is a (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of

Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, Tradition, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The Folklor ...

. Written by an unknown author in the late 9th or early 10th century during the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, it is considered the oldest surviving work in the form. The story details the life of Kaguya-hime, a princess from the Moon who is discovered as a baby inside the stalk of a glowing

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

plant. After she grows, her beauty attracts five suitors seeking her hand in marriage, whom she turns away by challenging them each with an impossible task; she later attracts the affection of the

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

. At the tale's end, Kaguya-hime reveals her celestial origins and returns to the Moon. The story is also known as , after its protagonist.Katagiri et al. 1994: 81.

Background

''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' is considered the oldest surviving , though its exact date of composition is unknown.Katagiri et al. 1994: 95. The oldest surviving manuscript is dated to 1592. A poem in the , a 10th-century work that describes life in the imperial court, invokes the tale in slight reference to a Moon-viewing party held at the palace in 909. A mention of smoke rising from

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

in ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' suggests that the volcano was still active at the time of its composition; the indicates that the mountain had stopped emitting smoke by 905. Other sources suggest the tale was written between 871 and 881. The author of ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' is also unknown, and scholars have variously attributed the work to Minamoto no Shitagō (911–983), to the Abbot Henjō, to a member of the

Inbe clan Inbe clan (忌部氏; also spelled Imibe clan or Inbe clan) was a Japanese clan during the Yamato period. They claimed descent from Futodama. The Inbe clan originally had a religious function by preparing and taking care of offerings. According ...

, to a member of a political faction opposed to

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. He ascended ...

, and to the poet Ki no Haseo (842–912). It is also debated whether the tale was written by one person or a group of people, and whether it was written in , Japanese , or even Chinese.

Narrative

One day in the

forest, an old bamboo cutter called comes across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. Upon cutting it open, he is surprised to find an infant the size of his thumb inside. The old man and his wife, having no children of their own, decide to raise the infant as their own daughter, and name her . From that moment on, every time the man cuts a stalk of bamboo, he finds a small nugget of

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

inside. The family soon grows rich, and within just three months, Kaguya-hime grows from an infant into a woman of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty. At first, the old man tries to keep news of Kaguya-hime away from outsiders, but as word of her beauty spreads, she attracts many suitors who seek her hand in marriage. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter - Discovery of Princess Kaguya

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter - Discovery of Princess Kaguya

Among the suitors are five nobles: , , , , and . They eventually persuade the old man to have Kaguya-hime choose from among them. Uninterested, Kaguya-hime devises five impossible tasks, agreeing to marry the noble who can bring her the item specified for him: the stone begging bowl of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

, a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hōrai, a robe of fire rat skins, a colored jewel from a

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

's neck, and a

cowry shell Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails in the family Cypraeidae. Cowrie shells have held cultural, economic, and ornamental significance in various cultures. The cowrie was the shell most widely used wo ...

born from a

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

. Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presents a fake stone bowl made from a blackened pot, but is exposed when Kaguya-hime notices that the bowl does not glow with holy light. The second noble presents a branch created by the country's finest jewelers, but is revealed when a messenger of the craftsmen arrives at Kaguya-hime's house to collect payment. The third noble is deceived by a merchant from China, who sells him a robe that burns when it is tested with fire. The fourth noble sets out to find a dragon at sea, but abandons his plans after encountering a storm. The fifth noble falls from a great height while reaching into a swallow's nest. After this, the

comes to visit Kaguya-hime and, after falling in love, asks her hand in marriage. Although he is not subjected to an impossible trial, Kaguya-hime rejects his request for marriage as well, telling him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace with him. She remains in contact with the Emperor, but continues to rebuff his proposals. Three years pass as they continue to communicate by letter. That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime views the full moon, her eyes fill with tears. Though her adoptive parents grow very worried and question her, she refuses to tell them what is wrong. Her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic until she reveals that she is not of the Earth and that she must return to her people on the Moon. It is said that she was sent to the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment, as a punishment for some crime without further description. The gold was a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

