1. Momotaro
Momotaro is one of the most loved folktales in Japan as well as one of the most well-known. The name "Momotaro" literally means "Peach Taro," which is a name suffix often seen in Japan. You may have heard the story translated as "Peach Boy."
According to the present form of the tale (dating to the Edo period), Momotarล came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarล, from momo (peach) and tarล (eldest son in the family).
Years later, Momotarล left his parents to fight a band of marauding oni (demons or ogres) on a distant island. En route, Momotarล met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarล and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarล and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive. Momotarล and his family lived comfortably from then on.
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