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Book/Printed Material The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

About this Item

Title

  • The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Summary

  • This 17th-century scroll recounts the story of Taketori Monogatari (The tale of the bamboo cutter), famous as the earliest piece of prose fiction in the Japanese literary tradition and originally written around the 10th century. In the scroll, flowers are drawn on the paper of the main text. The main preoccupation of the story is Kaguyahime, discovered as a tiny infant inside a mysteriously glowing bamboo stem by an elderly bamboo cutter. He and his wife raise her as their daughter, and Kaguyahime quickly becomes a beautiful young woman, a shining princess. Destined to return to the moon, her true home, Kaguyahime attempts to discourage her five princely suitors by demanding from them impossible tasks. All fail, and the emperor of Japan too becomes an enamored but rejected applicant for her hand. When an embassy of heavenly beings arrive in a chariot to collect her, she dons a feather robe and they take her back home to reclaim her rightful place as an immortal.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1600 to 1700]

Headings

  • -  Japan
  • -  900 to 999
  • -  Fairy tales
  • -  Folklore
  • -  Kaguyahime (Fictitious character)

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource extent: 3 scrolls, 32.4 centimeters in length, color illustrations.
  • -  Original resource at: National Diet Library.
  • -  Content in Japanese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667427

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1700, 1600] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667427/.

APA citation style:

(1600) The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1700] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667427/.

MLA citation style:

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1700, 1600] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667427/>.