The Bamboo Princess (Kaguya-hime)

The Bamboo Princess

prolog

Once upon a time there lived an old man who every day would trudge up to the fields and mountains to gather bamboo. One day he noticed a light at the root of a bamboo stalk and inside the hollow reed he saw a girl only three inches tall. “I t must be that you are meant to be my child” the old man said to the little girl, and took her back to the hut where he lived with his wife, and they put her in a tiny cradle. From that time on whenever the old man went out to cut bamboo he found a stalk filled with gold and gradually became rich.

I

Kaguya-hime

The child grew quickly, and in just three months had grown into a woman so beautiful, that the bamboo cutter’s house was filled with an all-pervasive light . After several years, when the child had attained her full height, a diviner was summoned to bestow a woman’s name on her, and she was christened “Nayotake no Kaguya-hime”, or, “The Shining Princess of the Young Bamboo”. On the day of her name-giving a lavish feast was held when every man, whether of high or low degree was consumed with a desire for the Bamboo Princess. The most lovesick suitors remained near the hut in the faint hope of seeing her, some even poking holes in the fence to catch a glimpse of her.

Among those who persisted in their courtship were five celebrated lovers: Prince Ishitzukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Minister of the Right Abe no Mimuraji, the Grand Counsellor Otomo no Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari. They spent their days and nights by the gate of her house, giving up nourishment, languishing through the ice and snow of December to the blazing heat of July. But the Bamboo Princess neither spoke to them nor answered their many letters.

Eventually the old man said to the Bamboo Princess:”I am now over seventy and do not know whether today or tomorrow may be my last. It is the custom for men and women to marry and for their families to flourish. Why do you not listen to what the five suitors have to say and choose one as your husband?” The Bamboo Princess answered:”I should not wish to marry until I was certain he was sincere”. “All these gentlemen have shown exceptional devotion”, said the old man. “I am not looking for anything extraordinary” said the Bamboo Princess,” it’s quite a small thing I insist on. If one of them them will bring me something I desire, it will prove his affection and I will marry him. Please tell this to them”. “What do you wish them to bring you” the old man asked? Kaguya-hime answered: “ I should like Prince Ishizukuri to bring me the stone begging bowl of the Buddha. Prince Kuramochi should go to the mountain in the Eastern Sea called Horai and fetch me a branch of a tree that grows there whose roots are silver, whose trunk is gold, and which bears the fruit of white jewels. Abe no Mirmuraji should bring me a robe made of the fur of Chinese fire-rats. Otomo is to bring me the five-colored jewel from a dragon’s head, and Isonokami should bring me a swallow’s cowrie birth charm.” When the old man related the Bamboo Princess’ requests to the five suitors, they left dejected but determined to find at any price what she desired.

II

The Five Suitors

The Stone Begging Bowl of the Buddha

Prince Ishizukuri, realizing that even if he traveled for a million miles, he could never find the bowl of Buddha. So pretending to leave for India, he stayed at a mountain temple where he found an old begging bowl, pitch-black with soot from hanging in the kitchen before the image of Binzuru. After three years, he carried it to Kaguya-hime’s home and left it with the following message:”I have worn myself out journeying sea and mountain; in quest of this bowl my tears have flowed” The Bamboo Princess became suspicious when the bowl failed to give off so much as a glimmer of light. She replied to Prince Ishizukuri: “Why did you bring this bowl from the Mountain of Darkness?” Realizing his trick had been been discovered, the Prince went sorrowfully away.

The Jewelled Branch from Paradise

Prince Kuramochi also realized the impossibility of finding the Jewelled Branch from Paradise, and, like Prince Ishizukuri, attempted to win the Bamboo princess by a ruse.

Pretending to leave for Kyushu in search of the branch, he secretly left careful instructions for six of his finest jewellers to create a jewelled branch exactly as Kaguya-hime had described it. All the revenues of his sixteen provinces were devoted to the costly project. Finally he sent word that he had found the branch and returned to the home of the bamboo cutter. “After three years of great hardship I have brought back the Jewelled Branch from Paradise” proclaimed Prince Kuramochi. Just then a band of six men burst into the house. Addressing Prince Kuramochi one of them declared: “I am Ayabe no Uchimar, and for over one thousand days we have devoted our energies to making a jewelled branch for you, but you have yet to pay us our wages”. Hearing these words, the Bamboo Princess declared: “ I really thought it came from a tree of paradise, but it is only a shameful counterfeit.” and she gave the branch back to the prince, who vanished in disgrace to distant mountains.

