The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

The oldest surviving work of Japanese fictional prose narrative, *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter* (*Taketori Monogatari*), blends folklore with fiction. Its author remains unknown, and it was composed during the Heian period, likely in the late 9th or early 10th century. The story follows Kaguya-hime, a lunar princess found as a baby inside a glowing bamboo stalk. After growing up, she rejects five noble suitors by setting each an impossible task, then also refuses the Emperor of Japan. Ultimately, she reveals her celestial origin and returns to the Moon. The tale is also called *The Tale of Princess Kaguya* (*Kaguya-hime no Monogatari*).

**Background**

Though it is considered the earliest surviving *monogatari*, the exact date of *The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter* is unknown. The oldest manuscript still in existence dates to 1592. A poem in the 10th-century *Yamato Monogatari* describes a Moon-viewing party held at the palace in 909, which later scholars have linked to the tale, though the text itself does not explicitly reference it. The story’s mention of smoke rising from Mount Fuji suggests the volcano was still active when the tale was written; the *Kokin Wakashū* includes a poem describing smoke from Mount Fuji, indicating it was still emitting smoke around 905. Other sources propose the tale was composed between 871 and 881.

Scholars have attributed the work to various figures, including Minamoto no Shitagō (911–983), the Abbot Henjō, a member of the Inbe clan, a political opponent of Emperor Tenmu, and the *kanshi* poet Ki no Haseo (842–912). Debate also continues over whether a single author or a group wrote it, and whether the original language was *kanbun*, Japanese *kana*, or Chinese.

**English translations**

Since its appearance in 909 CE, during Japan’s Heian period (794–1185 CE), the tale has inspired minstrel performances, kabuki plays, paintings, musicals, manga, and animated films. It is a staple of Japanese primary education, and most adults can recite its opening passages from memory. By the year 1000 CE, it was already a classic, described in *The Tale of Genji* as “the ancestor of all tales” and a story “belong[ing] to the age of the gods.”

An early English translation by F. Victor Dickins appeared in 1888. Written in Victorian style, it contains inaccuracies and omissions, though it includes extensive notes.