Momotaro, the Peach Boy
A boy from a peach sets out with three unlikely allies
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Momotaro, the Peach Boy
An elderly couple worked hard beside a Japanese river. The man went to cut grass while his wife washed clothes downstream.
A peach bigger than any she had seen floated near the bank. She carried it home and waited for her husband.
Momotaro, the Peach Boy
When her husband came home, the couple prepared to share the peach. Before they cut it, it opened on its own and a child appeared.
They had long wished for a child. They embraced him and called him Momotaro, the Peach Boy.
Momotaro, the Peach Boy
Years passed, and Momotaro grew brave and strong. He learned that oni, horned raiders on a distant island, had carried away people and stolen treasure.
Momotaro decided to free the captives. His parents packed rice cakes and wished him a safe return.
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Explore this illustrated story at four reading levels. Each level follows the same essential events.
Collection: East Asian classics
Retelling: Japan · after Japanese Fairy Tales
For parents: Follows Ozaki’s older telling: the peach-born boy grows up, recruits a dog, monkey and pheasant, defeats the raiding oni, frees captives, and returns to his parents. Battle detail is worded gently.
Public-domain source: View the recorded source edition