STORIES OF VALUES went to a stream to wash clothes L ong ago in Japan an elderly woman She saw something strange floating in the water It was the biggest peach she had ever seen Not having much food she brought it home to eat When she showed it to her husband the peach opened up and a handsome young boy jumped out Having always wanted a child the couple decided to raise the boy as their own They named him Momotaro He was always bigger and stronger than other boys When he was 15 he told his father about an island filled with The story of Momotaro bottom left is well known in Japan 5
A statue of Momotaro stands in Okayama Japan demons Momotaro wanted to travel there to rescue the people from the terrible monsters Momotaro’s parents did not want him to leave But they knew he was meant for something great 6
They gave him their blessing and food for the journey Along the way he met up with a bird a monkey and a dog He shared his food and much kindness with each of them The animals went with him to the island When they arrived they defeated the demons The people were so grateful that they rewarded Momotaro with many treasures He gave them all to his parents so they would never go hungry again The story teaches many lessons about the values of Japanese culture One important lesson is the value of helping one’s father and mother THE ORIGINS OF JAPANESE MYTHOLOGY Most stories from Japanese mythology are found in two ancient texts The Kojiki was written in 712 CE Its name means Records of Ancient Matters The Nihon shoki was recorded eight years later Its name means Chronicles of Japan The Japanese emperor Temmu ordered the creation of both texts The stories had many different sources Some stories had been written 7
