A poor hardworking old
man and his wife, who had prayed all their lives for a son, were sent a baby
boy by the gods. They called him Momotaro, meaning son of a peach,
because he came to them inside a peach. He grew to be a strong, brave,
and wise young man.
One day he said to his
parents, "There is something important I must do, but have patience and I
will return to you. I must travel to the island of devils, who have been
robbing and killing people for many years; I believe I can conquer them and return
their plunder."
The next day he set off
for the island of the devils. During his travels he met a large dog, a
monkey, and a pheasant, all of whom asked to join him on his mission. The
dog marched first, carrying a flag; next came Momotaro with an iron war fan;
behind them came the monkey, carrying a sword; and last, the large
pheasant. Finally they came to the sea. Momotaro secured a ship and
they set sail for the island. After sailing for some time, they came to
an island with a large castle in the center: the island of the devils.
Momotaro made his plan. He told the pheasant to fly to the castle and
engage the devils in battle. So the pheasant flew over the devils and
cried, "The great Japanese general Momotaro has come to capture your stronghold.
Surrender or we will kill you." The devils looked up, saw the bird,
and began to laugh. Then they tried to attack the pheasant with their
horns. But the bird dodged them so fast that all they did was hit one
another in the head with their horns until they were exhausted.
Meanwhile Momotaro and
the dog landed the ship and walked up the path to the castle. They joined
the pheasant in his attack. The three of them fought so hard they seemed
to be one hundred; and that is how Momotaro conquered the devils.
Momotaro found all the
treasures that had been stolen from the people and returned them; he freed the
captives he found on the island. He, the dog, the monkey and the pheasant
returned home as heroes.
In Asia, the peach is
symbolic of life. Momotaro is the heroic self in all of us. We must
release that self and subjugate the devils within ourselves.
(Research by Diane Tichell)
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