Stories Mentioned..

in Japanese Mythology

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Urashima Taro

The story of Urashima Taro, the name of the main character, is about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a special trip under the ocean to visit the kingdom of the Dragon God. The princess gives Urashima Taro a box and tells him that as long as he does not open it, he will stay happy, but of course, he opens the box when he returns to land.

Urashima Taro, a Japanese tale teaches the importance of obedience over happiness. A sea turtle rewards a fisher, who is, in turn, punished for disobedience.

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Momotaro

Momotaro is one of the most loved folktales in Japan as well as one of the most well-known. The name "Momotaro" literally means "Peach Taro," which is a name suffix often seen in Japan. You may have heard the story translated as "Peach Boy."

According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).

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Kintaro

Kintaro, known as "Golden Boy," is a popular story among children, though it is well-known with all of Japan. While there are many versions of the story, the main premise is that Kintaro is a boy with super-strong powers who was brought up in the forest and became friends with several animals.

Kintarō, also known as the Golden Boy, is one of Japan’s popular folk heroes. He has been featured in many anime and manga such as One Piece and Otogi Zoshi. In many ways, Kintarō was like Japan’s Tarzan, having been raised in the wild and battling different sorts of weird creatures. The story of Kintarō is said to come from the desire of parents to have their young boys grow up with strength and courage, just like the folk hero.

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Tanabata

Tanabata originated from a Chinese legend called Qixi and was brought to Japan in the 8th century. This is the story of two lovers. Princess Orihime, the seamstress, wove beautiful clothes by the heavenly river, represented by the Milky Way. Because Orihime worked so hard weaving beautiful clothes, she became sad and despaired of ever finding love. Her father, who was a God of the heavens, loved her dearly and arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi, the cow herder who lived on the other side of the Milky Way. The two fell in love instantly and married. Their love and devotion was so deep that Orihime stopped weaving and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to wander the heavens.

Orihime’s father became angry and forbade the lovers to be together, but Orihime pleaded with him to allow them to stay. He loved his daughter, so he decreed that the two star-crossed lovers could meet once a year--on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime returned to her weaving. On the first day they were to be reunited, they found the river (Milky Way) to be too difficult to cross. Orihime became so despondent that a flock of magpies came and made a bridge for her.

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Kachi-kachi yama

"Kachi-kachi" is sort of like a crackling sound--like what you'd hear from a fire--and "yama" means mountain. This story is known for being brutal, especially in terms of what the tanuki does to the woman. (Later on, the tanuki is eventually punished by a rabbit.)

As the story goes, a man caught a troublesome tanuki in his fields, and tied it to a tree to kill and cook it later. When the man left for town, thetanuki cried and begged the man's wife who was making some mochi, a sweet rice dish, to set him free, promising he would help her. The wife freed the animal, only to have it turn on her and kill her. The tanuki then planned a foul trick.