Momotaro

My friend AL summoned me to her office shortly after she returned from Kyoto.

As a souvenir, she gave me a tiny box of something that looked like candies. She said with a curious smile, “I hope your girls would like it.”

When I return home and open the box for my princess, I broke into laughter for the sense of humor of my friend – it was a box of gelatinous rice cake with the logo of Momotaro (桃太郎)!

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For those who are not familiar with the story, the legend of Momotaro could be dated back to the Edo period. The boy came to the Earth inside a giant peach (momo means peach in Japanese) and was adopted by an old couple. A few years later, Momotaro left his parents to fight a band of marauding ogres on a distant island.

On his way he met a monkey, a rooster, and a dog. To begin with, these animals were really a delinquent lot, but Momotaro gave them some magical sweet cakes made of gelatinous rice. After enjoying the special treat, the three of them turned obedient and made good friend with Momotaro. They followed the boy to the island.

And the rest is plain sailing. At the ogres’ island, Momotaro and his three friends defeated the band of demons and he returned home with a huge treasure from the island.

PS. You may ask: Why a monkey, a rooster, and a dog? By traditional oriental teaching, these animals represent three of the twelve directions on earth; in the aggregate they imply a gang from the west.

They are 申，酉，戍。