The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya ) is a 10th-century (Heian Period) Japanese Monogatari (fictional prose narrative). It is considered one of the oldest extant Japanese prose narrative. It primarily details the life of a mysterious girl called Kaguya, who was discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant.

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Main Characters





The Bamboo Cutter

Taketori no Okina (the Old Man who Harvests Bamboo in the tale) was married, but he had no children although he and his wife would have like one. He was very poor and sad, for no child had Heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart, there was no hope of rest from work till he died.

Kaguya-Hime

She was found in a glowing stalk of bamboo from Taketori no Okina. “You must be sent to be my child, for I find you here among the bamboos where lies my daily work," he said. Three months passed quickly away, and in that time the bamboo child had, wonderful to say, become a full-grown girl, so her foster-parents did up her hair and dressed her in beautiful kimonos. He gave her the name of Kaguya-hime (Princess Moonlight) because her body gave forth so much soft bright light that she might have been a daughter of the Moon God.



The Moon people

The people of the Moon are the ones who sent the gold that Takeotri no Okina had kept finding in the bamboo stalks to pay for her keep and as a reward for taking care of her. They had sent Kaguya-hime to earth because she needed to learn an important lesson.

The Emperor

The Emperor of Japan fell head over heels in love with Kaguya and begged her to marry him countless times.

Connections between Tsukasa and Kaguya

In most likely all the important situations in the manga there is the moon. Coincidences?

Tsukasa seems to have a wide range of knowledge concerning aspects of Japanese history. This includes how to handle a Katana properly and information regarding various locations and landmarks. Indeed when she went to Nara, she talks about such things as if she had experienced them herself but never elaborates. She also appears to have some connection with the moon as her grand-aunt, Tokiko, borrowed a moonstone to help "ease her". Her surname: Tsukuyomi refers to the moon god in Shinto and Japanese mythology. A recent theory links the "C" in Cawaii to the shape of a crescent moon. The fact she married Nasa comes in contraposition with every time Kaguya refused the emperor's proposes. And that highlights a possible theory in which Tsukasa married Nasa because she is repented for refusing a marriage with the emperor in the past. Obviously, that makes sense only if she is Kaguya.



Quotes:

" He thought to himself that it looked like she was Kaguya-Hime going back to the moon as she said that, before passing out " ~~Nasa, chapter 1

"A moonstone to ease Tsukasa" Chitose, Chapter 14

"A glass butterfly that flutters through the night to the moon." Chitose talking about Tsukasa



The tale in short

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The Complete Tale

Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo wood-cutter. He was very poor and sad also, for no child had Heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work till he died and was laid in the quiet grave. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky. When he had made his choice, he would cut down these feathers of the forest, and splitting them lengthwise, or cutting them into joints, would carry the bamboo wood home and make it into various articles for the household, and he and his old wife gained a small livelihood by selling them.

One morning as usual he had gone out to his work, and having found a nice clump of bamboos, had set to work to cut some of them down. Suddenly the green grove of bamboos was flooded with a bright soft light, as if the full moon had risen over the spot. Looking round 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 nearer approach he saw that this soft splendor came from a hollow in the green bamboo stem, and still more wonderful to behold, 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 took it home to his wife to bring up. 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 so marvelous a 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, so that by degrees he became 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, wonderful to say, become a full-grown girl, so her foster-parents did up her hair and dressed her in beautiful kimonos. She was of such wondrous beauty that they placed her behind the screens like a princess, and allowed no one to see her, waiting upon her themselves. 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 benign influence on those there. 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 when he was a youth.

At last the day came for the naming of their new-found child, so the old couple called in a celebrated name-giver, and he gave her the name of 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 the festival was kept up with song and dance and music. All the friends and relations of the old couple were present, and great was their enjoyment of the festivities held to celebrate the naming of Princess Moonlight. Everyone who saw her declared that there never had been seen 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 veranda. 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 them.

Still, in spite of all this disappointment they stayed on day after day, and night after night, and counted it as nothing, so great was their desire to see the Princess.

At last, however, most of the men, seeing how hopeless their quest was, lost heart and hope both, 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 their 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 vouchsafed to them. Then when letters failed to draw any reply, they wrote poems to her telling her of the hopeless love 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.

To read it all: Here!

Publication: 1908

Country of Origin: United States of America

Source: Ozaki, Y.T. (1908). Japanese Fairy Tales. New York: A.L.Burt Company.

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