ももたろうとフェリーの鬼が島

The two of them were living quietly in an old house near the station.

Every morning, the old man went to look at the nearby field.

At home, the old woman did things like laundry and making meals.

On Sunday, the town had a river-cleanup day.

The old woman also went early in the morning to the river wearing long gloves.

The river water was cold, but the sky was clear.

While everyone was picking up trash, a big thing came floating from upstream.

It was a big red round peach.

The old woman was surprised and said, “This is the first time for a peach this big.”

The nearby people also gathered and said, “Let’s take a picture.”

But the old woman took that peach home.

When she returned home, the old man also saw the peach and opened his eyes wide.

The two of them put the peach in the kitchen and talked about eating it at night.

However, before they cut it, the peach made a loud sound and opened.

From inside, a lively boy came out.

The boy said, “I am Momotaro.”

The old man and the old woman were surprised, but they immediately let the child into the house.

From that day, the two of them raised Momotaro with care.

Momotaro ate a lot, slept a lot, and quickly grew big.

By the time he became old enough to go to school, he had become the strongest child in town.

Momotaro helped with the field work, the house cleaning, and everything else too.

The people of the town said, “He is really dependable.”

But that town had one big problem.

From Ogre Island across the sea, ogres came from time to time.

When night came, the ogres took fish, rice, and tools from the shops.

Sometimes boxes also disappeared from a big room near the harbor.

The people of the town were afraid, and at night they closed their doors early.

One day, Momotaro heard that story from the old man.

And he said, “I will go to Ogre Island.”

The old woman said, “It is still dangerous.”

But Momotaro answered, “I must protect this town.”

After thinking for a while, the old man nodded firmly.

From early morning, the old woman made millet dumplings in the kitchen.

Then she put the millet dumplings into a small bag.

The old man gave Momotaro a map, water, and a blue jacket.

Momotaro shouldered a big backpack and started walking along the road in front of the station.

When he came to the mountain entrance, one dog came running.

The dog asked, “Momotaro, what is inside that bag?”

Momotaro said, “They are the most delicious millet dumplings in Japan.”

The dog said, “Please give me one. I will go along too.”

Momotaro gave one and said, “Then please become my companion.”

After going a little farther, a monkey poked out its face from the top of a tree.

The monkey also received a millet dumpling and became a companion.

After that, near a wide field, a pheasant came down from the sky.

The pheasant also said, “I will help too,” and decided to go together with them.

The four of them went to the harbor and boarded the morning ferry.

Out on the sea the wind was strong, but the pheasant found the island gate.

Ogre Island had a tall gate and a large old room.

Even though it was daytime, the ogres were in the square laughing and making loud voices.

Momotaro said, “Let’s combine our strength.”

The dog barked in front of the gate and startled the ogres.

The monkey climbed up and opened the gate from the inside.

The pheasant flew from the sky and circled round and round in front of the ogres.

Meanwhile, Momotaro entered the square and said, “Please stop stealing now.”

But a big red-faced ogre came out holding a club.

Then the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant moved together.

The dog ran to the ogre’s feet, and the monkey took away the club.

The pheasant flew above the ogres’ heads, and the ogres could no longer see in front of them.

Momotaro stood in front of the big ogre and said, “Return the town’s things.”

The big ogre finally sat down on the ground and said, “I give up.”

The other ogres also lowered their heads and brought out everything they had stolen.

Inside the large room, there were many boxes of rice, fish, tools, and money.

Boxes with the town shops’ names written on them were also found.

The ogres promised, “We will not go to the town anymore.”

Momotaro said, “If you keep your promise, we will not fight anymore.”

The four of them returned to the harbor and loaded the boxes onto the ferry.

On the ferry back, everyone was tired, but they looked happy.

The people of the town were waiting at the harbor and waving big flags.

When the old woman saw Momotaro, tears came into her eyes.

The old man also said “thank you” many times to the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant.

The people of the town carried the returned boxes to the shops.

That night, there was a small celebration in the square.

Everyone ate a meal together, and they also put out big plates for the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant.

Momotaro said, “This is not the power of me alone.”

And he said, “Because everyone was there, it was possible.”

After that, the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant came to the town from time to time.

Bad news did not come anymore from Ogre Island.

To the riverside town, nights quieter than before returned.

Every time spring comes, the people of the town talk about the big peach on river-cleanup day.

And every time that happens, Momotaro remembers the dog, the monkey, and the pheasant.