from the people of the Moon, sent to pay for Kaguya-hime's upkeep. As the day of her return approaches, the Emperor sends his guards to protect her from the Moon's people, but when an embassy of heavenly beings descends upon the bamboo cutter's house, the guards are blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announces that, though she loves her many friends on Earth, she must return with the beings to her true home on the Moon. She writes sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gives her parents her own robe as a memento. She then takes a little of the

elixir of immortality The elixir of life (Medieval Latin: ' ), also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cu ...

, attaches it to her letter to the Emperor, and gives it to the guard officer. As she hands it to him, a feather robe is placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth are apparently forgotten. The entourage ascends into the sky, taking Kaguya-hime back to and leaving her earthly foster parents in tears. Gekkyu no mukae

The old couple become very sad and are soon put to bed sick. The officer returns to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime gave him as her last mortal act, and reports what happened. The Emperor reads her letter and is overcome with sadness, and asks his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?"; in response, one suggests the Great Mountain of

Suruga Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu Province, Izu, Kai Province, Kai, Sagami Province, Sagami, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Province, Tōtōm ...

. The Emperor then orders his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess. They are also ordered to burn the elixir of immortality, as the Emperor does not wish to live for eternity without being able to see her. Legend has it that the word for , became the name of the mountain,

. It is also said that the

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

for the mountain, which translate literally to , are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day. (In the past, Mount Fuji was a much more active volcano and therefore produced more smoke.)

Literary connections

Elements of the tale were drawn from earlier stories. The protagonist Taketori no Okina appears in the earlier poetry collection (; poem #3791). In it, he meets a group of women and recites a poem to them. This indicates that there previously existed an image or tale revolving around a bamboo cutter and celestial or mystical women. A similar retelling of the tale appears in the 12th century (volume 31, chapter 33), although the relationship between these texts is debated.

In 1957, (), a Chinese book of Tibetan tales, was published. In the early 1970s, Japanese literary researchers became aware that (), one of the tales in the book, had certain similarities with ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter''. Initially, many researchers believed to be related to ''Tale of Bamboo Cutter'', although some were skeptical. In the 1980s, studies showed that the relationship between these stories was not as simple as initially thought. Okutsu provides an extensive review of the research, and notes that the book was intended to be for children, and as such, the editor took some liberties in adapting the tales. No other compilation of Tibetan tales contains the story. A researcher went to

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

and found that, apart from those who had already read , local researchers in

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

did not know the story. Several Tibetan sources in

Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Aba (; Qiang language, Qiang: ; zh, s=阿坝藏族羌族自治州, t=阿壩藏族羌族自治州), is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, bordering Gansu to the north and ...

did not know the story either. The

philological Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

consensus is that the author of the 1957 book purposefully copied ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter''.

Chang'e

The Chinese legend of

Chang'e Chang'e ( ; ), originally known as Heng'e (), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for her ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Mo ...

can be traced to the second century BCE. According to the main telling of the legend, a named Chang'e came to Earth, thereby losing her immortality. To get it back, she stole the elixir of immortality from the

Queen Mother of the West The Queen Mother of the West, known by #Names, various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese religion and Chinese mythology, mythology, also worshipped later in neighbouring countries. She is attested from ancient ...

, then fled to the Moon. The elements of immortality and flight are well-connected to the Daoist figure of the , as is the appearance of unusual figures in the mountains, but the Japanese tale includes many novel elements such as the bamboo cutter, the suitors, and the night abduction by floating creatures.

Legacy

''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' is a popular folk tale in Japan. It has been adapted, updated and reworked into numerous modern media, especially

Japanese pop culture Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be t ...

media such as

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

and

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

Modern adaptations

Generally faithful adaptations of the original story include the following: * ''Princess Kaguya'' 1935 live-action Japanese film directed by Yoshitsugu Tanaka, with cinematography by

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director, filmmaker, and cinematographer. A co-creator of the ''Godzilla (franchise), Godzilla'' and ''Ultraman'' franchises, he is considered one of the most important and influential figures in the history o ...

