Momotaro, the Peach Boy

The Japanese and American Wives (JAW) group formed in 1960. Yes, math wizards, JAW is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The Japanese ladies were responsible for planning the first at-large event of the year. They asked themselves, "How can we appropriately commemorate this milestone?" The ones who honed their English language skills watching old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies piped up, "Let's put on a show!"

They decided to dramatize one of the most famous Japanese folktales, Momotaro (Peach Boy). While the cast donned their costumes, the audience was taught two songs, including one with lots of arm and leg movements that seemed to be about trying on pants made out of tiger fur.

Here's the story in a peach pit:

Once upon a time there was a married couple, an old woodcutter (my quilting teacher) and his wife. They did not have any children. They felt very sad about this.

The woodcutter went into the forest to cut wood. The wife went down to the stream to wash their laundry. She saw peaches floating down the stream and grabbed a juicy one.

A giant peach (roughly the same size as the one Roald Dahl would describe to English-speaking audiences several centuries later, ahem) came into view.

(The "ninja" stagehands earned a lot of laughs.)

The wife pulled the giant peach from the stream and took it back to their cottage.

When the woodcutter and his wife cut open the giant peach, they found an baby boy inside.

They named the baby Momotaro because he came to them in a peach.

When Momotaro grew up, a crow told him that ogres were holding a princess captive.

Momotaro stuck a sword in his belt, tied a band around his head, and set off for Devil's Island. Along the way, Momotaro met up with a dog (loyalty), a monkey (cleverness), and a pheasant (courage--pheasants kill snakes). They all joined his entourage.

They rowed a boat across the water to get to Devil's Island. A small cardboard cutout of a boat went across the stage a few seconds after this live version (left), letting the audience know that the rescue party had to travel quite a distance to reach the island.

When Momotaro and his friends reached Devil's Island, the ogres were drinking sake and singing the tiger pants song. Momotaro used his sword to dispose of the ogres. This was nicely choreographed and the ogres had lots of padding to cushion their falls.


Momotaro won the heart and hand of the princess and, of course, they lived happily ever after.

After several curtain calls, the cast posed for photographs with their American guests. There was a little tiger sticker on my name badge, so I had my picture taken with the other American tigers.

The blonde lady in the front row is Meagan, one of my knitting teachers.