The Bamboo Cutter & Moon Princess

My favourite Japanese fairy-tale in English translation ❤

Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo wood-cutter. He was very poor and sad for Heaven had sent him no child to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work till death. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills, wandering wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky. He would thoughtfully choose the perfect bamboo and then cut down these feathers of the forest and split them lengthwise, or cut them into joints. He would carry the bamboo wood home and make it into various beautiful articles for the household. The wood-cutter and his old wife gained a small livelihood by selling these wooden gifts.

One morning as usual, he set out for work and found a nice lush group of bamboos and began to cut them down. Suddenly the green grove of bamboos was flooded with a bright glimmering light, as if the full moon had risen from the earth. Looking around in astonishment, he saw that the brilliance was streaming from one bamboo. The old man, full of wonder, dropped his ax and went towards the light. On closer approach, he saw that this soft splendour came from a hollow in the green bamboo stem, and even more spectacular, in the midst of the brilliance stood a tiny human being, only three inches in height, and exquisitely beautiful in appearance.

“You must be sent to be my child, for I find you here among the bamboos where lies my daily work,” said the old man, and taking the little creature in his hand, he brought her home to his wife to raise. The tiny girl was so exceedingly beautiful and so small, that the old woman put her into a basket to safeguard her from the least possibility of being hurt in any way.

The old couple were now very happy, for it had been a lifelong regret that they had no children of their own, and with joy they now expended all the love of their old age on the little child who had come to them in such a marvelous manner.

From this time on, the old man often found gold in the notches of the bamboos when he hewed them down and cut them up; not only gold, but precious stones also, and so he grew rich. He built himself a fine house, and was no longer known as the poor bamboo woodcutter, but as a wealthy man.

Three months passed quickly away, and in that time the bamboo child had magically blossomed into a full-grown girl. The woodcutter and his wife, gleaming with pride, dressed her in beautiful kimonos and did up her hair. She was of such unique and ethereal beauty that they hid her, and allowed no one to see her. It seemed as if she were made of light, for the house was filled with a soft shining, so that even in the dark of night it was like daytime. Her presence seemed to have a warm influence on anyone close to her. Whenever the old man felt sad, he had only to look upon his foster-daughter and his sorrow vanished, and he became as happy as he was in youth.

At last the day came for the revelation and naming of their new-found child; Princess Moonlight, because her body gave forth so much soft bright light that she might have been a daughter of the Moon God.

For three days, a festival was celebrated in her name with song, dance and music. All the friends and acquaintances of the old couple were present. Everyone who saw her declared that there had never been any one so lovely; all the beauties throughout the length and breadth of the land would grow pale beside her, so they said. The fame of the Princess’s loveliness spread far and wide, and many were the suitors who desired to win her hand, or even so much as to see her.

Suitors from far and near posted themselves outside the house, and made little holes in the fence, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Princess as she went from one room to the other along the verandah. They stayed there day and night, sacrificing even their sleep for a chance of seeing her, but all in vain. Then they approached the house, and tried to speak to the old man and his wife or some of the servants, but not even this was granted to them.

Still, in spite of all this disappointment, they stayed on day after day, night after night. Unbothered by their failure, so great was their desire to see the Princess.

At last, however, most of the men, seeing how hopeless their quest was, lost both heart and hope, and returned to their homes. All except five Knights, whose ardor and determination, instead of waning, seemed to wax greater with obstacles. These five men even went without meals, and took snatches of whatever they could get brought to them, so that they might always stand outside the dwelling. They stood there in all weathers, in sunshine and in rain.

Sometimes they wrote letters to the Princess, but no answer was returned to them. Then when letters failed to draw any reply, they wrote poems to her telling her of the hopeless love they had for her, which kept them from sleep, from food, from rest, and even from their homes. Still Princess Moonlight gave no sign of having received their verses.

In this hopeless state the winter passed. The snow and frost and the cold winds gradually gave place to the gentle warmth of spring. Then the summer came, and the sun burned white and scorching in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, and still these faithful Knights kept watch and waited. At the end of these long months they called out to the old bamboo-cutter and entreated him to have some mercy upon them and to show them the Princess, but he answered only that as he was not her real father he could not insist on her obeying him against her wishes.

