Momotarō (桃太郎) is a popular hero from Japanese folklore.
His name literally means Peach Tarō; as Tarō is a common Japanese boy's name, it is often translated as Peach Boy. Momotarō is also the title of various books, films, and other works that portray the tale of this hero.
Story:
According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo period), Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach,
which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who
was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the
child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained
that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).[1]
Years later, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of marauding oni (demons or ogres) on a distant island. En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort
and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new
friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon
chief as a captive. Momotarō and his family lived comfortably from then
on.[1]
Momotarō is strongly associated with Okayama, and his tale may have its origins there. The demon island (Onigashima (鬼ヶ島)) of the story is sometimes associated with Megijima Island, an island in the Seto Inland Sea near Takamatsu, due to the vast manmade caves found on that island.[2][3]
Read about the variants of this story and more.
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