Momotaro; or, Little Peachling Japanese Fairy Tale Series No. 1 — Edition Insights

(2 User reviews) 346

In Category - Fairy Tales

Authors: Anonymous Published By : Project Gutenberg In Year : 2010

Key Word: Folklore -- Japan; Fairy tales -- Japan Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 3,808

Reading time 17 min

Text sections 1

The source record for Momotaro; or, Little Peachling Japanese Fairy Tale Series No. 1 — Edition Insights measures this digital text at 3,808 words, 17 min estimated reading time, and 1 detected text section.

The text analysis averages about 20.8 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Folklore -- Japan,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #33051

This editorial note examines how the catalog subjects 'Folklore -- Japan' and 'Fairy tales -- Japan' align with the actual text of Momotaro, noting the story's structure, the hero's characterization, and the cultural markers present in the excerpts.

Editorial Edition Score 4.4/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

Calculated from edition completeness, EPUB availability, text structure and catalogue metadata. Not a user rating.

How this score is calculated

Description quality20 pts
Title & short description10 pts
Source metadata20 pts
Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
EPUB file integrity20 pts

Total of 100 points, scaled to a 2.5-5.0 range. Editions with an empty description or a missing EPUB file are not scored.

Edition quality

File: pg33051

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Produced by Meredith Bach, Ernest Schaal and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

JAPANESE FAIRY TALE SERIES NO 1

Published by T. HASEGAWA, 17 Kami Negishi, Tokyo, Japan.

MOMOTARO OR LITTLE PEACHLING.

A long long time ago there lived an old man and an old woman. One day the old man went to the mountains to cut grass; and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes. While she was washing a great big thing came tumbling and splashing down the stream. When the old woman saw it she was very glad, and pulled it to her with a piece of bamboo that lay near by.

When she took it up and looked at it she saw that it was a very large peach. She then quickly finished her washing and returned home intending to give the peach to her old man to eat.

When she cut the peach in two, out came a child from the large kernel. Seeing this the old couple rejoiced, and named the child Momotaro, or Little Peachling, because he came out of a peach. As both the old people took good care of him, he grew and became strong and enterprising. So the old couple had their expectations raised, and bestowed still more care on his education.

Momotaro finding that he excelled every body in strength determined to cross over to the island of the devils, take their riches, and come back. He at once consulted with the old man and the old woman about the matter, and got them to make him some dumplings. These he put in his pouch. Besides this he made every kind of preparation for his journey to the island of the devils and set out.

Then first a dog came to the side of the way and said; "Momotaro! What have you there hanging at your belt?" He replied: "I have some of the very best Japanese millet dumplings." "Give me one and I will go with you," said the dog. So Momotaro took a dumpling out of his pouch and gave it to the dog. Then a monkey came and got one the same way. A pheasant also came flying and said: "Give me a dumpling too, and I will go along with you." So all three went along with him. In no time they arrived at the island of the devils, and at once broke through the front gate; Momotaro first; then his three followers. Here they met a great multitude of the devil's retainers who showed fight, but they pressed still inwards, and at last encountered the chief of the devils, called Akandoji. Then came the tug of war. Akandoji made at Momotaro with an iron club, but Momotaro was ready for him, and dodged him adroitly. At last they grappled each other, and without difficulty Momotaro just crushed down Akandoji and tied him with a rope so tight that he could not even move. All this was done in a fair fight.

After this Akandoji the chief of the devils said he would surrender all his riches. "Out with your riches then;" said Momotaro laughing. Having collected and ranged in order a great pile of precious things, Momotaro took them, and set out for his home, rejoicing, as he marched bravely back, that, with the help of his three companions, to whom he attributed all his success, he had been able so easily to accomplish his end.

Great was the joy of the old man and the old woman when Momotaro came back. He feasted every body bountifully, told many stories of his adventure, displayed his riches, and at last became a leading man, a man of influence, very rich and honorable; a man to be very much congratulated indeed!!