. *'' Princess from the Moon'' 1987 live-action Japanese film directed by

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...

, and starring

Toshiro Mifune was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time. He often played hypermasculine characters and was noted for his commandin ...

, Ayako Wakao and Yasuko Sawaguchi. * '' The Tale of the Princess Kaguya'' 2013

film, directed by

Isao Takahata was a Japanese director, screenwriter and producer. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he earned international critical acclaim for his work as a director of Japanese animated feature films. Born in Ujiyamada, Mie Prefecture, Takahata joined Toei ...

and produced by

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

. Modern updates and reworkings of the original story are found in numerous other works: * '' Queen Millennia'' (''The New Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'') 1980 Japanese manga,

light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...

and anime franchise created by

Leiji Matsumoto was a Japanese manga artist, and creator of several anime and manga series. His widow Miyako Maki is also a manga artist. Matsumoto was famous for his works such as ''Space Battleship Yamato'' and ''Galaxy Express 999''. His style was chara ...

. * ''

Please Save My Earth is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Saki Hiwatari. It was published by Hakusensha from December 1986 to May 1994 in the magazine ''Hana to Yume'' and collected in 21 ''tankōbon'' volumes. It is about six young people an ...

'' 1986 manga and 1993 anime series. * '' Yaiba'' 1988 Japanese manga with 1993 and 2025 anime series adaptations. * '' Big Bird in Japan'' 1989 American ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' television special. * ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

'' 1991 Japanese manga and anime franchise. ** ''

Sailor Moon S The third season of the ''Sailor Moon'' anime series, ''Sailor Moon S'' (originally released in Japan as , and later as ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon S''), was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. It began broadcasting on ...

'' 1994 anime

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

. ** '' Sailor Moon S: The Movie'' 1994 anime film that specifically references ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'' and Princess Kaguya. * ''

From the Towers of the Moon ''From the Towers of the Moon'' is an opera in one act by Robert Moran (composer), Robert Moran, with a libretto by Michael John LaChiusa. It is based on the classic Japanese tale ''Princess Kaguya'', or ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'', which tel ...

'' 1992 American theatrical

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, inspired by the film ''Princess from the Moon''. * ''

Turn A Gundam , also stylized as ''∀ Gundam'', is a 1999 Japanese mecha anime series produced by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, and aired between 1999 and 2000 on Fuji Television and other Fuji Network System, FNS stations. It was created for the ''Gunda ...

'' 1999 ''

Gundam is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...

'' anime series and film. * ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'' 1999 Japanese manga and anime franchise. * ''

Mushishi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Urushibara. It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine ' from 1999 to 2002, and in ''Monthly Afternoon'' from December 2002 to August 2008. The individual chapters were ...

'' 1999 manga and 2006 anime. * '' Oh! Edo Rocket'' 2001 Japanese

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

and novel and 2007 manga and anime series. * '' Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass'' 2002 '' Inuyasha'' anime film. * 2003 book where Princess Kaguya portrays the Narcissus conflict, a contradictory desire to coincide perfectly with the beloved and at the same time to be a unique and free individual. * ''

Soul Eater is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Atsushi Ohkubo. Set at the "Death Weapon Meister Academy", the series revolves around three teams, each consisting of a weapon meister and at least one human that can transform into a w ...

'' 2003 manga. * ''

Imperishable Night is a 2004 vertical bullet hell scrolling shoot 'em up video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, comput ...

'' 2004 ''

Touhou Project The , also known simply as , is a bullet hell shoot 'em up video game series created by Indie game, independent Japanese Doujin soft, soft developer Team Shanghai Alice. The team's sole member, ZUN (video game developer), Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, ha ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

* ''

Ōkami is a 2006 action-adventure game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for PlayStation 2 in 2006 in Japan and North America, and in 2007 in Europe and Australia. After the closure of Clover Studio a few months afte ...

