「桃太郎」は、日本人なら誰もが知っている昔話の一つです。この話のあらすじを紹介しておきましょう。
おばあさんが川で流れてきた桃を拾って帰り、割ってみるとその中から男の子が生まれます。この子・桃太郎は、大きくなって鬼が島（ここで使われている「が」は、昔の文法では「～の」という意味です。よって、「鬼が島」とは「鬼の島」なのです）へきび団子を持って鬼退治に出かけると言い出し、道中で出会った犬と猿、キジがきび団子をもらって家来になります。三匹を従えた桃太郎は見事、鬼を征伐して宝物を持って帰る…という結末です。
さて、主人公はなぜ桃から生まれるのでしょう。梨や柿も古来から広く食べられていたそうですから、桃でなくてもよさそうなものなのに、わざわざ「桃から生まれた」と設定されている理由を知っていますか。
桃は、中国において鬼を払う呪物（じゅぶつ）としての効力を持っていると信じられていました。この考え方が日本でも広がり、桃から誕生した主人公に鬼を成敗する力があったことが当然のものとして受け入れられたのです。さらに、桃は不老長寿の薬としても珍重されていました。桃太郎の昔話も、桃太郎が桃から生まれたのではなく、桃を食べて若返ったおじいさんとおばあさんの間に生まれたという展開でも語られています。桃は、他の果物よりも神秘的で特殊な力を持つ果実だと信じられていたからこそ、桃太郎のような話が作られたのですね。
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Momotaro is one folk tale that any Japanese person would know. I’ll introduce the plot of the story to you.
An old lady picks up a peach that comes flowing down the river, and when she goes back and splits it, a boy is inside. This child, Momotaro says that when he grows up, he is going to take kibidango or “millet dumplings” and he is going to defeat the demon on onigashima (The ga used here means no in old Japanese. Therefore onigashima or “the demon is an island” means oninoshima or “the island of demons”) and on his way he gives the kibidango to a dog, monkey, and a Japanese pheasant who become his retainers. Accompanied by the three, Momotaro is successfully able to conquer the demon and bring home the treasure… which is how it ends.
Now, why is the main character born from a peach? Pears and persimmons were also apparently eaten from ancient times, therefore it didn’t necessarily have to be a peach, but do you know the reason why it’s purposely set as “he was born from a peach”?
In China, peaches were believed to be an effective object in keeping demons away. This way of thinking spread across Japan, and was accepted as natural that the main character born from a peach had the power to punish the demon.
On top of that, peaches were highly valued also as medicine for perpetual youth and longevity. The folk story of Momotaro is also told in another way, that he was not born from a peach, but rather the old woman and old man who ate the peach became young again and had him as a baby. Peaches are believed to be more mysterious and to have special powers among other fruits. Therefore a story like Momotaro was made.