The five Knights on receiving this stern answer returned to their several homes, and pondered over the best means of touching the proud Princess’ heart, even so much as to grant them a hearing. They took their rosaries in hand and knelt before their household shrines, and burned precious incense, praying to Buddha to give them their heart’s desire. Thus several days passed, but even so they could not rest in their homes.

So again they set out for the bamboo-cutter’s house. This time the old man came out to see them, and they asked him to let them know if it was the Princess’s resolution never to see any man whatsoever, and they implored him to speak for them and to tell her the greatness of their love, and how long they had waited through the cold of winter and the heat of summer, sleepless and roofless through all weathers, without food and without rest, in the ardent hope of winning her, and they were willing to consider this long vigil as pleasure if she would but give them one chance of pleading their cause with her.

The old man lent a willing ear to their tale of love, for in his inmost heart he felt sorry for these faithful suitors and would have liked to see his lovely foster-daughter married to one of them. So he went in to Princess Moonlight and said reverently:

“Although you have always seemed to me to be a heavenly being, yet I have had the grace and pleasure of bringing you up as my own child and you have been grateful of the protection under my roof. Will you refuse a wish of mine?”

Then Princess Moonlight replied that there was nothing she would not do for him, that she honored and loved him as her own father, and that as for herself she could not remember the time before she came to earth.

The old man listened with great joy as she spoke these dutiful words. Then he told her how anxious he was to see her safely and happily married before he died.

“I am an old man, over seventy years of age, and my end may come any time now. It is necessary and right that you should see these five suitors and choose one of them.”

“Oh, why,” said the Princess in distress, “must I do this? I have no wish to marry now.”

“I found you,” answered the old man, “many years ago, when you were a little creature three inches high, in the midst of a great white light. The light streamed from the bamboo in which you were hid and led me to you. So I have always thought that you were more than mortal woman. While I am alive it is right for you to remain as you are if you wish to do so, but some day I shall cease to be and who will take care of you then? Therefore I pray you to meet these five brave men one at a time and make up your mind to marry one of them!”

Then the Princess answered that she felt sure that she was not as beautiful as perhaps report made her out to be, and that even if she consented to marry any one of them, not really knowing her before, his heart might change afterwards. So as she did not feel sure of them, even though her father told her they were worthy Knights, she did not feel it wise to see them.

“Everything you say is very reasonable,” said the old man, “but what kind of men will you consent to see? I do not call these five men who have waited on you for months, light-hearted. They have stood outside this house through the winter and the summer, often denying themselves food and sleep so that they may win you. What more can you demand?”

Then Princess Moonlight said she must make further trial of their love before she would grant their request to interview her. The five warriors were to prove their love by each bringing her from distant countries something that she desired to possess.

That same evening the suitors arrived and began to play their flutes in turn, and to sing their self-composed songs telling of their great and tireless love. The bamboo-cutter went out to them and offered them his sympathy for all they had endured and all the patience they had shown in their desire to win his foster-daughter. Then he gave them her message, that she would consent to marry whosoever was successful in bringing her what she wanted. These tasks were all purposefully impossible.

Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presented a fake stone bowl made from a blackened pot, but was exposed when Princess Moonlight notices that the bowl did not glow with holy light. The second noble presented a branch crafted by the finest jewellers in Japan, but was exposed when a messenger of the craftsmen arrived at Princess Moonlight’s house to collect payment. The third noble was deceived by a merchant from China, who sold him a false robe that burns when tested with fire. The fourth noble attempted to find a dragon at sea, but abandoned his plans after he encountered a storm. The final noble fell from a great height while trying to reach into a swallow’s nest.

After this, the Emperor of Japan came to see Princess Moonlight and, after falling in love, asked her to marry him. Although he was not subjected to the impossible trials that thwarted the nobles, Princess Moonlight, still, rejected his request for marriage, telling him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace with him.

That summer, whenever Princess Moonlight saw the full moon, her eyes filled with tears. Though her adoptive parents became very worried and questioned her, she was unable to tell them what was wrong. Her behaviour became increasingly erratic until she revealed that she was not of this world and must return to her people on the Moon.