This week, we read and discussed the Tale of Princess Kaguya. Here’s a short summary the tale:
There’s an old couple living in a small village, and the old man, on his daily trip to the mountains, harvests bamboo. One day, he catches a glimpse of a shining bamboo shoot, and after cutting it down, he finds an adorable and miniature child, and returns home with her. After being raised by the old couple with utmost care and affection, she grows up into a cheerful and lovely lady, and accordingly is known as Princess Kaguya*, beautiful as moonlight itself. Person after person comes to the old man begging to be married to his daughter.
One day, she reveals that she comes from the moon and must soon return, though with great regret. Ethereal beings from the moon eventually descend down into the earth kingdom to bring her back, and though the old couple does whatever they can to prolong their time together, she is taken, never to be seen again.
*The name Kaguya perhaps comes from the verb 輝く(Kagayaku), which means to shine in Japanese.
Regardless, I thought it was really interesting to finally read a version of the tale itself after seeing references to it again and again in Japanese and Japanese-influenced media, like the Ghibli film of the same title or various other anime. In the version I read during class, Princess Kaguya was reluctant to marry any of the men who were requesting marriage, so she told the old man that she would marry one of them on the condition that they brought her something nearly impossible to get a hold of. These 5 items were: a swallow’s cowrie shell, golden mice fur, a dragon’s necklace, the Buddha’s bowl, and a fabled golden branch. There were 5 persistent men, but they could only manage fake items, so she doesn’t marry. When the day comes, surrounded by Samurai trying to protect her, she takes off, but not before thanking the old couple for their love dearly, and wishing them the best.
I have heard multiple other versions, but one that stands out to me is the tale in which the Emperor of Japan is among the men who want to marry Princess Kaguya. In this version, when the ethereal moon beings come to escort her to the moon, she gives the Emperor an elixir of immortality. Not wanting to spend the rest of eternity without her, he eventually destroys this elixir. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, the story takes yet another form as it is referenced in a side plot of the show. After falling for one of the lead characters, a Princess finds out that she has a part of the moon’s spirit. One day, in quest of greater power, a military general kills the actual moon spirit (a black Koi fish), rendering the night eternally dark. The Princess doesn’t just go back to the moon, but becomes the moon itself in order to restore balance to the world and fill its darkness.
This aside, one of the most interesting discussion points that came up in class was why Princess Kaguya came to earth and stayed for so long. Some believe that she was sent to earth in order to bring goodness and light to its population. Others might believe that she was a goddess (in)voluntarily reincarnated on this earth to learn more about the universe. Regardless, what is of interest to me is how the reason for staying for so long resonates similarly throughout each version; it’s all to be together with loved ones.
Furthermore, the ending feels like it has the influence of Buddhism, as if a bittersweet lesson saying “Naturally, good things cannot last forever, but there is poetry, there is beauty in how good things change form”. The old couple, not being able to be with Princess Kaguya physically, most likely long to be with her once again. Perhaps, this longing is a feeling worth feeling, fulfilling as it is hard to deal with. The reason being that it is resoundingly human, and as such, perhaps it can teach us a little bit more about what it means to live fully, to feel human, and how to find strength in dealing with the difficult parts.