The legend of Momotarō
From: https://en.grupomomotaro.com/about-momotaro
“Momotaro is a legend of Japanese folklore, which emphasizes the importance of sharing and teaches us that the key to success is teamwork.Legend has it that in a small village in Old Japan, there lived an elderly couple who worked in the fields. They had never been able to have children and this made them feel quite alone. The old man was a lumberjack and his wife took care of the house.One day, the old woman went to the river to wash her clothes and found a floating peach. It looked so nice and juicy that did not hesitate to pick it up for her and her husband.But great was the surprise of both, when they opened it they found a small child. They decided to adopt him and call him Momotaro, because momo in Japanese means peach.
Momotaro grew up to become a handsome and strong young man, much admired by everyone in the village.
One day, the inhabitants were harassed by demons that caused tremendous chaos in the town. They made it a habit to rob people and terrorize children.
“Someone has to go to the lair of those monsters to kill them,” someone suggested, “only by killing them will our suffering end.”
After much deliberation, the villagers chose Momotaro to face them.
The next day the father gave him his legendary sword and his mother a few mochis from a recipe that only she knew, for a long trip.
Halfway there he stopped to rest, a giant and terrible looking dog approached him. He claimed to be the lord of the forest and have superhuman strength. The dog was interested in the smell of the mochis, and Momotaro told him that he would share them with him if he accompanied him on his trip, which he accepted with pleasure.
The next day, a monkey with armor jumped on top of them, was the typical playful monkey with great agility. Momotaro explained his trip while they shared some mochis. And the monkey decided to accompany them in their adventures.
On the third day of the trip they came to a large meadow where there was the sound of a great pheasant that approached them, like a phoenix. He told them that he was very hungry, and Momotaro shared his mother’s mochis and they resumed the trip together.
Finally they reached Onigashima, the island of demons. The fortress looked terrible and desolate, the pheasant flew over it and the monkey jumped over the walls, opening the doors for Momotaro and the dog to enter.
They started an epic battle. The four heroes faced an army of demons in a merciless fight.
-No more, please! -the demons pleaded- We surrender!
“Only if they promise that they will never again torment the people of my village,” Momotaro told them.
-We promise! -replied them, hurt and scared.
Thus, Momotaro and his faithful companions recovered all the treasures that had been stolen, and were received with all the honors. The village returned to tranquility and Momotaro could live next to his inseparable friends.”