Who Is Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime)?
The shining princess born from bamboo who came from the Moon
Nayotake no Kaguya-hime
Princess Kaguya (Kaguya-hime) is the heroine of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a beautiful princess discovered inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. At the end of the story it is revealed that she is really a person from the Capital of the Moon, and on the night of the full moon she returns there.
In Chapter 1, the Bamboo Cutter finds her inside a stalk of bamboo shining at its base, a tiny girl only about three sun (roughly 9 cm) tall. She grows into a young woman in just three months, shining so brightly that no corner of the house is left dark. Akita of the Imbe Clan of Mimurodo names her Nayotake no Kaguya-hime. Many men ask to marry her, but she refuses to meet them. When the old man urges her to marry, she replies that she wants to test how deep a suitor's feelings truly are.
"Nayotake" means slender, supple bamboo. According to one theory, "Kaguya" means "shining brightly."
Episodes featuring this character2
NEWEpisode 1
He 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."
19 pages
NEWEpisode 2
To Marry Her, Find What Doesn't ExistPrincess Kaguya's Five Impossible Tasks
Five noble suitors just won't stop showing up, so Princess Kaguya sets them a challenge: if they truly love her, each must bring her a treasure that doesn't exist in this world. Prince Ishitsukuri goes first, and he cheats to get his bowl. The real one is said to glow blue. Will this one glow in the princess's light?
19 pages