Episode 1He Cut the Bambooand Found a Tiny Girl — Princess Kaguya
In a bamboo grove at dawn, the Bamboo Cutter finds a glowing stalk with a palm-sized girl inside, and he and his wife take her home. In just three months she grows into a beautiful young woman, and she is named Princess Kaguya. Five noble suitors refuse to give up on her. When the Bamboo Cutter begs her to marry, she replies, "I will marry whoever shows me the thing I wish to see."
Princess Kaguya Story: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter Summary, Part 1
The Original Story: A Tiny Girl Inside the Bamboo
Long ago, an old man made his living by cutting bamboo in the hills and fields and crafting all sorts of things from it. His name was Sanuki no Miyatsuko, though the spelling differs slightly between old manuscripts. One day he noticed a single stalk glowing at its base. When he came closer, he saw light inside the hollow, and sitting there was a lovely little person only about three sun tall, roughly 9 centimeters (3.5 inches).
The old man reasoned that since he had found her in the bamboo he worked with morning and night, she must be meant to be his child. He carried her home in the palm of his hand and gave her to his wife, the old woman, to raise. She was so small that they kept her in a basket. After that, the old man often found gold hidden between the joints of the bamboo he cut, and over time he became a rich and powerful man.
The child grew at an astonishing pace. In about three months she reached the height of a grown woman, so the couple held the coming-of-age ceremonies of putting up her hair and dressing her in a formal pleated skirt. They kept her hidden behind curtains and cared for her deeply. Her beauty was beyond anything in this world, and the house was so full of light that no corner was dark. Just looking at her made the old man's pain and anger fade. A man named Mimurodo Inbe no Akita was called to name her, and he chose Nayotake no Kaguya-hime, often rendered as Princess Kaguya of the supple bamboo. A three-day celebration followed, with men of every rank invited.
News of her beauty spread. Men high and low lost sleep, wandering around the house at night and poking holes in the fence to peek inside. The narrator playfully claims that this is where the word yobai, meaning night-time courting, came from. Most men eventually gave up, but five famous romantics kept coming through winter snow and summer thunder, sending letters and poems that went unanswered. When they begged the old man for her hand, he replied that she was not a child he had fathered, so he could not command her. Finally the old man, now past seventy, asked Kaguya to choose a husband while he was still alive. She answered that marrying without knowing how deep a man's feelings truly were might lead to regret. In the passage that follows, she sets her condition: she will accept the man who shows her the thing she wishes to see.
Main Characters
The Bamboo Cutter is the heart of this opening. He is curious enough to approach a glowing stalk, tender enough to call the girl his precious child, and practical enough to worry about her future as he grows old. He knows she is no ordinary human, which the text calls a being who has taken on human form, yet he still hopes she will live an ordinary life and marry.
Princess Kaguya is beautiful, obedient to her adoptive father, and quietly firm. She humbly calls her own face plain, but she will not marry someone whose sincerity she cannot judge. The five suitors are Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi, the Grand Counselor Otomo no Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari. In this part of the story they act as one group; their individual adventures come later.
What the Story Tells Us: Background and Meaning
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari) was written by an unknown author in the early Heian period, roughly the late 800s to early 900s. It is generally considered the oldest surviving Japanese monogatari, or prose tale, and The Tale of Genji itself refers to it as the forerunner of the genre.
The opening reflects the world of Heian aristocrats. Well-born young women were kept out of sight behind curtains, men courted them by visiting at night and sending poems, and coming-of-age rites marked a girl as ready for marriage. The story gently pokes fun at this culture through the peeking suitors and the joke about the word yobai. Some scholars have noted that the names of several suitors resemble real court officials from around the year 700, which suggests the tale may be teasing the nobility. The meaning of the name Kaguya is usually linked to shining light, though there are different theories.
Kaguya's origin is also a mystery at this stage. Readers who know the ending understand why she glows and grows so fast, but the story does not explain it yet. The revelation that she comes from the Moon arrives only near the end of the tale.
What the Manga Changes
Episode 1 follows the original closely: the glowing bamboo, the tiny girl, her rapid growth, her naming, and the five persistent suitors. Kaguya's line about marrying the man who shows her what she wishes to see is placed at the end of this episode, although in the original it comes in the passage right after the old man's request.
The final panel of Kaguya quietly looking up at the Moon is the manga's own addition, a hint of what is to come. In the original, she does not gaze at the Moon in this section. Other invented details include the characters' faces, clothing and hairstyles, the look of the bamboo grove and the house, the old woman's personality and expressions (in the original she has no name or lines), the entertainments at the three-day banquet, and the different personalities given to the five suitors. The original gives none of these details, so the artists created them while keeping the story's events and dialogue faithful.
Where to Read It
If you want to see the glowing bamboo, the tiny princess and her stubborn suitors come to life, the manga version of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter is a friendly way to start. Every episode is free to read on Manga Portal with no sign-up required, and the next episode follows the five suitors as they face Kaguya's challenge.
Characters in this episode
The Bamboo Cutter (Sanuki no Miyatsuko)
An old bamboo cutter who finds a tiny girl inside a glowing stalk and raises her as his own beloved daughter.
The Old Woman
The Bamboo Cutter's wife, who raises the tiny girl in a basket; the original gives her no name or lines.
Princess Kaguya
The girl from the bamboo who grows into an unearthly beauty in three months and refuses to marry without knowing a suitor's true heart.
Mimurodo Inbe no Akita
The man called to name the girl, who gives her the name Nayotake no Kaguya-hime.
The Five Suitors
Two princes and three high court officials who keep courting Kaguya through every season after all other men give up.
FAQ
Who is Princess Kaguya?
Princess Kaguya is the heroine of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, one of Japan's oldest stories. She is found as a tiny girl inside a glowing bamboo stalk and grows into a woman of unearthly beauty.
How was Princess Kaguya found?
An old bamboo cutter noticed a stalk glowing at its base and found a girl about 9 centimeters tall sitting inside. He took her home in his palm, and he and his wife raised her as their daughter.
Who wrote The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter?
The author is unknown. It was written in the early Heian period, around the late 9th to early 10th century, and is generally considered Japan's oldest surviving prose tale.
Who are Princess Kaguya's five suitors?
They are Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi, the Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi, the Grand Counselor Otomo no Miyuki, and the Middle Counselor Isonokami no Marotari. Kaguya later gives each of them a challenge before she will agree to marry.
Is Princess Kaguya from the Moon?
Yes, but this is revealed only near the end of the tale. In the opening chapter her origin is a mystery, and she is described only as an extraordinary being in human form.
