Long ago, an elderly bamboo-cutter lived with his wife. They were poor and had no children, a sorrow that weighed heavily on them as they grew older. Each day, the man travelled into the woods and hills to cut bamboo, which he shaped into household articles and sold to earn their living.
One morning, while cutting bamboo in a green grove, he noticed a bright, soft light shining from a single stalk. Astonished, he put down his axe and approached it. Inside the hollow bamboo stood a tiny, beautiful girl, only three inches tall, surrounded by a radiant glow.
The old man believed that Heaven had sent the child to become his daughter. He carefully lifted her and carried her home to his wife. Because the girl was so small, the old woman placed her in a basket to protect her from harm.
The couple had long wished for a child, and now they devoted all their affection to the little girl. Their home, once filled with the sadness of childlessness, became a place of happiness.
Something else remarkable began to happen. Whenever the bamboo-cutter split or cut the bamboo he collected, he sometimes discovered gold and precious stones hidden inside its joints. As these discoveries continued, his fortunes improved. He built a fine house and became a wealthy man.
Princess Moonlight
Only three months passed before the tiny bamboo child grew into a full-grown girl. Her foster-parents dressed her in beautiful kimonos and kept her behind screens, allowing few people to see her. Her beauty seemed to give off its own light, illuminating the house even at night.
The girl’s presence also brought comfort to the old bamboo-cutter. Whenever sadness troubled him, looking upon his foster-daughter lifted his spirits.
When the time came to name her, the couple invited a celebrated name-giver. He called her Princess Moonlight, because her radiant appearance suggested that she might be the daughter of the Moon God.
The naming celebrations lasted three days, with music, dancing and the company of friends and relatives. Everyone who saw the princess marvelled at her beauty. Before long, her reputation spread far beyond the village.
Men travelled from distant places hoping to see her. Many remained outside the house, peering through holes in the fence or asking the household servants for an opportunity to meet her. Princess Moonlight refused to appear, however, and most of the hopeful visitors eventually returned home.
Five determined Knights continued to wait. They endured winter’s snow, spring’s rains and summer’s heat, sacrificing sleep and meals in the hope of winning the princess’s attention. They sent letters and composed poems declaring their love, but she gave no answer.
Five Impossible Tasks
The five Knights eventually appealed to the bamboo-cutter. They asked him to speak to his foster-daughter on their behalf, explaining how much they had endured for the chance to meet her.
The old man felt sorry for them. He also wished to see Princess Moonlight safely married before his own life ended. He reminded her that, although she seemed more than human, he had raised her as his daughter and hoped she would consider his wishes.
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Princess Moonlight loved and respected him, but she had no desire to marry. She feared that the suitors might be attracted only to her beauty and that their feelings could change if they came to know her.
At last, she agreed to consider marriage if the men first proved their love by obtaining remarkable objects from distant places. Each Knight received a different task.
The First Knight had to bring her the stone bowl that had belonged to Buddha in India.
The Second Knight had to find a branch from the wonderful tree on Mount Horai, whose roots were silver, whose trunk was gold and whose branches bore white jewels.
The Third Knight had to obtain the skin of the fire-rat, which was said to be unharmed by flames.
The Fourth Knight had to find a dragon carrying a jewel that radiated five colours from its head.
The Fifth Knight had to bring her the shell carried inside a swallow’s stomach.
The old bamboo-cutter considered these requests extraordinarily difficult, but Princess Moonlight would not change them. The five men accepted the challenge, although each soon discovered that desire alone could not make the impossible easy.
The First Three Knights Fail
The First Knight claimed that he would travel to India to obtain Buddha’s bowl. In truth, he lacked the courage to undertake such a dangerous journey. Instead, he bought a stone bowl from a temple in Kyoto, wrapped it in cloth of gold and waited three years before presenting it to the bamboo-cutter.
Princess Moonlight examined the bowl and found that it did not shine as the genuine object should. Recognising the deception, she rejected it. The Knight abandoned his hopes of marrying her.
The Second Knight faced a similar temptation. Rather than travel to Mount Horai, which people told him belonged to the land of fable, he hired six skilled jewellers to make an imitation branch of gold, silver and precious stones.
He returned pretending to have completed a long and perilous voyage. The old bamboo-cutter believed his story and praised the branch, but Princess Moonlight suspected it was artificial.
Before the Knight could convince her otherwise, the six jewellers arrived to demand payment for their work. Their account exposed his deception. The princess returned the branch and paid the craftsmen generously. The humiliated Knight left in anger and eventually withdrew from society.
The Third Knight relied on a friend in China to obtain the fire-rat’s skin. When it arrived, he placed it in a box and sent it to Princess Moonlight.
She tested the skin by throwing it into a fire. It crackled and burned, proving that it was not the magical object she had requested. The Third Knight had failed as well.
The Last Two Knights
The Fourth Knight did not set out himself at first. Instead, he ordered his servants to search Japan and China for the dragon’s five-coloured jewel. His retainers considered the mission impossible and spent their time travelling for pleasure rather than searching.
After a year of waiting, the Knight finally hired a ship and went looking for the dragon. A severe storm forced him to abandon the quest. He fell ill, and his frustration turned into anger towards Princess Moonlight. When his servants eventually arrived, he told them that he wanted nothing more to do with the princess.
The Fifth Knight also failed. He could not find the swallow that carried the shell she wanted.
None of the five men obtained the requested object, and Princess Moonlight did not have to choose a husband from among them.
The Emperor Meets Princess Moonlight
News of Princess Moonlight’s extraordinary beauty eventually reached the Emperor. He first sent a court lady to see whether the reports were true and to invite the princess to court if she proved as beautiful as people claimed.
