Momo Taro or the Peach Boy

Once upon a time many years ago, a man and his wife lived in the countryside in Japan. He made his living cutting, growing and selling timber, and she looked after the house. They were very happy except for one thing, and that was that they had no children. One day the man was in the mountains cutting timber, and his wife was washing clothes in a river near their house. She noticed a very big peach come floating down the river. She pulled it out of the river and brought it into the house. When her husband came home she told him about the big peach, and he was about to cut it up so that they could eat it. Just as he was about to do this the peach split in two and inside was a baby boy. They were delighted and adopted the boy. As time went by the boy grew bigger and more intelligent than other boys of his age, and the man and woman were delighted with him.

When he became a full grown youth at about eighteen years of age, he spoke one day to them and told them that he would have to go away for a while. They were very upset, but he told them that he would come back and look after them when they got older. He told them that there was a band of very bad people in the north of Japan, and he had to go and bring peace to the place as they were committing all kinds of crimes against the people in the surrounding areas. They were very sad and worried to hear about what he planned to do, but his mother prepared food for him for the journey and he set off.

On the way he was joined by a large dog, a monkey and an eagle who all said that they would like to help him in his mission. At last they came to a big castle where the evil people lived. They found a secret passage into the palace and attacked the evil people who lived there, and they fled away and got on a ship and escaped. However the ship sank when it ran into a storm, and the evil people were drowned. Momo Taro freed some people that he found imprisoned in the castle. He also found a great deal of treasure in the place. He gave some to the people who had been in prison there and took the rest home with him. On the way the eagle and the monkey bade him farewell, and left him to go back to their normal living places. The dog was a boxer called Gary, and he said that he would like to go home with him and live with him. Momo Taro was delighted with the request, and so they went on their way.

When he got home his parents were delighted to welcome him back. He sold some of the treasure that he had brought back to buy some land, and he started to grow rice and vegetables. He also planted trees that would give him various kinds of fruit. The old couple were delighted at the way he looked after them, and they lived a very happy life. The big dog also protected them from any kind of danger.

Momo Taro became very famous in that area in which he lived, and people with problems came to talk to him and get advice from him. He listened and talked to all who came to see him, and gave them advice to deal with the various problems that they had. When it was possible and necessary he gave them money from the treasure that he had brought back with him. He also got married and gave his parents several grandchildren which made them very happy.