Once upon a time there were an old man and his wife in a village.　
The husband went to the mountain to get firewood and the wife went
washing in the river.　

　　One day when the wife was washing as usual, a big peach
floated down from above to her. "Oh! What a big peach that is!"
She brought it back to her home.

　　　　
　　When the husband came home in the evening, the wife showed
him the peach. The husband said, "This is wonderful. Let's eat it
now." When the wife cut the peach with a knife, a crying baby
boy came out of it. The old man and his wife were surprised at
the baby. 　But they were very glad to get a pretty son because
they had no child. The husband named the baby Momo-Taro, or
Peach Boy.

　　Time passed, and Momo-Taro became a nice young man.
One day a merchant came from the town. He said sadly,
"These days, bad monsters do violence in our town. So we are
in trouble very much. 　A lot of people were killed and a lot
of houses were broken."
Momo-Taro said,
"What bad monsters! Well, I will kill them.　Where are they?"
"They are in Oni-ga-shima, the monsters' island."
"How many monsters are there?"
"More than twenty. The red monster is the strongest of all.
He is the boss."
"Ok. 　Father and Mother, I will leave tomorrow."
Taro began to prepare with the help of his father. The old
woman, or Taro's mother, made a lot of Kibi-balls for her son.
　
────────────────────────────────

　　The next morning, Momo-Taro left home with a sword and
theKibi-balls on his waist. On the way he came accross a dog.
The dog said,
　　"Hi, Momo-Taro. Please give me one of the Kibi-balls on your
waist."　
　　"Ok, Dog. I will give you a ball if you go to Oni-ga-shima with me."
　　"Sure. I will go together as your man."
The dog ate one ball and said,
　　"I feel I am stronger than before."
　　"You are right. A Kibi-ball makes you stronger.Now let's go."
Taro and Dog began to walk together.


　After a while, they met a monkey. The monkey also asked Taro
to give a Kibo-ball.　Taro gave one ball to him and said,
　"Listen, Monkey! We are going to attack the monsters' island.
　 So I want you to help us."
The monkey said,
　"Sure! I would be glad to go with you."
Then Taro began to walk again with Dog and Monkey.


　　After a while, a pheasant came from the sky. The pheasant
asked Taro to give him a ball, too. Taro gave one ball and
the pheasant became Taro's third man. Then Momo-Taro began to
walk again with his three men ── Dog, Monkey and Pheasant.


　 When the sun set, they arrived at a beach . Momo-Taro got
his three men together and said,
　"Now, listen to me, everyone. It has already got dark. We will
　 stay here tonight. Then tomorrow , I am going to take you to
　　the monsters' island. We must go there to kill all the bad
　　monsters. Any question?"
　" Yes, sir,"
Monkey said,
　"How do we get to the island? I can't swim."
Taro answered,
　"We will have to take a boat. But of course, Pheasant may fly
　　in the sky.


Pheasant asked,
　"What can we do for you tomorrow?"
　"Ok, my men! First, you, Pheasant! I want you to look for the
　　island from the sky. Next, you, Monkey! When we begin to
　　attack the enemy's fortress, you must open the gate from
　　inside. You can climb over the wall easily. And last, you,
　　Dog! You must always act with me. I will need your help
　　when I fight against the red monster, the boss of the enemy.
　　He is the strongest of all. Do you all understand? Ok!
　　Now let's eat Kibi-balls for dinner and get a good sleep."
Taro and his three men slept on the beach that night.


────────────────────────────────

　　The next morning, they got on a boat and headed for Oni-ga-
shima. Pheasant flew high and looked for the island from the sky.
Monkey stood on the bow and led his boat as the pilot.　Dog ate
Kibi-balls again and rowed the boat powerfully.


　　It was about noon. Pheasant found the island at last.　Taro
said to the bird,
　"Go first and see what the monsters are doing now."
　"Yes, sir."
Pheasant answered and flew away. .........................


　　After an hour, he came back and said,
　"Good news! The monsters are having a drinking party now."
　"How many monsters? "
　"Twenty-one. But there is no guard at the gate." 　　 」
　"Good job, Pheasant! Take a rest."
Taro continued,
　"Now everyone, it's time to attack. Let's be brave,
　　and we will win."
A few hours later they reached the shore and landed quietly.

　　In the fortress all the monsters were sleeping after the party.
Taro and his men began to attack.　First, Pheasant went up and
watched the enemy from the sky. Next, Monkey opened the gate
from inside. Then Taro and Dog rushed into the fortress.

　The monsters were surprised at the sudden attack. The red
monster, the boss of the enemy, shouted,
　"They are just a boy and a few animals! Kill them all!"
But thanks to the Kibi-balls, Momo-Taro and his men were
a hundred times as strong as usual. 　On the other hand, the monsters
were too drunk to fight well.

　　Some monsters were killed and others were captured. The red
monster also gave up at last and said,
　"Please, please forgive me. I will never do anything wrong.
　　You may take all my treasure."
Then all the monsters promised to work for people in the town.
So Momo-Taro forgave them.

　　After that Taro and his men went back home with the treasure.
And they lived happily ever after.


●解説●←かなり長い