The Tale of Princess Kaguya: The Bamboo Cutter’s Daughter

Once upon a time, in a peaceful Japanese village, an elderly couple lived quietly. One day, the old man ventured into the bamboo forest to gather some bamboo. As he chopped down one particular bamboo stalk, it emitted a strange glowing light. To his amazement, when he cut it open, he found a tiny baby girl, no bigger than a thumb, inside. The elderly couple took her in, naming her Kaguya, and raised her as their own.

The Beautiful and Mysterious Kaguya

As Kaguya grew, her beauty became legendary. Word of her stunning looks spread far and wide, eventually reaching the emperor himself. Seven noble suitors came to seek her hand in marriage, but Kaguya set an impossible challenge for them: whoever could bring her a rare and magical jewel would earn the right to marry her. Despite their best efforts, no suitor could find the jewel, and all of them failed.

The Emperor’s Desire and Rejection

Soon, the emperor became intrigued by Kaguya's beauty and sent personal messengers to request a meeting. However, Kaguya refused to meet him. The emperor's desire to meet her only grew stronger, and he tried to secretly view her, finally admiring her beauty from afar. He sent her countless letters, but Kaguya continuously rejected his proposals.

The Celestial Truth: Kaguya's Return to the Moon

As time passed, Kaguya became sorrowful and often gazed longingly at the moon. One day, when the elderly couple asked her about her sadness, she revealed the truth: she was not from Earth, but from the Moon. On the next full moon, a messenger would come to take her back to her celestial home. Heartbroken, the elderly couple tried to persuade her to stay, but Kaguya’s fate was sealed.

The Emperor's Final Act: Mount Fuji and the Immortality Elixir

The emperor, not wanting to lose her, ordered his soldiers to stop the celestial messengers. However, when the time came, his army was powerless against the divine beings. Kaguya had no choice but to bid a sad farewell to her earthly parents. Before leaving, she gave the emperor a parting gift: a box containing an elixir of immortality.

Upon realizing that Kaguya had returned to the Moon, the emperor knew that immortality meant nothing without her. In despair, he took the elixir to the highest mountain in Japan, Mount Fuji, and burned it. The smoke from the burning elixir filled the sky, and Mount Fuji became known as the “Immortal Mountain,” or Fujisan.