{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_33051/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_33051","id":"gutenberg_33051","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33051","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales -- Japan","Folklore -- Japan"],"text":"Produced by Meredith Bach, Ernest Schaal and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This\nfile was produced from images generously made available\nby The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n JAPANESE\n FAIRY TALE\n SERIES NO 1\n\n MOMOTARO.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n [Japanese: sei-fuku-kyo-fu-roku-to-ken-saku-cho]\n ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.\n\n Published by\n T. HASEGAWA,\n 17 Kami Negishi, Tokyo, Japan.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n MOMOTARO\n OR\n LITTLE PEACHLING.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\nA long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman. One day\nthe old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went\nto the river to wash clothes. While she was washing a great big thing\ncame tumbling and splashing down the stream. When the old woman saw it\nshe was very glad, and pulled it to her with a piece of bamboo that lay\nnear by.\n\n [Illustration]\n\nWhen she took it up and looked at it she saw that it was a very large\npeach. She then quickly finished her washing and returned home intending\nto give the peach to her old man to eat.\n\n [Illustration]\n\nWhen she cut the peach in two, out came a child from the large kernel.\nSeeing this the old couple rejoiced, and named the child Momotaro, or\nLittle Peachling, because he came out of a peach. As both the old people\ntook good care of him, he grew and became strong and enterprising. So\nthe old couple had their expectations raised, and bestowed still more\ncare on his education.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\nMomotaro finding that he excelled every body in strength determined to\ncross over to the island of the devils, take their riches, and come\nback. He at once consulted with the old man and the old woman about the\nmatter, and got them to make him some dumplings. These he put in his\npouch. Besides this he made every kind of preparation for his journey to\nthe island of the devils and set out.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\nThen first a dog came to the side of the way and said; \"Momotaro! What\nhave you there hanging at your belt?\" He replied: \"I have some of the\nvery best Japanese millet dumplings.\" \"Give me one and I will go with\nyou,\" said the dog. So Momotaro took a dumpling out of his pouch and\ngave it to the dog. Then a monkey came and got one the same way. A\npheasant also came flying and said: \"Give me a dumpling too, and I will\ngo along with you.\" So all three went along with him. In no time they\narrived at the island of the devils, and at once broke through the front\ngate; Momotaro first; then his three followers. Here they met a great\nmultitude of the devil's retainers who showed fight, but they pressed\nstill inwards, and at last encountered the chief of the devils, called\nAkandoji. Then came the tug of war. Akandoji made at Momotaro with an\niron club, but Momotaro was ready for him, and dodged him adroitly. At\nlast they grappled each other, and without difficulty Momotaro just\ncrushed down Akandoji and tied him with a rope so tight that he could\nnot even move. All this was done in a fair fight.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\nAfter this Akandoji the chief of the devils said he would surrender all\nhis riches. \"Out with your riches then;\" said Momotaro laughing. Having\ncollected and ranged in order a great pile of precious things, Momotaro\ntook them, and set out for his home, rejoicing, as he marched bravely\nback, that, with the help of his three companions, to whom he attributed\nall his success, he had been able so easily to accomplish his end.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n [Illustration]\n\nGreat was the joy of the old man and the old woman when Momotaro came\nback. He feasted every body bountifully, told many stories of his\nadventure, displayed his riches, and at last became a leading man, a man\nof influence, very rich and honorable; a man to be very much\ncongratulated indeed!!\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n JAPANESE FAIRY TALE SERIES.\n\n 1. Momotaro or Little Peachling.\n 2. The Tongue Cut Sparrow.\n 3. The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab.\n 4. The Old Man who made the Dead Trees Blossom.\n 5. Kachi-Kachi Mountain.\n 6. The Mouses' Wedding.\n 7. The Old Man and the Devils.\n 8. Urashima, the Fisher-boy.\n 9. The Eight-Headed Serpent.\n 10. The Matsuyama Mirror.\n 11. The Hare of Inaba.\n 12. The Cub's Triumph.\n 13. The Silly Jelly-Fish.\n 14. The Princes Fire-Flash and Fire-Fade\n 15. My Lord Rag-o'-Rice.\n 16. The Wonderful Tea-Kettle.\n 17. Schippeitaro.\n 18. The Ogre's Arm.\n 19. The Ogres of Oyeyama.\n 20. The Enchanted Waterfall.\n 2nd Series No. 1. The Goblin-Spider.\n \" \" \" 2. The Wonderful Mallet.\n \" \" \" 3. The Broken Images.\n\n [Illustration]","title":"Momotaro; or, Little Peachling: Japanese Fairy Tale Series No. 1","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":787}