank you very much, Marina! It is a delightful little story that I have enjoyed. 🙂
Lovely story and lovely drawing 😃
Thank you very much Violet! If I could sketch like you I would be jumping for joy!
An amusing story! I like too much.
Thank you very much, Gian Paolo! I also find it amusing and delightful.
Wonderful story! I didn’t know that peach was a symbol of long life in Japan. Cute drawing. 🙂
Thank you very much, Amy! It’s really fascinating to learn the meaning of different things. Who would have thought that a peach meant long life.
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Good job on the illustration FM! Great story! Margie
Thank you very much, Margie! Glad you liked it.
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Simple, adventurous story. Did they make a big deal with kibi-dango? It sounds like a pivotal item.
I bet there’s a many varying stories that are webbed to this one.
Dango in general are popular and are usually eaten with green tea. I have liked dango ever since I can remember.
Yes, I think there are many variations of the story, but I still find it adorable.
thank you Fergie Moto,
for your OKAYAMA fairytale – something is similar to MOSES of the Christian bible who was found on the river Nil in Egypt and was adopted by the king’s daughter. I was adopted too, but not found in a nut-shell in the Wupper river 🙂
Interesting observation, Frizz! Thank you for the insight.
Glad to learn you weren’t found in a nutshell. That would make quite a story!
What a beautiful story that speaks volumes about another culture entirely. The illustration is fabulous. You should think about developing a picture book about this. 🙂
Wow, Myra! Thank you so much and I appreciate the encouragement! I’ve never thought about developing a picture book since this is one of my first decent doodles. I’ll keep practicing though.
This was so, so cute. 🙂
Thank you so much, Eliz! Yes, so cute. I’ve always enjoyed it.
Love the kid-like drawings. Fun, exciting and yes, I great way to relive the childhood memories of heroes and fairy tales. Very cool story!
Thank you very much, IT! It’s good to let the inner child out sometimes.
The moment I saw your doodle, which I think is wonderful, I felt their sense of joy, a miracle! The fairytale is delightful too, unlike most! Excellent post.
Thank you so much, Janina! I appreciate your lovely compliment. It is really a delightful story!
Such stories take us into a particular culture’s folklore, and yet almost always reach out to be universally appealing and enlightening. Love the doodle, and so appreciate you sharing the story, and also a little of your heritage. The world becomes so much smaller and united through blogging!
Thank you very much, Diane! Yes, that is such a wonderful advantage of blogging – you learn about other cultures through their personal experiences, which makes the knowledge and information that much more memorable.
What a wonderful story! Transported me to my childhood that was filled with similar tales. Would love to visit Okayama someday too 🙂
Thank you very much! Some stories stay with you regardless of how long ago you heard it. I have not been to Okayama either. I spent most of my working time in Japan in Osaka and Kanazawa, with side trips to Kyoto and Nara.