Princess Moonlight refused to meet the messenger. She warned her foster-father that if she were forced to go to the palace, she would vanish from the earth.
The Emperor heard of her refusal and decided to visit the bamboo-cutter’s house himself. When he saw Princess Moonlight, he was captivated by her radiance and beauty. He asked her to come to court, promising her honour and every comfort.
She tried to escape, but he caught her and continued pleading with her. Princess Moonlight warned him that she would turn into a shadow if he forced her to go with him. As she spoke, her form began to fade.
Alarmed, the Emperor promised to leave her free if she would return to her former shape. She did so, and he departed with a heavy heart.
Although Princess Moonlight refused to meet him again, the Emperor continued to write poems declaring his love. She answered with poems of her own, gently explaining that she could never marry anyone on earth. Her replies gave him comfort, even though his desire could not be fulfilled.
The Secret of the Moon-Child
As time passed, Princess Moonlight began spending her nights gazing at the Moon. Her foster-parents noticed that she often wept while looking into the sky.
One night, the bamboo-cutter found her crying on the balcony and begged her to explain her sorrow. Through her tears, she finally revealed the truth.
She had come from the Moon and would soon be taken back. On the fifteenth day of that August, her people would arrive to bring her home. Although she had lived on earth for a long time, she had forgotten her original parents and the world from which she came.
Her greatest sorrow was the thought of leaving the elderly couple who had raised her with such kindness. She loved them as her own parents and wished she could remain to care for them in their old age.
The bamboo-cutter was devastated. He sent word to the Emperor, who ordered two thousand warriors to guard the house on the appointed night. One thousand archers took positions on the roof, while the others watched the entrances. The old couple hid Princess Moonlight in an inner room, hoping that these preparations would prevent her departure.
Princess Moonlight knew their efforts would be useless. No earthly force could stop the messengers from the Moon.
The Return to the Moon
On the appointed night, the harvest moon rose over the silent countryside. The guards remained alert, watching the skies and the surrounding bamboo groves. As dawn approached, a cloud formed around the Moon and descended towards the house.
The cloud covered the sky. Within it appeared a flying chariot filled with luminous beings. Their leader announced that Princess Moonlight’s time on earth had ended. She had been sent there as punishment for a fault and was now required to return. The messengers also explained that the gold hidden in the bamboo had been sent as a reward for the old couple’s care of her.
The bamboo-cutter protested. He insisted that Princess Moonlight had never done anything wrong while living with him and begged the leader to take someone else.
His plea could not change the outcome. At the messenger’s command, the screens of the princess’s room opened by themselves, revealing her shining figure. She came out and comforted her foster-father, explaining that leaving him was not her choice.
The old man begged to accompany her, but the messengers refused. Princess Moonlight removed her embroidered outer garment and gave it to him as a keepsake.
One of the moon beings carried a robe of wings, while another brought the Elixir of Life. Princess Moonlight drank a little of the elixir and tried to give the remainder to the bamboo-cutter, but she was prevented from doing so.
Before leaving, she remembered the Emperor. She asked for time to write him a final letter. With the letter, she sent the remaining elixir and asked the bamboo-cutter to deliver both to the Emperor.
Then the moon-chariot rose into the sky. The old couple and the others watched through their tears as Princess Moonlight travelled away from the earth. As dawn broke, the chariot and its luminous passengers disappeared among the clouds.
The Emperor received the princess’s letter but was afraid to drink the Elixir of Life. He sent it to the summit of Mount Fuji, where his messengers burned it at sunrise. According to the tale, the smoke seen rising from the mountain towards the clouds is a reminder of that final act.
Princess Moonlight had returned to her celestial home, leaving behind the people who had loved her and a story that would be remembered for generations.
The Meaning of The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child
The tale combines wonder, devotion and the sorrow of separation. The bamboo-cutter and his wife receive the child they had long wished for, and their kindness allows her to enjoy a happy life on earth. Yet their love cannot change the fate that ultimately calls her home.
The five suitors’ trials also reveal the difference between genuine effort and deception. Several men attempt to obtain the requested treasures through trickery rather than honest achievement, and their false claims are exposed.
At the heart of the story is the bond between Princess Moonlight and her foster-parents. Although she must leave them, she does not forget their love. Her departure is sorrowful precisely because the family’s affection is real.
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Moral Lesson
The story teaches the value of kindness, honesty and selfless love. It also reminds readers that loving someone does not always mean being able to keep them, and that the time shared with those we cherish can remain meaningful even after separation.
Knowledge Check
1. Where did the bamboo-cutter find the little girl?
He found her inside a hollow bamboo stalk surrounded by a bright light.
2. What name was given to the girl?
She was named Princess Moonlight because her body gave off a soft, radiant light.
3. Why did Princess Moonlight set tasks for the five Knights?
She wanted them to prove their love before she would agree to consider marriage.
4. Name two objects requested by Princess Moonlight.
She requested Buddha’s stone bowl and a branch from the golden and silver tree on Mount Horai. The other tasks involved the fire-rat’s skin, a five-coloured dragon jewel and a swallow’s shell.
5. Why could the Emperor not keep Princess Moonlight on earth?
She belonged to the Moon and had to return when her people came to fetch her.
6. What happened to the Elixir of Life at the end of the story?
The Emperor sent it to the summit of Mount Fuji, where his messengers burned it at sunrise.
Source
“The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon-Child,” in Yei Theodora Ozaki’s Japanese Fairy Tales. Ozaki identifies the story as taken from the classic Japanese work Taketari Monogatari and explains in her preface that her English retellings are based on a modern version by Sadanami Sanjin