The Robe Made of Chinese Fire-Rat Skins

The Minister of the Right Abe no Mimutaji, being a man of great wealth contacted the famous Chinese merchant, Wang Ching, to search the world for a robe of Chinese Fire-Rats. Eventually a robe was found that was of surpassing beauty as well as being invulnerable to fire. He had the robe placed in an ornate box inlaid with precious stones along with the following poem: “I have wept for boundless love, but today I wear with dry sleeves a fur robe that will not burn in fire”. “What a lovely robe it is”, said Kaguya-hime, “ but I still cannot be sure that it is genuine.” When the Minister was ushered into the room, Kaguya-hime said: “I shall believe it is genuine and marry you if it survives the test of fire”. The old man placed the robe in the fire where it burned brightly.”Just as I thought”, said the bamboo princess, “it was not the right fur”. The Minister, realizing he had been received by Wang Ching, left quietly.

The Jewel in the Dragon’s Head

Otomo no Miyuki, the Grand Counsellor, summoned together all the members of his large household: “Anyone who can get a jewel of five colors from a dragon’s head can have whatever they desire”, he said, and gave each enough copper coins to sustain them during the search. Realizing the impossibility of obtaining such a jewel, some went home and shut themselves up, while others used the money to visit shrines and other places they’d always wanted to see.Meanwhile the Grand Counsellor began building a palace for the day the Bamboo Princess would be his wife. After some time with no word from his servants Otomo no Miyuki began to get suspicious, and ventured forth in great secrecy disguised as a common laborer. Hearing of many dragons in the sea off Kyushu The Grand Counsellor hired a boat to hunt a dragon, but a terrible storm arose. “This storm is the fault of the Dragon’s breath. Pray at once to the gods that we may be saved”, cried the oarsman. After three days the storm abated and Otomo no Miyuki, the Grand Counsellor vowed never to hunt dragons again.

The Swallow’s Cowrie Birth Charm

When a swallow is about to give birth it raises its tail and circles around seven times and releases a cowrie charm. In order to seize this magic charm The Middle Counsellor Isonokami ordered twenty of his men to build perches from which to watch their nests. The swallows, naturally terrified by all this activity flew away. After Middle Counsellor Isonokami had the nests removed the swallows returned to build new nests and one dependable man waited in a basket that could be hoisted the moment a swallow gave birth. After the man had failed repeatedly, the Middle Counsellor went up in the basket himself, and just when the swallow lifted it tail, Isonokami quickly seized something that had fallen out under the tail. “Bring me down” shouted the victorious Middle Counsellor, but his men pulled too hard and the basket came crashing down knocking Isonokami unconscious. When he regained consciousness he opened his hand only to find a piece of bird dropping. “Alas, it was all to no avail” he moaned, and try as he could to keep the story secret, soon the whole district was laughing about the great Middle Counsellor’s misfortune.

III

The Men From The Moon

The Imperial Hunt

Finally, after many years, the beauty of the Bamboo Princess and the story of her five suitors reached the ears of the Emperor, who sent his maid of honor to see her. When Kaguya-hime was asked by the old man to see the Imperial messenger, she replied:

“How can I appear before her when I am so unattractive? “You must see her” said the old man, “it is an order from the Emperor”! “I will not” answered Kaguya-hime. Reluctantly the Maid of Honor returned and told the Emperor, who then summoned the old man and his wife: “Present to me Kaguya-hime” said the Emperor, “I have heard reports of her beauty”. Returning home the old man said to the Bamboo Princess: “This is a direct command from the Emperor, how can you still be unwilling to serve him”?

“I f I obey his command I shall feel ashamed of what people will think of my former heartlessness to the five suitors” answered Kaguya-hime. “I shall report to the court that you still refuse to serve” said the old man reluctantly. “she is not a child born of my body” said the old man to the Emperor,”but one I found long ago, and her ways are not those of ordinary people.” The Emperor said: “How would it be if, under a pretext of an Imperial Hunt, I tried to get a look at her?” The old man agreed it was an excellent idea and a date was set for the hunt.