JAPANESE FAIRY TALE SERIES.

1. Momotaro or Little Peachling. 2. The Tongue Cut Sparrow. 3. The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab. 4. The Old Man who made the Dead Trees Blossom. 5. Kachi-Kachi Mountain. 6. The Mouses' Wedding. 7. The Old Man and the Devils. 8. Urashima, the Fisher-boy. 9. The Eight-Headed Serpent. 10. The Matsuyama Mirror. 11. The Hare of Inaba. 12. The Cub's Triumph. 13. The Silly Jelly-Fish. 14. The Princes Fire-Flash and Fire-Fade 15. My Lord Rag-o'-Rice. 16. The Wonderful Tea-Kettle. 17. Schippeitaro. 18. The Ogre's Arm. 19. The Ogres of Oyeyama. 20. The Enchanted Waterfall. 2nd Series No. 1. The Goblin-Spider. " " " 2. The Wonderful Mallet. " " " 3. The Broken Images.

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The catalog subjects for this Project Gutenberg edition list 'Folklore -- Japan' and 'Fairy tales -- Japan,' but the excerpts reveal a text that is both a straightforward adventure tale and a cultural artifact. The story follows a familiar fairy-tale pattern: a childless couple finds a miraculous child, the child grows up strong, and he sets out on a quest. However, the specific details—such as the old woman washing clothes by the river and the child emerging from a peach kernel—ground the tale in Japanese tradition. The narrative voice is simple and direct, with little embellishment, suggesting a translation aimed at conveying the plot rather than literary flourish.

The Hero's Motivation and Character

Momotaro is portrayed as 'strong and enterprising' from childhood, and his decision to cross to the island of devils is presented as a personal ambition: he 'determined to cross over to the island of the devils, take their riches, and come back.' This goal is not framed as a moral duty but as a demonstration of strength. The old couple 'bestowed still more care on his education,' yet the text does not specify what that education entails. Momotaro's confidence is evident when he laughs at the defeated devil chief, saying 'Out with your riches then.' The hero's character is defined by action and directness, with no internal conflict or hesitation shown in the excerpts.

The Role of Companions and Gifts

Momotaro gains three animal companions—a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant—each of whom joins him in exchange for a millet dumpling. This exchange is transactional: the animals offer loyalty for food. The text notes that 'a dog came to the side of the way' and spoke, and similarly the monkey and pheasant appear and request dumplings. The companions are not given individual personalities or names; they function as a collective force. At the island, they 'broke through the front gate' together, with Momotaro first and his followers behind. The simplicity of this arrangement contrasts with more complex versions of the tale where the animals have distinct roles.

Cultural Markers and Translation Choices

The excerpts contain several cultural markers that align with the catalog subjects. The old woman uses a 'piece of bamboo' to retrieve the peach, a detail specific to Japanese material culture. The dumplings are explicitly 'Japanese millet dumplings,' and the devil chief is named 'Akandoji.' The phrase 'the tug of war' is an English idiom that may not have a direct equivalent in Japanese, suggesting the translator prioritized readability over literal fidelity. The story ends with Momotaro returning home 'rejoicing' with his riches, a conclusion that reinforces the fairy-tale pattern of reward for bravery. These elements together show how the text functions as both a Japanese folktale and a translated work adapted for an English-speaking audience.

Readers approaching this edition should note that the text is a translation from the early 20th century, likely intended for a Western audience. The story's brevity and directness make it accessible, but the cultural context—such as the significance of the peach or the nature of the devils—is not elaborated. Comparing this version with other translations or with Japanese-language variants may reveal how the tale has been adapted across cultures.

Reading how the catalog labels Momotaro as folklore reminded me of curling up with my grandmother’s yellowed copy, where the peach boy felt less like a fairy tale and more like a neighbor’s mischievous son. That same quiet familiarity surfaced in Child-Life in Japan and Japanese Child Stories — Background and Themes, where daily rituals made the fantastic feel tenderly ordinary.