The Children and the Wind Spirit

Peach Boy

The Rolling Rice Ball

The Sparrow with the Split Tongue

Peach Boy

Momotaro

Long long ago in a land far away there lived an old man and an old lady. One day, the old man went into the mountains to cut firewood and the old lady went to wash the clothes.

As the old lady was washing the clothes in the river, she spotted a giant peach floating downstream. “If that is a sweet peach, let it float this way,” the old lady said, “and if it is a sour peach than let it float by.” The peach bobbed along the river and came to the shore by the old lady. The old lady lifted up the giant peach and carried it home.

When the old man returned from the mountains, the old lady showed him the huge peach. “Husband, look what I’ve brought back from the river. It looks delicious, don’t you think? Let’s cut it open and try it.”

But as the old couple prepared to cut open the giant peach, it suddenly split open by itself and a cute little boy popped out of the centre of the peach.

The old couple were shocked, but they soon helped the little baby boy. They washed him clean with warm water and clothed him in a kimono.

“Since this baby came from a peach,” the old man said, “we should call him Peach Boy.” Since the old man and old lady had no children of their own, they decided to raise the baby themselves. They took care of him with great love and kindness.

Peach Boy was a marvelous boy, indeed. Every day he ate a great deal of rice. And every day he grew and grew. If he ate two servings of dinner, he would grow two times bigger! And as he ate more and more, he grew stronger and stronger. Soon Peach Boy had become a big, strong boy.

One day, Peach Boy said, “I am going to go confront the demons that live on the nearby island!”

The old man and the old lady were shocked. “But Peach Boy,” they said, “you are still a young boy. You cannot fight the demons of the island!”

But Peach Boy had already made up his mind and wouldn’t listen to the words of the old lady and old man. “I can do it! I can defeat those nasty demons!” he said firmly. The old man and the old lady realized that they would not be able to change his mind. They had no choice but to give their permission to Peach Boy to travel to Demon Island to confront the demons. They did what they could do to help Peach Boy to prepare for his journey.

“I will make you millet dumplings to carry with you,” the old lady said. “These dumplings will give you great strength and make you the strongest boy in Japan.”

“Hmm, yes,” the old man agreed, “and I will give you this fine sword.” The old man and the old lady helped Peach Boy to prepare for everything.

Finally it was time for Peach Boy to depart on his journey. “Be careful and come back soon!” they cried out as he left.

“Don’t worry about me,” Peach Boy called back. “ I will be home again soon. I will return once I have defeated the demons.”

Peach Boy travelled alone out of the village and headed towards Demon Island. Along the way, he met a dog. “Woof Woof,” called the dog, “Where are you going, Peach Boy?”

“I am going to fight the Demons.”

“What is that on your hip, Peach Boy?” asked the dog.

“These are special millet dumplings,” Peach Boy answered. “One dumpling will give you the strength of a thousand men. Two dumplings will give you the strength of ten thousand men!”

“If you give me one of your millet dumplings, I will help you fight the demons,” the dog said eagerly. And so Peach Boy gave the dog a dumpling and the dog travelled with him to fight the demons.

As Peach Boy and the dog climbed up into the mountains, they met a beautiful pheasant with colourful plummage.
“Tweet Tweet,” called the pheasant, “Where are you going, Peach Boy?”

“I am going to fight the Demons.”

“What is that on your hip, Peach Boy?” asked the pheasant.

“These are special millet dumplings,” Peach Boy answered. “One dumpling will give you the strength of a thousand men. Two dumplings will give you the strength of ten thousand men!”

“If you give me one of your millet dumplings, I will help you fight the demons,” the pheasant said eagerly. And so Peach Boy gave the pheasant a dumpling and the pheasant joined Peach Boy and the dog on their journey to confront the demons. As the three travelled through the forest, they met a monkey.

“Kya Kya Kya ” called the monkey, “Where are you going, Peach Boy?”

“I am going to fight the Demons.”

“What is that on your hip, Peach Boy?” asked the monkey.

“These are special millet dumplings,” Peach Boy answered. “One dumpling will give you the strength of a thousand men. Two dumplings will give you the strength of ten thousand men!”

“If you give me one of your millet dumplings, I will help you fight the demons,” the monkey said eagerly. And so Peach Boy gave the monkey a dumpling and the monkey joined the group to fight the demons.

After the group had climbed over the mountain and crossed through the forest, they finally reached the river. They found a huge tub and climbed inside it. They paddled the tub out into the river. Down the river they travelled until they reached the sea and Demon Island finally came into sight. They paddled the tub across the sea to Demon Island. As they approached the island, the pheasant flew ahead to check on the situation. The demons were drinking and partying on the island.

“Perfect!” said Peach Boy. “This is our chance to strike.”.

The place where the demons were drinking and making merry was surrounding by a huge wall with a large gate. The monkey went to the door and knocked loudly and a small demon came and opened the gate.

“I am Peach Boy and I have come to defeat you evil demons,” Peach Boy said in a strong voice. He swung his sword at the demon and pushed his way inside the gate. The dog, the pheasant and the monkey followed Peach Boy inside and the surprised little demon fled to the recesses of the demon fort.

Back in the recesses of the fort, the giant demons were laughing and drinking when Peach Boy approached.

“I am Peach Boy and I have come to defeat you evil demons!”

“Eh? What’s that you say?” The demons looked up from their drinking and saw nothing but a small boy. They laughed and laughed. “Little boy, how do you think you can defeat us?” they laughed.

“Attack!” was Peach Boy’s only reply. At his rallying cry, the dog, the pheasant and the monkey jumped into action. The dog bit and sank his teeth into the demons’s rumps. The pheasant used his sharp beak to peck the demons’ faces. The monkey used his sharp nails to scratch the demons. And Peach Boy, the strongest boy in Japan, beat each demon he fought, even the very large ones. He threw each and every demon to the ground in defeat.

One by the one the demons, big and small, came forth to beg for Peach Boy’s mercy.

Peach Boy spoke to the demons sternly. “From now on, if you promise to do only good things and never do evil deeds, then I will give you mercy.”

“We will be good demons. We promise! We promise!” The demons all agreed to change their evil ways. They showered Peach Boy and his group with treasures. Peach Boy took the treasures home to the old man and the old lady, who were filled with happiness to see their Peach Boy back home safe and sound.

Peach Boy is probably the most famous folk tale in Japan, and sends a clear message to children that they need to eat their meals properly in order to grow up big and strong. There may be some connection with an ancient Chinese belief that peaches had special powers to give strength. It is interesting to note that Peach Boy, like many traditional Japanese tales, begins with an old lady and an old man living in a remote village. You will find that old ladies and men are also featured in the story of the Rolling Rice Ball and the Sparrow with the Split Tongue Tale.

The demons in this story are known as "oni" in Japanese. Another possible translation for oni would be devils, but the oni of Japanese lore do not have any association with the devil of Christianity, therefore making "demon" a more apt translation. These evil oni caused all manner of problems to the village folk of ancient Japan. To rid villages and household of oni presence, there is a tradition called setsubun which is still practiced in Japan to this day. On Setsubun day (a day in early February), soy beans are thrown and scattered about the house while the person throwing the beans calls out "Welcome good fortune, oni be gone!" Sometimes men will dress up in oni masks and come cause mischeif around houses and schools so that the children have a chance to confront the oni up close and in person. As often as not, this results in lots of crying, frightened children!