During the course of the hunt the Emperor entered Kaguya-hime’s house and saw her, filling the room with light. “I shall not let you go” he cried, but just as he was about to reach for her she suddenly vanished, and the Emperor realized she was no ordinary mortal. “I shall no longer insist that you come with me, but please return to your former appearance. Just one look at you and I shall go”, and the Bamboo Princess reassumed her former appearance. One look however, was not enough to stem the tide of his passion, and the Emperor returned to his palace constantly thinking about the beautiful Bamboo Princess.

The Celestial Robe of Feathers

As the years passed, Kaguya-hime became more and more pensive, and in the spring of the new year at the time of the full moon she spent hours in somber thought gazing at the full moon. “What troubles you so when you look at the moon”, the old man asked, “the world is a happy place”. “When I look at the moon the world seems lonely and sad” she answered. On a moonlit night in the middle of the eighth month, without caring whether or not people saw her, Kaguya-hime burst into uncontrollable sobbing. Her parents asked her in alarm what the matter was. Amidst tears the Bamboo Princess answered: I have intended to tell you for a long time, but kept silent for fear it would hurt you...but I can’t be silent anymore. I am not a creature of this world; I come from the Palace of the moon, and visited this world because of an obligation from the past. Now the time has come for me to return. On the night of the next full moon people from my country will come for me, and I have no choice but to go. It has been the thought of the unhappiness this news will cause you which has grieved me since this spring”. “I will not let them take you away” cried the old man. “ When I came here from my country, it was to be for a short while, but I have stayed for twenty years” said Kaguya-hime,”I feel no joy now that I am about to return, and yet, thought it is not of my choosing, I must return.”

The old man went to the Emperor for help. “On the night of the full moon men are coming from the Palace of the Moon to fetch Kaguya-hime. Please send soldiers here to stop them” The Emperor, still in love with the Bamboo Princess, posted two thousand men equipped with bows and arrows on the roof of the bamboo cutter’s house.”Even people from heaven will be no match for these defenses” exclaimed the old man, but Kaguya-hime said:” you will not be able to resist the moon men, you will not be able to shoot your arrows, and even the bravest man will be unable to struggle” “I will resist them” said the old man. “It pains me that I must leave you, but it was not fated that we should remain together” replied the Bamboo princess.

The evening passed on into night, and about midnight the area was suddenly illuminated by a light as bright as ten moons, and down from heaven came men riding on chariots of clouds. The soldiers were paralyzed with fear, and those few who arrows that were released glanced harmlessly in all directions. One of the moon men addressed the old man, who, like the rest, cowered with fear: “Kaguya-hime was sent to this world because of a sin which she committed, and now we have come for her. However much you lament, you must bring her forth at once.”Kaguya-hime has lived with me for twenty years, you must mean some other Kaguya-hime” said the old man, but the moon man ignored him flew his chariot over to the house and forced all the doors to swing open. “Kaguya-hime, why have you lingered so long in this dirty place”, he cried, come out, it is time to go home, take this celestial robe of feathers and this elixir of immortality, for you must be in poor health after all the the things you have had to eat here”. Kaguya-hime went to where the old bamboo cutter lay weeping: “It is not by my own will that I go now. At least you can watch me ascend into the sky.” “How can I watch when it is so painful”, he said. Please take this cloak” said the Bamboo Princess, “as a memento of me. On nights when the moon appears, gaze at it well, and I shall feel as though I am returning from the sky to the parents I must now leave behind, and also give this letter with the elixir of immortality to the emperor.” Kaguya-hime climbed into the chariot and, accompanied by a hundred celestial beings, rose into the sky.

epilog

The Emperor was much distressed when he read Kaguya-hime’s letter:

“Although you sent many soldiers to keep me here, escorts have come who will not be denied. It is to my regret and sorrow that I would not serve you, and have been so troublesome that you must surely have thought my behavior was incomprehensible. It weighs heavily on my heart that you must have thought my stubborn refusal to obey your commands an act of disrespect. Now as I am about to depart I think longingly of my lord”

The Emperor refused to eat anything nor did he permit any entertainment to take place. He summoned his ministers and asked them which mountain was closest to Heaven.

One man answered “There is a mountain in Suruga which is nearest to heaven”. The Emperor wrote the following poem: “What avails me this world when I float in a sea of tears because I cannot meet her again”

He gave the poem and the elixir of immortality to a messenger and ordered these things be taken to the summit of the mountain in Suruga and instructed them to be set on fire. Thus the mountain became known as Fuji, meaning “never die”, and even now the smoke can still be seen rising into the clouds.

adaptation by Randall Snyder and Kazuko Inoue