The festival was imported to Japan by the Empress Kōken in 755.[2] It originated from "The Festival to Plead for Skills" (乞巧奠 Kikkōden), an alternative name for Qixi,[3]:9 which was celebrated in China and also was adopted in the Kyoto Imperial Palace from the Heian period.
Like Qixi and Chilseok, Tanabata was inspired by the famous Chinese folklore story, "The Princess and the Cowherd". Some versions were included in the Man'yōshū, the oldest extant collection of Japanese poetry.[3]:25
The most popular version is as follows:[4][5][6][7]
Orihime (織姫 Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei (天帝 Sky King, or the universe itself), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (天の川 Milky Way, lit. "heavenly river").
Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard
every day to weave it. However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard
work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about
his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星 Cow Herder Star) (also referred to as Kengyuu (牽牛))
who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two
met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly
thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth
for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In
anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade
them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and
asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his
daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th
month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they
tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river
because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of
magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she
could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the
magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to
meet.
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