Written by Natsuko Hama,
Illustrated by Youhei Yokoyama
A long time ago. An old man went to a mountain to harvest bamboo.
“Why, one of the bamboo stalks is shining! Let’s cut it open! Oof! ”
“Oh my! There’s a little girl, inside the bamboo stalk! I will bring her home and raise her with my wife.”
The old man gently wrapped the little girl in the palm of his hand and took her home.
“Oh, what a tiny lovely girl! What name shall we give her?”
“Let’s name her Kaguyahime.”
Ever since Kaguyahime came to live with the old man and woman, strange things began to happen.
Whenever the old man would cut open a stalk of bamboo, he would find money inside.
They soon became rich.
Day after day, Kaguyahime grew and grew.
Soon, a rumor of there being a beautiful princess called Kaguyahime spread across the country.
Many men visited her one after another to propose to her.
However, Kaguyahime refused them all.
Soon, 3 years passed. “Kaguyahime, why do you cry when you look up at the moon?”
“Our dear Kaguyahime, what makes you so sad?”
Finally, Kaguyahime spoke out.
I am not a being from the human world. I come from the moon world.
When the moon becomes full, I must return to where I came from.
“Dear Kaguyahime, what on earth are you talking about?”
“I want to stay by your side longer. I asked the moon king to let me stay here longer, but he refused.”
Knowing that she would never be able to meet the old man and woman ever again, Kaguyahime became filled with sadness and began to cry.
At last, the day of the full moon came. Many warriors stood by Kaguyahime’s house to protect her from the moon king.
When the clock struck midnight, lights began to flash around the house.
Many people from the moon world arrived onto Earth riding clouds.
The warriors tried to shoot them down with arrows, but lost in vain.
“Grandfather and grandmother, thank you very much for everything. I am sorry for not being able to take care of you as you become older.”
People from the moon world put a celestial robe of an angel on Kaguyahime.
Then, all human feelings of joy and sorrow disappeared from inside Kaguyahime.
Kaguyahime once again became a person from the moon world.
She flew high up into the sky, together with everyone else from the moon world.
おくづけ
「かぐやひめ」英語
文:浜 なつ子
絵:よこやま ようへい
翻訳: 武部好子
朗読:ステファニー佐久間
音楽:秋山裕和
企画:にほんごの会くれよん
制作:多言語絵本の会RAINBOW
"This work is not for sale, nor for revision, nor for any change."