'' 2006

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

video game. * '' Shiren the Wanderer'' 2008 video game. * '' Blade of the Moon Princess'' 2010 manga by Tatsuya Endo, uses sci-fi elements to alter or expand the story. * '' Warriors Orochi 3'' 2011

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its historical simulation games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based o ...

video game. Kaguya is a playable character; over the course of the game, her detachment as an immortal is replaced with a feeling of camaraderie for the mortals she protects. * ''

Persona 4 Golden is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in July 2008, North Ame ...

'' Persona Kaguya Hime in this 2012 enhanced port of the video game ''Persona 4'' is based on the tale. * '' Kaguya-sama: Love Is War'' 2015 manga and 2019 anime series. * '' Prince Kaguya'' 2015 musical. * ''Taisho x Alice'' One of the love interests named Kaguya from this 2015

Otome game An is a story-based romance video game targeted towards women with a female protagonist as the player character. Generally one of the goals, besides the main story goal, is to develop a romantic relationship between the female main player char ...

themed after fairy tales is based on this tale, portraying the tale with darker and more depressing themes. * ''

Pokémon Sun and Moon and are 2016 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the seventh generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon ...

'' Ultra Beast Celesteela from this 2016 video game is based on the tale. * '' SINoALICE'' 2017 game, featuring Princess Kaguya as one of its playable characters, being portrated with the sin of masochism. * ''

Fly Me to the Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apo ...

'' 2018 manga and 2020 anime series. * '' Spirit Hunter: NG'' 2018 game where the player is forced to perform several tasks of exorcising spirits by a childlike doll known as 'Kakuya'. * ''

Star Twinkle Precure is a Japanese magical girl anime series by Toei Animation. It is the sixteenth installment in the ''Pretty Cure'' franchise, and the last series released in the Heisei period. It features the fourteenth generation of Cures. It is directed by ...

'' Kaguya Madoka in this 2019 anime, who transforms into Cure Selene, is based on Princess Kaguya. * ''Ninja Box'' The

kunoichi is a Japanese term for . In popular culture, it is often used for female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu (''ninpo''). The term was largely popularized by novelist Futaro Yamada in his novel in 1964. Although kunoichi have appeared in numerou ...

Takewaka-chan and her evolution from this 2019

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game is based on Princess Kaguya.

References

Bibliography

* Edward Drott. "'To Tread on High Clouds': Dreams of Eternal Youth in Early Japan." ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' vol. 42, no. 2 (2015), 275–317. * Katagiri Yōichi, Fukui Teisuke, Takahashi Seiji and Shimizu Yoshiko. 1994. in series. Tokyo: Shogakukan. *

Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japane ...

(translator), ''The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter'', * ''Japan at a Glance'' Updated, , pages 164–165 (brief abstract) * Fumiko Enchi, "Kaguya-hime", (in Japanese

hiragana is a Japanese language, Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' means "common" or "plain" kana (originally also "easy", ...

) * *
, Japanese Text Initiative, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
* * Eugene Y. Wang. "Mirror, Moon and Memory in Eighth-Century China: From Dragon Pond to Lunar Palace." ''Cleveland Studies in the History of Art'' vol. 9 (2005), 42–67.

External links

*

* Tetsuo Kawamoto
''The Moon Princess''
(translated by Clarence Calkins) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter 9th-century Japanese books 10th-century books Buddhist folklore Extraterrestrial life in popular culture Japanese fairy tales Japanese folklore Japanese science fiction Late Old Japanese texts Heian period in literature Monogatari Fiction set on the Moon Fiction about alchemy Works of unknown authorship Japanese bildungsromans 9th-century science fiction works Babmoo cutter, the Tale of